Over the past two months I have previewed six of the 12 teams in the SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi and Tennessee. Following are shorter looks at five more SEC schools -- Auburn, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. I will preview Florida separately next week.

AUBURN
With the SEC West division being so wide open, Auburn has a chance to be in the mix. Last year the Tigers finished poorly, and the Tiger faithful began to question coach Tommy Tuberville's job security. For now, his job is secure, despite some grumblings after three straight defeats to end the season -- a 31-7 home loss to Alabama, a 21-14 loss at LSU and a 16-10 loss to North Carolina in the Peach Bowl.

	Auburn RB Carnell Williams plans to soar again in 2002 after missing the end of last season due to injury.

Why is Tuberville not in trouble? There was a key reason for the Tigers' three losses -- the loss of prized performer Carnell Williams. The tailback had an exceptional freshman season, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. In Auburn's 24-17 victory at Georgia, Williams rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 41 carries. But the following week against Alabama, he was injured in the first quarter and didn't return for the rest of the season. The Tigers then self-destructed after winning seven of their first nine games.

Williams, one of the SEC's key performers, is back healthy and ready to go. He has increased his weight from 190 to 202 on his 5-foot-11 frame. The Tigers have quality depth behind Williams, with freshman Tre Smith, who has looked good in fall practice, and sophomore Ronnie Brown, who is returning after battling turf toe in 2001.

The Tigers' key is at quarterback, where senior Daniel Cobb and sophomore Jason Campbell are locked in a battle for the starting job. They also have questions at receiver. The Tigers are hoping senior Marcel Willis, who battled injuries a year ago, can emerge as the No. 1 option. Sophomore Silas Daniels is having a nice preseason, and Parade High School All-American Ben Obomanu could have an impact as a freshman.

At tight end, the Tigers are loaded, with senior Lorenzo Diamond, junior Robert Johnson, redshirt freshman Cooper Wallace and freshman Anthony Mix, who was moved from receiver to tight end because he add more weight to his 6-5 frame. The offensive line, anchored by center Ben Nowland, has undergone change. Monreko Crittenden was moved from tackle to guard, and Danny Lindsey was shifted from center to guard. Otherwise, weak-side tackle Mark Pera brings experience to the unit. The Tigers will have to wait and see how quickly the line can gain cohesion.

The Auburn defense could be an upgrade from a year ago. Defensive tackle DeMarco McNeil was not 100 percent last year and had offseason knee surgery, but he has looked great during preseason practices. The Tigers hope he can revert to his 2000 form and be the anchor up front.

The Tigers have the best group of linebackers in the SEC, led by junior outside linebackers Dontarrious Thomas and Karlos Dansby. Thomas has led the Tigers in tackles every season and is a top-echelon performer, while Dansby is a tall, rangy, athletic difference-maker at 6-foot-5 and 222 pounds. In the middle is solid senior Mark Brown. In the secondary, the Tigers return starting cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Roderick Hood. Their safeties should be adequate but not great. On special teams, outstanding kicker and punter Damon Duval has a great leg and can do it all.

Auburn has a lot of team speed, several key players returning who were not 100 percent in 2001, and some good-looking freshmen. But the Tigers' hopes boil down to one question: Will they run Williams a lot? They need a quarterback who can be a threat in the passing game so opposing defenses won't make life more difficult for Williams.

The Tigers can compete for the SEC West title. They play road games at USC, Mississippi State, Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama, the revenge game on Nov. 23. A critical game will be Sept. 28 at home against Syracuse, a team that beat them 31-14 last season. If they can beat the Orangemen, the Tigers could get off to a great start.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Coach Lou Holtz begins his fourth year in Columbia. In his first three seasons, he led the Gamecocks to records of 0-11, 8-4 and 9-3. This year's team has taken a number of hits from graduation. Also gone is running back Derek Watson, who has transferred to South Carolina State for his senior year.

