The preseason votes are in and an overwhelming number of media personnel believe the Alabama Crimson Tide should be favored to win the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

According to ESPN, various media outlets contributed a grand total of 154 points to Alabama, which outweighed all the schools trailing behind put together. In second is the reigning Iron Bowl and SEC Champs, Auburn with 75 points followed by South Carolina with 32, Georgia with 19, LSU with nine Ole Miss with two and Arkansas and Mississippi state with one apiece.

While anyone opining that Ole Miss, Arkansas or Miss. State could challenge any of the above for the SEC title may be quite the surprise, Alabama's placement at the top did not come as a shock to Steve Spurrier. The head football coach at South Carolina, Spurrier even said it before the media made it official.

"Arguably, they've got the greatest collection of football players ever assembled for a college team," he said during his SEC Media Days address Tuesday. "If the recruiting services are correct, and they're pretty much correct.

"So they're the favorites. They're the favorites. There's no question about that. As long as they can recruit like that, they're always going to be the favorites."

The SEC consistently finishes each season as the best conference for college football in terms of teams playing in bowl games and individual awards. The SEC also dominates in recruiting since some of the best high school prospects tend to come from their schools' backyards.

Last year provided one of the most memorable college football games of all time and it even won an ESPY Wednesday night for the Best Game award. Auburn won on a 109-yard kick return after Alabama's missed field goal attempt that was only possible because the referees put one second on the clock after reviewing the previous play.

If the media is right, the SEC West champ will once again be decided in the Iron Bowl.

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