HOOVER, Ala. - Georgia is one of the favorite picks for best team in the nation heading into the season, but writers at Southeastern Conference Media Days chose UF to win the East Division and come away with the conference crown.
Out of 70 ballots, 36 voters chose the Gators to win the SEC title, with UF receiving 45 first-place votes in the East. Georgia (23) was second and Tennessee (2) finished third.
In the West Division, Auburn received 48 votes, defending national champion LSU 21 and Ole Miss one.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was less than pleased with the Tigers' selection to win their division.
"I was really excited until I got up this morning and you guys picked us to win the West," Tuberville said. "Y'all are never right. That puts me in a bind. I don't know what I'm going to tell my team."
The All-SEC squad was released as well, and the Gators landed five players on the first team, with none on the second. Wide receiver Percy Harvin and Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno led all vote-getters with 68 out of 70, each, linebacker Brandon Spikes was second with 65, and quarterback Tim Tebow was third with 64.
Tight end Cornelius Ingram and return specialist Brandon James rounded out UF's selections.
Tigers miss playing Florida
Unless the sportswriters' predictions are correct and the Gators and Tigers meet for the SEC Championship, the teams won't see each other this season.
Auburn had defeated UF the last two years and handed the Gators their only loss in the 2006 national championship season.
"That put a good win on our schedule every year," defensive end Sen'Derrick Marks said.
Bulldog nightmare
Kentucky receiver Dicky Lyons, Jr., can't get Matt Stafford out of his head.
Lyons attended the Manning Passing Academy this summer along with the Georgia quarterback, and the experience, coupled with his recent engagement, made for an interesting dream Thursday night.
He relayed the dream to reporters, saying that in it, he was concerned his fiancée was leaving him, so he followed her to a bar.
"Cosmo says it's natural to have these dreams," Lyons said.
Upon confronting his wife-to-be in the bar, she told him the wedding was off. When trying to shake some sense into her, Lyons slapped her.
"Then I turn around and Matt Stafford punches me in the nose," Lyons said. "Matt Stafford goes, 'You don't hit women.'"
Then, Lyons said all the other quarterbacks from the passing camp ran into the bar and started fighting him, but he used "all these Army Ranger tricks" to avoid injury.
Lyons then sent Stafford a text message but never got a response.
"I texted him and said, 'I'm dreaming about you.' I don't know if he likes me that much."
