Alabama Crimson Tide

The SEC has the reputation of being the toughest conference to play/coach in. But what is it like to be in charge of one of these high-profile programs?

That's where we come in. As we take a deeper look into programs around the country this week, we're looking at how each program stacks up in every conference. In the SEC, there's always a fierce arms race going on, and getting left behind can be dangerous.

Today, we're ranking each coaching job in the SEC. We considered a lot of factors, including location, tradition, support, fan bases, facilities and recruiting access.

Here's how we ranked all 14 SEC jobs.

1. Florida: For starters, Florida is all about location, location, location. It's in a state that produces some of the country's top talent and it's a state that players around the country will flock to. Thanks to Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, Florida has become a national brand like Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame and Texas. Recent significant facility upgrades and a tremendous fan base have only helped this be the top job in the SEC.

2. LSU: It's one of just a handful of schools around the country that's considered the school in the state. Every football player in Louisiana grows up wanting to play in Tiger Stadium. Louisiana is also extremely bountiful when it comes to producing football players, and Texas is right around the corner. The facilities are top notch and the program has great tradition and a tremendous fan base.

3. Alabama: Talk about extraordinary tradition. Though there were some down years before Nick Saban took over, there's no escaping the success this program has had. Prospects from all over are drawn to Alabama. There's tremendous support inside and outside for the program, and the facilities are some of the best in the nation. This is also a school that didn't hesitate to pay Saban the big bucks when the opportunity arose.

4. UGA: There is so much talent around Athens that it's hard for Georgia not to have a top recruiting class year in and year out. Georgia's facilities are near the top of the conference, and the campus is gorgeous. The tradition and game-day atmosphere would draw anyone in.

5. Auburn: While it's constantly knocking heads with Alabama, Auburn has plenty going for it. The campus is gorgeous, the stadium is one of the best game-day venues in the league and the fan base is extremely passionate. Auburn is in the heart of recruiting central in the Southeast, and the recently updated facilities are a major plus.

6. Tennessee: While the Vols have struggled with consistency on the field lately, this is still an attractive job. Nearly $50 million was spent to build a brand-new football complex, Neyland Stadium has been spruced up over the years and the program does have a rich tradition. Though with the state not being so talent-rich, coaches are forced to target other areas in the Southeast to recruit.

7. Texas A&M: The Aggies' tradition is well-known in college football. The game-day atmosphere is one of the best in the country, there is a great alumni base, their home state is filled with elite talent and the school is huge. Now Texas A&M can sell playing in the SEC to Texas athletes. But one thing that does hang over the program is that it's still playing second to the Longhorns.

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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. 53 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

The University of Alabama has never had a pass-happy football program. Since 1970, only once has a Crimson Tide quarterback attempted 50 or more passes. The last time: In 2007 against Florida State, John Parker Wilson completed 28 of 53 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama lost, 21-14.

In 2007, Wilson attempted a school-record 462 passes. Averaged over 13 games, he threw the ball 35.5 times per contest.

Compare that with last season. In 2011-12, AJ McCarron threw 134 passes in the same number of games. McCarron waited until the final game of the season against LSU to attempt a season-high 34 passes. In all but five games, he attempted 25 or fewer passes.

Since 2007, no Alabama quarterback has attempted more than 328 passes in a season.

From 2008-11, the most passes attempted in a single season was 700 from Case Keenum at Houston. Last season, Keenum attempted the most passes in college football again, slinging the ball 603 times.

LEADERS IN PASS ATTEMPTS

2011-12
1. Case Keenum -- HOU: 607
2. Seth Doege -- TTU: 581
3. Brandon Weeden -- OKST: 564
62. AJ McCarron -- ALA: 328

2010-11
1. Landry Jones -- OKLA: 617
2. Dominique Davis -- ECU: 609
3. Bryant Moniz - HAW: 555
67. Greg McElroy -- ALA: 313

2009-10
1. Case Keenum -- HOU: 700
2. Tyler Sheehan -- BGSU: 575
3. Tyler Hiller -- WMU: 514
57. Greg McElroy -- ALA: 325

2008-09
1. Graham Harrell -- TTU: 626
2. Case Keenum -- HOU: 589
3. Chase Daniel -- MIZZ: 528
T-66. John Parker Wilson -- ALA: 321

2007-08
1. Graham Harrell -- TTU: 713
2. Matt Ryan -- BCU: 654
3. Curtis Painter -- PUR: 569
23. John Parker Wilson -- 462

Everybody can recite who’s the all-time winningest coach in the SEC.

