Alabama #3 - SEC Power Rankings

1. Florida
2. Ole Miss ?????
3. Alabama

I could easily see the Crimson Tide winning the West this season. Their defense should be one of the best in the country, and you know Saban will have this team ready to play every week. But whereas the Crimson Tide leaned on their offensive line a year ago, I'm not sure they will have that luxury in 2009. Not that they will be bad up front. I just don't see them being dominant. Then again, stud receiver Jones is the great equalizer.

4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Arkansas
7. South Carolina
8. Vanderbilt
9. Tennessee
10. Auburn
11. Kentucky
12. Mississippi State

SEC preseason Power Rankings

USA TODAY Preseason Poll ...

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. USC
5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. VT
8. Penn State
9. LSU
10. Ole Miss

2009 Preseason Poll

Another PreSeason Ranking ...

Houston Sports Examiner Top 25 college football preseason rankings

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Oklahoma State
5. Penn State
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. TCU
9. ALABAMA

The Crimson Tide will be good again this year, but will have to replace quarterback John Parker Wilson, who was a solid game manager. There is talent here, but it is inexperienced. The Tide also face just three tough games -- at Mississippi, LSU at home and the opener against Virginia Tech.

10. Mississippi
11. VT
12. Rutgers
13. Ohio State
14. California
15. Georgia Tech
16. Notre Dame
17. Miami
18. Southern Miss
19. Nebraska
20. Georgia
21. Boise State
22. Cincinnati
23. Kansas
24. Utah
25. Houston

6,400 Fans Spoke and the Winner is?

Birmingham News' 2009 SEC Coaches Power Poll

1. Urban Meyer, Florida Gators
2. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Mark Richt, Georgia Bulldogs
4. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina Gamecocks
5. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss Rebels
6. Les Miles, LSU Tigers
7. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt Commodores
8. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks
9. Rich Brooks, Kentucky Wildcats
10. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Bulldogs
11. Gene Chizik, Auburn Tigers
12. Lane Kiffin, Tennessee Volunteers

Predictions for the SEC East/West

EAST

1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky

WEST

1. Alabama
2. Ole Miss
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State

These are the combined totals from Phil Steele, Lindy, Athlon & TSN. View the complete Pre-Season rankings @ 2009 Preseason Consensus

2009 SEC Coaches ALL SEC Team

2009 SEC COACHES PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM

From Alabama:

1st Team Offense
1. OL - Mike Johnson
2. WR - Julio Jones

2nd / 3rd Team Offense
1. RB - Mark Ingram

1st Team Defense
1. DL - Terrence Cody
2. LB - Rolando McClain
3. DB - Javier Arenas

2nd / 3rd Team Defense
1. LB - Dont’a Hightower

Specialists
1. PK - Leigh Tiffin
2. RS - Javier Arenas

Sporting News Preseason Top 25

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern Cal
5. Ole Miss
6. Virginia Tech
7. Oregon
8. LSU
9. Ohio State
10. Oklahoma State
11. Georgia Tech
12. Penn State
13. Alabama
14. Boise State
15. Georgia
16. Oregon State
17. Florida State
18. Notre Dame
19. Utah
20. Texas Tech
21. California
22. BYU
23. North Carolina
24. TCU
25. Kansas

More Preseason Polls!

Yahoo/rivals

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Southern California
4. Oklahoma
5. Alabama


Lindy's

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern California
5, Virginia Tech


Athlon

1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Southern California
5. Ohio State


Sporting News

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern California
5. Ole Miss


Phil Steele

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Southern California
4. Oklahoma
5, Penn State


Combined rankings

Each magazine's Top 25 list was used, with points awarded similar to the weekly Associated Press poll, going from 25-24-23, down to 3-2-1. Each school's points were then totaled for the final results.


Rank School Points

1. Florida 125
2. Texas 119
3. Oklahoma 114
4. Southern Cal 112
5. Virginia Tech 94
6. Alabama 91
(tie) Ohio State 91
8. Ole Miss 89
9. Penn State 83
10. Oklahoma State 77
11. LSU 74
12. Boise State 70
13. Cal 64
14. Georgia 56
15. Oregon 52
16. Georgia Tech 41
17. Florida State 36
18. Notre Dame 31
19. TCU 27
20. Nebraska 18
(tie) Utah 18
22. North Carolina 17
23. Iowa 16
(tie) Kansas 16
Brigham Young 16

Also: West Virginia 12, Oregon State 11, Rutgers 10, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 8, Cincinnati 8. Illinois 7, Miami 5, Pittsburgh 3, UCLA 2, Clemson 1, South Florida 1.



