LSU Tigers

LSU Tigers
Last year was time to rebuild in Baton Rouge. Gone were so many leaders and great players on both sides of the ball. Thorough out the season the Tigers battled with uncertainty at quarterback; playing both freshman Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch. The defense was a strong point but not strong enough to offset the offensive miscues. Now, a year after retooling, it is time for LSU to retake their place on top of the SEC West.
OFFENSE
It wasn’t until late (too late) in the season that Les Miles inserted another freshman Jordan Jefferson into the fire at quarterback. Jefferson played the last series versus Tulane at the end of October and started the last two games—losing both. However giving Les Miles a month to prepare for a bowl game was just what this team needed. In the Chic-Fil-A Bowl Jefferson hit his first 9 attempts and shocked the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the world with a dominating performance. This season the offense should be firing on all cylinders with Jefferson at the helm, senior Charles Scott (1208 yards, 18 TD Last year), and stand out senior receiver Brandon LaFell 63 catches 929 yards, 8 tds). Although the Tigers only return 2 linemen they are the ends, which should help give Jefferson time in and out of the pocket.
DEFENSE
Always a bench mark for LSU football is the defense and even with the constant need to retool due to players lost to the NFL, LSU has tons of depth and talent at every position. The line will be anchored by 1st team SEC selection defensive end Rahim Alem. Alem had 8 sacks last year and should be even more disruptive this year. The line backing core in the Bayou should be strong as well. The strength of the defense will be the defensive backfield. Everyone returns besides the strong safety. The ability to stop the pass, which the leading west teams in conference like to do(Ole Miss and Alabama) will be key for the ultimate success of the Tigers.
SEASONAL PREDICTIONS
LSU is sleighted to have the toughest SEC schedule of all. The Tigers have to play Georgia in Athens, Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and Mississippi in Oxford, and take on Florida. Last year this team would have faltered with such a tough sleight. This year, look for things to be different. The Tigers are loaded on offense, loaded on defense, and have the most talented coach in the SEC—Les Miles. He will motivate this team to do great things this year. No, they won’t go unbeaten. But they should do well enough to tie for the West title and head to Atlanta for the SEC title game.
10-2

Ole Miss

Ole Miss Rebels

"I think with that ranking comes a lot higher expectations. As far as the team goes I don't think we're handling it any differently said quarterback Jevan Snead on SEC Media day. However, things might need to be handled differently. Coming to the 2008 season the Ole Miss Rebels were entering the season with a new coach, a new quarterback and a 3-9 record. No one expected the Running Rebel offense to be such a big hit in year one. No one expected Houston Nutt to go down to The Swamp and upset the best team in the country. No could have thought that the Rebels would go to Baton Rouge and win handily. No one even gave the Rebels much credit against a very good Texas Tech team in the Cotton Bowl. The Rebels snuck up on people last year and finished the season strong. But to say they aren’t coming into this season with different preparations might be the wrong way to go about it. Everyone is choosing the Rebels to be in Atlanta at the end of the year contending for a SEC title. The schedule is lighter this year and if the Rebels can live up to expectations Houston Nutt should be hailed as one of the best coaches in college football.
OFFENSE
Last season Ole Miss had four starters back on the offensive line averaging 322 pounds. This line gave time to Jevan Snead and opened running holes. The Rebels averaged 186 yards rushing per game and the massive line gave up just 20 sacks all season. What really helped the Rebels was thier strongest quarterback play since Eli Manning. Jevan Snead, a transfer from Texas threw for 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns. His play has put him on Heisman watch and has the Rebels primed to take a run in the SEC and the National title. However, the Rebels must an two star lineman. If the replacements can do half as well as last years, the Running Rebel formation should thrive. The receiving corps return their 2, 3, and 4 leading receivers from a year ago and their Running Rebel formation player Dexter McCluster.
DEFENSE
Last season the Rebels defense stepped up big but no position stepped up more than the line backing corps. With seven players with solid experience the Rebels held opponents to just 86 rushing yards per game and an average of just 2.7 yards per carry. With 8 returners on defense the Rebels look to match or better their mark this year. The key to the defensive side of the ball will be senior free safety Kendrick Lewis. Lewis led the team with 86 tackles and 4 interceptions last season. Along with Lewis in the defensive backfield, both corners who combined for another 5 interceptions last year.
SEASONAL PREDICTION
Entering the season, Ole Miss is the SEC West favorite. They finished the season strong taking down LSU in Baton Rouge and embarrassed Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. This year the heat will be on the Rebels to perform to expectations. They host Alabama and LSU and face East opponents South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. The Rebels don’t even face Alabama until mid October and have big games followed by non-SEC games. But the hype machine will be too large for the Mississippi Rebels to handle. They should improve on their 9-4 mark but fall short of the SEC West title game.
10-2

Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama Crimson Tide

It might have happened a year earlier than everyone thought but Coach Nick Saban has put Alabama back in the discussion as a national powerhouse. Last year seemed to be a dream year. The lines were huge (averaging over 300 lbs), they had an experienced senior quarterback John Parker Wilson that ended up breaking Alabama’s passing records, and a solid senior running back. Saban’s squad by record appeared quite dominating, however this year will be a true test as they replace 2 All American’s on the offensive line, their starting running back and starting quarterback. If Saban is a good of a recruiter as ticketed, all should go well in Tuscaloosa.

