Everyone in the SEC East, with the exception of Kentucky, is making it really easy for the Florida Gators to retain their division crown.

Bobby Johnson, who made Vanderbilt’s football team legitimately competitive in the Southeastern Conference, retired from coaching on July 14, only three weeks before the start of two-a-day practices.

Johnson is one of only two coaches in Vanderbilt history to win a bowl game. In 2008, Johnson gave Vandy its first winning season and bowl berth since 1982. He’s one of just four Vanderbilt coaches to merely reach a bowl. With Johnson lieutenant Robbie Caldwell filling in as the interim coach for 2010, one should not expect the Commodores to make any kind of charge in the division. VU was already headed for a tough year, but it just got tougher with the retirement of a very underappreciated head coach.

For Vandy’s in-state rival from Knoxville, the landscape is also bleak. On July 9, a fight broke out at a Knoxville bar which involved multiple members of the Tennessee football team. Freshman wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers (disorderly conduct) and sophomore safety Darren Myles Jr. (assault, resisting arrest and evading arrest) were charged after the incident. Senior wide receiver Denarius Moore and sophomore defensive tackle Montori Hughes were also questioned regarding the incident.

New head coach Derek Dooley took action decisively, kicking Myles off the team and suspending both sophomore defensive tackle Marlon Walls and sophomore linebacker Greg King. Dooley is winning points for his character, but the sad fact is that Vince Dooley’s son has a very depleted team on his hands. The Vols’ future looks grim, and so does their 2010 season.
The other teams outside the state of Tennessee aren’t faring any better, however.

On Saturday, July 10, Georgia’s Dontavius Jackson was charged with six misdemeanors: driving under the influence of alcohol, underage possession of alcohol, following too closely, leaving the scene of an accident, violation of the move-over law, and violation of learner’s permit. Within the next week, Jackson – a backup running back – decided to leave the team and seek another school where he might be able to play football. This does not help a Georgia offense that struggled noticeably last season and needs all the bodies it can get.

In South Carolina, the Gamecocks are worried as well. Quintin Richardson, an offensive lineman the team was counting on to protect quarterback Stephen Garcia, suffered an injury last week and had to undergo surgery. What’s just as alarming for coach Steve Spurrier’s club, if not more so, is the NCAA’s current investigation into improper contacts between NFL agents and college football players. The inquiry, which is primarily connected to the University of North Carolina and defensive lineman Marvin Austin, has touched on South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders, a friend of Austin who took some trips across the country that might have been funded by an agent. If Saunders is found to have run afoul of NCAA rules, he’ll be suspended, and that would remove a key pass catcher from the Gamecocks’ offense.

Kentucky has not encountered problems with the police blotter, but the Wildcats simply lack the horses to run with anyone else in the East. Scoring points will be a huge struggle for Big Blue, which enters this season with a new head coach. Former offensive coordinator Joker Phillips replaces Rich Brooks in Lexington, but he lacks the full cupboard needed to make a run at the brass ring.

This leaves Florida alone at the top.