Media tabs Alabama to win Southeastern Conference title

Thursday, July 18, 2013

photo Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (10) throws in passing drills during an NCAA college football spring scrimmage, Saturday, April 13, 2013, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

HOOVER, Ala. -- Alabama was the overwhelming preseason choice to win the Southeastern Conference title at the league's media days this week.

In a media poll released before the start of Thursday's finale, the Crimson Tide received 182 of 243 votes, which Georgia, which was picked to repeat as East Division winners, receiving the second-most tallies (38).

South Carolina (18), Texas A&M (4) and LSU (1) also received votes for the title.

Tennessee was picked to finish fifth in the East behind Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Vanderbilt and ahead of Missouri and Kentucky. The media projected Texas A&M to finish second in the West Division behind Alabama followed by LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Mississippi State and Arkansas.

The two-time defending champion Tide also had seven players on the All-SEC first team and placed 16 players on the three-team lists. The Bulldogs had only two players (tailback Todd Gurley and tight end Arthur Lynch) selected to the first team, while Tennessee had six players selected to the three teams, including four offensive linemen. Linebacker A.J. Johnson, the SEC's leading tackler last season, was the Vols' only first-team selection.

Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley and South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney were the players who received the most votes.

LSU was the projected champion in last year's poll, and the media have predicted the league champion correctly only four times: Florida in 1994 and 1995, LSU in 2007 and Florida in 2008.

The 243 voters is an all-time high for SEC media days, which credentialed more than 1,200 for this week's event, which wraps up today with LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Vanderbilt.

PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAMS

OFFENSE

First-Team

QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (119)

RB T.J. Yeldon, Alabama (221)

RB Todd Gurley, Georgia (206)

WR Amari Cooper, Alabama (194)

WR Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt (106)

TE Arthur Lynch, Georgia (148)

OL Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama (193)

OL Jake Matthews, Texas A&M (176)

OL Anthony Steen, Alabama (109)

OL Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State (88)

C Travis Swanson, Arkansas (92)

Second-Team

QB AJ McCarron, Alabama (67)

RB Tre Mason, Auburn (15)

RB *LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State (12)

RB *Keith Marshall, Georgia (12)

WR Donte Moncrief, Ole Miss ( 46)

WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M (33)

TE Rory Anderson, South Carolina (33)

OL Antonio Richardson, Tennessee (76)

OL Jon Halapio, Florida (51)

OL Chris Burnette, Georgia (50)

OL Ja'Wuan James, Tennessee (50)

C Reese Dismukes, Auburn (33)

Third-Team

QB Aaron Murray, Georgia (52)

RB *Matt Jones, Florida (5)

RB *Jeff Scott, Ole Miss (5)

RB *Alfred Blue, LSU (5)

WR Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia (28)

WR Jarvis Landry, LSU (19)

TE Brian Vogler, Alabama (18)

OL La'el Collins, LSU (37)

OL Josh Williford, LSU (30)

OL Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt (18)

OL *A.J. Cann, South Carollina (14)

OL *Zach Fulton, Tennessee (14)

C *James Stone, Tennessee (30)

C *Jonotthan Harrison, Florida (30)

DEFENSE

First-Team

DL Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina (223)

DL Dominique Easley, Florida (162)

DL Anthony Johnson, LSU (127)

DL Chris Smith, Arkansas (56)

LB C.J. Mosley, Alabama (231)

LB A.J. Johnson, Tennessee (107)

LB Denzel Nkemdiche, Ole Miss (94)

DB Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama (203)

DB Craig Loston, LSU (135)

DB Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida (117)

DB Deion Belue, Alabama (77)

Second-Team

DL Xzavier Dickson, Alabama (49)

DL Ed Stinson, Alabama ( 39)

DL Dee Ford, Auburn (38)

DL Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama (31)

LB Adrian Hubbard, Alabama (66)

LB Jordan Jenkins, Georgia (64)

LB Lamin Barrow, LSU (29)

DB Damian Swann, Georgia (70)

DB Andre Hal, Vanderbilt (69)

DB Marcus Roberson, Florida (50)

DB Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama (36)

Third-Team

DL Garrison Smith, Georgia (26)

DL Daniel McCullers, Tennessee (23)

DL Alvin Dupree, Kentucky (23)

DL C.J. Johnson, Ole Miss (22)

LB Ronald Powell, Florida (24)

LB Tahj Jones, LSU (20)

LB *Trey DePriest, Alabama (16)

LB *Avery Williamson, Kentucky (16)

DB E.J. Gaines, Missouri (34)

DB Charles Sawyer, Ole Miss (25)

DB Jalen Mills, LSU (22)

DB Chris Davis , Auburn (20)

SPECIALISTS

First-Team

P Kyle Christy, Florida (108)

PK Carey Spear, Vanderbilt (100)

RS Odell Beckham Jr., LSU (74)

AP Bruce Ellington, South Carolina (69)

Second-Team

P Cody Mandell, Alabama (54)

PK Cody Parkey, Auburn (71)

RS Bruce Ellington, South Carolina (62)

AP Odell Beckham Jr., LSU (44)

Third-Team

P Steven Clark, Auburn (33)

PK Zach Hocker, Arkansas (39)

RS Andre Debose, Florida (53)

AP Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida (36)

  • -- ties