Thomas hands out 2008 Awards

Offensive MVP: Florida QB Tim Tebow

This was a lot more difficult to choose at the midway point this season. Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno, LSU RB Charles Scott and UF WR Percy Harvin all had a hot start to the season, but the best football player in this conference is Florida QB Tim Tebow, period. Tim threw 30 TDs for 2,746 yds, only 4 pics. Also rushed for 673 yds and 12 TDs. He didn't put up the rushing touchdowns he did a year ago when he won the Heisman Trophy, but he was a more efficient QB this season and made every big play the Gators needed him to make. Go back and look at the defenses Tebow faced, five of which were ranked among the top 20 defenses in the country, with a few more not far behind.

Defensive MVP: Ole Miss tackle Peria Jerry

Four or five guys could make strong cases. Among them: Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes, Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain, Tennessee safety Eric Berry and South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood. But in the end, it came down to the most dominant and the most consistent interior lineman in the league this season -- Ole Miss tackle Peria Jerry. He had some of his best games against the best competition and led the SEC with 17 tackles for loss. He was virtually unblockable down the stretch when the Rebels went on their five-game winning streak.

Coach of the Year: Alabama's Nick Saban

Vandy's Bobby Johnson was the choice during the

fist half of the season, and Ole Miss' Houston Nutt deserves some consideration for the way his Rebels finished the season. But to take a program where Nick Saban took the Tide in only his second season on the job makes him an easy choice for SEC Coach of the Year honors. Bama played incredible defense all season. They played with discipline, played with pride and played far above anybody's expectations. It was Saban at his best.

Biggest surprise: Ole Miss

The Rebels didn't win a single SEC

football game during the '07 season. They hadn't won two games in a row since '04. They haven't had a winning season since '03. Houston Nutt was taking over the program after a messy divorce with Arkansas. Some would say the Rebels were due. Whatever it was, they rose up and won eight football games and headed to the Cotton Bowl on a five-game winning streak. They're the only team to beat Florida and also whipped LSU in Baton Rouge. Had it not been for some crippling fumbles at the goal line against Vanderbilt and South Carolina, they'd be sitting here right now with 10 wins.

Biggest disappointment: Auburn

Lot of disappointments to chose from here. Tennessee went into an abyss, and Phillip Fulmer got fired! LSU certainly qualifies. It's been more than 60 years since the consensus national champion followed up its crown with five or more conference losses. Even Georgia, which was No. 1 in the preseason poll, didn't live up to the hype, especially when you consider how poorly the Bulldogs played defensively in big games. Alas, the trophy goes to Auburn, who started the season in the Top 10 and ended the season at home for the holidays with a busted record and looking for a new coach.

Game of the year: #1 Alabama vs. #2 Florida

Considering that it was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in history involving SEC teams (AP rankings), the SEC Championship game between Bama and Florida is pretty hard to top... The Gators won 31-20 thanks to a pair of long fourth-quarter touchdown drives engineered by Tim Tebow. Alabama made Florida play at its pace for most of the game, and the Tide's offensive line took over the game in the second and third quarters. But Tebow was Tebow when it counted, and the Gators' defense came up big with several key stops. The winner of the game won an automatic berth to the National Championship, also a first.