Tony Barnhart makes his picks for the order of finish in SEC... As he asks at the end of his article... So what do you think about his picks? Where is he wrong and why?
Article:
"Georgia in the East; Alabama in the West; let the arguments begin
15MAY
Okay. So we’ve come to the final stop on our Mr.CFB SEC Spring football tour and we are ready to project the order of finish for this Fall in the SEC’s two divisions. Before we begin, a couple of reminders:
**–This is how I see the order of finish if the season started TODAY. A million things can happen–and probably will– between now and August that would change this projection.
**–The SEC West is as balanced from top to bottom as I’ve ever seen it. I think Alabama and Auburn have a little separation from the group and I could be flat wrong about that. But when it comes to spots 3-7 the teams are interchangeable. They are that close. But somebody has to be No. 1 and somebody has to be No. 7.
Okay. Let’s go.
SEC EAST
1. Georgia: Yes, the Bulldogs have to decide on a quarterback but they return four of five offensive linemen and one of the deepest corps of running backs in the country led by sophomore Nick Chubb. The defense should be better in the second year under Jeremy Pruitt. Georgia does have to play Alabama and Auburn from the SEC West and has to go to Tennessee.
2. Tennessee: The Vols will be a sexy pick to beat out Georgia for the top spot based on 18 returning starters and back-to-back top five recruiting classes. The offense will be outstanding with quarterback Joshua Dobbs, running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, plus one of the deepest wide receiving groups in the country. After a home date with Oklahoma, Tennessee has to play Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama in the space of five weeks.
3. Missouri: The Tigers have won back-to-back SEC East titles but I can’t pull the trigger on a third. For the second straight year Missouri has lost a couple of pros (Shane Ray, Markus Golden) on the defensive line. Quarterback Maty Mauk makes great plays and then he makes plays that defy description. I really like running back Russell Hansbrough (1,084 yards last season). Gary Pinkel is a really good coach and these guys may make us all look silly again.
4. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier just turned 70 and is determined to get the South Carolina program back on track after a 7-6 season. His quarterback could be a true freshman (Lorenzo Nunez) who arrives this summer. He has one of the better all-purpose players in the country in Pharoh Cooper. The key to finishing this high will be the improvement of a defense that was just awful a year ago.
5. Florida: New coach Jim McElwain has a lot of work to do. He only has 12 offensive linemen in the program and half of those are true freshmen. Both quarterbacks (Treon Harris, Will Grier) are incredibly young. The running backs are average. The receivers are average. The defense will be pretty good again. The Gators have to play Kentucky, Missouri, LSU and South Carolina on the road along with Georgia in Jacksonville.
6. Kentucky: The Wildcats are going to be better than last season’s 5-7 team which started 5-1. They have a maturing quarterback in Patrick Towles and two really good running backs in “Boom” Williams and JoJo Kemp. But the defense (No. 13 SEC, 31.2 ppg) was a problem a year ago and has to get better.
7. Vanderbilt: The Commodores were a train wreck (3-9, 0-8 SEC) in Derek Mason’s first season and he is the first one to admit it. They have new coordinators on offense and defense (Mason took over as DC). I do not see an SEC win on the schedule with the possible exception of Kentucky in Nashville on Nov. 14.
SEC WEST
1. Alabama: This was a close call between the Crimson Tide and Auburn. Alabama, as it did a year ago, goes into the summer not knowing who the quarterback is going to be. But Blake Sims rewrote the school record book and the Crimson Tide won the SEC championship. I just think OC Lane Kiffin will figure out the quarterback position and Alabama will again score a lot of points. I also believe that this will be one of the best defensive front sevens that Nick Saban has had at Alabama. It will probably again come down to the Iron Bowl at Auburn on Nov. 28.
2. Auburn: When I look at Auburn I see a team capable of winning every game it plays. The offense will be more dynamic with Jeremy Johnson at quarterback. There is not a better receiver in the country than Duke Williams.Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant are gone at running back but Roc Thomas, JUCO transfer Jovon Robinson and Peyton Barber are all going to be good. The question is on defense where new DC Will Muschamp inherits eight returning starters plus defensive end Carl Lawson (back from injury). Auburn gets Georgia and Alabama at home like it did in 2013, when the Tigers made it to the BCS championship game.