Watson's departure puts all the pressure on 6-foot, 255-pound senior Andrew Pinnock, who should be the Gamecocks' workhorse, getting 20-25 carries per game. Pinnock should have success running behind a solid and deep offensive line, led by left guard Cedric Williams and left tackle Travelle Wharton. Tailback Ryan Brewer, who is valuable as a slot receiver, had offseason ankle surgery and is not yet 100 percent. Two other players to watch are redshirt freshman tailback Thez Robinson and freshman Kenny Irons.

South Carolina's new starting quarterback is former junior-college transfer Corey Jenkins. The 6-2, 223-pound senior is a running quarterback who will run the option and also utilize the shotgun. Although Jenkins also has a good arm, the big question is whether he will be able to throw accurately, make good decisions and complete throws at critical times to sustain drives. If Jenkins proves to be a multidimensional quarterback, he will be difficult for opponents to defend.

The Gamecocks have question marks at receiver, although they like another freshman, Troy Williamson. The main receiving threats are sophomore Matthew Thomasand senior Chavez Donnings, a former juco transfer. But will they produce?

The defense has suffered a huge loss in talent. Defensive ends Kalimba Edwards and John Stamper, linebacker Kenny Harney, safety Willie Offord and cornerbacks Andre Goodman and Sheldon Brown have moved on; all six were impact performers, and five were taken in the NFL draft. But the D still has lots of speed and revolves around four players -- sophomore George Gause, who moves from linebacker to defensive end; senior nose tackle Langston Moore, an outstanding anchor; senior DE Dennis Quinn; and senior big-play rover Rashad Faison.

The big question is the Gamecocks' unsettled situation at cornerback. The pressure will be on junior Dunta Robinson and senior Isaac Stackhouse to become capable starters.

Two games this season will tell us a lot about South Carolina -- Sept. 7 at Virginia and Sept. 14 at home against Georgia, one of the favorites in the SEC East division. The Gamecocks have a favorable early-season schedule, but in four of their last five games they play at LSU, at home against Tennessee, at Florida and at Clemson.

MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs were 3-8 last year, losing five games by a touchdown or less and four by a field goal or less. They lost at home to Troy State 21-9 in an incredible rainstorm that turned the field at Scott Stadium into a quagmire. While the Bulldogs had several close defeats, even more indicative of their problems in 2001 were their losses to Florida and LSU by a combined score of 94-0.

This season the Bulldogs should be more consistent offensively because they figure to get more steady play from junior quarterback Kevin Fant. Fant started three games a year ago and was at the helm when Mississippi State beat Ole Miss 36-28 and lost to BYU 41-28. In the games he started, Fant completed 62 percent of his passes, threw for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns, with four interceptions. In just the Ole Miss and BYU games combined, he completed 34-of-49 for 609 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Senior running back Dontae Walker (5-10, 248) is a key player, but he sprained the MCL in his knee in practice on Aug. 13. The injury is not considered serious, though. After being inconsistent for most of the season, junior receiver Justin Jenkins had big games against Ole Miss and BYU (combined 14 catches for 249 yards and two TDs) and developed a good rapport with Fant.

The Bulldogs' best offensive player is senior tight end Donald Lee, who caught 19 passes a year ago and is a potential first-day pick in the next NFL draft. Fant must get Lee the ball. The key, though, is their offensive line. One of their top performers, LT Derrick Thompson, is academically ineligible, and there is no word on his future at Mississippi State. Now the Bulldogs have to move junior Donald Tucker from guard to left tackle. In addition, the Bulldogs overall are young and inexperienced up front.

Defensively, the Bulldogs play an attacking, blitzing style under coordinator Joe Lee Dunn. Last year they were counting on too many junior-college transfers who didn't have an understanding of the system, and the result was 40-plus points allowed on three occasions. This year, though, the Bulldogs have more experience, but they lack depth up front. The top defensive lineman is junior tackle Tommy Kelly, a talented and physically gifted 6-5, 310-pounder. Last year he was only average, but he should be a dominator; he must play to the level of his physical ability.

The Bulldogs' top overall defensive player is senior linebacker Mario Haggan, who also should be picked in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. Haggan has played both inside and outside linebacker as well as defensive end, but the coaches feel he is at his best inside. The Bulldogs also have a veteran cornerback in senior Korey Banks and a veteran free safety in Josh Morgan.

