South Carolina Gamecocks preview

The 2010 season saw a breakthrough as the Gamecocks won 9 games on their way to their first SEC East Championship. The season was highlighted by wins over the division’s Big 3 (Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida), an upset over then #1 Alabama, and the 2nd year in a row of beating archrival Clemson. However, the season ended on a sour note as the team collapsed in the postseason, being routed in Atlanta by Auburn and losing again in the Peach Bowl to FSU. Most of last season’s players return as the team is favored to repeat as the division champions and is a legitimate contender to win the conference. In fact, USC is the only team in SEC history to return a 3,000 yard passer, a 1,000 yard rusher, and a 1,000 yard receiver. Steve Spurrier returns for his 7th season as the “Head Ball Coach.”
Offense

QB Stephen Garcia returns for his senior season as the 3rd year starter. After some offseason problems nearly got him kicked off the team, he managed to fulfill a set of requirements allowing him to return. Garcia has a chance to break some of the USC career passing records; a 20 TD season would break the career TD record of 62 held by Steve Taneyhill, and a big season would give him a chance to take the career passing record of Todd Ellis. He is the SEC active leader in virtually all of the major career passing categories, and spent much of last season among the nation’s leaders in passing efficiency before a late season slump. Nobody questions Garcia’s talent, but his decision making leaves something to be desired at times. A bit of a gunslinger, Garcia threw 14 INTs last season, and a disasterous 3 INT first half in the bowl game against FSU pretty much single-handedly lost the game. It is essential that Garcia reduces the turnover number and for him be a leader on and off the field, otherwise, there will be no championship season. Connor Shaw is the backup and doesn’t have much experience, playing mostly in a mop-up role last year.

RB Marcus Lattimore had one of the best freshman seasons in SEC history last year, rushing for over 1,100 yards on nearly 5 yards a carry, and winning the National Freshman of the Year award. He was money in the red zone as he broke the school’s single season record of 19 rushing touchdowns. Lattimore is on the short list for the Heisman Trophy, and if he remains healthy, will likely get 250 carries this season. He was a remarkable workhorse last year: He rushed 37 times for 182 yards against Georgia, 29 for 184 against Tennessee, and an astounding 40 times for 212 yards against Florida. Needless to say, he was the horse in the big games. Kenny Miles is the primary backup and is a capable runner in his own right. Speedster true freshman Shon Carson will also get a look.

WR Alshon Jeffery shattered the single season records last year, gaining over 1,500 yards on 88 receptions. He may not post numbers as high this season simply because the offense may rely more on Lattimore and also try to spread the ball around more. The other 2 starters are Ace Sanders, a diminutive player with a quick burst, and DL Moore, a solid possession receiver.

The offensive line showed improvement last year allowing the chance for some big offensive numbers, but there is still room for improvement. Beyond the starting 5, the depth chart is made of mostly untested freshmen and sophomores, so it is also thin.

Defense

The defensive line should be one of the top groups in the country this year. All-American Devin Taylor returns on one side, while Melvin Ingram also was among the conference’s sack leaders on the other side. As if that weren’t enough, the #1 recruit in the country Jadeveon Clowney is apparently not human, completely dominating fall practice, and the offense is having trouble getting plays off mostly because of him. Travian Robertson is a veteran tackle who is a 4th year starter on the inside and closes up everything there.

The linebackers look pretty solid, also. Shaq Wilson returns from a hamstring injury to anchor the corps. Devonte Holloman has moved from the starting position at safety to his more natural position at spur linebacker. Antonio Allen is the returning starter at that spur linebacker position and has played well, doing nothing to lose his job. Demario Jeffery is another solid linebacker who provides depth, as well as 6th year senior Rodney Paulk.

CB Stephon Gilmore, the 4th All-American on the team, anchors the secondary. Across the field from him is 3rd year starter Akeem Auguste who returns to his more natural CB position after spending a year at safety. DJ Swearinger returns to start at free safety. Perhaps the only question mark on the team is at strong safety, where converted CB Jimmy Legree is pencilled in as the starter.

Special Teams
USC loses kicker Spencer Lanning, who was a fine kicker for them for the past 3 years. Jae Wooten has reportedly kicked well in practice and looks to inherit the placekicker role as well as kickoffs. Joey Scribner-Howard and Patrick Fish are competing for the punting job.
The return game has been an emphasis in practice, as this has been a weakness throughout Spurrier’s tenure. Swearinger and Sanders have been returning kickoffs. Gilmore and Sanders have been returning punts. Freshmen Damiere Byrd and Bruce Ellington (a starter and leading scorer on the basketball team) may also get looks.

Schedule/Outlook
As usual, the SEC East schedule is among the toughest in the country. USC has to travel to UGA this season and has a road trip of death with road games at Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Arkansas in the middle of the season. They do get to host Florida and Clemson this year. If they win the division again they certainly will have earned it.