OFFENSE

Last year Alabama was dominant up front. They were led by two 300+ pounders at the tackle positions that paved the way for the running game and gave John Parker Wilson the time needed to get the ball down the field efficiently. The Tide averaged 30.1 points a game last season. After the graduation of Wilson, the Tide are throwing an inexperienced junior Greg McElroy (8-11 for 123) into the fire to lead the Alabama offense. McElroy should be helped by sophomore standout Julio Jones who led the team in 924 receiving yards last season. Jones is a huge target that can stretch the field for the Crimson Tide. The running back situation appeared ready for Glen Coffee’s departure as the backfield is more experienced than last year. Sophomore Mark Ingram should get the bulk of the carries but look for a solid rotation of 2-3 backs. The line once again will be staunch but will take a step back due to the loss of two All Americans at tackle and guard.

DEFENSE

The Tide’s strong point last year was the defensive side of the ball. Entering last season it was the defense with all the question marks. They returned only 5 players, however this unit grew up in a hurry. At season’s end they were the 2nd best defense in all college football and held teams to just 74 rushing yards a game. Just as on offense the defense will be led by a heavy line. In the offseason, Terrence Cody (6 ‘5, 365) nose guard decided to stay one more year in Tuscaloosa. With Cody’s return the Tide appear ready once again to be one of the top defensive units in college football.

SEASONAL PREDICTIONS

Hopes run high in Alabama every year and sometimes expectations far to lofty. This year however, the expectations are a reality. Nick Saban continues to recruit the some of the top classes and has great depth at every position. Alabama is here to stay in the national discussion for title contender for years to come. However last year was a year sooner than everyone thought. The Tide did go unbeaten in the regular season but following the beat down in Athens (41-30 W), the Tide played not to lose defeating Kentucky by only 3 and a rebuilding LSU in overtime. The close wins could have easily went the other way but with senior leadership at the quarterback position the Tide were able to roll through the SEC and make it to the Sugar Bowl. In the Sugar Bowl the Tide were exposed by Utah. With the suspension of All American tackle Andre Smith, the Tide rushed for just 31 yards and were sacked a total of 8 times. This year’s task is to replace Smith AND Caldwell (another offensive line leader). It’s too much for a new quarterback to have to battle with. Bama could open the season with a non-conference loss to Virginia Tech. Look for a few blemishes on their record and a Non-BCS bowl.

9-3

Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas Razorbacks
Last year a new coach and having to replace Darren Mcfadden hurt the Razorbacks deeply last year. Entering the season, I figured Arkansas would end DEAD LAST in the west and they were near the bottom of the conference. This year however, should be a little better. The Razorbacks played so many true freshman and underclassmen that they are one of the MOST experienced SEC units. They return 18 starters from last year and 10 on defense. Bobby Petrino is a winner and should be able to take the Razorbacks back to a bowl game after such a step back last year.

OFFENSE-

Replacing senior quarterback Casey Dick for sophomore Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett should give the Razorbacks an ability to throw farther down the field. Head Coach Bobby Petrino told everyone on SEC Media day that “If we can run the ball better and run the ball more consistently, it should open up our deep passing game and our ability to get the ball down the field.” It wasn’t too hard to replace Darren Mcfadden at the beginning of the year as replacement Michael Smith rushed for 987 yards in Arkansas first 8 games. But being a small back in the SEC caused him to miss time with injuries. The Razorbacks truly struggled with rushing because of such an inexperienced line. The line gave up 46 sacks last year, second most in FBS. This year the Razorbacks return 5 players with starting experience and four players with at least 10 starts. A key to the passing game this season will be junior tight end D.J Williams. Williams was voted first team All-SEC last year and broke the record for catches by a tightend at Arkansas last year. Williams should be a crucial piece to the offense as should the receiving core that has much more experience than a year ago.

DEFENSE

What is impressive for the Razorbacks this year---10 returning on defense. Lookout for the D-Line as four of their top 10 tacklers from last season were defensive lineman and the ALL return next year the linebackers and corners are also much more experienced and should be overall a much more cohesive unit.

