Georgia: Even with Connor Shaw and Marcus Lattimore in the same division, it’s safe to pinpoint Aaron Murray and Todd Gurley — at least this season — as the SEC’s best offensive tandem. The pair has combined for nearly 1,500 total yards of offense and 16 touchdowns during the Bulldogs’ 4-0 start and highlight the division’s most prolific unit on offense. Surprisingly, however, Georgia’s defense is performing nowhere near the level it’s capable of playing and until it does, we won’t be able to see just how dominant this Bulldog team could become. Outside of the second half against Missouri and Saturday’s Vanderbilt game, Georgia has been gashed up front particularly by non-BCS conference schools Buffalo and Florida Atlantic. Georgia’s defense — full of NFL-worthy playmakers — is only going to get better as the season progresses, but it’s not good enough right now to beat the Gamecocks in Columbia in two weeks, a site South Carolina has won 23 of its last 26 games.

LSU: Inexperienced quarterback Zach Mettenberger or did he? His game-clinching first down throw could have been picked off had Auburn’s linebacker jumped the route. Instead, a  tackle was missed and Tigers ultimately took enough time off the clock to win the game. His numbers have been pedestrian — 4 TD and 2 INT — and he’s yet to beat (or play) a ranked team so it’ll be interesting to see how Mettenberger performs over the next month against South Carolina and Florida, teams with elite defenses. LSU’s defense is still its calling card and could ultimately be the determining factor in whether or not the Tigers win a second straight SEC title. The inconsistent offense though is what will lead to two, maybe three, SEC losses this season. Is LSU’s passing game good enough to excel when the opposition shuts down the run? For Les Miles’ sake, hopefully it never gets to that point.

South Carolina: There’s something special brewing for Steve Spurrier this season on the heels of South Carolina’s best campaign in school history. He’s finally got a quarterback and one of the best defenses in the country to back him up. If South Carolina wins trips to LSU and Florida, the Gamecocks will be a serious threat for the BCS title game. A potential Top 10 matchup with Clemson and an SEC Championship Game against Alabama may prove too tough to overcome, but the Gamecocks have the players to do it. South Carolina has beaten the Tigers three consecutive years and snapped Alabama’s 20-game win streak and reign at No. 1 in 2010. The Gamecocks’ upcoming affair with the Bulldogs is the most highly-anticipated matchup in the series in recent memory. The victor, in my opinion, will win the East and perhaps something more. Don’t be surprised if Jadeveon Clowney starts getting some Heisman love in November if the Gamecocks are still undefeated.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide are the overwhelmingly favorite at this point with the nation’s toughest defense and the game manager A.J. McCarron at quarterback, but I’m interested in seeing how this team plays down the stretch against tougher competition. Michigan is obviously not the Top 10 team we all thought and Arkansas could finish 2012 with a losing record. Upcoming games against Tennessee and Mississippi State, two teams who flex talented offenses, should be a good measuring stick for Nick Saban’s group. The LSU game on Nov. 3, as always, is for BCS ranking supremacy and could dictate who reaches the big game in Miami at the end of the season if the Tigers get past Florida and South Carolina. Alabama isn’t as invincible as some may think, but I’ve yet to find the chink in the armor and neither have opposing coaches.

Where’s Florida? The Gators’ offense simply isn’t potent enough to win the necessary games down the stretch to finish the regular season unbeaten and win in Atlanta. South Carolina and Georgia both have more playmakers on that side of the ball and each have quarterbacks more reliable than John Brantley Jeff Driskel. Could that change in a few weeks? Sure, but as it stands, the Gators will likely go 5-3 in league play with losses to LSU, UGA and South Carolina.

Claiborne, the Jim Thorpe award winner, doesn’t have much to prove as college football’s top-ranked cover guy with a 4.45 time in the 40-yard dash. Like his teammates, he’ll be interviewed by scouts and perform individual workouts inside the dome.

His service won’t be available for long on draft day in April. The Minnesota Vikings at No. 3 need major help in a secondary ranked last in interceptions last season (8) and first for percentage of passes that went for first downs (39 percent).

After Claiborne, Brockers will be the next LSU product to go on Day 1, considered by many as the draft’s second-best defensive tackle. Brockers is a man-child at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds and has a chance to showcase that strength during individual workouts.