Anything less than 10 wins this season will be a disappointment with the buildup after last season. Essentially, with the personnel this team has, there is no reason to do less. This team should repeat as the division winners, is a legitimate contender for a conference title, and is a national championship darkhorse.

by braves14

Ole Miss Rebels preview

So last year I started of describing the returning starters on defense and how the defense would probably have to carry the offense because the offense lost its starting running back, the only 1000 receiver in Ole Miss history and starting quarterback. I don’t know how it would be possible to be more wrong. All it took was the first game to show I had no idea what I was talking about as the Rebels lost embarrassingly to Jacksonville State thanks to a defense that gave up 49 points. The same defense also gave up fifty points twice. And thirty points in two of its wins. All in all it was the most points surrendered by an Ole Miss team in a single season in team history.

OFFENSE

So lets move on and talk about the offense. Once again its two weeks from gameday and its still a three quarterback race. At least publicly three are in the race. Most seem to think its really a two quarterback race between Randall Mackey and Barry Brunetti. The presumable third QB is Zach Stoudt who started his career in Louisville, transferred to an Iowa junior college, and signed with Ole Miss in December in time to go through spring practice. He’s the pro style QB of the group and has a strong arm. Mackey and Brunetti are both read option QB’s and have outperformed Stoudt to this point. Mackey signed with the Rebels out of highschool but had to start in Junior College. He had an amazing career there leading to being named the 2009 National Junior College Association first team All American. Cam Newton was second. No one argues who is better though as Cam has a Heisman and Mackey redshirted. He has a smaller frame and is reportedly the better passer of the two. Brunetti signed with West Virginia out of high school but transferred in January to be closer to home and the NCAA granted him a waiver to play immediately because of a medical condition of his mother. Brunetti is the smartest of the three, runs the best, makes the best decisions and reads the defenses the best but throws the least impressive deep ball. All three went through spring practice making the lack of a names starter even more ominous of poor quarterback play for 2011. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Mackey was recently arrested, and Brunetti will be the starter.]

Depth returns as huge issue at receiver. Luckily there are bodies this year but they are all young bodies. The Rebels could easily end up starting two true freshman receivers for the majority of the year because they are faster and more athletic than the upper classmen. Three freshman will a battle between Tobias Singleton, Donte Moncrief, and Nick Brassell to become the go to guy. Of the returners Ja-Mes Logan is the most consistent, best route runner, and most likely to catch the ball of all the receivers. He’s not overly fast or athletic though. The most athletic receiver on the team from a year ago also redshirted in 2010. That is Vincent Sanders, who is struggling a bit to catch the ball. There is only one junior or senior receiver and that is senior slot receiver Derrick Herman who will help on special teams. Outside them you have one undersized receiver with great speed in Korvic Neat, and one with great height in Melvin Harris, who both are inconsistent in catching the ball.

Which could explain why the Rebels should lean on the running game early in 2011. First pre season third team All SEC running back Brandon Bolden returns. Bolden was 24 yards short of 1000 last year but still had an impressive 6.0 yards per carry average. Had the Rebels not spent the majority of the season playing catch up because of the defense he easily would have broken a thousand. Bolden is the all around back that excels in blocking, running through the tackles, around the tackles, and catching the ball. He was also the Rebels leading receiver last year with more catches than any of the wide receivers catching 32 passes for 344 yards. A good season and he breaks Deuce McAllister’s career rushing and touchdown marks. Behind him is scat back Jeff Scott, who should see a lot of carries and is a true home run threat. Enrique Davis is the back up running back and will get a lot of carries on goal line for a reason I’m not sure of. Devin Thomas and Nick Parker could see situational carries as well. HR Greer and EJ Epperson make up the fullbacks and both are solid blockers and catch the ball well.

The offensive line somehow returns nine starters. This is mostly because of injuries as multiple players rotated in and out over the season. The consistent starters were Bobby Massie and Bradley Sowell at right and left tackle respectively. Both are multi year starters and are receiving some Pre Season All SEC accolades. Inside is where the Rebels rotated repeatedly in 2010 with Josh Tatum, Michael Brown, Patrick Junen, Alex Washington, Jared Duke all getting at least one start at guard and returning and both AJ Hawkins and Evan Swindall getting starts at center. By the end of the season Hawkins settled in at center and is slated to start again. The guard spots never fully settled last season with there actually being one other player getting a start who did not return. Matt Hall transferred from Arkansas, is a reported 6’9″ 340, and is in line to start at right guard. Left guard appears to be Patrick Junen but the race is not over there. All in all it’s a veteran line with plenty of experience that should help Bolden create some offense and a quarterback develop. Also better run blockers than pass blockers at this stage.

At tight end Ferbia Allen returns as the starter but is not exactly a major offensive weapon. Juco transfer Jamal Mosley brings a lot more athleticism and pass catching ability and should be a bigger factor in the offense. How much the Rebels will feature the tight end in 2011 remains to be seen and I imagine which QB ends up starting will dictate that.

Bottom line. The passing game is still a work in progress. Expect the Rebels to try and grind it out, run the ball, and control the clock at least in the early part. Nutt generally finds a way to put some sort of offense on the field despite having little to work with, including last year. He’ll presumably find something by the end of the year and it could look completely different by then depending on which quarterback falls out.

DEFENSE

I guess we have to talk about the defense now.

