It’s Wednesday August 5th and the NCAA Football Season kicks off on Thursday, September 3rd. In other words, it’s certainly not too early to start taking a look at each of the conferences and the haves and have-nots as the season is less than a month away!

With 120 teams to cover, the key here is a quick look at each team which allows you to take away some general concepts for use and further research as we get ready to “dig into” the meat and potatoes of a new season. Who will be up? Who will be down? Who remains “status quo”?

Most importantly, who will provide us with point spread value! Read on and we will begin with arguably the top conference in the country: the Southeastern Conference. We will start with the East and will follow up with the West in our next article.

SEC East:
Florida: A fantastic team, there is no doubt about that. However, how much value can there possibly be with a team that is most every prognosticator’s top team coming into the season? The answer is not much. The spots to go with or against the Gators are simply going to come down to very special situations where it’s a let-down, look ahead, or bounce back type of situation. Other than that, the numbers are likely to just be “spot on” with the Gators. The odds makers don’t make many mistakes when it comes to properly evaluating one of the top teams in the country.

Georgia:Now here’s a rock solid team that could benefit from hiding in the shadow of Florida for awhile. These teams do not meet until Halloween so there is plenty of time for Georgia to quietly flex their muscles while other SEC teams like Florida and Alabama get most of the attention. Georgia is very strong in the trenches (both the offensive line and the defensive line) and they do return 15 starters from last season’s team. If undervalued a bit early in the season there could be some value with Bulldogs as they hide a bit in the shadows of the Gators and the Crimson Tide.

Kentucky:Projected by many to be the bottom feeder in the SEC East that means we could actually see some value with the Wildcats. Coach Rich Brooks has proven that his Cats are capable of springing upsets when not much is expected from them and their offense does look improved coming into this season. Backdoor covers anyone? That’s right the Wildcats could be a dangerous dog this season. They are 8-4 ATS as a home dog the last four seasons.

South Carolina:Only 11 returning starters for the Gamecocks and that has to be a concern. The QB position has to be a concern coming into the season without Smelley. However, the key in our business – as always – is value. That said, if the Gamecocks see the newcomers grow up rather quickly, they could certainly be offering some solid line value as the season goes on. They’ve certainly got talent and are well-coached.

Tennessee: Very talented team. Look solid at the QB position. Even with a lot of personnel changes and a new coach – making plenty of off-season news – the Vols look refreshed, refocused and dangerous heading into the new season.

Vanderbilt: A lot of things fell into place for Vanderbilt last season. Despite just nine returning starters they managed to pull together and surprise many by starting their season 5-0. However, they struggled as the season went on. Now, with 17 returning starters and plenty of experience, many may expect bigger things from Vandy this season but we see a lack of talent with the Commodores in comparing them with other teams in the stacked SEC.

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