Quarterback Jordan Jefferson, tight end Deangelo Peterson, wideout Rueben Randle, tailback Ryan Baker, corner Ron Brooks and safety Brandon Taylor will join Claiborne and Brockers in Indianapolis. Jefferson has made recent headlines with comments concerning LSU’s game plan on offense against Alabama in New Orleans. We’ll see what the scouts in Indy have to say to a passer who has yet to prove he’s NFL ready.

Jefferson will probably fall into the group of SEC quarterbacks who may sign post-draft via free agency. Florida’s John Brantley, South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia, Tennessee’s Matt Simms, LSU’s Jarrett Lee and Auburn’s Barrett Trotter are included in this list.

Randle, like Claiborne, has a chance to be a star and make an early impact at the next level. At 6-foot-3, Randle has great size to be a formidable target on the outside for a pass-happy offense. He’s an above-average blocker with reliable hands. Most analysts project Randle to be a mid to late second-round pick.

The best news for the Tigers concerning the NFL Draft? Tyrann Mathieu isn’t eligible.

Defensively I think Muschamp is going to benefit greatly from Urban Meyer’s holdovers.  Meyer recruited one of the sickest defensive classes in his final recruiting season, and those guys will all be Sophomores and Juniors next year.  Jaye Howard is the lone starter leaving the defense, and while he was second on the team in tackles for loss and sacks, I think he won’t be missed with the 2012 recruiting class.  While the offense was not very good, the defense was a bright spot.  Florida ranked 8^th in the nation in total defense last year  and it looks like next year they will only get better.

Needs Met: I think Florida filled just about every need with this class.  Offensively Florida signed QB Skylar Mornhinweg, but I think he is destined for a redshirt.  The Gators only signed one runningback, but at 6’2” 225 Matt Jones looks to be a big bruising back that Florida fans have not seen in a while.  On the offensive front, Florida signed one of the top offensive tackles in the nation in D.J. Humphries, and they also signed a highly rated offensive guard in Jessamen Dunker.  Both Humphries and Dunker are on campus already.  Florida gave a huge boost to their receivers with just a few signatures.  The Gators signed two receivers, and I think Latroy Pittman could be a playmaker next year.  They also signed two tight ends, and Kent Taylor could be a key contributor next year.

Defensively Florida signed one of the greatest defensive line classes that I have ever seen.  Florida signed three DT’s, and I expect JUCO transfer Damien Jacobs to contribute immediately.  They also signed five defensive tackles, and two of them are the best in the country.  Jonathan Bullard and Dante Fowler Jr. are both 5-star guys according to Rivals, and they both could come in and contribute next year.  Florida signed four defensive backs, and look for Marcus Maye and Brian Poole to contribute some next year on special teams.  Muschamp rounded out this defensive class with two linebackers in Antonio Morrison and Jeremi Powell, and this group gives the Gators a defense to be reckoned with for years to come.

Biggest Get: Jonathan Bullard.  Any time that you go and get a 5-star out of state, it is a huge deal.

Biggest Miss: There are so many guys in Florida every year, it is hard to say which player is a big miss.  I think that Florida could have added another runningback, or a serious offensive playmaker in this class.  None of the offensive guys are really big- time impact players, but I think the guys in- house will be better than last year.

Opportunity Still Available: 5-star Stefon Diggs has not yet announced where he will be playing, and the Florida Gators are listed as one of his top schools. Diggs is a big time talent and would take this class from great to even greater.

Final Evaluation: 23 recruits that fill all of their needs is a great haul.  Not to mention a stellar defensive class, and we all know it takes a defense to win in this league.

Final Grade:  A+

After John Brantley committed to the University of Florida in December 2006 and subsequently signed his letter of intent, it was official – he was a Gator. Click here to read Part 1 of the John Brantley story. Brantley redshirted his freshman year, and entered into the 2008 season in a battle with Cam Newton for the back-up quarterback position behind Tim Tebow.

Newton had not redshirted, though, and had a distinct advantage over Brantley. With Newton’s agility and arm, he was a great match for Urban Meyer’s spread option, and had already received some playing time during the 2007 season. Coming out of spring practice, it was apparent that Brantley would be the first-string clipboard holder (and third-string quarterback), which should have been a surprise to no one. Coming in, Brantley was just not the right fit in the Florida offensive scheme, and now faced an uphill battle in the pursuit of playing time. Here was the former Gatorade National Player of the Year with the prospect of little-to-no playing time for the next three years, and the fall from glory was a blow to his confidence.