Last year it was expected that the defensive line would be the strength of the team. That proved to be horribly incorrect. While a number of veterans returned they never played to expectations. One of which was Kentrell Lockett because he torn his ACL after previous nagging injuries and he has successfully appealed to the NCAA for a sixth year. He will start again at defensive end and is hoped he will be the leader that he was in 2009. On the other side Wayne Dorsey has made leaps and bounds over the off season and looks to finally capitalize on the talent he brought out of the junior college ranks last year after struggling in major college football in 2010. Jason Jones is his main competition and he is solid against the run. Carlos Thompson and Gerald Rivers should also see some action on passing downs. Four defensive tackles graduated last year and only one player returns with experience, Justin Smith. Smith should play some but the expected starters at this point are redshirt freshman Carlton Martin and Juco transfer Uriah Grant. Neither are huge Terrance Cody style run stuffers but more athletic quick disruptive tackle types. The Rebels do have one large run stuffer in Juco transfer Gilbert Pena who should get a lot of snaps on short yardage and goal line situations. In obvious passing downs another redshirt freshman Byron Bennett has shown some ability to get after the passer from the tackle position. Talent is there on the line but it is very inexperienced outside Lockett so its hard to know what to expect.

The linebacker corps has even less experience and less depth. Mainly because the expected leader of the defense, DT Shackelford tore his ACL in spring practice and another expected starter was removed from the team for disciplinary reasons. There is potential DT could return late in the season but it is highly unlikely. Mike Marry provided depth last year and is probably the leader of the linebacking core this year. He could start at weak or in the middle depending on who else steps up. Redshirt freshman Ralph Williams is behind him the middle but would presumably start if Marry starts at weak side. Joel Kight is a returning starter from last season and will play on the strong side. He has plenty of speed for a linebacker but needs to find a little more consistency with his play. After those three the Rebels will either play true freshman or safeties in a hybrid look. One true freshman who does look to play a lot and could even start on the weakside in a relatively short period of time is Keith Lewis. The lack of experience and depth would be a greater concern if the Rebels played well at linebacker last year because the general consensus is they can not play worse than they did in 2012.

The secondary returns some players that look to have greatly improved from last season. Which is hopeful considering the Rebels were 11th in the conference in passing defense giving up 246 yards per game. (Granted they were also 11th in total defense, 12th in scoring defense, 12th in defensive pass efficiency, and 9th in rushing defense). So even a good deal of improvement may not be enough to be considered “average” or “mediocre.” Marcus Temple returns from last year after recovering from a sports hernia he played the season with. He’s in a dog fight with juco transfer Wesley Pendleton for one spot. The other spot is expected to be manned by Charles Sawyer who has reportedly had a great fall camp and really improved on his redshirt freshman season. Redshirt freshman Cliff Coleman and true freshman Senquez Golson will be the primary backups with Golson having a chance to take a starting spot if anyone falters. It would also not surprise anyone that the Rebels made a change at secondary coach and Keith Burns whose style appears to fit the personnel better. At safety Brishen Mathews and Damien Jackson look to be the starters with Frank Crawford, Ivan Nicholas, Cody Prewitt and Aaron Garbutt all seeing playing time in different packages. Again the Rebel fans are optimistic that the improved play they’ve heard about in the fall camp is present come gameday.

Bottom line. I made one of the worst predictions in modern day history stating, “The defense should be one of the better units in the SEC.” Instead the Rebels had the worst defense they have ever fielded in not only its modern history but its over a hundred year history. The optimistic feeling is they can not be that bad again. We hope. No one is expecting much.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Rebels return punter Tyler Campbell who had a solid sophomore season of driving the ball. He has all the leg strength in the world and can absolutely kill the ball. But he has to work on his hang time and directional punting to be more effective to avoid the net 20 yard punts when punting through the endzone. Kickoff specialist Andrew Ritter also returns. Again: great leg, when he keeps it in bounds. Which is not as often as one would expect from a kickoff specialist. Bryson Rose exceeded expectations and was a solid kicker for the Rebels. Not a huge leg but very consistent and should be a major asset again.

Bottom line. Everybody returns, Rose is solid, Campbell and Ritter have strong legs but don’t regularly make the most of them.

SCHEDULE

The Rebels got lucky with the schedule last year and completely bombed. This years schedule isn’t brutal but is definitely harder. They start with BYU at home who have a returning quarterback and good passing game. Conventional wisdom places the Rebels as under dogs as does Vegas. The other non conference games are Southern Illinois, Fresno State, and La Tech with Fresno on the road. As the Rebels proved by losing to Jacksonville State last year anything is possible. In the east they have Georgia at home, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt on the road. The high light of last season was either beating Fresno or Kentucky so maybe they can win one or both on the road this year. I fully expect the trend to continue with Vanderbilt where the Rebels are the only team to struggle against them in SEC play. They play LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas at home. I do not expect home field advantage to help. Auburn and Mississippi State conclude the road trips.

Looks like five games the Rebels have a chance in. That’s Vandy, Kentucky, Fresno, La Tech and Southern Illinois. By chance meaning possible and no in no way expected to win. In fact expect the Rebels to lose to one or two of those in the most horribly embarrassing way possible. Ole Miss can not beat Alabama when Alabama is bad (and they are good) so don’t expect much there. Same applies for Auburn. I expect Arkansas, Georgia and LSU to have too much talent to compete with though they give LSU a close loss. (Its what the Rebels do). BYU and MSU have offensive schemes that will make a victory doubtful but an upset could occur with the right extrinsic factors. Like a 99 degree day with 104 heat index.

