Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- To get the most in-depth information on No. 4 LSU, which plays at No. 10 Florida on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., GatorNation turned to GeauxTigerNation's Gary Laney. We asked him five questions about the Tigers:

Q: Wasn't Zach Mettenberger supposed to be a significant upgrade from Jarrett Lee/Jordan Jefferson? Why has he not been better?

Laney: There's plenty of blame to go around and Mettenberger gets his share.

He's lost three fumbles in LSU's last two games and has five turnovers, all either killing drives or setting up the opponent for points. He's taken more sacks than he should by holding the ball too long or scrambling when he shouldn't.

He hasn't gotten help from an injury-riddled offensive line (11 sacks, the same number LSU's vaunted pass rush has produced) and the receivers have been prone to drops, bad patterns or blown assignments. It's added up to mediocre numbers, at best.

Q: Why has the offensive line struggled so much in pass protection?

Laney: The loss of Chris Faulk at left tackle has been huge. I'm not convinced that switching starting right tackle Alex Hurst to left tackle is the right answer for a position that requires the lateral movement Hurst does not seem to possess. LSU is hesitant to try sophomore left guard La'el Collins, formerly rated as one of the nation's top two prep tackles coming out high school, there because he has his hands full already trying to learn left guard. And Josh Dworaczyk, the former starter at left guard before he missed 2011 with a knee injury, might simply not be the dominant guy you need to block the other team's best pass rusher.

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Now that national signing day is out of the way, we're going to take another look at our SEC power rankings.

You won't see any change really, but we have more confidence in some teams now than we did before:

1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide hauled in the nation's No. 1 recruiting class last week and not only did Nick Saban sign a handful of top-rated players, but he met all of Alabama's major needs with the 2012 class. There are a few freshmen who could make early impacts in Tuscaloosa, including athlete Eddie Williams (Panama City, Fla./Arnold), and wide receivers Chris Black (Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast) and Amari Cooper (Miami, Fla./Miami Northwestern).

2. LSU: The Tigers' class wasn't as highly rated as some recent ones, but Les Miles and his coaches brought in a solid group and there are a few defense players who might see some playing time early. Three starting linebackers need to be replaced and a few freshmen will get their chances. While LSU lost Torshiro Davis ((Shreveport, La./Woodlawn) flipped to Texas, the Tigers brought in ESPNU 150 linebackers Kwon Alexander (Oxford, Ala.) and Ronnie Feist (Edgard, La./West Saint John).

3. Georgia: The Bulldogs needed to get bigger up front and add a couple of playmaking linebackers. Georgia did just that with the handful of athletic defensive linemen signed and grabbed top outside linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes), who should thrive in Todd Grantham's 3-4. Georgia's offense could be even better this fall with Keith Marshall (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) helping Isaiah Crowell, and the wide receiver depth returning.

4. South Carolina: Talk about underrated. South Carolina didn't make much noise at all on national signing day, but the Gamecocks brought in a very balanced class and have a few players who should contribute early to a team that will yet again compete for the SEC East title. Two freshmen to keep an eye on in 2012 are wide receiver Shaq Roland (Lexington, S.C.) and safety Chaz Elder (College Park, Ga./Benjamin E. Banneker).

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National signing day is famous (or infamous) for all of its twists and turns.

It looks like some of the drama has already started.

Among the latest developments, while remembering that nothing counts until the papers are signed on Wednesday:

• Arkansas was able to turn linebacker Otha Peters of Covington, La., after Peters had been committed to Tennessee since August. Peters’ high school coach, Malter Scobel, told The New Orleans Times-Picayune that Peters was concerned about the coaching stability at Tennessee. It’s the second highly rated linebacker the Vols have lost in the past few days. Dalton Santos of Van, Texas switched from Tennessee to Texas last weekend.
• Alabama has taken the lead for ESPNU 150 defensive tackle Korren Kirven of Lynchburg, Va. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Kirven is rated as the No. 8 tackle prospect in the country by ESPN, and it was thought a few days ago that his finalists were Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
• Missouri could be a big signing day winner if receiver Dorial Green-Beckham of Springfield, Mo., signs with the Tigers. It was thought to be down to Arkansas and Missouri, but the Tigers seem to have all the momentum after Green-Beckham visited there last weekend. He’s a five-star prospect rated by ESPN as the No. 1 receiver prospect in the country and the No. 3 overall prospect.

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In the last RecruitingNation 411 prior to national signing day, our host of recruiting experts from around the country shares all the latest information on what the top uncommitted recruits are thinking, and where they might end up.