Brantley caught a break when Newton suffered an ankle injury that led to him take a medical redshirt for the 2008 season. Subsequently, an incident with a misplaced laptop led Newton to “transfer” to Blinn Community College, ultimately landing with the Auburn Tigers. Now with the path to starting quarterback cleared, Brantley was in position to take the reins from the uber-iconic Tebow. Upon the completion of the 2009 season, and Tebow’s graduation, there was plenty of hype about the potential that Brantley held. Some Gator fans even went as far to say that Brantley would be a better “quarterback” than Tebow – big shoes to fill indeed.

Going into the 2010 season, hopes for the Gators were fairly high. Having been a part of the National Championship picture for three out of the last four years, many were eager to impose similar, albeit unfounded, standards on the 2010 squad. What these people failed to contemplate, or remember, was that Meyer’s return from “retirement” after the 2009 SEC Championship Game also meant the return of the spread option for another season. Brantley was still the same immobile, drop-back passer, and because of this mismatch would undoubtedly be challenged to be consistently successful in this offensive scheme. Brantley’s previous performances in mop-up duty had set the bar high, unreasonably high, in the minds of some. To perform well for a couple of snaps at the end of a game against a mediocre team is one thing; to do so for a full game, all season long, against a difficult SEC schedule is another.

The season got off to a great start, however, so maybe these fans were right after all. Maybe Brantley did possess the raw talent to overcome the obstacles he faced physically to achieve success in Florida’s offensive scheme. By the time that the appetizers had been eaten, though, and the Gators moved onto the meat of their schedule, the challenges that some believed that Brantley would ultimately face came to fruition. By his fourth game as starter, Brantley was losing snaps to Trey Burton in certain running situations, and before the end of Florida’s SEC schedule was in a full-blown three-way rotation that included Jordan Reed as well. Although this may have worked for the Old Ball Coach as a motivational tactic, for the already-shaken Brantley it had the opposite effect. He was brought into games under very predictable circumstances (3rd and 9, wonder what they’ll do?!?!), and essentially set up to fail. This quarterback rotation set in motion the downward spiral that would completely shatter Brantley’s self-confidence.

After a season that started off with so much promise and anticipation, but was riddled with inconsistency and disappointment, Brantley considered transferring. Just the thought itself must have crushed his heart; to walk away from the school that he loved for so long, that he had dreamt of leading. Hope was found, though, upon the hiring of Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator in January 2011. Although it did mark the third OC that Brantley would play under, this time it was different. Weis brought with him a pro-style offensive mindset, and had worked successfully with the likes of Tom Brady, and even managed to make Matt Cassel look like an NFL quarterback for one season. Surely his presence on the Florida sideline would make all the difference for Brantley. This would be the catalyst needed to rebuild Brantley’s confidence, to help him realize the potential once thought to be there, right?

Brantley’s final season commenced with much the same promise as the prior year: 4-and-0 record with a victory over much-deflated rival Tennessee. Maybe Weis had in fact helped Brantley turn the corner, ready to put the past behind him. Then came the first leg of the gauntlet that has become known as “0-for-October.” The smothering defense of national-title contender Alabama proved that any perceived regeneration of confidence by Brantley was just a façade. Except for a game-opening bomb to Andre Debose, the power and speed of Alabama’s defense was to be too much for Brantley to handle…or even survive. Brantley was contorted out of the ‘Bama game late in the second quarter.

When he eventually returned for the Georgia game four weeks later, he was a shell of his already-diminished self. For the rest of the season, his throwing motion was hesitant and short-armed, due to indecision from his lack of confidence. His deliveries were frequently late and off the mark. At the first sign of pressure, he folded like a cheap suit. The damage was done, and now this once touted prospect will soon fade from the memories of Florida fans, who are already looking forward to next year’s quarterback competition between Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett (my money is on Brissett).

With all of this said, do I believe that Brantley is without accountability for the direction his college career has taken – absolutely not. When given such a significant opportunity as to be the starting quarterback at a major college program, there is bound to be a level of adversity. It then becomes the reaction to that adversity that determines whether or not one will ultimately be successful. In the end, when finally given the opportunity to shine in an offensive scheme better suited for his abilities, Brantley was unable to shake off the specters of his past and rise to the occasion. Do I believe, though, that this series of unfortunate circumstances greatly contributed to his disappointing performance at Florida – absolutely.

But who knows, maybe we will see him again someday as an NFL backup quarterback…right Charlie?