Bottom line. Most of the tougher games are at home with most of the winnable games on the road. If we were a good team that would be great. As a team dreaming of winning six games that makes it that much tougher and harder to see them getting there.

So final prognostications.
I hate making predictions and feel like all it will do is doom the Rebels. I think a losing season is more than likely in order with 5-7 with one horrible loss in there that keeps the Rebels out of the Birmingham Bowl and dashing my dreams of vacationing in Alabama a plausible scenario.

– George

Georgia Bulldogs preview

Georgia Bulldogs Season Preview

As Mark Richt enters his 10th season as Georgia head coach, the dean of SEC head coaches enters into a major crossroads, as the Dawgs are coming off two hugely disappointing seasons, finishing at 8-5 in 2009 and then below .500 at 6-7, in 2010. Even the 2008 season, in which Georgia finished at 10-3, was a disappointment coming off an ‘07 season that saw Georgia win it’s last 8 games in a row and finishing #2 overall. The Dawgs entered 2008 pre-season #1…and ended the year in the Capital One Bowl playing an average Michigan State team.

Unfortunately, Richt is firmly on the hot seat and if Georgia doesn’t show significant improvement this year, there’s a very good chance the guy running Alabama’s defense will be Georgia’s next head coach.

Keep in mind that Richt has two SEC championships and a 96-34 overall record as head coach, so the guy has earned a lot of good will. But he also has the dubious distinction of being the last guy to win an SEC Championship (2005) that didn’t also win the BCS National Cgampionship.

Offense

At Quarterback, the #1 reason for optimism this year is that Georgia comes to the table with arguably the best Quarterback in the SEC in Aaron Murray. Despite the 6-7 finish, Murray was the top rated Freshman passer in the country, and with the exception of a bad bowl performance, Murray had a completion % of 62%, threw 24 touchdowns to only 8 INTs, and 2,851 passing yards. He also rushed for 4 TDs. Murray was 2nd in SEC history for a Freshman with 3,216 total yards of offense.Overall, he was ranked 14th in the country in passer rating efficiency and finished with a Quarterback rating of 162.72.

When the best player on your team, potentially, is your Quarterback, then good things are bound to happen. Behind Murray, the Dawgs have a solid #2 QB in Hutson Mason and recruited one of the most highly touted Freshman in the country, Christian Lemay, who’s good enough to play now.

At receiver, Murray loses A.J. Green to the NFL. A.J. was the best receiver in the SEC and if you factor in the 4 games he was forced to miss based on a bad ruling by the NCAA for a jersey selling incident, Green was easily the best receiver in the country. It wasn’t an accident that he was the first receiver off the board in the NFL Draft in April (4th overall to Cinncinati) – that’s quite a horse to replace.

But Murray has weapons. Not only will Murray be better and no A.J. will give him the opportunity to spread the ball around, but Georgia also has back Murray’s Tampa high school teammate and one of the best tight ends in the country, Orson Charles. Charles figures to become a top target for Murray, especially in the red zone. In addition, Murray should also have another key weapon outside with Junior Tavarres King, who should be a dangerous deep threat. No, he’s not AJ Green but few receivers ever are AJ Green. The Dawgs will be looking at a number of receivers to step up and fill the void behind King and Charles, including Junior Marlon Brown, a lanky 6-5 receiver who was a 5-star recruit but hasn’t yet lived up to the billing, as well as redshirt sophomore Rontavious Wooten. The Dawgs are deep at tight end. After Charles, Georgia has Junior Arthur Lynch (who could start on most teams) and the most highly touted freshmen tight end in the nation, Jay Rome. But the guy that’s been getting the most audible gasps in practice is freshman Malcolm Mitchell, who’s such an unbelievable athlete, he might be on the field in the opener.

At running back, Georgia’s in “high risk, high reward” territory. The Dawgs top 2 rushers from a year ago, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, are both gone from the program. They were two of the biggest headaches for Richt and two guys who didn’t want to get into the Dawgs new culture and attitude around Butts Mehre these days. But that’s a lot of production to replace. Stepping in to fill the void is the #1 running back recruit in the country, freshman Isaiah Crowell, who famously pulled out a white, English Bulldog puppy on signing day, to announce his intention to sign with Georgia. With all the attrition, Richt will need Crowell to step up, along with senior Richard Samuel, who was forced back to RB with the personnel changes (he had switched to linebacker).

If the offensive line stays healthy, it has the chance to be very, very good under new OL coach Will Friend. Led by Center Ben Jones and left tackle Cordy Glenn. Both have all America potential. The bad news is Georgia lost 4 guys along the offensive line. They graduated Josh Davis, Chris Davis and Clint Boling (who like AJ Green, was drafted by the Bengals), and the most tragic loss was Trinton Sturdivant, at one time was potentially the best left tackle in the nation, and was now lost for a 3rd straight season to reconstructive knee surgery.

The OL starting 5 will be very stout and effective, led by Jones and Glenn. The issue for Georgia is if any of the line starters goes down for significant time as their isn’t much depth behind them. The line took a major hit last month when former 5-star recruit Brent Benedict transferred to Virginia Tech because he couldn’t handle Georgia’s harsh new S&C program. (ahem, pu**y).