3. Arkansas: Nobody wanted to play these guys at the end of last season. The Hogs return two 1,000-yard rushers (Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins), a quarterback who is getting better with each game (Brandon Allen). The key to this season is whether or not the Hogs can be as good defensively as a year ago when they finished No. 10 nationally in scoring defense (19.2 ppg). Arkansas has to go Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, and LSU.
4. Ole Miss: I was tempted to put Ole Miss at No. 3 because of the strength and depth of the Rebels’ defensive line, which could be the best in the country. But we just don’t know about quarterback, where JUCO transfer Chad Kelly, DeVante Kincaid, and Ryan Buchanan are competing. Ole Miss must travel to Alabama, Florida, Auburn, and Mississippi State. Three of those four will be revenge games. But all those great freshmen Hugh Freeze signed in 2013 are now juniors. If the Rebels are going to do it, then this is the year.
5. LSU: It feels strange putting the Tigers this low in the pecking order but there are two big questions we simply cannot answer right now: Will LSU get decent–not good but just decent–play at quarterback? Also, how will the Tigers be on defense with the departure of DC John Chavis to Texas A&M? As always LSU has a bunch of really good athletes but if those two questions have negative answers it’s not going to matter.
6. Texas A&M: The Aggies get the aforementioned Chavis and so they should not finish at the bottom of the SEC in defense, where they have been the past two years. If Texas A&M improves on defense they could finish much higher than this because they will score points. The question is whether or not the Aggies can run the ball effectively to protect a lead in the fourth quarter. We shall see.
7. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have the best quarterback in the conference (Dak Prescott) and they have the confidence that comes with spending a bunch of time at No. 1 last season. But here are the important numbers: 15 letter men were lost from last season’s 10-3 team. Of that total, 11 of them had lettered for four years. Dan Mullen and his staff have recruited well and are known for developing their players. We’ll see if they have done it well enough to keep Mississippi State as a contender in 2015.
Okay, it’s your turn. Where am I wrong and why?"
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,
,
Article:
"Georgia in the East; Alabama in the West; let the arguments begin
15MAY
Okay. So we’ve come to the final stop on our Mr.CFB SEC Spring football tour and we are ready to project the order of finish for this Fall in the SEC’s two divisions. Before we begin, a couple of reminders:
**–This is how I see the order of finish if the season started TODAY. A million things can happen–and probably will– between now and August that would change this projection.
**–The SEC West is as balanced from top to bottom as I’ve ever seen it. I think Alabama and Auburn have a little separation from the group and I could be flat wrong about that. But when it comes to spots 3-7 the teams are interchangeable. They are that close. But somebody has to be No. 1 and somebody has to be No. 7.
Okay. Let’s go.
SEC EAST
1. Georgia: Yes, the Bulldogs have to decide on a quarterback but they return four of five offensive linemen and one of the deepest corps of running backs in the country led by sophomore Nick Chubb. The defense should be better in the second year under Jeremy Pruitt. Georgia does have to play Alabama and Auburn from the SEC West and has to go to Tennessee.
2. Tennessee: The Vols will be a sexy pick to beat out Georgia for the top spot based on 18 returning starters and back-to-back top five recruiting classes. The offense will be outstanding with quarterback Joshua Dobbs, running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, plus one of the deepest wide receiving groups in the country. After a home date with Oklahoma, Tennessee has to play Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama in the space of five weeks.
3. Missouri: The Tigers have won back-to-back SEC East titles but I can’t pull the trigger on a third. For the second straight year Missouri has lost a couple of pros (Shane Ray, Markus Golden) on the defensive line. Quarterback Maty Mauk makes great plays and then he makes plays that defy description. I really like running back Russell Hansbrough (1,084 yards last season). Gary Pinkel is a really good coach and these guys may make us all look silly again.
4. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier just turned 70 and is determined to get the South Carolina program back on track after a 7-6 season. His quarterback could be a true freshman (Lorenzo Nunez) who arrives this summer. He has one of the better all-purpose players in the country in Pharoh Cooper. The key to finishing this high will be the improvement of a defense that was just awful a year ago.