Bowl matchups

(Based on combined rankings)

BCS National Championship: Florida vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Southern California vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Capital One Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Iowa
Gator Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech
Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. LSU
Outback Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan State
Insight Bowl: Nebraska vs. Illinois

Full Story: Football magazines have Gators back at No. 1

Another PreSeason Poll ..

Composite Top 25 from Lindy's, Athlon, Sporting News and Phil Steele magazines. Top-ranked teams receive 25 points, No. 2 teams receive 24 points, etc. Florida was No. 1 in all four rankings.

1. Florida (4) 100 points
2. Texas 95
3. Oklahoma 92
4. Southern Cal 89
5. Ole Miss and Virginia Tech 74
7. Ohio State 72
8. Alabama 70
9. Penn State 69
10. Oklahoma State 61
11. LSU 54
12. Boise State 53
13. Cal 51
14. Georgia 45
15. Oregon 43
16. Notre Dame and Georgia Tech 29
18. Florida State 28
19. TCU 22
20. Nebraska 18
21. North Carolina 17
22. Brigham Young 16
23. Utah 15
24. Oregon State 11
25. Rutgers 10

Composite SEC rankings from same magazines using the same format.

SEC East
1. Florida (4) 24
2. Georgia 20
3. Tennessee 19
4. South Carolina 12
5. Vanderbilt 7
6. Kentucky 6

SEC West
1. Ole Miss (2) 21
2. Alabama (1) 20
3. LSU (1) 19
4. Arkansas 11
5. Auburn 9
6. Mississippi State 4

The pre-preseason poll of polls

Best Defensive Teams....

Defensive linemen

1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. USC
4. Mississippi
5. Illinois

Where's 'Bama? Mt. Cody???

Linebackers

1. Alabama
Never let it be said that defensive guru Nick Saban can't identify talent. Alabama's coach recruited All-American Rolando McClain in his first year, then landed rising star Dont'a Hightower in Year 2. Next up: Nico Johnson, an incoming five-star freshman.

2. Penn State
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. North Carolina

Defensive backs

1. USC
2. Florida
3. California
4. Oregon
5. Tennessee

Special teams

1. Oklahoma State
2. Florida
3. Virgina Tech
4. Arizona State
5. Clemson

Ranking the top defensive units in college football

The TUSCALOOSA NEWS’ 2009 COLLEGE top 25

1. Ohio State

2. Southern Cal

3. Alabama

4. Texas

5. Michigan

6. Oklahoma

7. Penn State

8. Notre Dame

9. Georgia

10. Tennessee

11. Florida

12. Florida State

13. Nebraska

14. LSU

15. Miami

16. Auburn

17. Army

18. Stanford

19. Texas A&M

20. Michigan State

21. Navy

22. Georgia Tech

23. Ole Miss

24. Californa

25. Arkansas

Ohio State and USC stay on top, Tide moves up

2009 Preseason Poll!!

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. USC
5. ALABAMA
6. Virginia Tech
7. Oklahoma State
8. Ohio State
9. Ole Miss
10. LSU

2009 Preseason College Football Polls

Way Early SEC Power Rankings....

1. Florida: The Gators are defending national champions and nearly everyone returns.

2. Alabama: The offensive line will be the key, but the defense could be even better.

3. LSU: With John Chavis running the defense the Tigers will be very tough to beat.

4. Ole Miss: The Rebels have a lot of believers, but also some key losses in talent.

5. Georgia: The Bulldogs have just too many new faces in key places.

6. Kentucky: This may be the most talented team Rich Brooks has had yet.

7. South Carolina: The Gamecocks will go as far as Stephen Garcia can take them.

8. Arkansas: We're buying that Bobby Petrino will have the offense better, but the D?

9. Vanderbilt: It's time for everyone to stop underestimating the Commodores.

10. Tennessee: Although opponents will be out to crush the Vols, they'll get some wins.

11. Auburn: Despite scores of changes, the quarterback situation remains the same.

12. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs will be fun to watch, but it'll take some time.

Pre-preseason SEC power rankings

Coming out of Spring 'Bama Ranked 10th

Key returnees: RB Mark Ingram, WR Julio Jones, NT Terrence Cody, LB Rolando McClain, CB Javier Arenas.