Bear Bryant won 232 career games at Alabama and became one of the most iconic figures in college football along the way.

To this day, Bryant’s name is mentioned with reverence around the Capstone.

But even if you take his 232 career wins out of the equation, the Crimson Tide would still have 582 wins.

So while the guy with the Houndstooth hat carved out a legendary career at Alabama, the Crimson Tide’s success on the football field hasn’t been defined solely by the Bryant years.

Frank Thomas won 115 games. Gene Stallings won 62 games. Wallace Wade won 61 games. Nick Saban -- in just five seasons -- has already won 55 games.

All five men, including Bryant, have also won national championships at Alabama.

In surveying the winningest coaches at all 14 SEC schools, some of what you find, especially when you take away each school's all-time wins leader, is telling.

For instance, Bryant is actually the winningest coach at two different SEC schools. He was 60-23-5 at Kentucky from 1946-53, and led the Wildcats to eight consecutive winning seasons.

Since Bryant’s departure from the Bluegrass following the 1953 season, the Wildcats have had 10 other head coaches, but only one of them compiled better than a .500 record, Blanton Collier, who succeeded Bryant, was 41-36-3 in eight seasons.

Steve Spurrier could join Bryant this coming season as the second coach to earn the distinction of being the winningest coach at two different SEC schools.

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Earlier, we ranked all 14 quarterback groups in the SEC. Now, it's time to rank the top 10 SEC quarterbacks heading into the 2012 season.

Again, we are looking at overall talent, game-changing ability and experience. We also looked at past performances and projections for 2012.

Here are our top 10 SEC quarterbacks:

1. Tyler Wilson, Sr., Arkansas: He could have easily left for the NFL after passing for more than 3,600 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. His big-time arm and incredible toughness weren't too shabby either. While his decision-making came into question sometimes last season, Wilson made tremendous strides this spring and should be an even smarter passer this fall.

2. Aaron Murray, RJr., Georgia: Murray has a chance to own a few more school and SEC records before his time at Georgia is up, but he does have to get over his turnover issues. Murray has some of the best technique and mechanics around, and when he's on and focused, he is one of the most talented passers out there.

3. Tyler Bray, Jr., Tennessee: Bray might have the strongest arm in the SEC, and has the ability to make some of the toughest throws in traffic. If he's healthy, he could go for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. His focus hasn't always been great, but he made sure to correct that this spring and appears to finally be transforming into the real leader he's wanted to be.

4. AJ McCarron, Jr., Alabama: He has the tools and the moxy to be a real star. As last season progressed, he looked better and better, and capped things off with a marvelous performance in the BCS title game. If coach Nick Saban is really going to let him loose, McCarron has to improve some of his on-field decisions.

5. James Franklin, Jr., Missouri: If he's healthy, Franklin will be the SEC's top dual-threat quarterback. During a breakout season last fall, he passed for 2,865 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 981 yards and 15 more scores. Franklin wants to be a pass-first quarterback in his new league, but his shoulder injury is a concern.

6. Connor Shaw, Jr., South Carolina: Shaw showed his inexperience when he was first thrown into the starting spot last season, but seemed to improve and calm down every week after. Coach Steve Spurrier wants him to be more of a pass-first quarterback, and that seemed to be the case at the end of last season and this spring.

7. Zach Mettenberger, Jr., LSU: Mettenberger was a top quarterback prospect coming out of high school, but has very little experience outside of a stint at the junior college level after leaving Georgia. Still, he's certainly an upgrade for the Tigers, and showed this spring that he should make LSU's passing game stronger and more explosive.

8. Jordan Rodgers, RSr., Vanderbilt: Rodgers was an instant playmaker for the Commodores when he replaced the struggling Larry Smith last year, but he struggled with turnovers. This spring was all about him improving his leadership skills and his game management. Vandy's coaches left spring more confident in Rodgers' play.

9. Tyler Russell, Jr., Mississippi State: He bided his time during his first two years, but is now the guy in Starkville. The hope is that he'll be more consistent and more comfortable now that he knows he's the starter. It looks like the Bulldogs will have a more downfield passing game with Russell taking over.

10. Maxwell Smith, So., Kentucky: Smith played in eight games last season, but proved to be a much more effective player than former starter Morgan Newton. Despite averaging just 102.4 passing yards per game, Smith earned SEC All-Freshmen honors last fall. Smith looked even better this spring, and it appears the Wildcats' starting quarterback spot is his to lose.

AJ McCarron and Eddie Lacy were both named to the Maxwell Award watch list Monday. The award is given to the country's most outstanding offensive player. Last year, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck took home the honor.

