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Editor's Note: ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr. is previewing the 2003 college football season by taking a team-by-team look at the six major conferences. Following is the SEC East.

Florida
Had Rex Grossman not left early for the NFL, this would would be one of the best offenses Florida has ever had. But his departure leaves a huge void at quarterback. Ingle Martin would be the starter if the Gators were playing this weekend, but Chris Leak is coming in as the consensus No. 1 high school player in the country. Leak studies the game and has a great head on his shoulders. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Leak were the starting quarterback at some point early in the season. He is obviously the future of this program and it's just a matter of time before he gets his shot.

In the running game, Ran Carthon will be improvement over Earnest Graham with his superior size, speed and ability to make people miss. Carthon averaged 5.4 yards per carry last year and also has good hands out of the backfield. He stands to be one of the better running backs in the SEC this year.

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