Defense

The biggest reason Georgia fans have so much optimism in 2011 is actually because of the revamped defense.

2010 was a rough year all the way around, as Georgia was breaking in a new Defensive Coordinator, Todd Grantham, who switched the Dawgs from thr 4-3 they had under Willie Martinez, to the 3-4. However, for the 3-4 to actually work, you have to have the horses. A perfect example was the 2009-2010 Alabama defense that had a massive nose tackle in Terrence Cody, that could eat up a ton of space (and block the sun).

Because there wasn’t a Cody lying around the locker room for Grantham, he was forced to play end Deangelo Tyson out of position at tackle, and Tyson couldn’t give the Dawgs what they needed. Enter JUCO transfer John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers.

As Georgia fans got to witness in our G-Day spring game, the new beasts up front are stirring memories of the days when Georgia had Marcus Stroud and Richard Seymour upfront. Jenkins, in particular, is mammoth and coming in as a JUCO transfer, many feel he can do for the Dawgs up front what Cody did for Bama in 2009, and Nick Fairley did (albeit a lot dirtier) for Auburn in 2010.

With Jenkins and Geathers eating space, Tyson moves to his natural position at end, where he’s back to excelling. The other starter at the end position is Abry Jones, who had 34 tackles last year. There’s strong depth as the talented duo of Derrick Lott and former 5-star recruit Garrison Smith are backing up the positions.

At Linebacker, this is another position that Georgia’s about to have massive improvement from last year to this year. Enter USC transfer Jarvis Jones. Jones started as a freshman for the Trojans before injuring his neck in a game with Oregon two seasons ago. Jones is an absolute terror and has been terrorizing people in practice. Jones starts at inside linebacker with Cornelius Washington, who started 8 games and had 24 tackles last year.

At inside linebacker, the Dawgs have two potential All Americans with defensive captain Christian Robinson and the guy who may be one of the best defensive players in the country this year (call it a breakout party for him), Alec Ogletree. Ogletree has been destroying people in practice and athletically, one of the most gifted players on the team. So while national publications don’t seem to know a lot about our defense, Georgia has 3 potential All Americans starting at linebacker.

Georgia did take a hit losing ILB Akeem Dent and star Justin Houston. Houston was an absolute terror for Georgia in 2010, one of the few defensive bright spots last year. But this overall unit stands to be a lot stronger.

The secondary is led by one of the fastest players in the SEC, Senior Brandon Boykin, at cornerback. despite being just 5-10, Boykin is a ballhawk and a speed demon and one of the defensive players who is getting attention from the national services. Starting at the other corner spot is Junior Sanders Commings, a solid veteran player who’s been consistent during his time with the Dawgs.

Junior Shawn Williams has opened a ton of eyes this summer and will be a starter at one of the safety spots. Williams was expected to battle 2010 JUCO transfer Jakar Hamilton, but Williams had already beaten Hamilton out when Jakar went down with a season ending injury last week. The other starting safety is Baccari Rambo, who’s been inconsistent, but when he’s on, he makes big plays. He’s expected to really put it all together now in his Junior season.

One guy to keep a close eye on is return specialist and former 5-star recruit Branden Smith. Smith is (besides Boykin) arguably the fastest guy on the team and Smith could become a starter, early on. Grantham will work him in for sure.

Special Teams

Georgia returns the top kicking duo in the nation, with placekicker Blair Walsh and punter Drew Butler. They are both seniors, experienced and the best at their positions, not just in the SEC, but nationally. Butler will have a chance to pin opponents back everytime he punts, while Walsh can chip from 60+, everytime out. Quite an advantage for the Dawgs.

The top return man is Brandon Boykin, who will return kickoffs. Last year, Boykin had a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Kentucky. Branden Smith will likely be the lead force to return on punts and he’s a threat to score, anytime the ball is in his hands.

Schedule

Georgia has an interesting schedule. The first two weeks are brutal. We open the season in the Chick Fil-A Kickoff classic agaisnt top 5 ranked Boise State, and host the favorites in the east in week 2, South Carolina. After that, the schedule gets more manageable & the Dawgs are lucky enough to avoid the 3 best teams in the west this year, Bama, LSU and Arkansas.

Even the tougher opponents (like Carolina) and teams like Miss State and Auburn, all come to Athens. The Florida game this year finally has a BYE week. Not only will Florida be down with a new coaching staff and a new system (plus an average Quarterback) but the last time we had a BYE before Florida, 2007, we won the game going away and sacked Tebow 6 times. The biggest road games are against Ole Miss and Tennessee, neither of which is expected to be legit contenders.

Outlook

The word out of Athens is that the intensity, the training level, the attitude, everything has changed for the better in 2011. A lot of it stems from the man on top, Coach Richt, who knows this is a make or break year for him and he’s coach kids love and want to win for.

While it seems crazy to predict a an SEC East Championship coming off a 6-7 season, I have no qualms about doing so and with 100% confidence, I am predicting the Dawgs win the SEC East and return to the Georgia Dome in December (against Alabama). Since I am not going crazy and saying 12-0 regular season, this is a confident, talented, and reborn football team and after Georgia wins their bowl game, that will be their 11th win of the season.

