Three-point stance: SEC imbalance and Jim Harbaugh's QB wizardry

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with a look at Alabama versus an all-star team, who wants to win the SEC East and how amazing Jim Harbaugh is with quarterbacks.

THREE-POINT STANCE: Coaching situations at LSU, Texas

How good is Alabama? How bad is the SEC East? Try this on for size as I give you a dare. Take 22 players of your choice and make up an all-star team from the SEC East and then think about if they can beat Alabama’s starting 22. I don’t think they would. Sounds crazy right? After all, you always hear about how Ohio State could beat the Cleveland Browns or how Alabama’s defense is better than a few in the NFL but we all know that is garbage.

But what about this? First off, who the heck is your starting quarterback? And could Nick Chubb and a healthy Alvin Kamara running behind some average offensive linemen, none of whom would make All-SEC first team right now, be effective?

On defense things would be a bit better with Derek Barnett from Tennessee, Jarrad Davis from Florida and Zach Cunningham from Vanderbilt at linebacker, and Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson from the Gators at corner, but would the all-star 11 be better than ‘Bama’s real defense? I’m not convinced at all.

The talent disparity between the SEC West and SEC East is arguably at its biggest since I’ve been covering football and it might not be changing anytime soon with the recruiting ability at Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M. Take the challenge and see for yourself and remember, I’m not talking all-star team versus all-star team, I’m talking about an entire division against one program. That’s crazy if you think about it.

Speaking of the SEC East, does anyone want to win it? Last week I wrote off Tennessee, saying Florida would have to implode to lose the division. Then the Gators, and that awful offense, go out and lay an egg against an Arkansas team that lost by 53 points to Auburn. Meanwhile Kentucky, with a chance to make a move it never has a chance to make, loses to an average Georgia team at home.

Now it wouldn’t shock me to see South Carolina take down Florida this weekend the way the Gators' offense is playing and it certainly doesn’t look like a team that can beat LSU. So that puts the Vols back in the driver’s seat with the head-to-head win over Florida, unless Kentucky upsets them this weekend. I get the feeling one team is going to back their way into winning this division the way things are going and then get absolutely thumped by Alabama or Auburn in the championship game. Tennessee had it wrapped up until it lost to the Gamecocks and then Florida had it wrapped up until it lost to the Hawgs.

Meanwhile, Auburn, Texas A&M or LSU would win the division this season if given a chance, hands down. Maybe the SEC should think about getting rid of divisions altogether if this imbalance continues much longer.

Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight is completing 65 percent of his passes on nearly nine yards per attempt and has thrown 15 touchdowns against only three picks. He is 13th in the nation in QB rating among players who have thrown more than 200 passes and he has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country. And before you say he hasn’t played anyone, remember he has faced Colorado and Wisconsin, two of the top 11 defenses in the country.

Now none of this information is needed for your Heisman pool and Speight doesn’t have NFL scouts drooling at this stage, but keep this in mind – this was a kid I never thought would start a game at Michigan unless he was an injury replacement. Between his MCL injury and broken collarbone that required a metal plate and eight screws, and his up-and-down play in person at the Under Armour All America Game, a game for which I never thought he should have been selected, I had him pegged for backup duty in college. He was a Brady Hoke take and a confusing one, at best.

Enter Jim Harbaugh and everything changes. Harbaugh – who obviously did great work with Andrew Luck at Stanford, made Alex Smith an NFL winner and transformed Colin Kaepernick into a dangerous NFL quarterback –also turned Jake Rudock into the Big Ten’s No. 4 passer last season and now he’s working magic with Speight.

And this isn’t about slamming Speight. The kid has overcome more serious high school injuries than most any successful college quarterback could and he’s worked hard to rise on the depth chart to starter. And, after throwing a pick on his first pass this season, he could have fallen apart under Harbaugh’s demanding ways. This is more about Harbaugh, who played the position for 14 years in the NFL, getting the most out of whatever is handed to him. With Luck, he got a big, mobile, smart and talented kid who needed a little tweaking. But with Smith, Kaepernick and Rudock, Harbaugh has done some amazing work. And week in and week out, we see his genius continue as No. 3 keeps churning out the wins.

Was I wrong about Speight or did he just land in the right place at the right time? It doesn’t matter because he’s getting the last laugh now and deservedly so, with the help of a guy who does wonders with signal-callers.