SEASONAL PREDICTION

Last year was brutal for the Razorbacks. Having a new coach was difficult, having to replace their star player was even tougher but both of those things were nothing compared to the gauntlet of a schedule the Razorbacks were forced to go through. Following an embarrassing defeat at home to Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas hosted #9 Alabama, traveled to #7 Texas, and #12 Florida. Those three games left the Razorbacks out of steam, injured, and questioning their season…IT WAS JUST THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. The rest of the season a MASH unit was forced into action and they struggled throughout. But to end the season, Arkansas did beat their rival LSU and gave hope for this season. Coming into the season Arkansas is one of the MOST experienced SEC teams. They still travel to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and LSU face Georgia at home but those games are cushioned by winnable games. Look for Arkansas to be MUCH improved and make a bowl game this year.

7-5

Auburn Tigers

Auburn Tigers.

My DARK HORSE of ALL DARK HORSES LAST YEAR. I thought that the Tigers were finally going to put an offense on the field and be a complete team with new offensive coordinator and pre-season Alabama God Tony Franklin. However the Chic-Fil-A overtime victory which displayed such offensive prowess at the end of the 2007 campaign showed signs early in the 2008 season but faded quickly as they faced SEC caliber defenses. Some might point to the struggles beginning for the Tigers at home against the defending national champion LSU Tigers. With the lead at the end of the game, a FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK led the Bayou Bengals to take down the Auburn Tigers and leave a feeling of uncertainty within the team. However, I feel the downfall occurred the week before. At Mississippi State the Auburn Tigers were abysmal. Unable to take advantage of any Bulldog miscues the Tigers offense continued shooting the selves in the foot and just squeaked out with a rugged 3-2 victory. Such a small margin for victory showed their next opponent (LSU) how to beat an Auburn team which was trying to run the spread offense without the right personnel to do so. Following the loss to LSU, the Tigers beat a offensively anemic Tennessee team and then went on a 4 game losing streak to strip the Tigers of any chances of doing anything spectacular in the 2008 season. The last straw for the Tigers was a humiliating defeat to the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 34-0. Football is taken very seriously in Alabama and although Tommy Tubberville had led the Tigers to an undefeated mark, won a few SEC West titles, that one loss and one bad season cost him his job. Now with a new coach the Tigers look to rebound back to typical Tiger form---defense, defense, defense…..however, it may take some time.

OFFENSE
At the SEC media day in July new head coach Gene Chizik was asked if he has the players to run his style of offense and defense. His answer,” You know, there's a fine line in there between putting in exactly what you would like to do on offense and defense and, you know, trying to adapt and adjust to the talent and the skill level that you have. And I think that's what really defines a great coach.” So, to read between the lines, NO! he doesn’t have the people in Auburn this year to run the offense and defense. Chizik will need to rely on a upper class his upper class back field for leadership. Entering the season junior Kodi Burns will be at the helm at quarterback. Burns threw for just 1,050 yards last season with 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He was sharing time with Chris Todd who is out for the coming season with an injury. What should help Burns is a “back to basics” Auburn offense. Nothing flashy, just cut-throat pound it football. The Tigers will rely on senior running back Ben Tate to control clock and give Auburn the an attitude they lost last season. Entering the season Tate is helped by an offensive line that has tons of experience. The receiver position is typical for Auburn this year as they have no real standouts but should better than last year their top three receivers and tight end are upper classmen.

Defense
Auburn is known for defense. Last year Tommy Tubberville attempted to change the offense schematically to create a dominated multi-faceted team. But this didn’t work; the offense struggled mightily and forced the defense to be on the field so much that they were bound to make mistakes. Last year’s defensive line was inexperienced and can only get better. Last year they allowed 4.1 yards per carry. This year those rushing totals should decrease due to an upper class line that is riddled with experience. The line backing core isn’t a traditional “hit them in your mouth” styled backers. They replace their Will backer with sophomore Eltoro Freeman and lack size, Together the linebacker average 229 pounds which is undersized for a school which prides themselves on power backers. The corners will be much improved from last year and should be the highlight for the Tigers. Auburn returns all their starters from last year and should shut down the top passing teams in the conference.

SEASON PREDICTION
With an easy early sleight the Tigers have an ability to start the season 4-0 heading into Knoxville. However, the West looks very tough this year and that is where the Tigers will struggle. After Tennessee, they must travel to Arkansas, host Kentucky and travel to Baton Rouge and then host Mississippi. I have them losing 4of 5 down that stretch. After a break (Furman), the Tigers face Georgia in Athens and finish the season against Alabama, another two losses. Due to the hot start, Auburn should finish the season bowl eligible in Gene Chizik’s first season but the fans will not be satisfied with fifth place in the West and another loss to the Tide.

6-6