McCarron, who was often labeled a game-manager in his first year as the starting quarterback, threw for 2,634 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 147.3 quarterback efficiency rating was fourth-best in the SEC. Lacy was a backup to Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson in 2011, but had a heavy hand in the offense when healthy. He ran for 674 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Lacy is the presumed starter at running back for the Tide this season.

The defense did even better in Monday's awards release. Nico Johnson, Robert Lester, C.J. Mosley and Jesse Williams were named to the Bednarik Award watch list, tied with LSU and Michigan State for the most nominees from any college. Last year, LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu won the award.

Johnson and Mosley figure to start at linebacker. Johnson finished fourth on the team in tackles last season and fourth in tackles for loss. Mosley tallied 37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Lester's return to the Alabama secondary was big considering the losses of Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and De'Quan Menzie to the NFL. Lester rebounded from a strong sophomore campaign to finish sixth in tackles and tied for second on the team with two interceptions.

The Bednarik announcement made it two major watch lists with Williams' name on it. In May he was named to the Lott IMPACT Award Watch list, despite playing a new position this season. With the departure of Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry, Williams will likely slide into the nose tackle spot for the Tide.

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Team Super Bad, led by Alabama quarterback commit Cooper Bateman (Murray, Utah/Cottonwood), stormed through the seven-on-seven bracket, winning four games on Sunday to take the team title at The Opening.

Super Bad beat Team Field Generals 14-6 in the championship game. It concluded the four-day event presented by Nike Football that featured top prospects from all over the country competing in not only the seven-on-seven tournament, but also a linemen challenge, SPARQ rating national championship and receiving coaching from NFL players.

"Really, we had a different mentality coming into the day," Bateman said. "We knew we were going to have to beat some good teams. We kept getting better as the day went along and felt the flow offensively."

Bateman and Field Generals QB Max Browne, who pledged to USC, traded touchdown passes in the first half. Bateman hit Torii Hunter Jr. for a long strike before Browne connected with Alvin Bailey.

Bateman then hit Ezekiel Elliott for a score as the first half ended.

Neither team scored in the 25-minute second half. Kendall Fuller intercepted Browne early to thwart a drive. On the Field Generals' final possession, Ryan Green took a Browne pass into Super Bad territory, but Browne could not connect on four passes to the end zone. Keanu Neal broke up the fourth-down throw, intended for Bailey.

Hunter secured early-round wins with late catches and made several acrobatic grabs on Sunday. The son of four-time major league all-star Torii Hunter of the Los Angeles Angels, Hunter was named MVP of the seven-on-seven play. He is undecided on a college and considering offers that include Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, TCU, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Iowa, Arizona and Arizona State.

"Any kind of route, any kind of ball you throw him, he's going to make a play," Bateman said. "A couple balls that I had no business throwing, he went up and made a play. I don't know how he did it."

Hunter is also a standout center fielder at Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas. His father has won nine consecutive gold gloves from 2001 to 2009.

"His dad's who he is," Bateman said, "but Torii's making a name for himself. He definitely did it out here today. He came through for us in the clutch."

In addition to Hunter, the all-tourney team featured tight end O.J. Howard (committed to Alabama), linebacker Larenz Bryant (South Carolina), linebacker Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame), cornerback Jourdan Lewis (Michigan), running back Ryan Green (Florida State), Browne, tight end Jake Butt (Michigan), cornerback Cam Burrows (Ohio State), linebacker Matt Thomas and running back Ryan Switzer (North Carolina).

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. 54 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

In a Nick Saban defense, the heart is located right in center of the action. The nose tackle is the lynchpin, the cornerstone if you will, of the defense. And in No. 54 Jesse Williams, the Crimson Tide have a dynamic building block in the middle.

The flamboyant, tattoo-clad Aussie spent last year at defensive end and will move to nose tackle this season to fill the hole left behind when Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry exhausted their eligibility. But similar to Barrett Jones' move from left tackle to center, there's little concern how Williams will fit in over center.

In early May, Williams was named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch list. As a junior, Williams was an integral part of the No. 1-ranked defense in the country at Alabama, starting all 13 games at defensive end. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman finished the season with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries in his first year with the Crimson Tide. Mark Barron and Dont'a Hightower were both named to the watch list in 2011. Boston College Linebacker Luke Kuechly took home the trophy.

In previewing the 2013 NFL Draft, scouting guru Mel Kiper Jr. listed Williams as one of the top five seniors available at defensive tackle. CBS Sports has him ranked as the No. 41 prospect overall and No. 5 at his position.