This is a breakdown of SEC rosters next year assuming all eligible players return (including Varnado). I put them into a rough talent order based on the (Scout) stars and then grouped them.
Based on this, it is hard to say we "should be favored" to win the SEC. To say that, one would have to think that Rick is either a better floor coach or a better talent evaluator than most of the coaches in the SEC.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 336pt;" width="448" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <col style="width: 48pt;" span="7" width="64"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt; width: 48pt;" width="64" height="21">
</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">
</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">5 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">4 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">3 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">2 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">1 stars</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Kentucky</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Florida</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Tennessee</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">MSU</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Arkansas</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Alabama</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">6</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Vanderbilt</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">LSU</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">TSUN</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">South Carolina</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Auburn</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">8</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Georgia</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> </tbody> </col></table>
Based on this, it is hard to say we "should be favored" to win the SEC. To say that, one would have to think that Rick is either a better floor coach or a better talent evaluator than most of the coaches in the SEC.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 336pt;" width="448" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <col style="width: 48pt;" span="7" width="64"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt; width: 48pt;" width="64" height="21">
</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">
</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">5 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">4 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">3 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">2 stars</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 48pt;" width="64">1 stars</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Kentucky</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Florida</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Tennessee</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">MSU</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Arkansas</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">7</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Alabama</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">6</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Vanderbilt</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">LSU</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">TSUN</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">2</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" colspan="2" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">South Carolina</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">4</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Auburn</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">8</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21">Georgia</td> <td class="xl66">
</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> <td class="xl66" align="right">1</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">5</td> <td class="xl66" align="right">3</td> <td class="xl66"><span style=""> </span></td> </tr> </tbody> </col></table>