Georgia is getting all the preseason hype, and sits atop both major polls after crushing Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl to cap a strong 2007 finish. But the Bulldogs have a brutal schedule — even by SEC standards. The conference slate sends them on the road to South Carolina, LSU, and Auburn, making the decision to schedule a non-conference road game against Arizona State a head-scratcher. Georgia certainly has the talent, particularly on offense with quarterback Matthew Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno.

To fulfill its promise and to get to the BCS championship, Georgia will have to not only survive the killer schedule, but will have to prove that it can play consistently from week to week. Florida, on the other hand, needs to prove it can play defense, because the Gators have all the tools they need on offense (Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin) and a favorable schedule (only three SEC road games: Tennessee, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt). The Florida-Georgia game should determine the SEC East champ.

In the West, defending national champion LSU is loaded everywhere — except at quarterback. Deficiency there, plus road trips to Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, and Arkansas, could knock the Tigers down a peg. Auburn, which is moving to the spread offense, has 16 returning starters and, like Florida, a favorable schedule.