Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/31/2011 at 2:36pm

Opening week for the Southeastern Conference sees a troubled LSU team playing Oregon in Arlington, Texas, and a troubled veteran coach in Mark Richt taking his Georgia team 70 miles west to Atlanta to meet Boise State in critical games that could affect the SEC's reputation. Whatever happens Saturday in those games won't deter Texas A&M, however, as the Aggies told the Big 12 Conference Wednesday they were leaving, and that was a regular topic for the SEC coaches during Wednesday's conference call.

We start this week's report with our first SEC Power Poll of the season:

ArkansasSports360.com Power Poll Week 1

1. Alabama. The questions have yet to be answered at quarterback and in the defensive front, but Nick Saban has recruited awfully well.
2. LSU. In outright power, LSU would probably be atop the poll, but chemistry must be a concern in light of the Jordan Jefferson situation.
3. Arkansas. We're going to find out eventually if Ryan Mallett was the biggest reason the Hogs were a contender last year or if this truly is a solid team.
4. South Carolina. If 66-year-old Steve Spurrier quarterbacked this team, the Gamecocks might be the SEC's best considering everything surrounding the QB.
5. Florida. Urban Meyer recruited too well for the Gators to not challenge under new coach Muschamp.
6. Mississippi State. With Jefferson's situation, now Chris Relf is the best returning QB in the West.
7. Georgia. Bulldogs have the best returning QB, but is there enough firepower around him? Is the D better?
8. Auburn. A big fall for a defending national champ, but the Tigers' youngers still improve quickly and move back up.
9. Tennessee. Tyler Bray showed enough in 2010 to make a case as SEC's best QB of the future, but holes abound with Vols.
10. Kentucky. Lots of raw talent, like Randall Cobb, to replace.
11. Ole Miss. Probably a year away from being a factor again, but will lean on a Nutt staple: running the ball.
12. Vanderbilt. James Franklin may be the most enthusiastic coach in the league, considering his situation, and that's a start for Commodores.

KEITH FACES BAMA DEFENSE: Pulaski Academy product Spencer Keith is the starting quarterback for Kent State, and his season-opening test is a big one — trying to move the football against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama is doing Nick Saban's alma mater a favor bringing the Golden Flashes into Bryant-Denny Stadium for a big payday — it's the first meeting ever between the programs — but it's likely the Crimson Tide will be in a take-no-prisoners mood from the word go. After last year's three-loss season to follow up a national championship, including blowing its in-state rivalry game with Auburn and seeing the Tigers go unbeaten and win a national crown, Alabama's players have said they felt a new resolve to approach 2011 like they went into 2009. All around the Tide locker room, the signs "Never Again," remind the players of the collapse at home against Auburn to end the regular season. We may have seen some of that turnaround in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, when the Tide annihilated Michigan State 49-7.

Saban didn't single out any Kent State individuals during Wednesday's conference call, but no doubt the Tide will have Keith in their sights. The junior, who is one of nine returning offensive starters, passed for 2,212 yards last season. Where Keith is hoping to improve over last year is in his TD-to-interception ratio: Keith had eight scoring passes against 11 picks by the opposition.

Alabama returns three of four starters in the secondary, including All-SEC safety Mark Barron. The challenge will be huge Saturday. Keith has top receiver Tyshon Goode back as his primary target, and running back Jarquise Terry also returns to take some of the load off the passing game.

Keith, who was an all-around athlete at P.A., led the Bruins to the 2008 Class 5A state championship. One thing Keith has over Alabama's quarterback is experience. The Tide is expected to start A.J. McCarron, who backed up the graduated Greg McElroy the past two years.

QB DECISION STILL COMING:Like Alabama, which put its quarterback competition up for grabs all the way through opening week, South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier has refused to name veteran Stephen Garcia his starter over Connor Shaw. While Garcia has amassed impressive stats over the past three years, he's also amassed five team suspensions from Spurrier, mostly for alcohol-related offenses.

While Spurrier, during Wednesday's conference call, said Garcia has performed well in August drills, he added, "Connor Shaw has actually performed better in scrimmages."

So, while Garcia has "changed a lot of his style and actions" after the most recent suspension from the spring, Spurrier said, "We're going to play both of them at East Carolina. We'll name a starter Friday. We have an idea [who it will be], they are still battling.

"Don't be surprised that it could be Connor Shaw" starting, the veteran coach said.

We also won't be surprised if it's not.

