The 2011 Southeastern Conference football season began on Thursday, September 1, 2011 with Kentucky taking on Western Kentucky on ESPNU. The season concluded on January 9, 2012 as the Alabama Crimson Tide shut out LSU Tigers, 21–0 in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans to claim their 14th national championship in school history. It was also the final season for the SEC before Texas A&M and Missouri joined the conference from the Big 12 the following season. Preseason Florida head coach Urban Meyer retired in early December citing his health concerns and wanting to be around his family more. Meyer then joined ESPN as an analyst for its college football coverage during the 2011 season. In his place Florida hired Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp as the new head coach. Muschamp elected to bring in former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator. Vanderbilt interim head coach Robbie Caldwell had a tough year in 2010 with injuries and tough schedule, going 2–10. The school decided to search for a new coach to replace former head coach Bobby Johnson, who retired unexpectedly in July 2010. Vanderbilt hired Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin, and this is Franklin's first head coaching job. LSU decided to part ways with offensive coordinator Gary Crowton because of a lack of offensive production the previous seasons. In his place LSU hired former Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe. Kentucky added new schemes to its defense by adding former Cincinnati head coach Rick Minter as its co-defensive coordinator alongside Steve Brown. 2011 Pre-season Coaches All-SEC Rankings Regular season All times Eastern time. Rankings reflect that of the AP poll for that week until week eight when the BCS rankings will be used. Week One Players of the week: Week Two Players of the week: Week Three Players of the week: Week Four Players of the week: Week Five Players of the week: Week Six Players of the week: Week Seven Players of the week: Week Eight Players of the week: Week Nine Players of the week: Week Ten Players of the week: Week Eleven Players of the week: Week Twelve Players of the week: Week Thirteen Players of the week: Week Fourteen/SEC Championship SEC vs. AQ conference and BCS-buster opponents NOTE:. Games with a * next to the home team represent a neutral site game Home attendance Games played