I'll spare boring you by predicting the other BCS conferences and get straight to the conference that we all care about...here are my 2007 SEC football predictions:
SEC East
1. Georgia. I'd be pretty worried about a defense that unexpectedly lost its best player in Paul Oliver, but I think they're better than the other teams in what will be a good but not great division. I cannot imagine anyone coming out of the East undefeated. (Key games - September 22 at Alabama (1-7 all-time in Tuscaloosa); October 6th at Tennessee (revenge for 51 points last year); October 27th vs. Florida)
2. Florida. Talented but very young and they have to travel to LSU, S Carolina and play the Dawgs in J'ville (Key games - September 15 vs Tennessee (home team is just 2-5 in this series); October 6th at LSU; November 10th at S Carolina)
3. S. Carolina. Ten starters on defense and the Ole' Ball Coach is coaching up the offense. They'll beat either Georgia, Tennessee, or Florida (Key games - September 8th at Georgia; November 3rd at Arkansas; November 10th vs. Florida)
4. Tennessee. They'll be good but after being outgained in SEC play, losing their top-3 WRs and having to go on the road to play Florida, Cal and Bama, I'm calling for 8-4 at best. (Key games - September 1 at Cal; October 6th vs. Georgia; October 20th at Bama)
5. Kentucky. They played over their heads last year but could still get 6-7 wins because of Andre Woodson (QB), Rafael Little (RB) and Keenan Burton (WR). (Key games - September 22nd at Arkansas; November 10th at Vandy).
6. Vanderbilt. I almost picked Vandy 5th but they have to travel to Auburn, S. Carolina, Florida and Tennessee and get Bama at home in week 2. (Key games - November 10th vs Kentucky; November 24th vs Wake Forest).
SEC West
1. LSU. I hate Les Miles. He's an average coach who cost his team the NC last year because of poor coaching. I don't like his big tall white hat and I'm looking forward to Bama beating the Tigers in Tuscaloosa. That said, LSU has the most talent in the West and not even CLM can completely screw that up. (Key games - September 8th vs. Va. Tech; October 6th vs Florida; November 3rd at Alabama)
2. Alabama. Let me say up front that I think Bama, Auburn and Arkansas could easily end up ending anywhere from #2 to #4 in the West. I think the combination of favorable scheduling, 9 starters back on offense and Nick Saban take a team that outgained opponents in SEC play and very easily could have gone 5-3 in the SEC with Mike Shula as HC and make some serious noise. That said, the front seven on D makes me very, very nervous. (Key games - September 15 vs Arkansas; September 22 vs Georgia; September 29 vs Florida State in Jacksonville; October 20th vs. Tennessee)
3. Arkansas. Darren McFadden. That and the fact that The Great Nutt is 6-3 over Tuberville gets them the #3 spot. (Key games - September 15th at Bama; September 22nd at Kentucky; October 13th vs Auburn; November 3rd vs S. Carolina)
4. Auburn. Go take a look at the 2005 Bama team and the 2006 Auburn team and you'll see the same thing. A team that got lucky (5 net close wins), was outgained by 33.4 ypg in the SEC and has significant losses on Special Teams, RB and WR. It wouldn't surprise me to see them end up at #2 but a brutal schedule and nothing particular special anywhere else on the field ends them up at #4 in my book. (Key games - October 13 at Arkansas; November 10 at Georgia; November 24 vs Alabama)
5. Mississippi State. Getting better, but still a pretty good distance separating them from the top 4 in the West. (Key games - November 23rd vs. Ole Miss)
6. Ole Miss. And in the basement they'll stay with Coach O at the helm. Possibly the worst HC in the SEC since...OK, maybe the worst ever. (Key games - November 23rd at Mississippi State)
Auburn has nothing "particularly special anywhere else on the field"? I'm sending Quentin Groves to Athens to punish you for this disrespect. His choke slam of John Sarah Jessica Parker Wilson was particularly special.
Posted by: Wade Merritt | June 27, 2007 at 05:49 PM
I stand corrected - Groves is rather good. The mediocrity elsewhere kept me from remembering that he came back...
Posted by: Matt Adair | June 27, 2007 at 05:52 PM