– Alex R.

Alabama Crimson Tide Preview

The progress that the Alabama program has made in what really is a short period of time under Nick Saban can best be demonstrated by a 10-3 season being a major disappointment. After starting the year ranked #1, the season went off the rails in Columbia with a dispirited loss to South Carolina, followed by come-from-ahead losses to LSU and most painfully Auburn. But expectations are high again; this year, the Tide starts ranked #2.

Offense

Alabama loses five starters on offense; three of them were first-round draft picks, and a fourth was a two-year starting quarterback with a national championship on his resume. The passing game will have to be basically rebuilt with the loss of a record-breaking receiver who had more than twice as many catches as anyone else on the team, and while the offensive line returns four starters, the one graduate played the most important position on the line and there’s no experienced backup. It turns out that the one guy that the Tide can most easily replace is the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner.

At quarterback, there is no clear frontrunner to replace Greg McElroy between 2010 backup AJ McCarron, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman Phillip Sims. McCarron has more “experience”, in the form of 48 passes last year in mostly mopup duty, plus one desperation drive against Auburn when McElroy was hurt. Sims was the top quarterback recruit in the country two years ago (though it was considered a down year for quarterbacks) and is probably the more physically talented player. Nick Saban is perfectly capable of pretending to have a job battle going on while knowing all along who the starter is, but from all appearances this is still an open race. I expect that it won’t be until at least the second week of the season, at Penn State, that someone is formally the primary quarterback. The third-stringer, for now, is Blake Sims (no relation) who was recruited as an “athlete” and expected at the time to move to the defensive backfield, but who has been impressive in practice.

At running back, Mark Ingram’s departure makes Trent Richardson the main man; considering the situation in the passing game, the offense will primarily ride Richardson, at least early in the year. It is a measure of Richardson’s ability, and his performances as a backup, that a player with two career starts is on the Heisman Trophy short list to start the season. Despite missing two games, Richardson rushed for 719 yards last season. He’s a rare blend of speed and power, and has thrived in the passing game as a receiver and blocker; he doesn’t have quite Ingram’s instincts but he’s got more than enough. The top backup would appear to be Eddie Lacy, a redshirt sophomore who also has loads of talent but maybe not the moves of a top-flight running back. Depth is a moderate concern after some transfers and an injury to true freshman Dee Hart, who had moved up the depth chart and was perhaps even challenging Lacy. The third-string right now is Jalston Fowler, a pure power back who got limited carries in 2010, followed by Brent Calloway, a true freshman who could move up quickly. Blake Sims could also move here if there is a rash of injuries. Alabama rarely utilizes a fullback except in sporadic goalline situations; last year, Fowler filled that role.

At wide receiver, Julio Jones’ departure for the NFL doesn’t necessarily mean all the Tide passing game is gone with him, but it takes a big chunk. Jones dominated the receiving charts last year, catching 78 passes for 1133 yards; the new top receiver, senior Marquis Maze, was second on the team with 38 and 557. Maze is better suited for a secondary role, as he lacks the desired size for a #1 receiver, at least in Alabama’s pro-style offense, but he’s a three-year starter with a history of making some tough catches, and has had a few games where he stepped up when Jones was shut down. The #2 receiver would be senior Darius Hanks, a co-starter with Maze the last couple of years, coming off of a 32 catch season of his own. Hanks will miss the first two games due to some NCAA regulatory sillyness. This only opens the door wider for DeAndrew White, a redshirt freshman who has been the talk of fall camp; not a day goes by where he isn’t getting praised by Saban and/or his teammates. White appears to be the starter to begin the season, and if he performs as expected Hanks may not get the job back. It was hoped that JUCO transfer Duron Carter, son of Cris, could move right into the rotation, but he has been having problems with admission and it’s not clear yet when and if he will be cleared. Senior Brandon Gibson has been tantalizing in practice but doing very little in games for a couple of years now; he had only four receptions last year. There are also some underclassmen, Kevin Norwood and Kenny Bell, with a little game experience but not much production.

Alabama’s base package alternates between three receivers and two tight ends. One tight end spot is fixed, as junior Michael Williams returns as the starter. Williams is primarily a blocker, though he did have eight catches last year; he has good hands but isn’t really fast enough to get downfield. At the H-back slot, the Tide must replace Preston Dial, who was fourth on the team in catches last season and served as McElroy’s security blanket. The best passcatcher among returnees is Brad Smelley, who was in the rotation last year in some passing situations, but he so far hasn’t been enough of a blocker to stay in the lineup. Chris Underwood played in every game last year, mostly in short-yardage situations, and if he can show pass-catching skills in practice could win the job. Or redshirt freshman Brian Vogler, a top recruit last season, could move in.

