Alabama Crimson Tide

HOOVER, Ala. -- The 2012 SEC media days All-SEC team was announced Thursday, and LSU led the conference with the most first-team selections with seven. The media has voted for a preseason All-SEC team and predicted the order in which each team would finish since 1992.

It should be noted that the media has only picked the correct SEC champion four times since 1992. Those correct picks were Florida in 1994 and 1995, LSU in 2007 and Florida in 2008.

Here are some notes from the league on the All-SEC team:

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Daniel Shirey/US PresswireSEC members are expecting big things this season for South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore.
• The 222 voters is an all-time high for SEC media days. The previous high was 177 voters in 2010.
• South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was the leading vote-getter this season with 201 of 222 votes. He is the fourth running back in the past six years to be the highest vote-getter (2007 – Darren McFadden, Arkansas; 2008 – Knowshon Moreno, Georgia and Percy Harvin, Florida; 2009 – Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes, Florida; 2010 – Mark Ingram, Alabama; 2011 – Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina).
• Lattimore (2012) and Jeffery (2011) have been the leading vote-getters the last two seasons.
• Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones is a three-time member of the SEC media days first team
• South Carolina has had a sophomore make the media days first team for the third straight season – Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, DE (2012); Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina, RB (2011); Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina, DB (2010).
• Since 2000, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden is the only unanimous selection to the SEC media days All-SEC team, collecting all 80 votes.
• LSU had the most first-team selections this season with seven. Since 1992, the most players on a first team were nine by Alabama in 2011 and eight by Alabama (2010) and Florida (2009).
• LSU leads with the most overall selections this season with 13. The total is the second highest ever, behind Alabama’s 16 last season. Prior to last season, Alabama (2010) and Florida (2009) had the most overall selections with 12.
• LSU is predicted to win the SEC championship by the media for the first time since 2007. It is the second time since 1992 that LSU has been predicted to win the league title. LSU did win the SEC title in 2007 and went on to win the BCS title.

Here is what the complete first team looks like:

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HOOVER, Ala. -- The University of Alabama had five players voted to the first-team Pre-Season All-Season SEC Team, as voted on by the attending media at SEC Media Days. Chance Warmack, D.J. Fluker and Barrett Jones made first-team offense, while Nico Johnson and Robert Lester were selected to the first-team defense.

Alabama had 12 players selected to either the first-, second- or third-team All-SEC squads.

The Crimson Tide were picked to finish second in the SEC West behind LSU. UA received five first-place votes, five second-place votes and two third-place votes.

Eddie Lacy, Jesse Williams, C.J. Mosley and Dee Milliner were voted to the second team. AJ McCarron and Michael Williams were both voted third-team All-SEC.

HOOVER, Ala. -- Day 2 of SEC media days sent some media members in to a frenzy, as 24 combined representatives from six teams paraded through The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala.

Arkansas tried to steal the show Wednesday, as Knile Davis anointed himself as the conference's best running back for the second straight year and interim coach John L. Smith sent a barrage of one-liners through the main ballroom.

But get ready for the crowd Friday. That's when Alabama comes to town, meaning a cluster of Crimson Tide faithful will be packing into the Wynfrey and drowning out every bit of noise with a never-ending series of "Roll Tide."

Joining Alabama is Tennessee, Ole Miss and Georgia.

Here are some things to look out for:

• Nick Saban hates comparisons, but expect him to receive a few questions about comparing his current defense to the one he had in 2010. He'll certainly love those.
• He and his players will also get a plenty of questions about the offense, especially with quarterback AJ McCarron returning and Eddie Lacy taking over at running back. Unfortunately, neither will be in attendance.
• It's no secret that Tennessee coach Derek Dooley's seat is pretty hot in Knoxville, so he should expect to receive questions surrounding his job security. But has he really had enough time to right a ship that was sinking when he arrived and is just now patching up the hole?
• Tyler Bray will be in the house. He's one of the league's best quarterbacks and he's confident in his ability, but let's see just how much maturing he's done heading into Year 3.
• Georgia has dealt with a handful of offseason distractions thus far, including losing starting running back Isaiah Crowell. Mark Richt and his players should be prepared to answer questions about moving on and where the running game goes from here.
• Jarvis Jones and his pursuit to be the nation's best linebacker should be a fun subject to tackle.
• Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is at SEC media days for the first time. He's asked Rebel Nation for patience and is dealing with a roster that has a lot of holes on it. Can he convince people here that the Rebels are ready to turn things around?

From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 44 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

No. 44 on the University of Alabama roster certainly looks the part.

LaMichael Fanning is built to be a defensive end. The long, lean Georgia native is too strong for tight ends to block and too quick for offensive linemen. At 6-foot-7, 298 pounds, he's one of the largest men on the field at all times.

But Fanning didn't come to Tuscaloosa that way. In fact, it may be one of the reasons coach Nick Saban and Co. decided to redshirt him last season despite showing promise during fall camp. Like many true freshmen in college, Fanning enrolled looking more like a basketball player than someone who battles in the trenches. After a year in the weight room and in line at the cafeteria, Fanning put on nearly 30 pounds.

(You'll remember Adrian Hubbard signed with Alabama at a stringy 227 pounds. He's currently listed at 248 pounds.)

With the redshirt gone and more bulk to his frame, there's reason to expect Fanning to contribute on defense. The former top-20 defensive end prospect will have plenty of competition, though, with Ed Stinson, Quinton Dial and others vying for spots alongside Jesse Williams at nose tackle. If Fanning were to get into the rotation, it could give the Crimson Tide some much needed depth on the defensive line -- a position that values fresh legs above all else.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive talks about the new academic standards set in college football as well as what the future holds for the playoff and champions bowl.

AJ McCarron changed his national perception on Jan. 9 against LSU. The University of Alabama quarterback in his first year starting under center took control of the offense against the top-ranked Tigers, throwing for 234 yards and no interceptions. His performance did a lot to change the minds of pundits who looked at McCarron as merely a "game manager" or an innocent bystander to the Crimson Tide's championship run.

On Wednesday, McCarron's profile continued to grow as he was named to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list. The junior from Mobile, Ala., was one of 34 players nominated for the award handed out annually to college football's top quarterback.

McCarron completed 66.8 percent of passes last season. He threw for 2,634 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He finished 25th in the country in passing efficiency and 53rd in total yards passing.

Last season, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III won the award.

From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 45 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

When it comes to national recognition, the University of Alabama has never been left wanting attention. The football program and its 14 national championships have a spot alongside powerhouse programs like Texas, Southern Cal and Florida. Since the start of the Associated Press poll, UA has been placed in the top 25 of preseason rankings 45 times.

Only Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Ohio State and Oklahoma can lay claim to more top 25 starts.

Alabama has made well on the early predictions, too. Forty-nine times the Crimson Tide have placed in the final top 25 AP Poll of the season. Neither the Texas Longhorns, Florida Gators or USC Trojans can lay claim to as many top 25 finishes.

Here a glimpse at how some of the top programs in the country have fared in the AP Poll:

School	Preseason	Finish
Ohio State	58	51
Oklahoma	53	52
Southern Cal	51	45
Notre Dame	50	49
Texas	48	45
Michigan	46	53
Alabama	45	49
Penn State	43	40
Nebraska	42	47
Tennessee	38	42
UCLA	35	30
Auburn	34	35