Rk.

Team

Change

Comments

1.

1

No matter how much I dislike them or how hard I might try, the Florida Gators are the National Champions, and thus are deserving of the No. 1 spot in the final poll, no questions asked.

Sucks, don’t it?

2.

2

Pre-season, I’d have said you were crazy if you told me that the Ole Miss Rebels would be my No. 2 team at season’s end, but they earned it.

With their strong finishing victory against Texas Tech, their 9-4 overall record, their amazing improvement over last year, and their having been the only team to beat Florida they earned it.

Nice job by the Right-Reverend Nutt.

3.

—

No change for the Georgia Bulldogs.  Sure, they beat Michigan State, but it wasn’t pretty and they were supposed to win.  A solid season, but a disappointing one nonetheless.

On another note, I’m sure gonna miss Larry Munson, though…

4.

3

Well, the Alabama Crimson Tide took notched two lop-sided losses since the last regular season ballot.  The Florida loss was (in my mind) expected.  The Utah blow-out was not.  Thus, the Tide falls a few spots for a lapse in focus.

Still, a nice season for a team full of freshmen and sophomores.

5.

2

The Vanderbilt Commodores were supposed to be average this season.  They were supposed to putz along, business as usual.  They were supposed to lose to Boston College.  So much for “supposed tos.”

Here’s to Vandy, to showing everyone they still know how to Show their Gold!

6.

(tie)

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The Kentucky Wildcats won their bowl game against East Carolina — earning them their first win against a team with a winning record.  That’s hardly impressive, and they hang on to their spot by the narrowest of margins.

6.

(tie)

2

Most folks thought that Georgia Tech would give the LSU Tigers fits.  In the end, the only fits were the withdrawal pains of the Tiger faithful when they quit selling beer at the Georgia Dome at the start of the 4th quarter.

Nice finish to a rollercoaster season.

8.

3

The South Carolina Gamecocks hoped to end their late-season slide against Iowa.  Nice idea, but one which simply failed to come together.  Still, considering they started with 2 conference losses, not all that bad.

Hey, at least they got to go to a bowl.

9.

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I had half a mind to give the Tennessee Volunteers a bump up due to all the excitement surrounding new coach Lane Kiffin, but I couldn’t in good conscience do that.

Next year, however, should be fun in Knox-vegas.

10.

—

“There’s nothing to see here, please disperse.  The cow-bell clanging you hear is all a figment of your imagination.”

This was a tough one for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and I hated to see Sly Croom—my pre-season coach of the year—go, but he did about as well as he could given the situation he inherited.

11.

1

The Arkansas Razorbacks showed some real improvement during the middle of the season, but faded at the end.  Still, Bobby Petrino didn’t quit mid-season to go coach the German National Swimming team, so there’s that, too.

12.

1

Yeah, I dropped the Auburn Tigers a spot.  Any fan base who attacks their new coach before he even coaches a game earns that due to the divisive nature of their actions.  Of course, I understand they blame the AD.  Still, a tough situation for new head coach Gene Chizik.