It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s right, the heart of the SEC football schedule is upon us. This Saturday, October 4 has put Mississippi football squarely in the national spotlight with 4 undefeated and top 12 nationally ranked teams playing in state. In addition, ESPN Gameday is broadcasting from the Grove in Oxford and SEC Nation from the Junction in Starkvegas. It will be an interesting and exciting day to see if the hype was justified. A third of the way through the season, I believe all 7 teams in the SEC West are among the top 25 teams in the nation. However, I realize that they are about to begin “cannibalizing” themselves and will not finish that way in the end. Simply put, every SEC West team is capable of beating another on any given day. You better bring your “A game” every time you step on the field or you will lose. It is absolutely brutal trying to negotiate those 6 SEC West games for each opponent. It is likely no SEC West team goes undefeated. Also, the days of low scoring, single digit games seem to be gone. Everybody in the SEC West puts up points these days and there seems to be no overwhelmingly dominant defense. For what it’s worth, here is my take on each SEC West team thus far: Alabama - Bama is Bama as usual. Loaded with talented players. Offense has been especially impressive. QB has been surprisingly good, but still unproven. The question is will Lane Kiffin, probably the most despised coach in the SEC, do or say something to cause the Tide to implode. So far Saban has been singing his praises and kept a gag on him and his play calling has been great. What will happen in the big games? Incredible talent at RB and receiver. Lots of athletes on defense. Auburn – Gus Malzahn is one of the best offensive coaches in America. Auburn is gonna score points. Ellis Johnson is a horrible head coach (right USM fans?) but an excellent Defensive Coordinator and the Auburn D is probably improved over last year. Auburn had a charmed season a year ago with multiple last second (got a second Bama fans?) wins. They may be as good or better this year, but will the breaks go their way? Texas A&M – A monster has emerged from the republic of Texas where everything is bigger. The Aggies have thrown gazillions of dollars at their football facilities. They are dominating recruiting in Texas. Sumlin is an offensive guru who has never been held to single digits in a game as a head coach. They should get enough athletes to be good on defense eventually. The Aggies should be a fixture in the top 10 for many years and a consistent threat to win the national championship, but not this year. Arkansas – I must admit, I have always been envious of my Hog friends, as everyone in the entire state roots for the pigs. On the other hand, they miss out on the 365 days a year in state rivalries that divides households, churches, workplaces etc. with football allegiances and the constant ribbing back and forth that exists in Alabama and Mississippi. Arkansas is following the Bielema Wisconsin blueprint with the best ground game in the conference led by the biggest offensive line in the universe and a stable of stud RBs. However, right now they are no threat in must pass situations. They will need to recruit QBs and WRs and develop some type of passing threat in my opinion for sustainable success in the future. LSU – This year, the consistent massive early exits to the NFL draft have caught up a bit with the Tigers. They are loaded with young talent and continue to recruit at a very high level. The Tigers will continue to be very good for a long time, but may have a down year by their standards. Brandon Harris may give them a spark this year as he develops at QB. So far, the touted OL has disappointed and the DL is young due to all the early exits to the NFL. They still can win on any given Saturday. It is always interesting to hear what Les has to say or to figure out what he did say after eating his grass. Mississippi – Coach Hugh Freeze continues to win recruiting accolades and press conferences. Some of it is showing up on the field. The defense seems to be legit this year and one of the best in the conference, especially against the pass. Freeze is an offensive coach. Big questions are the running game and the fact that Bo is gonna Bo. The good Bo can be really good and the bad Bo can be really good for the opponent. Will be very interesting to see what happens as the Tide rolls in. Mississippi State – Coach Dan Mullen in his 6th season is seeing the fruit of his philosophy of recruiting under valued athletes from Mississippi as well as Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. The core of this team consists of players who were terrific raw athletes that needed development and were passed over by their in state schools. Players like Dak Prescott, Josh Robinson, DeRunnya Wilson, Jameon Lewis, Preston Smith, Benardrick McKinney, Taveze Calhoun, etc. were all 2 or 3 star recruits who are now outstanding players. Ms. State has many recruiting disadvantages when compared to our fellow SEC West teams so it must continue to be a player development program that thrives on toughness and hard work. Mullen needs a dual threat QB for his offense to be effective and finally has one with some Tebow esque qualities. Dak and Josh Robinson have both had incredible seasons so far, and must stay healthy and continue their success to have a great season. The schedule is favorable this year, if it can be, with our SEC East opponents being Vandy and Kentucky. The pass defense has given up a lot of big plays which is troubling and the place kicking is suspect. Hoping things will continue to develop into a special season. These next 2 Saturdays in Starkvegas with A&M and Auburn coming to town, will speak volumes about whether this year can be pretty good or possibly something very special. What say you college football fans? Let me hear your thoughts on your team and others. Smack talk away if you wish.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 19:51:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015