On the offensive line, the main task this offseason was replacing two-year starter and first-round NFL pick James Carpenter at left tackle. In the past, the coaching staff has tended to move linemen around to get the best five on the field, and in this case the decision was made to put the best lineman at the most important position, shifting Barrett Jones from right guard to left tackle. Anthony Steen, who started two games in Jones’ place during an injury last year, seems settled in at the right guard spot. The other three positions will, barring injury or other issues, be stable. Junior Chance Warmack will return at left guard, where he was okay in his first year as a starter in 2010. Senior William Vlachos returns for his third year as a starter at center; he wasn’t quite as good in 2010 as in 2009, but he’s one of the rocks of the offense. And sophomore DJ Fluker moved in immediately at right tackle last year and was outstanding, particularly in the running game. There’s a fair amount of depth now. True freshman Cyrus Kouandjio should be the backup at left tackle, and if impressive enough could free up Jones to move back inside. His brother Arie, a redshirt freshman, looks like the top backup at the other tackle. Senior Alfred McCullough has backed up all over the line and started a little, but is a natural guard and will probably play there. Only at center is there no clear backup, though there’s some talent there; Jones has actually worked as the backup during fall practice.

Defense

Ten starters return from the SEC’s top defense, and expectations are high that this one could be something special. There are some doubts along the offensive line, but most of a strong linebacking corps, and all of a surprisingly good young defensive backfield, return. The defense even showed, late in the year, an ability to get to the quarterback, which has been a problem in the Saban era. If a good line rotation can be found, the defense could carry this team a long way.

There’s probably no part of the team where there’s as big of a gap between how highly touted the recruits were and how much they’ve actually produced as on the defensive line. The most accomplished member of the line is probably fifth-year senior nose tackle Josh Chapman, but he’s a support player, not a playmaker, and last year the dropoff from Terrance Cody to Chapman was noticeable, especially against the run. Behind Chapman, there Nick Gentry, a rush specialist too light to be an every-down player and a couple of raw recruits, redshirt freshman Brandon Ivory and massive JUCO transfer Jesse Williams, and it would help immensely if one of the latter two could step up. At end, one starter will definitely be junior Damian Square, who played regularly but not spectacularly last year coming back from a knee injury. If Square’s explosiveness returns in his second year after surgery, it would go a long way to replacing Marcel Dareus. There’s no telling who will wind up starting at the other end position, perhaps converted linebacker Ed Stinson, or JUCO transfer Quentin Dial. The most impressive player among the linemen, at least physically, might be true freshman LaMichael Fanning, but he is considered a character risk. Quite likely, in passing situations the only two true linemen on the field will be Square and Gentry, as last year it was Dareus and Gentry.

A big reason for the latter is the talent returning at linebacker, led by seniors Dont’a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw, who would be the ends in pass-rush situations. Inside linebacker Hightower returned from a major knee injury last year looking overweight and sluggish, but as the season went on his mobility and playmaking improved. Outside backer Upshaw was slowed by ankle problems early on but by the end of the season was the team’s top playmaker, and led the way with seven sacks. At the inside position opposite Hightower, the Tide utilized a platoon of run-stopper Nico Johnson and coverage specialist CJ Mosley much of last season. Mosley has bulked up a little to help against the run and may be the team’s next big defensive star, while Johnson is not that bad of a pass defender really. Jerell Harris seems to be the frontrunner at the one open position, the outside linebacker spot opposite Upshaw, but the senior Harris has never really lived up to his considerable talents. Someone else, perhaps Alex Watkins, could take the job, or they could choose to shuffle Mosley, or inside backup Chris Jordan, outside to get the four best LBs on the field at the same time.

Last year, the defensive backfield looked like a woefully inexperienced possible weakness. As it turned out it played as well as could possibly be expected, and throwing the younger players into the fire led to a now very experienced and deep crew. Some remarkably early projections have junior Dre Kirkpatrick as the top cornerback in this year’s draft, which is interesting because Saban considers senior De’Quan Menzie the team’s top corner. Menzie came back amazingly quickly from an achilles tendon injury to play in all but one game last year. He was limited to nickel duty, but this year will move into the starting lineup. Kirkpatrick has the ideal size and speed looked for in a modern corner, and was the team’s top cover man last year with Menzie limited, and together they give the Tide a strong starting pair. Backing them up and supplementing them in nickel packages (which will probably be half the time or more) will be DeMarcus Milliner. Thrown to the wolves as a true freshman last year, he was pretty good if occasionally victimized as freshman corners will be. Behind them, senior Phelon Jones and sophomore John Fulton will battle it out for dimeback duty, though both will play.

A year ago, the idea that safety might be the strongest position on the 2011 team would have seemed very unlikely. But then Mark Barron wound up returning for his senior year, and Robert Lester suddenly materialized as a force at the other position. Barron probably would have gone pro after a stellar season in which he led the team in tackles, but tore a pectoral muscle against Auburn and was going to be unable to participate fully in pre-draft workouts. An All-America candidate, he’s one of the leaders of the team. Lester, originally thought of as just positional depth and a buddy for high school teammate Julio Jones, won the other safety position basically by default, then went on to lead the conference with eight interceptions. He’s still a work in progress in some parts of the game, but his ballhawking skills and athleticism definitely come in handy. Behind them last year was former walkon Will Lowery, but he might be supplanted by top recruit Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix.

Special Teams

Even more than the secondary, special teams had to be replaced top to bottom in 2010. The results were okay, nothing special. The Tide employed a kicking platoon of Jeremy Shelley on short field goals and extra points and Cade Foster on long kicks and kickoffs. It worked pretty well. Shelley was 10 of 14 on field goals and missed only one PAT, and Foster hit 7 of 9 field goals, including 5 of 6 from 40 to 49 yards, and had ten touchbacks. Cody Mandell handled the punting, and showed occasional signs of having a big leg that could be a weapon, but was inconsistent and didn’t improve as the season went on. McCarron was the holder on kicks last season; if he is the starting quarterback, he potentially could be replaced.

