Answering your questions… preseason edition. Get your questions in for the next edition by emailing rundown@saturdaydownsouth.com. Let’s jump right in.

Q: Who is more intense, Will Muschamp or Nick Saban?

Muschamp is the winner. Have you seen Florida’s team poster?

Q: Name the three biggest surprises in 2010, and speculate on three for 2011

In 2010, I’d go with Mississippi State having such a good year and capping it off by destroying Michigan, Cam Newton coming out of nowhere to go undefeated and win it all, and lastly, how terrible the Florida Gators were.

In 2011, here are three to speculate on: Arkansas wins the west, Stephen Garcia doesn’t get in to trouble, and let’s see… how about Georgia wins the east.

Q: Biggest bust in 2011?

How about Tyler Bray

Q: Young, exciting players to keep an eye on?

Trovon Reed from Auburn, Andre Debose from Florida and Tyrann Mathieu from LSU

Q: Are we going to see a new trend in eco-terrorism connected to college football fans a la Harvey Updyke?

It’s possible. Couple the tough economy with a tough loss like the Iron Bowl and it’s only logical to take it out on plant life. We’ll know the trend is legitimate when we see Al Gore make an appearance on ESPN College GameDay.

Q: How long will Spurrier coach?

At least 3 more seasons, probably more like 5. Getting past Stephen Garcia suspensions and publicly urinating members of the coaching staff should help Spurrier hit the latter estimate.

Q: Who is the next SEC coach to get canned?

Houston Nutt

Q: Then who?

Joker Philips

Q: What about Mark Richt?

I think Richt bounces back and remains at Georgia for the foreseeable future.

Q: Rank the SEC coaches in the order of with who you would like to have a beer

Excellent question. This isn’t easy and please note that the bottom 5 or 6 aren’t really separated by much.

1. Steve Spurrier (he would bring the Coors himself)
2. Mark Richt
3. Les Miles
4. Nick Saban
5. Will Muschamp
6. Bobby Petrino
7. Gene Chizik
8. Dan Mullen (“Dan, tell me about Urban Meyer”)
9. Joker Philips
10. Houston Nutt
11. The Vandy Coach (you don’t remember his name either)
12. Derek Dooley

Q: Did you really put Derek Dooley after the unnamed Vandy coach?

Yes. Dooley sort of gives me the creeps.

Q: Is Ryan Mallett more likely to end up following the footsteps of Tom Brady or Eminem?

Well, a 6 foot 7 white rapper might be overly awkward, and he does have a nice arm. I don’t expect Mallett to follow Brady in the off-the-field arena (i.e. marry a supermodel), and I could see Mallett dabbling in rap. I’m going to have to think about this more and get back to you with my final answer.

Q: What’s your worst moment from a college football game you attended live?

I was at the 2003 Florida vs Miami game down at the old Sugar Bowl which thankfully has since been demolished. Florida was killing the Hurricanes for half the game, then the Zooker blew it and Brock Berlin led the ‘Canes back to a 38-33 win over Florida. While coming back against the Gators, the stadium techs would blast ghetto rap music and the entire Miami crowd would be hopping up and down. I’m pretty sure that the game was just the undercard for a Lil Wayne concert which was to take place afterwards. It was the worst crowd, stadium and overall gameday feel that I’ve ever seen.

Leaving the game, some 25 year old woman who looked to be about 55 was screaming at Florida fans: “GO BACK TO GAYNZVILLE!!” over and over as the fans left the stadium. A 40-something Florida fan walked calmly up to the young lady and unemotionally told her “You couldn’t get into the University of Florida, let alone any other school in this country.” It was a wonderful rebuttal. I’m all for brutal honesty, especially in these sort of circumstances.

Q: Craziest game atmosphere?

The cocktail party in Jacksonville for the annual Florida / Georgia game is tough to beat. If Georgia actually started winning some of these games and it turned into a more balanced rivalry, it would be even more intense. The tailgating is excellent and both fan bases bring their A-Game – at least for Friday night and Saturday before the game. Then one fan base flees the city with their tail between their legs.

I’ve traveled to Jacksonville for this game four separate times, and I have had four different sleeping arrangements: the back of a GMC Envoy, the shotgun seat of a two-door Honda Civic, an RV and yes, I once had a bed in a respectable hotel. I’ve had friends sleep in back of pick-up trucks and out in the middle of a grassy field when a hotel wouldn’t let them inside. It’s a strange convergence of homelessness and SEC football.