Spring star: QB Greg McElroy. Chase Daniel's former understudy at Carroll (Southlake, Texas) High won the starting job handily this spring.

Spring recap: With Cody, McClain and Arenas leading a stacked defense, the Crimson Tide probably won't have to score many points. That should allow McElroy, who will play behind an inexperienced line, some room for error. But should McElroy have trouble, he need only remember one thing: Throw it to Jones.

INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Alabama Ranked No. 6 in Both Polls

Alabama's football team was No. 6 in the final edition of this season's Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls, making for the program's best finish in 14 years.

Alabama ranked No. 6 in both polls to end football season

FoxSports Power Rankings - 'Bama #5

#1 - Florida
#2 - Texas Tech
#3 - Texas
#4 - Oklahoma
#5 - Alabama

W, Mississippi State 32-7; next game: Auburn (Nov. 29). The Ranking Should Be Higher Because ... fine, fine, fine, the team just wins, even if the style points aren't there. With lines like Bama has, don't just hand the SEC title over to Florida quite yet. This Tide team seems like the type that rises to every occasion. If the Tide blasts a bad Auburn team, you'll know just how focused Nick Saban's boys are. The Ranking Should Be Lower Because ... let's be honest here; just how good is the SEC? The first half against Mississippi State was a bit scary, while the overtime win over LSU, considering what Troy was able to do this week in Death Valley, doesn't appear to be any big deal. The best offense Alabama has faced has been Georgia's, and that's it. Would the Tide be unbeaten if it had to survive the Big 12 South and all of its offenses?

Week 12 College Football Power Rankings By CollegeFootballNews.com

Alabama takes AP's Top Spot

The Crimson Tide became the fifth team this season to sit atop the AP Top 25, moving up a spot Sunday after previously top-ranked Texas was toppled by Texas Tech.

The Crimson Tide, which beat Arkansas State 35-0, received 46 of a possible 65 first-place votes from the media panel and 1,600 points. Texas Tech got 12 first-place votes and 1,528 points and Penn State had six and 1,525. The Gators received the other No. 1 vote.

Alabama takes AP's top spot

'Bama No. 2 in BCS

As expected, the University of Alabama football team was ranked second in the first Bowl Championship Series standings of the season, released Sunday.

Although the Crimson Tide (7-0) saw its lead over No. 3 Penn State decrease in both the Associated Press poll (which does not factor into the BCS) and the USA Today coaches’ poll, it had a healthy lead over the Nittany Lions in the BCS due to a strong showing in the computer rankings.

Alabama ranked No. 2 in BCS

Defensive Notebook

The Crimson Tide defense has not allowed 100 yards rushing in its first five games this season. In fact, the Tide is 8-2 under Coach Nick Saban when holding an opponent to less than 100 yards on the ground. The Crimson Tide defense is featured each Wednesday on RollTide.com.

STOPPING THE RUN: Alabama is 8-2 under coach Nick Saban when holding opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in a game, including a 5-0 mark in 2008. The Crimson Tide has held Clemson (0), Tulane (86), Western Kentucky (42), Arkansas (92) and Georgia (50) to less than 100 rushing yards in the first five games this season. But going back to 2007, the Crimson Tide has held six straight opponents below 100 yards rushing with Colorado amassing just 75 yards in the 2007 Independence Bowl. Alabama was 3-2 last year when opponents failed to reach 100 rushing yards in a game.

Complete Defensive Stats @ ALABAMA FOOTBALL: Defensive Notebook

Six SEC Teams are ranked in the Top 25

Six SEC teams are ranked in the top 25 of this week's Associated Press, USA Today and Harris Interactive Polls. The six is tied with the Big 12 for the most by a conference in the polls. Team rankings in order (AP, USA-T and HI) are: Alabama (2/4/3), LSU (3/2/2), Georgia (11/10/10), Florida (12/13/11), Auburn (13/14/13) and Vanderbilt (19/19/19).

With Ole Miss receiving poll votes this week, all 12 SEC teams have now received poll points in the AP and USA Today polls in at least one week's polls this year.

The SEC continues to have the nation's top non-conference winning percentage in 2008 (26-5, 83.9 percent). The second highest percentage belongs to the Big 12 at 38-10 (79.2 percent).

Weekly Notebook Of SEC Football