Carolina 1 and 2: No. Assuming there is no fallout from the hotel incident beyond Saunders, we have a realistic chance to contend in the East if a few things fall our way. Those opportunities are so rare, and the payoff would be so huge, I wouldn’t give away an opportunity to go for it, even if the end result is 7-5 and lamenting the missed chances.

Florida: The answer should be Yes, but I’m not sure if it would be for most Gators.

Georgia: The Bulldogs I know are less optimistic than usual, so I guess they would say Yes.

Tennessee: No, but definitely should be Yes. By the end of the year, I think they will suck.

Kentucky: Hmmm. No? Kentucky really wants to beat Tennessee and Carolina, but I think they may believe Rich Brooks has given them a foundation to expect consistently better. He hasn’t.

Vanderbilt: Yes. Given that three of their OOC games are tossups at best and they are breaking in a new coach, I suspect they’d take take the two game improvement in a heartbeat.

Alabama: No, though they would probably take 12-1 and BCS title game with a loss to any other team.

Auburn: Yes. 9-3 is near their ceiling anyway, and a win in Tuscaloosa might be enough for many Auburn fans.

Arkansas: No. This is basically a test of whether or nor the faithful believe their own press clippings. Like most fans, they will likely ignore last year’s cautionary tale.

LSU: No. Again, I think they should take it, but I doubt they would.

Ole Miss: No. Only because I know an Ole Miss fan who thinks they will be better than last year. I have no idea why.

Mississippi State: Yes. Most MSU fans would probably take any six wins after the Croom era.

My answers:

Us: Yes to both. I hesitated on the 8-4 / loss to Clemson, but I would still see that as progress, and right now I’m hungry enough to see progress to say “deal” here.
Florida: I’m guessing Yes. Gators fans last year weren’t satisfied with 13-1 and tend to take the view that only the very best is good enough, but this year I think they know they’re in rebuilding mode and will lose a couple of games. They’d be happy with an SEC title.
Georgia: I’m not sure. Gwinnett is probably right that most UGA fans are a little less optimistic than usual, but I think they would like better than 8 wins. I’m going with No.
Tennessee: Yes. The Tennessee I know, at least, see this as a rebuilding year and say they’ll be satisfied as long as they aren’t really awful.
Kentucky: Yes. I agree with Gwinnett that Kentucky fans believe their program has come farther than it actually has, but they would give anything to get that victory over Tennessee. Anyways, despite the increased confidence in football, they’ll be ready for hoops by year’s end, anyways.
Vanderbilt: Yes. Vandy fans know what they’re looking at and are generally happy as long as they compete and pull off an upset or two each year.
Alabama: I’m going with No, but this is a tough one. It’s hard to complain if you’re in the BCS Title Game. But Alabama fans would hate to have to hear it from Auburn fans all off-season.
Auburn: Yes. Same reasons as Gwinnett.
Arkansas: I’m going with No, although I’m note really sure. Arkansas fans believe they can win the SEC this year, so I’m thinking they wouldn’t take this one.
Ole Miss: I’m really not sure on this one, but I’m guessing No. This is a fan base that tends to be pretty optimistic.
Mississippi State. Yes. This program hasn’t had much success at all over the past decade. They’d take the bowl game.

Our offensive playmakers are currently TBD. Seriously. I hate to think such thoughts, but I look at our offense and ask myself “who of these folks is actually gonna put points on the board for us,” only to end up scratching my head. Masoli could be that guy, but even that could prove difficult in the defensively-oriented SEC.

If we can earn a trip to Nashville on the back of that offense, I’d be fairly pleased and incredibly optimistic about the future (all of our offensive linemen and most skill players return next season).

I think 9-3 is just about as good as we can hope for this year, and a win over Clemson mean a heck of a lot more to me than 2nd in the SEC East.

Just because I think the Cats have a chance to win 8 or 9.

TKK’s prediction that “South Carolina will lose in the Georgia Dome in the month of December” could also have something to do with the fact that there are indeed two games in the month of December that SEC teams participate.

As for your Deal vs. No Deal’s:

South Carolina: Yes and Yes. #1 is obvious, #2 I think is a “Yes” because finishing 2nd in the East would signal that South Carolina’s program is competing at a level it rarely has in this conference and that has to be a positive thing for fans going forward. Even with the loss to Clemson in that situation, you can’t tell me Carolina fans wouldn’t be excited with the possibilities going forward.
Florida: No. I tend to agree with Gwinnett above, but I think after the success they’ve had the last few years under Corch Meyers that an SEC title doesn’t meet expectations anymore down there.
Georgia: No. Assuming there’s a split between the Arkansas and Carolina games, it would be extremely disappointing for this team to lose three more because that would mean losing either to all three of our biggest rivals or dropping one to a team we have no business losing to. And before the snark gets started, just because we’ve lost to Kentucky twice in the last four years doesn’t mean they had any business winning either of those games.
Tennessee: An emphatic Yes. This team is likely going to have a .500 or worse season this year so having a winning record would be an easy deal to make.
Kentucky: No, but they should be. I agree with you fellows above that they believe their program has risen to a level it hasn’t (which is largely booned by two wins over mediocre UGA teams).
Vanderbilt: Another emphatic Yes. After how atrocious they were last season, 4 wins is a marked improvement.
Alabama: Yes. Rohll tahhd. Nashunal champyunship #34209482342.
Auburn: Yes. Auburn is to Alabama what Georgia Tech is to Georgia. Serious little brother complex. Just like Georgia Tech acted like beating UGA by three points two years ago was a paradigm shift, so will the Auburn fans if they beat an SEC champ Alabama.
Arkansas: No. You joke about Carolina fans’ irrational exuberance. I dare say try to temper the expectations coming out of Fayetteville. Their fans are just batshit crazy enough to be disappointed with a 9-3 season and would likely use an FOIA request on Petrino to force him out somehow.
LSU: No. They should accept it, but their fanbase has risen to expect nothing less than a national title every year and won’t be satisfied otherwise.
Ole Miss: No, but they probably should. This is the same Ole Miss that fired David Cutcliffe, right? ‘Nuff said.
Mississippi State: Yes. I think they’d take a bowl trip in a heartbeat.