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Biggest declines for SEC division champions in the last decade
By Nick Cole
Published:
Life moves pretty quickly in the SEC. One season you’re celebrating a trip to the championship game in Atlanta, and the next you’re sitting at home wondering where it all went wrong.
Since 2005, 13 of the 18 SEC division winners have declined in win total in the next season, while three improved their record and two maintained the same.
But not all of those 13 declines were created equal. Let’s take a look at three of the biggest declines for SEC division winners over the last decade:
Tennessee Volunteers: 5 WINS (2007: 10-4, 2008: 5-7)
What went right in 2007: The final season of the Phillip Fulmer/David Cutcliffe/John Chavis coaching combination was fruitful for Vols nation. With a 6-2 conference record, Tennessee won a tiebreaker in the SEC East with a head-to-head victory against Georgia to earn a trip to the conference championship game. The Vols fell to LSU in the SEC title game, but rebounded nicely to beat Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl to secure a 10-win season.
What went wrong in 2008: A disastrous five-win season spelled the end of a 17-year stint as Tennessee’s head coach for Phillip Fulmer. Cutcliffe departed to become the head coach at Duke, and the Vols never got things going under new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. A 13-7 loss to Wyoming at Neyland Stadium in November served as the final nail in the coffin for the regime.
Florida Gators: 5 wins (2009: 13-1, 2010: 8-5)
What went right in 2009: Entering the season as defending national champions, the Gators had high expectations for Tim Tebow’s final season in Gainesville. The former Heisman winner delivered with a perfect 12-0 regular season, but a 32-13 loss to eventual national champion Alabama in the SEC title game derailed a chance for a repeat title defense. Florida finished the season on a strong note, routing Cincinnati 51-24 in the Sugar Bowl.
What went wrong in 2010: In what turned out to be Urban Meyer’s final year at Florida, the Gators slipped to 4-4 in league play. The post-Tebow era got off to a rocky start when Meyer offered resignation before ultimately taking a leave of absence during the offseason due to health concerns. When the Gators took the field that fall under new quarterback John Brantley, the offense just wasn’t the same. Florida dropped three consecutive conference games in October to seal their season’s fate.
Auburn Tigers: 6 wins (2010: 14-0, 2011: 8-5)
What went right in 2010:The addition of junior college transfer Cam Newton at quarterback to second-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s offense was magic for the Tigers. Newton won the Heisman Trophy during a 50-touchdown season that concluded with a comeback win in the Iron Bowl, a rout of South Carolina in the SEC championship and a 22-19 win over Oregon in the BCS National Championship game.
What went wrong in 2011: The Tigers came back down to earth without the services of Cam Newton in 2011. Auburn finished fourth in the SEC West with a 4-4 conference record thanks to losses to Arkansas, Georgia, LSU and Alabama. The Tigers did win the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Virginia to cap the season, but things were going to get worse before they got better. Auburn fell to 3-9 in 2012 after the departure of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Will 2014 division winners Alabama (12-2) and Missouri (11-3) be candidates to make this list after the upcoming season?
Based on the preseason prognostications, there seems to be a prevailing opinion that Missouri could be a candidate for regression in spite of its back-to-back SEC East titles. Alabama doesn’t seem likely to drop to six or seven wins this season, though questions at quarterback in what is expected to be a brutal SEC West could make Crimson Tide fans uneasy this season.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