Q: Biggest game in 2011?

For SEC pride, probably none bigger than Georgia/Boise and LSU/Oregon.

For SEC East, Georgia/South Carolina is probably the biggest. For SEC West, LSU/Alabama is the main one, but I got my eye on  Arkansas/Alabama during week four as well.

Q: What chances to you give the SEC to win #6  in a row?

The preseason top two teams from the SEC are Alabama and LSU. Both have quarterback questions. It’s not easy to go undefeated or escape the SEC with only one loss with questions at quarterback. Some Tide fans will be quick to reference Greg McElroy in 2009 as the example for why they can do it again in 2011, but as I discuss here, I think McElroy was better than people give him credit for.

If Jordan Jefferson overachieves and/or a Zach Mettenberger comes out like an animal, I could see LSU winning the conference and playing for a title.

To answer the question, directly, I’m thinking there’s a high risk that the SEC streak ends this season. I’ll go 50/50 at this point.

Q: Marcus Lattimore only had 4.8 yards per carry in 2010. Is this something we’re overlooking?

Many other backs in the SEC had a much higher average yards per carry in 2010 including Knile Davis at 6.5, Trent Richardson at 6.3, Michael Dyer at 6.0, Vick Ballard at 5.2, Tauren Poole at 5.1.

Lattimore impressed fans starting with that first Thursday night – his first college game ever – against Southern Miss when he passed the “eye ball test” with flying colors. He simply ran strong and powerful. His numbers that game weren’t crazy, but he looked good.

He followed it up with a blockbuster game against Georgia with 37 carries and 182 yards and the legend of Lattimore was born amongst the Gamecock faithful.

To answer your question, it could be a concern. It reflects the number of carries that Lattimore was asked to handle his freshman year: 247 (Knile Davis had 204, Dyer had 182, Richardson had 112) . If your concern is about the talent and ability of Lattimore, I don’t think that’s a concern. My concern would be more with the offense and his ability to stay healthy. Lattimore should be fine in 2011, and I think his average yards per carry will go up this season.

Q: Will Stephen Garcia get through the season without imploding, getting arrested, benched or causing Spurrier to kill him?

Yes, but that’s not a confident yes.

Q: How good is Aaron Murray?

I think very good. If the team can put it together, Murray should be able to turn some heads with his play.

Q: How bad is John Brantley?

That’s a tough one. I don’t know how a player can go from being so hyped, and being so good in high school, and having coaches praise him so much, and then turn into an unathletic below average QB lacking any sort of confidence. For now, we have to blame his coaches from 2010 which would be Steve Addazio and ultimately Urban Meyer.

Brantley will be judged based on how he performs in 2011 under Charlie Weis.

Q: Was Weis a good hire at Florida?

Absolutely. His track record for offenses is incredible. His blemish is his stint as head coach at Notre Dame, and he’s not the head coach at Florida. I think Weis was an excellent move by Will Muschamp.

Q: I’m pretty sure I saw Weis at Dunkin Donuts in Gainesville

Is that a question?

Q: What does your August look like? How do you get ready for the season?

Well, in addition to these ten ways, I like to exercise a lot and eat modest portions of lean meat and vegetables. I’m kidding. This is a stupid question. I don’t play for a team. I’m a fan. I sit on a couch and watch games on Saturdays. Should I get my TV tuned? Maybe hoard a bunch of beer? What do you do in August?

Q: Why didn’t Dan Mullen jump from Mississippi State to say a Florida or a Miami?

Well, I think he would have absolutely jumped to Florida, IF the job was offered to him. Nothing against Dan Mullen, but Florida is arguably a top 5 football program in the country and maybe the top athletic department in the country. They needed to go bigger than Dan Mullen. Was Will Muschamp that much bigger? We’ll see.

If he had the opportunity to take the Miami job and declined it, it says much more about Miami than Mississippi State. I think Miami has major structural issues and is not a very attractive head coaching job.

I hope Mullen can continue the success at Miss State, but it will be a big time up hill climb in the SEC West.

Q: Who is the toughest out-of-conference team that an SEC team will play?

We’re focused on Oregon and Boise State a lot because it’s week one, but the toughest out-of-conference team might turn out to be Florida State – Florida will play them at end of the season.

