Southeast has the look of a champion

Is the world coming to an end as we know it?

Not likely, but seeing Southeast Missouri State University as the preseason pick to win the Ohio Valley Conference championship is still pretty earth-shattering stuff.

After all, during their first 12 years in the OVC, the Indians never finished higher than third in the standings. Only three times have they posted a winning conference record -- and those are the only three times they have even won more than three league games.

And Southeast's overall performance since moving up to the NCAA Division I-AA level in 1991 is even more dismal. The Indians have had just two winning seasons in those 12 years, and only five times have they won more than three games.

But most of that was before Tim Billings -- aka The Miracle Man from Marshall --arrived in Cape Girardeau in 2000 after 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the powerhouse Thundering Herd.

Billings talked a good game when he was hired as a college head coach for the first time. He offered visions of championships. But for those who knew about the program's suspect facilities and recent struggles, it was hard not to snicker.

But we snicker no more. Right now, he and the Indians are the talk of the OVC.

Sure, when Southeast slumped to 3-8 and 4-7 records during Billings' first two seasons at the helm, it would have been easy to say "we told you so" and dismiss them as the same old Indians.

But there was something about the sharp young coaching staff that was taking shape, the exciting brand of football being displayed and the increasing talent being stockpiled that led us to hold back the snickers and look to the future with optimism --although it was guarded at best.

But last year, in Billings' third season, long-suffering Southeast fans finally had something to cheer about. The Indians went 8-4 for their first winning record since 1994 and their most wins since 1969. They tied for third in the OVC. They were ranked 23rd nationally. They filled the air with footballs and broke 28 school offensive records.

And perhaps best of all, the team was young, meaning 19 starters returned for this year -- resulting in the league's coaches picking Southeast to win its first-ever OVC championship.

Will it happen? A host of other potential contenders --led by defending co-champions Murray State and Eastern Illinois, along with Eastern Kentucky -- are betting it won't.

Murray State, picked a close second behind Southeast in the coaches' poll, returns just 10 starters, but the Racers have a solid quarterback in four-year starter Stewart Childress and an explosive receiver in Deandre Green. Both lines, however, were decimated by graduation and are question marks.

Eastern Illinois faces life without quarterback Tony Romo, the three-time OVC Offensive Player of the Year. The Panthers also lost OVC rushing leader J.R. Taylor and four offensive linemen, meaning they must rely heavily on a defense that was shredded last year.

Eastern Kentucky has a new coach in Danny Hope, who replaces legendary Roy Kidd. Hope promises a more pass-oriented scheme but must find a quarterback.

Among the rest of the nine-team league, Tennessee Tech could be a dangerous darkhorse. The Eagles struggled last year, but three losses came by seven points or fewer and they return 18 starters, including one of the league's top quarterbacks in Robert Kraft.

As for Southeast, the Indians return the conference's top quarterback in record-setting Jack Tomco and placed a league-high seven players on the preseason all-conference team. That means the talent is in place for them to reach the top of the OVC.

Sure, the Indians have flaws. They need to find quality depth on both lines, they figure to miss All-American wide receiver Willie Ponder quite a bit, and their defense, although improved last year, must still get better.

But the Indians appear to have fewer flaws than any other conference team. Which is why, even though things don't figure to be easy, all signs point to them finally hoisting the OVC championship banner this year.

Marty Mishow covers Southeast Missouri State University and theOVC for the Southeast Missourian.