For University of Florida Quarterback John Brantley, the upcoming Gator Bowl against the Ohio State University marks the end of his collegiate career. To say that his time at Florida has been a disappointment is a significant understatement, but when I look at the collection of events and circumstances that comprise his career, I don’t blame him.

It all started when the five-star recruit out of Trinity Catholic (Ocala, Florida) committed to the University of Texas in April 2006. As a pro-style quarterback, John would have been a very good fit with the Longhorns. He would be able to follow in the footsteps of Colt McCoy in an offensive style that would suit the strong-armed passer. At the same time, Florida’s then-coach Urban Meyer had the Gators running his patented spread offense that requires a mobile quarterback, which Brantley was not (yes, I am aware that Meyer won a National Championship with Chris Leak, but to his credit he did run a 4.6 in the 40).

To even think, then, that Brantley would commit to the Gators was inconceivable, right? Florida was not even in his top two when he committed to Texas (over Alabama). Ultimately, at Florida, he would be a square-peg quarterback in a round-hole offense. Remember, though, that Brantley bled orange-and-blue his whole life, having two family members (father John and uncle Scot) that played for the Gators. Coach Meyer was well aware of the legacy, and had to have known that if he made a strong enough push that he could get Brantley to change his commitment, no matter how little sense it made for him.

In what I believe only to be an attempt to bolster the strength of his recruiting class, Meyer launched what was ultimately a successful campaign, through then-offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, to land Brantley. Yes, he was a highly-touted recruit (Gatorade National Player of the Year) right in the Gators’ backyard, but a talented quarterback in the wrong system is still, well, in the wrong system. It wasn’t like the Gators were going to be hurting at the quarterback position. Tim Tebow was set to step into the starting quarterback role. Also, Florida had already received a verbal commitment from a prototypical spread-offense quarterback out of Westlake High School (Atlanta, Georgia) by the name of Cam Newton. So by no means was the proverbial cupboard bare.

When I think about it, I genuinely feel bad for Brantley. I believe that his emotional connection to the Gators was exploited, and that an act of selfishness derailed what stood to be a promising collegiate career. The best thing that Meyer could have done for Brantley was to leave well-enough alone, and not meddle with his commitment to the Longhorns. The prospect of one day becoming the starting quarterback for the Florida Gators, fulfilling a childhood dream, was an offer that Brantley could not refuse.

Unfortunately for Brantley, this sequence of events only marked the beginning of the downward spiral that was his tenure at Florida…

In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Weis had the following comments about current senior quarterback Brantley:

Another interesting thought from Weis: Gators QB John Brantley already is good enough to play in the NFL. Weis thinks he’s better than some of the current pros.
“I think John’s going to have an opportunity to play on Sundays,” Weis said. “I think he’d be a good, reliable back-up quarterback at this point. I think he’s better than some of the back-up quarterbacks that are in the NFL right now.
“If I had a couple more years with the kid, I think he’d even be that much better. But I do believe that at least we put him in a position to be competitive on the next level, where he’ll get himself an opportunity and then it’ll be what he does with it once he gets there.”

In a way I feel bad for Brantley and what all he encountered at Florida following what could be the greatest quarterback in NCAA history in Tim Tebow.

No doubt Brantley will be successful in life because he’s a good kid, but I’m not sold he will be playing in the NFL on Sundays. Stranger things have happened though.

In weeks one through seven, Florida had multiple looks in formations on offense, mostly in the I-formation running screens and draws and throwing out of the shotgun.

Week nine saw Brantley returning on offense against Georgia. Florida went straight shotgun because of Brantley’s inability to take snaps under center because of his ankle sprain.

With no running game at all during Brantley’s absence and a negative rushing total against Georgia with Brantley, Florida and Charlie Weis had to change up the offense to provide a spark.

They did just that with the pistol formation against Vanderbilt this past weekend.

The father of the pistol formation is Chris Ault, Nevada’s head coach. The tailback lines up right behind the quarterback, but the quarterback is still in the shotgun formation. This gives the quarterback a better advantage of seeing over the line of scrimmage, and a big advantage that helped Florida is their receivers can run shorter, quicker routes because the quarterback is closer to the line of scrimmage than in a normal shotgun.

Florida had much more success running the football with Jeff Demps this past week in the pistol formation, with Demps rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Usually in the pistol, offenses with a running quarterback thrive, but in this instance, it really opened up things for the Gators running the football at tailback.

