Welcome to the SEC

Starting at quarterback in the South Eastern Conference isn't an easy task for any QB, no matter the talent around them or the skill set they have, they have to be able to handle pressure.

No conference can compare to the talent that is found on SEC team's defenses. Often times new QBs are lost like a deer in the head lights. However some first-year starters in the SEC can find success, but growing pains and losing games are a more common fate.

For every QB Greg McElroy, the 2009 National Champion QB, there is also a Jarrett Lee or a Brent Schaeffer in the SEC, and that's what can make the conference so successful.

Jarrett Lee took over the LSU job in 2008 and threw 16 interceptions while tying the record at 7 for the most interceptions returned for TDs. LSU finished that year 8-5 (3-5 in conference play) and Lee was pulled by the end of the season.

Brent Schaeffer was a guy who started his first career game at Tennessee and was the first freshman to accomplish that task in 59 years. Schaeffer was then pulled by the second game of the season and soon was kicked of the team. After a year in Juco, then Ole Miss Head Coach Ed Orgeron brought Scaheffer in to become the starting QB, naming him to the position before he was even on campus. Ole Miss finished 4-8 (2-6 in the SEC) and Scaheffer struggled.

Then you have Greg McElroy who took over for Alabama this past season and did what he had to do. Alabama didn't put the game on McElroy's shoulders, rather they did what they were good at and that was running the ball. McElroy wasn't just an after thought, he made play after play when it mattered the most. Against Florida and Texas he made throws and audibles leading Alabama to a perfect season and a BCS National Championship.

The success of QBs like McElroy is rare and listed below is the new crop of first year starters who wil try to duplicate the formula that McElroy had used.

Cameron Newton Auburn- Cameron Newton is one of those gifted and very talented athletes who had made a bad choice at Florida. His size ( 6'6" 247) makes him a very intriguing dual threat prospect. In limited his snaps his freshman year at Florida, he reminded some of Tim Tebow as he lowered his shoulder and hit defenders. After UF, he attended Junior College for a year, where he won a NJCAA National Championship. Auburn's Guz Muzelhan should find Newton very capable of running his spread offense. Ability to find success this season: B-plus

Brantley (Left) and Newton at Florida

John Brantley Florida- John Brantley a one-time uber recruit and Gatorade player of the year has patiently waited his turn at Florida. Following the success of the legend QB Tim Tebow will be a difficult task for Brantley. Playing as a back up the past two season, Brantley has already thrown for 10-TDs. Unlike Tebow, Brantley is more of a pocket passer with excellent accuracy. Changing the offense to revolve around Brantley won't be a problem because many claim that Urban Meyer's spread attack is designed more for the passing game. Ability to find success this season: A

Raymond Cotton Ole Miss- With the departure of up and down QB Jevan Snead to the NFL, Houston Nutt is faced with a quarterback vacancy. Cotton a dual-threat QB of of Maryland was the prize of Ole Miss's 2009 Recruiting Class, but was redshirted the past season. Nutt hasn't named Cotton the starter but he could be the best fit for the Rebels. Ole Miss's offensive situation will be a difficult as most of the production is gone from last year in Snead, do everything WR Dexter Mccluster and WR Shay Hodge. Cotton has the tools to find success but don't look for too much right away. Ability to find success this season: B-minus

Super Tuesday Predictions-

#12 Tennessee @ #24 Vanderbilt 7 p.m.- Bruce Pearl could be in the orange blazer for this one.- Vandy by 4

Alabama @ #2 Kentucky 9 p.m.- John Wall and Demarcus Cousins are playing at a different level these days. Anthony Grant's Tide cant handle them. -Big Blue by 12

Closing Thought.

If you ever had thought Mike Leach or Jim Levitt were bad coaches because of how they treated their players, think again. The day after Urban Meyer was hired to be the head coach at Bowling Green he held a team meeting and workout at 5 a.m. Players entered the indoor practice facility that cold morning and prepared to run sprints. Meyer had placed trash cans all over the turf field with the tops off, ordering players to run sprints for the next three hours. During that period there were lines at each trash can as players waited to throw up into them after their teammate was finished.

By that Friday almost 20 players had quit the team. Urban Meyer said he could never do that again and he hasn't since.

- A Ivins