by Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven on Twitter)

Is college football about to have another round of conference alignment?

The rumor mill suggests Texas A&M could be ready to join the SEC in time for the 2012 season. 

Should Texas A&M leave the Big 12 for the SEC?

Davis could have kissed his hopes goodbye after he re-broke the ankle during his first spring at the University of Arkansas, a spring when the 17-year-old should have been a high school senior.

But no, he really couldn’t.

Pops inspired the young Davis to stick with his plan after that second ankle surgery in 2009, reminding him of the extra hours he spent in the weight room and the classroom, graduating early so he could get a jump start on his college career.

Kickoff for the 2011 season is just a few weeks away. To help pass the time before the opening weekend, Athlon will be taking a look at the best units by conference. 

A "1" signifies the best unit in conference, while a "12" indicates the worst.

Athlon's 2011 SEC Unit Rankings

They're the teams within the team - those cohesive little units bound together by their shared responsibilities within the larger team context.

Whether it's the offensive linemen firing off time after time into those familiar blocking sleds, or the defensive linemen drilling repeatedly on how to shed blockers, or the defensive backs breaking on ball after ball - these teams in miniature hone their tasks on the practice field until those tasks become second nature.

They're the teams within the team - those cohesive little units bound together by their shared responsibilities within the larger team context.

Whether it's the offensive linemen firing off time after time into those familiar blocking sleds, or the defensive linemen drilling repeatedly on how to shed blockers, or the defensive backs breaking on ball after ball - these teams in miniature hone their tasks on the practice field until those tasks become second nature.