In turn, since Demps got going in the running game, Brantley became more effective out of the pistol formation as well:

Will Muschamp is definitely a fan of anything that can provide a spark in the offense, and in this case it was the pistol offense Florida ran against Vanderbilt:

“It gives you a downhill running game. You can get out of the lateral run game. You can run the off-tackle power and the leads inside as opposed to sitting east and west. It’s a downhill north and south. We’re a different offense when we’re about to run the play-actions off of that.

We were unable to get to it against Georgia (because of John Brantley’s ankle injury). It helps us in protection with our offensive line. When you’re able to do those things it gets the defense off kilter a little bit. That’s where it’s been good for us.”

I think you’ll see Florida run more and more plays out of the pistol formation this week against South Carolina, especially since the Gators get Chris Rainey back from injury.

Both Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis have stated that Brantley will return this weekend against Georgia unless something “unforeseen” takes place in practice this week to Brantley. In other words – he will play.

Last year at this time, the thought of John Brantley not on offense was a pleasant thought; however, Florida fans were wanting Brantley back weeks ago since Jeff Driskel took over in the second half against Alabama.

With Brantley

Florida’s offense was coasting with Brantley in the lineup. The 2011 Brantley was making quicker reads and better decisions with the football than a year ago. Weis was simplifying the offense for him by running virtually the same play in several different formations. He showed improvement from game one all the way through the half at Alabama.

In the 4.5 games Brantley played this season, the Gators’ offense averaged 448 yards per game and 38 points per game. Florida was running play action and having better success in both the running department and passing department.

Tailback Chris Rainey was very potent with Brantley at quarterback as well. He was carrying the ball for more yards per touch, and he was a huge asset in the receiving game as well.

Without Brantley

This offense is atrocious without him in the lineup. The Gators averaged a measily 187 yards per game on offense, and only averaging 6.8 points per game. The Gators were shut out in the second half against Alabama, and they only scored 11 points against LSU and 6 against Auburn.

Without Brantley, the Gators have reverted back to the 2010 Gators by having both a “throwing quarterback” – Jeff Driskel or Jacoby Brissett – and a Wildcat quarterback in Trey Burton running the triple option. This offense has moved the ball some, but there is absolutely no threat in the passing game, and the opponents’ defenses were able to take advantage of it.

Without Brantley, teams have absolutely been able to key in on the only playmaker on offense right now in Chris Rainey. Rainey has had defenders breathing down his neck as soon as he touches the football.

This Weekend

Brantley is coming back just in time to have a chance to save the Gators’ season from complete misery. With a healthy Brantley, Florida will be able to run the offense it started off the year with, not some makeshift playground play-calling Weis drew up last weekend.

It could be the perfect time for Brantley to lead the Gators to another victory over the much-hated Georgia Bulldogs.

Along with Brantley returning, Jeff Demps should be able to tote the rock some and alleviate some pressure off of Rainey in the running game. However, the offense needs more Mike Gillislee because he can run between the tackles, whereas Rainey and Demps like to get outside.

Now, obviously, I’m not saying Florida would have won either of the games against Alabama or LSU, but I believe Auburn would have been a win. And the Gators would have played the Tide and Tigers more respectable as well.

I’m being overdramatic you say? Let’s jump into the Orange and Blue time machine for a minute here…

October 15, 2005, #11 Florida had just lost to #10 LSU 21-17 in gut wrenching fashion for their second loss of the season; they had lost 31-3 to #15 Alabama just two weeks earlier.  During his postgame press conference, first-year coach Urban Meyer, who was known for his innovative and high-scoring spread offense, struggled to hold back tears as he tried to explain why his team couldn’t put enough points on the board.

For the first time in a long time, Urban Meyer faced real adversity as a head football coach.  With the bye week on the horizon and the annual matchup with #4 Georgia looming, Meyer knew that he had the perfect opportunity to focus on his team and put up or shut up.

The Gators came out of that bye week and won four of their remaining five games; beating Georgia, #23 FSU, and #25 Iowa in the Outback Bowl along the way.  The Gators carried that momentum into the off-season, signed the #2 recruiting class in the nation, and went on to win two BCS titles over the next three years.

Fast forward back to 2011 and you may now see why I say that this may be the most important week in the program’s recent history.  This bye week could not have come at a better time for this coaching staff.  Fresh off of three losses in a row, this team is reeling.  This team is searching for leadership and an identity.  Will Muschamp needs to establish those leaders.  Charlie Weis and Dan Quinn need to establish this team’s offensive and defensive identity.

