URBAN MEYER STARTS HIS SEC RUN

Steve Spurrier did it in the '90s and Urban Meyer is going to have one more year of Florida domination next season. Think about it, with Matt Stafford leaving Georgia today, who is going to have a better QB situation than Florida next year. Tim Tebow will comeback and the gulf between the best QB and the 2nd best QB in the SEC will be huge. Here's how I grade them;

EAST


Florida- (A+) Tebow


Georgia- (Incomplete) Likely a true freshman or Joe Cox


Tennessee- (B-) Crompton in a new system


South Carolina- (C+) Garcia, Smelley and the Spurrier's kitchen sink


Kentucky- (C-) Hartline and company less than dynamic


Vanderbilt- (C+) Adams and company





WEST


Alabama- (Incomplete) Greg Mac or Star Jackson or maybe AJ McCarron


Auburn- (C+) Burns and company can grow with Gus Malzahn


LSU- (B-) Jefferson looked really good in bowl, can he keep it going


Arkansas- (B) Mallett transfers from Michigan and finally starts


Ole Miss- (B+) Snead could be this 2009's John Parker Wilson


Miss State- (C) Lee has raw talent but can Mullen bring it together





And as always, there will be all the unknowns to add in between now and September 3rd... but it's easy to see that Tim Tebow holds the keys to the Georgia Dome when he returns.

COME ON TIDE FAN, USE YOUR FOOTBALL IQ

Death and taxes just got a neighbor. This world has things you can set your clock by and Alabama fans have provided a third. Bashing a Tide Player after a loss.

Our favorite punching bag is back. Hello John Parker Wilson, where have you been all season.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but how did JPW play any worse than any other guy in crimson. JPW didn't wear jersey #24 and make 9 tackles because Utah saw that they could throw it at #24 all night long forcing him to make tackles to save touchdowns. JPW didn't wear jersey #88 and jump off sides a few times. He wasn't billed as "Mount Anything" before the game only to be equalized by the Utes speed. JPW didn't play ole' with the Utah blitz allowing 8 sacks and mardi gras size of rushed throws. He didn't get suspended. John Parker Wilson had a bad Sugar Bowl game. So did Nick Saban. Add Jim McElwain. Soon to be Clemson Coach Kevin Steele, check.

Let's face it, there were a few sour notes in the Million Dollar Band and I thought Big Al mailed it in.

It's time to man up Bama nation. Butts were kicked. Utah was hungry. Utah was aggressive. Utah was dang near perfect right out of the locker room. Remember the question we asked all week... What's a Ute? Apparently it's a small animal that eats elephants.

Blaming John Parker Wilson is easy. It makes you feel better. It helps us keep the dream alive that Nick Saban has no kryptonite.

My football IQ tells me that Alabama would have been in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl without John Parker Wilson.

Remember the way he managed that high pressure opener with all those true freshman? Remember the blackout in Georgia where JPW slung the pigskin all over that Sweet Georgia Night? Remember the overtime pass in the "scalp Nick Saban" atmosphere in Baton Rouge? Remember how he never missed a start despite being hit on more frequently than Erin Andrews during the Rose Bowl pregame warm ups.

Let's move forward as a fan base. Give credit to Utah. Respect what the season brought Alabama. A BCS Bowl bid, a trip to the SEC Championship Game. Rivalry wins over Tennessee, LSU and Auburn and a National Number One ranking for the first time during the regular season since 1980.

Without John Parker Wilson, most of that would not have happened in 2008.

NO MORE AUTOMATIC BIDS IN BCS

When Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham joined us on The Dunaway and Brown Show, I told him The Mountain West Conference deserved an automatic bid to the BCS Bowls each year. I've changed my mind.

I now think nobody should get automatic bids. The top BCS ranked teams should be in the big bowls every year. Utah no doubt belongs. I will even say that the Utes should get real consideration for a Split National Championship this year.

The last time Utah went unbeaten and won the BCS Bowl, they had to play a very average Pitt team. Pitt didn't belong in the game and Utah got very few prestige points for the win. Dominating Alabama will do a lot for Utah and should also help TCU, BYU, Boise State, Fresno State and other teams like them.

What I've learned is that on any given night, these teams can not only win, but they can dominate. No excuses. Andre Smith or not, the Sugar Bowl would have been a fight for Alabama and one they would have most likely lost even with the All-American tackle.

I still think that a weekly run through a conference like the SEC can take it's toll on a team over a 13 week grind, but I'm ready to start respecting the opponent a little more. Let's start putting the highest ranked BCS teams in the BCS Bowls and include Utah, Boise and whoever wins their way into the top spots. If that means sending a Big East Conference Champ to the Gator Bowl, so be it. Speaking of the Big East, which football conference seems more impressive lately.

I'll take the Mountain West.

