By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The SEC East should be a very interesting division in college football. Here is how I think the division stacks up.

Florida: I give the Gators a slight edge over Georgia.

Under Dan Mullen’s watch, Florida has won 21 games and finished in the top 10 in back-to-back years.

The offense needs to take the next step and improve. The offensive line returns four starters so they should get better. Kyle Trask will be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.

Tight end Kyle Pitts (54 catches) along with receivers Jacob Copeland, Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney make up a strong receiving corp.

The defense should still be strong this season, adding UGA transfer Brenton Cox to strengthen the pass rush. The secondary will be one of the best in the SEC thanks to Marco Wilson and Kaiir Elam.

I think the deciding factor will be crossover scheduling. LSU comes to Gainesville and Georgia plays at Alabama.

Georgia: The Bulldogs lose quarterback Jake Fromm, running back D’Andre Swift and four offensive line starters.

Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman will be the new QB. Last season Newman threw for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 574 yards and 6 TD’s.

WR George Pickens had a good freshman season and he could have a breakout sophomore year.

In 2019 the defense ranked at the top of the SEC in yards per play allowed (4.3) and fewest points a game (12.6). They lost safety J.R. Reed and DL Tyler Clark but return most of the unit intact.

Tennessee: The Volunteers are going into coach Jeremy Pruitt’s third year on the right track.

They started 2019 0-2 but rebounded and won their final six games.

Quarterback play is a huge question mark and they need a drastic improvement. Whether it’s Jarrett Guarantano, Brian Maurer, J.T. Shrout or freshman Harrison Bailey, this position will determine the success of the team.

The offensive line and running backs should be the strength of the offense.

The defense improved, holding teams to 5.01 yards per game. I think the Vols are due for a big upset in 2020. I doubt it comes against Alabama or at UGA. Most likely it will be at Oklahoma or home against Florida.

Kentucky: The Wildcats won 26 games through the first five seasons under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has posted 18 over the last two years. Finishing 8-5 in 2019 was an accomplishment for Stoops and his staff.

Starting QB Terry Wilson was lost for the season due to injury in early September but he is returning. The O-line is one of the best in the conference and they return three backs that have at least 500 rushing yards in 2019.

Kentucky’s defense finished fourth in the SEC in fewest points allowed per game (19.3) and allowed 5.3 yards a snap.

South Carolina: The pressure is mounting for Will Muschamp after finishing 4-8. He hired former Colorado State coach Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator.

They have a few options at QB with transfer Collin Hill (Colorado State), Dakereon Joyner, Ryan Hilinski and freshman Luke Doty battling for the starting job. They lost their top three running backs.

Missouri: The Tigers were 8-5 in 2018 and 6-6 in 2019.

Eli Drinkwitz is in his first year in Columbia. He is coming off of only one year as a head coach at Appalachian State.

They will not be able to make a bowl this season.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores finished 3-9 last season. On the bright side these guys are intelligent since they attend Vandy.

That’s the only thing they have to look forward to.