Texas A&M Aggies

Everybody loves predictions, especially when the previous season has been over for only about a week.

What can we expect in the SEC in 2013?

Let me look into my crystal ball and give you a few bold predictions to write down in ink. OK, maybe in pencil:

The SEC will make it eight in a row: Yep, the SEC will run its streak to eight straight national championships, leaving the rest of college football to wonder whether it should create its own league. Who’s it going to be? We can’t give everything away this early.

Everybody will predict the SEC’s streak will end: This is the surest bet out there. Get ready to hear all the pundits spouting off about how the SEC’s run is finally coming to an end. Promises, promises.

Alabama won’t go unbeaten: It won’t be the end of the world for the Crimson Tide, who lost a game each of the past two seasons and still managed to win the national championship. Getting through the SEC gantlet unscathed simply doesn’t happen very often.

Clowney hits Broadway: It's probably a stretch to think that any player who plays exclusively on defense, even a player as dynamic as South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, can win the Heisman Trophy. But Clowney will be in New York City as one of the finalists after making a run at 20 sacks in the 2013 season.

Manziel-mania: Where do we start with Johnny Football? For one, he will lead the SEC in rushing again even though defenses will do everything they can to keep him in the pocket, and he will be the most must-see player in college football. But we're not ready to jump out there and predict that he will win a second straight Heisman Trophy. At least, not yet. There's a reason only one person has done that.

Auburn bounces back: Gus Malzahn has hired a first-rate staff on the Plains, and the Tigers aren’t lacking for talent. Look for them to bounce back and win eight games next season.

Record-setting Murray: Now that he’s coming back for his senior season, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray will obliterate just about every SEC career passing record. Murray has 10,091 passing yards. The record is 11,528, held by Georgia’s David Greene. Murray has 95 touchdown passes. The record of 114 is held by Florida’s Danny Wuerffel. Murray has 696 completions. The record is 895, held by Florida’s Chris Leak. The one record Murray won’t challenge is career interceptions. He has 32 entering the 2013 season, but Georgia’s Zeke Bratkowski threw 68 picks from 1951 to '53.

South Carolina’s starting quarterback: Good luck with that one. Connor Shaw will miss the spring because of foot surgery, and Dylan Thompson was clutch against Clemson and then against Michigan in the Outback Bowl. Something says the Head Ball Coach will find a way to play them both. Just a hunch.

Bayou Blues: Nobody is predicting that LSU will fall completely off the radar next season. There’s too much young talent in the program, and Les Miles’ track record of consistency speaks for itself. But with a killer schedule and 10 underclassmen leaving early for the NFL draft, the Tigers will fail to win 10 games for the first time since 2009.

Going bowling: We predicted a second straight bowl appearance for Vanderbilt this time a year ago and heard a few snickers around the league. Who’s laughing now? The Commodores will make it three straight bowl appearances in 2013.

Breaking out: If you’re looking for some of the top breakout players in the league next season, keep an eye on Georgia outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins, Vanderbilt offensive tackle Wesley Johnson, Florida defensive end Dante Fowler, Alabama noseguard Darren Lake, LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander, Tennessee defensive tackle Daniel McCullers and South Carolina tight end Jerell Adams.

It's way too early to be looking at Heisman contenders, but it's still fun to look into our crystal balls, so we are. And the SEC has some very qualified candidates for college football's most prestigious award. Who is the next Johnny Football? Is it still just Johnny Football?

1. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M: What will Johnny Football do for an encore? After becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, after setting the SEC record for total yards (5,116), all eyes will be on Manziel in his second year as the Aggies' quarterback. He'll be without offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, left tackle Luke Joeckel and two big receiving targets. But Manziel will probably still be one of the slipperiest players in the country. If he grows more as a passer, watch out, because he'll be even more dangerous in 2013.

2. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina: It's safe to say that if we could have a do-over for all of those defensive awards, Clowney would have a much better shot at taking some hardware away from Manti Te'o. Clowney finished his sophomore season with 54 tackles, including 40 solo, a school-record 23.5 tackles for loss, and a school-record 13.0 sacks. He also forced three fumbles and recovered one. He tied for second in the country in tackles for loss and was tied for third in sacks. He will enter the fall as the top defensive player in the country and will give Manziel a serious run for the best overall player.

3. AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama: He didn't have the numbers Georgia's Aaron Murray had in 2012, but he won his second straight national championship and was the nation's most efficient passer with a QB rating of 175.28. He narrowly missed out on 3,000 yards and threw 30 touchdowns to just three interceptions. With Amari Cooper coming back and Chris Black and Kenny Bell returning from injury, expect McCarron to have an even bigger year in 2013. Making another national championship run won't hurt him, either.

4. Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia: Murray decided to come back and give college one last try. That just means that he'll have a chance to break even more records. Murray will be a part of a very explosive offense in Athens this fall and has a chance to put up some major numbers in his final year with the Bulldogs. He's second only to Danny Wuerffel when it comes to career touchdown passes in the SEC with 95. And Murray became the first SEC quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in three straight seasons, and he's looking to make it four straight.

5. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: Murray's return could cut into Gurley's production, but even while he battled for time with Murray and fellow running back Keith Marshall, Gurley still led all SEC running backs with 1,322 yards in his first year of college ball. He also had 17 touchdowns and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Gurley should be stronger and more comfortable in Georgia's offense in 2013, and that has to be a very scary thought for opposing defensive coordinators.