The primary kickoff return man last season was Richardson, and the primary punt return man was Maze. Whether the team would use their top back and top receiver in those roles is unknown, though Richardson is probably more likely to be replaced. There are a number of fast players who could take over the role if needed.

Schedule

The usual SEC gauntlet supplemented by a usual Saban nonconference schedule of one high-profile opponent (Penn State) and three fresh cupcakes (Kent State, North Texas, and Georgia Southern), with the only variant from the usual that the Penn State game is on the road instead of neutral or in Tuscaloosa. In the SEC, Vandy replaces South Carolina in the cycle, which is obviously a much easier matchup on paper. The Commodores will visit Tuscaloosa, along with Arkansas, Tennessee, and LSU; the Tide goes on the road to Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and most critically Auburn.

Outlook

It seems impossible that anyone could navigate an SEC schedule well enough to qualify for the BCS championship game, but it keeps happening, and most observers seem to think that if it happens this year Alabama or LSU will be the team… And Alabama gets LSU at home this year. The schedule is easier than last year’s, because of the replacement of USC with Vandy and because fewer teams will have a bye week before playing the Tide this time. It’s still a bear, if you forgive the expression, and a lot of the “easiness” is mitigated by the Penn State and Florida games now being on the road. The Tide can get back to the championship, but will need some luck, particularly avoiding major injuries to playmakers on offense (especially Trent Richardson), and will need the passing game to gel. They’re as good of a pick as anyone in the SEC West or nationally.

Tennessee Volunteers Preview

The Volunteers look to rebound from a 6-7 season that saw some crazy officiating probably cost them games against LSU and the Music City
Bowl against UNC (Ultimately, the UNC game will probably become a win for the Vols.)

The 2010 Vols were a young team with very little depth. They hung tough with Oregon, Florida and Alabama for a little over a half before the lack of depth eventually was too much to overcome. That’s what happens when you are on your third coach in three years.

Offense

This unit is full of young talent that really started to show promise by the end of the season.

Sophomore Tyler Bray is going to start at quarterback. There is no doubt that Bray has a big time arm and a lot of upside. He has great accuracy and can throw the deep ball as well as anyone in the conference. However, Bray also is known for trying to throw the ball through defenders, Brett Favre style, and can turn the ball over a little more than you would like to see. Plus, he really needs to gain some weight.

Senior Tauren Poole played well early on last season, but really fell off by the end of the year. The Vols really need him to step up. Rajon Neal and Marlin Lane will see lots of action. Lane is a freshman and has been one of the stars early in preseason camp.

Tennessee has two big threats at wide receiver in sophomores Justin Hunter and DaRick Rogers. Hunter and Rogers might be the best receiving tandem in the conference. Zach Rogers will get a shot to win a job in the slot with freshman DeAnthony Arnett pushing him for playing time. Mychal Rivera is going to start at tight end, his sister is on ‘Glee,’ if anyone cares.

The most solid unit on the team is the offensive line, lead by junior Dallas Thomas at left tackle. The rest of the line is sophomores who played a lot of big minutes last season.

Defense

This unit is still of the ball is still a work in progress. The DBs should be good, but the inside game still needs a lot of work.

I would imagine the front four will be Jacques Smith, Maurice Couch, Malik Jackson and Willie Bohannon. All are very talented, but there are some injury concerns and some depth issues.

The linebacker unit seems to be the weakest on the team. Herman Lathers is the LB Tennessee has and he is out until at least the Buffalo game. Austin Johnson, Greg King and Daryl Vereen will really have to step it up. Curt Maggitt and A.J. Johnson are two freshman that could see a lot of time early.

Tennessee is very deep in the secondary. Brent Brewer and Janzen Jackson will start at safety, they might be the hardest hitting safeties Tennessee has had in a decade. Anthony Anderson, Prentiss Waggner and Justin Coleman will all get lots of time on the field.

Special Teams

This is another unit of concern for Tennessee. Michael Palardy will be the place kicker and maybe the punter if Matt Darr doesn’t play well.

Schedule

Tennessee opens with Montana and then hosts Cincinnati and probably will be undefeated going to Gainesville. October starts off with Buffalo then gets difficult with UGA, LSU, at Bama and South Carolina. Tennessee closes with MTSU, at Arkansas, Vandy and at Kentucky.

I think the likely wins are Montana, Cincinnati, Buffalo, MTSU, Vandy and Kentucky.

I think the Vols sneak up on two of Florida, UGA, LSU, Carolina or Arkansas. I’ll say Florida and LSU.

I don’t see the Vols beating Bama in Tuscaloosa. 8-4 would probably sent them to the Cotton Bowl or the Outback Bowl. A nine win season isn’t improbable and would net a lot of big praise on Dooley. This team could easily go anywhere from 6-7 to 10-3 and win the SEC East (which is wide open). In reality, Tennessee is probably still a year away from being a legitimate contender in the East.

– Smitty