With college football beginning this Thursday, I decided to take a look at the SEC, which is the best conference in NCAA football. I will begin by looking at the SEC East and giving them a solid preview before I tackle the SEC West.
1. Georgia Bulldogs. When controversy swirls around this football program, then that is when Georgia does their best. Redshirt freshman Zach Mettenberger was kicked off of the team during the spring for underage drinking and disorderly conduct. He was scheduled to be the starting QB this season. If a bar lets you in and you are underage, then don’t start any conflict. When he became involved in a conflict, the police checked his ID and found out that he was 19.
Starting sophomore running back Washaun Ealey was suspended indefinitely by Coach Richt for being involved in a vehicle accident last week. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license. He will be suspended for sure in Georgia’s first game against Louisiana and could possibly be suspended for more games. If he is suspended for more games, then Georgia will have a more difficult time against their next scheduled opponents: South Carolina and Arkansas. Will somebody please tell Mr. Ealey that he is supposed to run into defenders instead of running into other vehicles?
Despite all of the madness going on in Athens, the Bulldogs return their entire offensive line, which played very well the last month of last season. That good blocking will give whoever will be the starting QB more than enough time to throw the ball to All-American WR A.J. Green (53 rec, 808 yds, 6 TD’s). With Ealey out, the running game will still be more than adequate with returning RB’s Caleb King and Richard Samuel as Coach Richt implemented a running back rotation last season. The defense remains rather stout with OLB Justin Houston (7.5 sacks) being able to harass opposing quarterbacks and CB Brandon Boykin (6 PBU, 3 INT) being able to guard the opposing team’s best wide receiver.
From a scheduling standpoint, Georgia has a rather easy schedule. The only time that the Bulldogs play two tough teams in a row in back-to-back weeks will be September 11th (Never forget! Screw radical Islam!) and September 18th when they play South Carolina and Arkansas. If Georgia wins one or both of those games, then they will have the best chance to be in the SEC Championship Game.
2. Florida Gators. There is no way that Florida can win the SEC East this season without Tim Tebow since pundits declared that he was the greatest college football player ever. How will the Gators recover? Well, for starters, the new starting QB will be John Brantley. In mop-up duty last season, he completed 36 of 48 passes for 410 yards with 7 TD’s and no interceptions. Seventy-five percent completion is rather good! However, the strength of this team will be its running game with returning RB’s Jeffrey Demps, Chris Rainey, and Emmanuel Moody. Four of the five offensive linemen return as well.
However, Florida’s defense was decimated by graduation and by other players declaring for the NFL. The secondary is stacked with SS Ahmad Black, FS Will Hill, and shutdown CB Janoris Jenkins, but the front seven will be very unproven. The schedule is rather difficult as well. Along with playing in the SEC, the Gators will also play USF and Florida St. in non-conference play. If you thought Coach Urban Meyer was having heart palpitations last year, then you better mail him some Pepcid AC for this upcoming season.
3. South Carolina Gamecocks. The key to the Gamecocks season will rest upon the shoulders of QB Stephen Garcia. Garcia threw for 2,862 yards with 17 TD’s, but his completion percentage was only 55.3 with 10 INT’s. The accuracy must improve so that the defense won’t be gassed like they were last year from being on the field all of the time after three and outs by the offense.
Another reason that improvement is needed is because South Carolina’s schedule is brutal; it has been rated as the #2 most difficult schedule based upon opponents’ winning percentages from last season. Ten out of their twelve games will be against bowl teams from the previous season.
The offense was dealt another huge blow when all-SEC TE Weslye Saunders was suspended indefinitely for attending a party held by a sports agent. Nevertheless, the Cocks will still spew out an offensive display with a plethora of running backs and wide receivers returning.
The defense will continue to be strong this season for ‘The Ol’ Ball Coach’ Steve Spurrier. DE Cliff Matthews is back; he led the team with seven sacks. Returning LB Shaq Wilson led the team in tackles last season with 85.
I would put South Carolina higher in my preview if it wasn’t for the Confederate Flag that continues to fly in front of the State Capitol Building in Columbia, SC. Many high-level recruits refuse to play for the Gamecocks because the flag is a representation and a reminder of what the Confederacy stood for: slavery and racial segregation.
You can help put an end to the racism. I have started a petition to have the Confederate Flag taken down from the State Capitol Building. Here is the link. http://act.ly/2bu
4. Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky’s season is solely based upon how well RB Derrick Locke plays. He ran for 907 yards last season, but he will have to run for over 1,000 yards if Kentucky will have any chance to go to their 5th straight bowl. Their schedule is brutal. Within a five week span between 9/25 and 10/23, they play Florida, Mississippi, Auburn, South Carolina, and Georgia. Well, there’s always basketball season for the Wildcats. Also, people in Kentucky, do not vote for that muppet named Rand Paul.
5. Tennesse Volunteers. UT now has a new coach in Derek Dooley because the program was decimated by the departure of Lane Kiffin. Tennessee will definitely be in rebuilding mode. If you don’t believe me, then watch when they are clobbered by Oregon on 9/11. (Never forget! Put a fork in radical Islam!)
This past Saturday, I watched the SEC Preview on the CBS College Sports Channel. One of the analysts was former head coach Phil Fullmer. Let’s just say there was an awkward moment during the program when Fullmer stated that Tennessee hasn’t been good since he was fired.
6. Vanderbilt Commodores. Getting a win on the Commodores will be easy like Sunday morning this season. Vandy plays 11 teams that were in bowls last season. We all know that Vandy will suck since Bobby Johnson resigned in the middle of July. He watched all of the tape from Vandy’s spring practices and knew that they were going to suck immensely this season. Therefore, he jumped ship. Vanderbilt only had 17 TD’s for the entire season last year! If you are a high-school senior recruit and you want to start immediately as a freshman, then go to Vanderbilt.