Mississippi State faces difficult road games in and out of conference. The Bulldogs play at Oregon, at LSU, at South Carolina, at Alabama and at Ole Miss. They also play at Memphis, where the Tigers are an improved team. Based on the schedule and the team's question marks, it's no surprise that the Bulldogs are being picked for the cellar in the SEC West.

KENTUCKY
The key performer for the Wildcats is junior quarterback Jared Lorenzen, a 6-4, 270-pound left-hander who has a rocket arm and is difficult to tackle in the pocket. Last season Lorenzen was benched for five games after playing poorly to start the season. But when he regained the starting job in mid-October, he turned the corner and put up impressing passing numbers. In the second half of the season, the Wildcats averaged an SEC-best 377 passing yards per game.

Lorenzen's main target is junior receiver Derek Abney, who caught 66 passes last year, while senior running back Artose Pinner averaged 4.4 yards per carry in 2001. The solid Pinner had an outstanding spring and has proven to be a good receiver out of the backfield. Although the Wildcats have good skill-position talent and the potential to build on their second-half surge last year, they have no proven depth on their offensive line. But each of the five starters has prior experience with the first team.

The Wildcats' defense has lost the top six tacklers from last year. No loss is more significant than defensive end Dennis Johnson, a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals who led the SEC in sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles. The defense, however, gave up an average of 33.4 points per game, so having seven new starters may not be a bad thing.

Kentucky at least has the makings of a good defense. Junior defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson (6-3, 315), who was hampered by ankle and knee problems last year, put on a show during spring practices. Senior strong safety David Johnson has a nose for the ball. Senior linebacker Ronnie Riley, who injured his knee in last year's opener and missed the rest of the season, is now 100 percent. Also healthy is junior defensive tackle Jeremy Caudill, who had a back injury that caused his production to drop in 2001. Having Robertson, Riley and Caudill healthy again is a huge plus.

Senior Glenn Pakulak is an outstanding punter and a draftable player. The 6-3, 230-pounder was sixth in the nation and led the SEC with 44.5-yard average per punt.

If Kentucky has any chance in the SEC East, the defense must improve. There's at least hope for a solid foundation if the players injured last year stay healthy.

VANDERBILT
Bobby Johnson has taken over as the Commodores' new head coach, coming from Furman. He has installed an I-formation option offense led by either junior quarterback Benji Walker, who worked behind Greg Zolman the past few years, or highly regarded redshirt freshman Jay Cutler, a 6-4, 208-pounder who shows a ton of promise. Both quarterbacks will reportedly see action when the Commodores open at Georgia Tech on Aug 31.

The top running back figures to be sophomore Norval McKenzie, but they also like junior Ronald Hatcher, who is quicker and has more breakaway speed. Fullback Matthew Tant could also get a look at tailback. Last year Vanderbilt didn't use a fullback.

At receiver, it boils down to senior Dan Stricker, who needs more than 800 yards and 73 receptions to become the all-time leading receiver in SEC history. The offensive line is solid in the middle, led by center Jamie Byrum, a two-time captain, and fifth-year senior Jim May, one of the SEC's better guards.

The Vanderbilt defense had all kinds of problems stopping teams last year. The Commodores are switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 under new coordinator Bruce Fowler. He has worked for 10 years under Johnson, another defensive strategist who was previously the defensive coordinator at Clemson.

The key performer is senior cornerback Rushen Jones, who broke his hand and missed the final six games in 2001. In the games he played, the Commodores allowed an average of 27 points a game. In the games he missed, they allowed an average of 44 points per game. Jones is a shut-down corner who, if back at full strength, could follow in the footsteps of Corey Chavous and Fred Vinson as the third blue-chip cornerback Vanderbilt has produced in recent years.

Along with Jones, another key player will be linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who moves from outside to the middle and is a solid SEC performer. While the secondary is the strength of the D, the defensive front is a question mark.

The kicking game is a huge concern, as the Commodores will be breaking in a new punter and new place-kicker. That may not be a bad thing because of last year's stats: just 6-of-10 on field-goal attempts and three missed PATs.