A&M NOT ON EVERYONE'S MINDS: While Bobby Petrino deferred any thought about Texas A&M's possible admission into the SECafter announcing its departure from the Big 12, choosing to focus on preparing his Razorbacks for Missouri State on Saturday, other SEC coaches were willing to talk a little about the Aggies' future, and nearly all voiced confidence in SEC Commissioner Mike Slive making the right choice in the matter.

Ole Miss' Houston Nutt said, "I can understand why everybody wants to move to our conference."

Mississippi State probably has more direct connections to A&M in terms of coaches now on the Bulldogs' staff and recently in charge at Starkville. Jackie Sherrill rebuilt A&M's program in the 1980s before leaving coaching briefly, then took over in the 1990s at Mississippi State and took the Bulldogs to the 1998 SEC West title.

"Texas A&M would be a welcomed addition," third year Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen said. "I have coached games there and their game-day environment is an SEC-type of game-day environment."

BOASTFUL TWEETING:Georgia defensive back and kick returner Brandon Boykin gained some notoriety over the weekend for tweeting a dare to Boise State Coach Chris Peterson to kick the ball to him.

But Mark Richt, the Bulldogs coach, said Wednesday he didn't have a problem with Boykins' potential bulletin-board material via Twitter and said it might serve Boykin as motivation as much as the Broncos when the teams meet in Atlanta on Saturday night.

"I told Brandon, 'As we all know you can’t take it back. You better back it up,'" Richt said. "I think it was Saturday night and he was hanging around with a lot of the guys, they were having some video game contest or tournament, they got to talking and who knows who egged him on to do it.

"I’m not to worried about it. Boise State doesn’t need something like that to get ready for the ball game. It might have set him up to play better, so who knows?"

THE MATCHUPS:Though the game is probably well down the list of importance for the SEC this week, Kentucky is playing Western Kentucky on Thursday in, of all places, Nashville, Tenn., in the home of the Tennessee Titans. Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips said that playing in an NFL stadium might help the Wildcats' recruiting and also will allow the alumni base in that area an easier time to see the Cats. WKU is only about an hour from Nashville, though, while UK's campus is about three hours away.

South Carolina also plays in an NFL stadium this week, playing East Carolina at Charlotte, but Steve Spurrier didn't mention Wednesday how playing there will boost his recruiting.

Here's the opening week schedule (all times Central):

THURSDAY
Mississippi State at Memphis.7:10 p.m., SportsSouth. MSU's Dan Mullen, who had a breakout season for the Dawgs in his second year, expects an improved Memphis team as Larry Porter starts his second season with the Tigers.

Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky. 8:15 p.m., Nashville, ESPN. Wildcats like the Music City Bowl so much, they return to Nashville early this year.

SATURDAY
Utah State at Auburn. 11 a.m., ESPN. Arkansas State was in this position last year and the Tigers doubled up on the Red Wolves. Their opener will be closer this time.

Kent State at Alabama. 11:15 a.m. SEC Network. Routine opener for the Tide, we figure. The defense may score at least twice.

BYU at Ole Miss.3:45 p.m. ESPN. Houston Nutt says BYU has an "excellent" passing game, and he should know.

Montana at Tennessee.5 p.m., Pay-per-view. Seems more suited for a basketball matchup.

East Carolina vs. South Carolina. 6 p.m., in Charlotte, N.C., Fox Sports Net. Remember that great defense ECU had against Arkansas two years ago under Skip Holtz. Last year after Holtz moved on, ECU gave up points galore.

Missouri State at Arkansas. 6 p.m. ET, Pay-per-view. It's probably just us, but how we wish Arkansas could move the State to next week's opening foe (i.e. Missouri this week, New Mexico STATE next week). Others probably wish UA could change "Arkansas" for "Missouri" on this week's foe, too.

Florida Atlantic at Florida.6 p.m., ESPNU. SEE? Florida is even playing FAU. Of the Sun Belt. C'mon.

Elon at Vanderbilt. 6:30 p.m., CSS. Apparently, Sisters of the Poor was already scheduled elsewhere.

Boise State vs. Georgia. 7 p.m., Atlanta, ESPN. Lot is riding on this one for SEC prestige.

LSU vs. Oregon. 7 p.m., Arlington, Texas, ABC. What was Jordan Jefferson thinking?

Email: jharris@abpg.com. Also follow Jim on Twitter @jimharris360. And catch Jim on KABZ 103.7 The Buzz on THURSDAYS at 11 a.m. during the football season.

Tagged: Bobby Petrino, Joker Phillips, Pulaski Academy Bruins, Houston Nutt, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, LSU Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels, Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Vanderbilt Commodores, Tennessee Vols, Kentucky Wildcats, Florida Gators, South Carolina Gamecocks, Southeastern Conference, Spencer Keith