With the bye week last week, I’m hoping the Florida coaches were able to make progress in the following areas:

Establish a run game

Prior to the Auburn game, the coaching staff made it clear that there would be three running backs used, unfortunately that did not end up being the case.  With the quarterback situation still in flux, the staff needs to find a way to get its only proven playmakers the ball more.  Play to the running back’s strengths; give Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps the ball in space and let Mike Gillislee pound the ball between the tackles, not the other way around.  Even if John Brantley returns for the remainder of the season, getting the ground game going will be the most important thing the Gators can do offensively.

Identify playmakers in the defensive front seven

There are 14 players who regularly rotate in and out of the Gator front seven.  It doesn’t take a football genius to figure out who has made an impact this year and who hasn’t.  We’ve seen players like Jonathan Bostic and Lerentee McCray impress on the field game after game, and on the flipside, there have been players like former #1 recruit Ronald Powell who haven’t quite played up to their potential.  There may be some arguments, there may be some tears, and there may be some transfer threats, but now is the time to reward the players who have earned playing time and sit the ones who haven’t.

Send the special teams back to basic training

Four muffed punts don’t usually happen throughout the course of a season and they definitely don’t happen over the course of one game.  Well, that is, unless your play on the Florida Gators special teams unit. A week after giving up a fake punt touchdown at LSU (yes it was negated but let’s get real here) Florida’s special teams lost a winnable game at Auburn.  Chris Rainey’s controversial muffed punt in the 2^nd quarter set up Auburn’s first touchdown, Robert Clark’s miscue in the 4^th enabled Auburn, who was only ahead by one score, to seal the game with a late field goal.  The staff needs to use this extra time to put an emphasis on sound play in special teams, if they had before, the Gators may be in the SEC East driver’s seat.

Hit the recruiting trail hard

The cupboard certainly wasn’t left bare when Urban Meyer left, but the coaching staff is learning the hard way that this roster is clearly void of playmakers.  Wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive lineman are must-gets in this recruiting cycle for Charlie Weis to perfectly integrate his offense.  Defensive lineman and linebackers are going to be on the shopping list for Will Muschamp and Dan Quinn.  The staff has already put together a class that ranks 4^th in the latest ESPN recruiting rankings, but there are some spots left.   Having had an opportunity to identify where playmakers are needed, the coaching staff will need to find ways to fill those holes.

Florida

Florida Gators’ starting quarterback John Brantley went down with an ankle injury against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Since that moment, Florida’s offense has gone no where fast. Brantley was having a very improved season, and he played very well in the first half against Alabama until his injury. Brantley hopes to be back for the Georgia game in two weeks; however, according to some sources at Florida, Brantley will not make it back for Georgia.

This has pummeled Florida’s chances for the East, and I just don’t see how the Gators can pull it back together fast enough to win the East Championship.

South Carolina

South Carolina has now lost Marcus Lattimore, who was the SEC’s leading rusher at the time of his injury. Lattimore has had an outstanding season so far, and we have seen the last of him with his knee injury for this season. Lattimore’s sophomore season ends with 163 carries for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the horse that this offense leaned on during tough games, and he absolutely carried this team on his back for the first half of the season.

We hope Lattimore recovers quickly and comes back 100 percent ready for next season.

Tennessee

Tennessee has lost the most firepower on the year, however. Sophomore wide receiver Justin Hunter went down with a season-ending knee injury on the first drive against Florida this season. Hunter was having a spectacular season before his injury, as he caught 17 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

Next, quarterback Tyler Bray went down last week with a broken thumb sufferend against Georgia. Bray was arguably having the best breakout season of anyone in the SEC, and he was neck-and-neck with Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson for the best quarterback in the SEC. However, that all came tumbling down last week as he broke his thumb following through on a throw on a Georgia player’s helmet. Bray had thrown for 1,579 yards and 14 touchdowns before his injury. He hopes to be back in five weeks.

Tennessee’s offense was a thing of beauty before Bray and Hunter were lost.

We have seen the effect of Florida’s offense without John Brantley. We have seen the effect of Tennessee’s offense without Justin Hunter and Tyler Bray. Both have been not good.

South Carolina’s offense has certainly taken a hit, and it will be interesting to see if this team can hold it together to make a run to Atlanta.