HOOVER, Ala. — The preseason lack of love continues for the Florida Gators.
A week after the league coaches put no Gators
on their first team offense or defense in their preseason All-SEC team,
the media did the same at SEC Media Days on Thursday.
The only first-team Florida player on the media's preseason All-SEC team is senior place-kicker Caleb Sturgis.
The media also apparently does not consider
Florida a serious contender in the SEC race. The Gators are picked to
finish a distant third to Georgia and South Carolina in the Eastern
Division.
LSU is the pick to win the West — and defeat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
The Gators did receive 12 first-place votes in
the East, and one media member picked UF to win the
SEC. Georgia
received 132 first-place votes in the East and South Carolina 72.
Missouri is picked fourth and Tennessee fifth in the division.
UF did not place any offensive players on the
first two teams. The only Gator named on offense is tackle Xavier Nixon,
who is on the third team.
The Gators are more represented on the defense,
where safety Matt Elam is on the second team and tackle Sharrif Floyd,
tackle Dominique Easley and middle linebacker Jon Bostic are on the
third team.
Junior wide receiver Andre Debose is on the third team as a return specialist.
LSU has 13 players on the team, the second-most
in the history of the media team. Alabama had 16 on last year's team.
LSU is the pick to win the SEC for only the second time by the media.
The last time was in 2007, when the Tigers went on to win the SEC and
the national championship.