TIME TO SPLIT NATIONAL TITLE

First let me make a point... I am not a guy that likes giving trophies to every little league player. That being said, I believe this college football season deserves a SPLIT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP regardless of what happens in the BCS Championship Game.

USC dominated another 1 loss team Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Nobody with a moderate college football IQ could say USC would not have a 50/50 shot at beating Florida or Oklahoma if given a chance.

Texas did beat Oklahoma. If Texas handles Ohio State with ease (like USC did earlier this year) I would put them in the mix. If the Longhorns live up to their end of the bargain, here's how I would like to see the final polls.

Florida over Oklahoma = Gators BCS Champs and USC AP Champs

Oklahoma over Florida = Sooners BCS Champs and Longhorns AP Champs

FINAL SHOTS: Congrats to Terry Bowden. I hope he finds what he wants at North Alabama. My fear is he will not. Division Two football is far away from the spotlight and Terry has seen the greatest highs on the biggest stage both as a coach and as a broadcaster.

How good did Vandy, LSU and Georgia make the SEC look? 6-6 Vandy beat an ACC division Champion. LSU made Georgia Tech look silly (just like I said they would). Georgia played up to potential.

Ole Miss will be an interesting case study today in the Cotton Bowl. Texas Tech is a Big 12 big boy this year. If Rebs win, I think the Gators will handle the Sooners by double digits.

SUGAR BOWL PICK: Alabama 23 Utah 21

DID AUBURN MISS THE BIG PRIZE?

Mike Shanahan was fired Tuesday in Denver. Do you remember where Shanahan sewed his oates as an offensive wizard? Gainesville... as in The University of Florida. Before he was one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, he was Mike Shanahan Gators Offensive Coordinator from 1980-83.

I'm not saying Auburn did anything wrong by hiring Gene Chizik when they did, but could you imagine the possibilities? A search that lasted until the end of the NFL season would have opened the door for at least a conversation with Shanahan.

Same deal with Tennessee.

Just like Bill Cowher, I doubt Mike Shanahan wants to recruit or shake hands and play golf tournaments with boosters. He'll end up in New York or Cleveland or maybe just switch jobs with Gary Kubiak with the Texans (Shanahan is great friends with the Bush Family in Texas). It would have been fun though to have a 56 year old Mike Shanahan back in the SEC though. Can you imagine the rivalry if he was at Auburn or Tennessee with Nick Saban on the Alabama sideline? That would have been fun.

OTHER NOTES:

-My friend Charles Barkley arrested on suspicion of DUI. I always wonder why men who make as much money as Charles just don't have a driver.

-I have a bad feeling about the SEC Bowl record. Games start today. Vandy and LSU are underdogs. Andre Smith is out vs. Utah. Could the SEC go 0-8? It would not be the biggest shock of the year.

-Make sure you vote in all the poll questions at dandbradio.com today. My picks: Biggest sports story in the state this year... Alabama #1 for 5 weeks; SEC Bowl Record...4 wins; Biggest upset... Ole Miss over Florida in the swamp; Best NFL Game this weekend... Colts at Chargers.

WAITING FOR OTHER SHOE TO DROP

Something is missing in the Andre Smith story. I've done this a long time. Few players I've encountered have had the genuine kindness and character of Smitty. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on this story. Either a family member made a really dumb mistake or Alabama is having to play this thing extra conservative because of past crimes. I do not think Andre Smith would jeopardize his legacy for a few early dollars... but I do know my family tree has a few nuts in it and I bet his does too. Here's the rub, when you pull up a weed... the roots come from everywhere and go back a long way. We'll see soon where these roots take us.

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ALSO: Patrick Nix was fired Monday at Miami. The college football world will see Nix as a bust as an offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and Miami. The numbers don't lie. What numbers don't show is the circumstances that surround programs and offensive units. Quarterback issues were inherited and never solved on either campus. I think Nix is a good football coach and Auburn would be smart to have him as a position coach on this staff. After all, he now has two stops in big time college football where he has gained great experience at trying to score points with shaky QB play.

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FINAL SHOT: Sen'Derrick Marks is leaving Auburn for the NFL. I expect Antonio Coleman to join him off that Auburn defense on January 3rd in a news conference at Williamson High School in Mobile. I also think Glenn Coffee will take a long hard look at leaving as well.

ANDRE SMITH OUT OF SUGAR BOWL

Statement from Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban

Andre Smith has been suspended from participating in the Sugar Bowl due to a violation of team rules and policies. The University of Alabama, the team and the football program are more important than any individual player. Everyone on our team depends on each other to be responsible, to make good choices and decisions relative to their actions.

Andre Smith has done an outstanding job in our program as a person, student and a player and we will do all we can as an institution to support him in all future endeavors.

Our priority and focus as a team is to play the best football game of the season in this Sugar Bowl, and to support our players to overcome any adversity this unfortunate situation has created