HOOVER, Ala. — Looks like Georgia might need to conjure up something creative again in the end zone against Florida this season.

Georgia’s touchdown dance and 42-30 win in Jacksonville last October did not carry much weight this week, as media members picked Urban Meyer’s Gators to win the 2008 Southeastern Conference championship over Auburn. Florida received 45 of 70 East first-place votes to outdistance Georgia, which had 23, and defending division champ Tennessee, which had the remaining two.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks speaks to the media at the SEC football media days in Hoover, Ala. on Friday, July 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Vols defensive end Robert Ayers said Tennessee’s preseason standing provides more motivation.

“Last year, we were in the same scenario,” Ayers said. “We were predicted to be third in the SEC East, and we ended up going to Atlanta. Going even further back, the year we won the national championship (1998) we were predicted third in the East.

“That just tells you it can be done, but we know it’s not going to be easy.”

Georgia has been receiving the most attention nationally among SEC teams, being ranked No. 1 by Lindy’s and The Sporting News. Mark Richt’s Bulldogs might be better served by not being the SEC Media Days choice, because the league’s media vote has been correct just once since 1996.

The one occasion, however, did occur last summer when eventual national champion LSU was tabbed as the conference choice.

Auburn was a surprisingly convincing West pick, with Tommy Tuberville’s Tigers outdistancing Les Miles’ Tigers 48-21 in first-place votes. With games against LSU, Tennessee and Georgia each at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn does seem to have the scheduling edge over LSU, which hosts Georgia but travels to Auburn and Florida.

“I was really excited until I got up this morning and saw where you guys picked us to win the West,” Tuberville said. “Y’all are never right. I don’t know what I’m going to tell my team.

“Actually, we’ll use this. Last year we had a good football team, but the one thing we didn’t do is come out of the blocks. We need to have a sense of urgency, a lot more than we did last year.”

Alabama was tabbed third in the West, followed by Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas. The Ole Miss Rebels somehow received a first-place vote after going 0-8 in the league last year, which resulted in the firing of Ed Orgeron and the hiring of Houston Nutt.

South Carolina, which started 6-1 last season but closed with five straight losses, was picked fourth in the East, followed by Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

“We’re not that far away from being a pretty good team,” Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said. “When you see South Carolina run out on the field for warmups, you’re going to see that we look like an SEC team now. The next three or four years, we should do some good.”

Offensive lineman Anthony Parker, running back Arian Foster, linebacker Rico McCoy and defensive back Eric Berry were tabbed first-team All-SEC for Tennessee. Georgia had two first-team representatives with running back Knowshon Moreno and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

Florida’s Tim Tebow was named the All-SEC quarterback, and the first team both offensively and defensively mirrored the All-SEC team voted on earlier this week by the league’s coaches. Asked if Tebow could win a second Heisman Trophy as a junior, Spurrier said, “He certainly could, especially if he runs for five touchdowns a game like he did against us.”