Q: Does Verne Lundquist have the largest head on television?

With John Madden’s retirement, it’s very likely.

Q: Why did ESPN GameDay add Desmond Howard to the set? He sucks.

I’m not sure. I don’t really like him either.

Q: What would you like to see on ESPN College GameDay this year?

I think I’d like to see a Q&A with Kirk Herbstreit in Columbus, Ohio fielding questions about Terrelle Pryor, Jim Tressel and why he decided to move his family out of Columbus. That would be the only thing interesting about the Buckeyes in 2011.

Q: Will Joe Paterno survive an Alabama beatdown this year? I mean literally, will he make it?

Probably. Let me know what the over/under is on this, and we’ll comment in a future article.

Q: Will Steve Spurrier bring a SEC Championship to South Carolina before he retires?

This year is probably his best shot. It could happen.

Q: Is Auburn going to be terrible in 2011?

I don’t think so. It’s of course a rebuilding year, but Auburn has done well recruiting and has some young talent. Gus Malzahn has shown an ability to get his offense to perform with many different rosters. Auburn won’t compete for the SEC this year, but I think they could upset a few teams here and there, and be in the thick of it next year.

Q: Georgia… are you leaning more towards 2-0 start or 0-2 start.

I might be in the minority here, but I’m leaning 2-0.

Q: How many games does Tennessee lose in 2011?

At least four, probably five. Brutal schedule.

Q: What is the best week of games in 2011?

Week 1 is tough to beat with the two huge out-of-conference matchups, but October 8th is a good Saturday as well with Arkansas/Auburn, Florida/LSU, Tennessee/Georgia, and of course that historic Alabama/Vanderbilt game. November 26th is of course killer with the Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl, LSU/Arkansas and other rivalry games like SC/Clemson, Florida/FSU, Georgia/GT.

Q: How many games are legitimate SEC fans expected to go to in person each year?

I’d say that the bare minimum is two, but legitimacy is truly gained with the third game, especially if an away game is sprinkled in there. A good goal is to hit two home games and a new away stadium to visit each season. Throw in Georgia Dome if your team makes it to Atlanta and a Bowl game depending on the tier and destination.

Q: What is one SEC experience that every fan needs to achieve at some point?

Pull into an away campus several days before the game on an RV and tailgate for 3-4 days. I’m talking about leaving town and pulling into the away campus on a Wednesday afternoon or evening.  Spend several days with family and friends doing nothing but tailgating and heckling opposing fans and students. Want to take it even further, get a fleet of RVs. Ownership not required; renting for the week is acceptable

Q: SEC Heisman?

I think Trent Richardson or Marcus Lattimore are the Heisman potentials depending on how South Carolina and Alabama finish up.

Q: Does Alabama win the west?

As much as I want to pick another team because of Alabama’s quarterback issues, I’m going to have to say yes here. Their schedule is extremely favorable to make a run.

Q: Is Les Miles off the hot seat for good?

It was so odd last year how an undefeated coach was finding himself surrounded by hot seat chatter. With how his team ended up last year, he’s good for a while, but three or more losses in 2011 could put him right back on it, especially if the offense looks as bad as it has at times in the past.

Q: Is Houston Nutt on the hot seat?

As hot as an Ole Miss hot seat can get, yes. As long as tailgating continues, Ole Miss fans are ok. I think Nutt is gone after this year.

Q: What will the dominant story lines be in 2011?

Impossible to say. Think about 2010. The major story lines were Cam Newton, Urban Meyer retiring (again), Harvey Updyke, Marcus Lattimore, Arkansas getting into the BCS, etc. It was nearly impossible to anticipate any of these.

Here’s an idea: the rebound of the SEC East. Florida, Georgia, Tennessee all look much improved and score some upsets over SEC West teams. South Carolina plays exceptionally well and wins the SEC. The SEC has been incredibly balanced over the years between east and west, and I wouldn’t be so sure that the west will dominate like it did last year. Cam Newton, Ryan Mallett, Greg McElroy are all gone. You could make an argument that the east QBs of Aaron Murray, Tyler Bray and even Stephen Garcia are ready to take it to the next level. Just something to think about…

That’s it for now. Send your questions to rundown@saturdaydownsouth.com to have your question answered in the week 1 rundown. There will be a weekly edition throughout the season.