5. Florida: New coach Jim McElwain has a lot of work to do. He only has 12 offensive linemen in the program and half of those are true freshmen. Both quarterbacks (Treon Harris, Will Grier) are incredibly young. The running backs are average. The receivers are average. The defense will be pretty good again. The Gators have to play Kentucky, Missouri, LSU and South Carolina on the road along with Georgia in Jacksonville.
6. Kentucky: The Wildcats are going to be better than last season’s 5-7 team which started 5-1. They have a maturing quarterback in Patrick Towles and two really good running backs in “Boom” Williams and JoJo Kemp. But the defense (No. 13 SEC, 31.2 ppg) was a problem a year ago and has to get better.
7. Vanderbilt: The Commodores were a train wreck (3-9, 0-8 SEC) in Derek Mason’s first season and he is the first one to admit it. They have new coordinators on offense and defense (Mason took over as DC). I do not see an SEC win on the schedule with the possible exception of Kentucky in Nashville on Nov. 14.
SEC WEST
1. Alabama: This was a close call between the Crimson Tide and Auburn. Alabama, as it did a year ago, goes into the summer not knowing who the quarterback is going to be. But Blake Sims rewrote the school record book and the Crimson Tide won the SEC championship. I just think OC Lane Kiffin will figure out the quarterback position and Alabama will again score a lot of points. I also believe that this will be one of the best defensive front sevens that Nick Saban has had at Alabama. It will probably again come down to the Iron Bowl at Auburn on Nov. 28.
2. Auburn: When I look at Auburn I see a team capable of winning every game it plays. The offense will be more dynamic with Jeremy Johnson at quarterback. There is not a better receiver in the country than Duke Williams.Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant are gone at running back but Roc Thomas, JUCO transfer Jovon Robinson and Peyton Barber are all going to be good. The question is on defense where new DC Will Muschamp inherits eight returning starters plus defensive end Carl Lawson (back from injury). Auburn gets Georgia and Alabama at home like it did in 2013, when the Tigers made it to the BCS championship game.
3. Arkansas: Nobody wanted to play these guys at the end of last season. The Hogs return two 1,000-yard rushers (Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins), a quarterback who is getting better with each game (Brandon Allen). The key to this season is whether or not the Hogs can be as good defensively as a year ago when they finished No. 10 nationally in scoring defense (19.2 ppg). Arkansas has to go Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, and LSU.
4. Ole Miss: I was tempted to put Ole Miss at No. 3 because of the strength and depth of the Rebels’ defensive line, which could be the best in the country. But we just don’t know about quarterback, where JUCO transfer Chad Kelly, DeVante Kincaid, and Ryan Buchanan are competing. Ole Miss must travel to Alabama, Florida, Auburn, and Mississippi State. Three of those four will be revenge games. But all those great freshmen Hugh Freeze signed in 2013 are now juniors. If the Rebels are going to do it, then this is the year.
5. LSU: It feels strange putting the Tigers this low in the pecking order but there are two big questions we simply cannot answer right now: Will LSU get decent–not good but just decent–play at quarterback? Also, how will the Tigers be on defense with the departure of DC John Chavis to Texas A&M? As always LSU has a bunch of really good athletes but if those two questions have negative answers it’s not going to matter.
6. Texas A&M: The Aggies get the aforementioned Chavis and so they should not finish at the bottom of the SEC in defense, where they have been the past two years. If Texas A&M improves on defense they could finish much higher than this because they will score points. The question is whether or not the Aggies can run the ball effectively to protect a lead in the fourth quarter. We shall see.
7. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have the best quarterback in the conference (Dak Prescott) and they have the confidence that comes with spending a bunch of time at No. 1 last season. But here are the important numbers: 15 letter men were lost from last season’s 10-3 team. Of that total, 11 of them had lettered for four years. Dan Mullen and his staff have recruited well and are known for developing their players. We’ll see if they have done it well enough to keep Mississippi State as a contender in 2015.
Okay, it’s your turn. Where am I wrong and why?"
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