2013 Southeastern Conference Preview

2013 Southeastern Conference Preview

 

Today, we conclude our college conference previews.  To some, it could be thought that we begin our professional football previews.  The SEC is in a league by itself, Bob Stoops’ opinion notwithstanding.  There have been seasons in the past where an undefeated team from the SEC failed to receive the opportunity to play for the national championship, but those days are long gone.  With one final year remaining in the BCS Bowl alignment, the SEC will try to produce the national champion for the eighth consecutive season.  Alabama owns three of those previous seven championships, including the last two.  No team has ever officially won three consecutive national championships, and the Tide is a heavy favorite to run the table with a memorable season similar to 1992 and 1979.

 

Alabama will be favored in every game this season, but running the table in this league is not much different than running the table in the NFL.  In actuality, five league teams could compete for the national title.  Thus, we shall pick no team to run the table in the SEC.  The only thing that could prevent the SEC from winning that eighth consecutive title is not getting the opportunity to play for it.  Can a 12-1 SEC champion skip over an undefeated team from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12?  This could be the year where the SEC champ sits in that situation.  Alabama could go 12-1 and have to settle for the Sugar Bowl, because we believe at least two teams from the other power conferences will run the table.

 

Concerning the Tide, Coach Nick Saban cannot automatically inscribe his team’s name on the trophy.  There are spots on both sides of the ball that need new starters.  Yes, this powerhouse reloads rather than rebuilds, but it leaves the Crimson Tide with a couple of liabilities that can be exploited.  One of those new starters that will step in without the team missing a beat is running back T. J. Yeldon.  Yeldon averaged 6.3 yards per rush as the key backup last year, and he showed the nation what he could do in the opener against Michigan

 

Yeldon will draw in defenses for quarterback A. J. McCarron to exploit through the vertical passing game.  McCarron reminds us a lot of another QB that once wore crimson—Bart Starr.  Starr played in an era where Johnny Unitas and Sonny Jurgensen produced the gaudy stats, but Starr was the one cashing the most championship checks.  McCarron actually had a higher passing efficiency than the two top stars at Georgia and Texas A&M.  He completed 67+% of his passes for an average of 9.3 yards per attempt and with 30 TDs to 3 Int.  Those numbers are more than adequate to be considered a top Heisman Trophy candidate.

 

McCarron has most of his receiving targets coming back, including Amari Cooper and his 1,000 receiving yards.

 

On defense, Alabama takes a back seat to nobody, except maybe the Baltimore Ravens.  There are holes to plug in the secondary and in the interior line, but ‘Bama’s second teamers would still go 9-3 if they were a separate team, so the new starters will be much better than average.

 

There are three Western Division teams capable of upsetting the Tide on a given Saturday.  LSU must replace a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but the Tigers start a lot of juniors and seniors.  The underclassmen still get a good deal of experience, so don’t expect much regression in Baton Rouge.

 

Coach Les Miles has an offense that will be potent this year.  Quarterback Zach Mettenberger may be no better than third or fourth best in the division, but he has a chance to play at the next level.  Running backs Jeremy Hill and Kenny Hillard will combine for 1,200-1,500 yards and 20-25 touchdowns.  Almost all the pass catchers return, and the offensive line has four starters that should play for pay in a couple years.

 

According to our preseason ratings, the Ole Miss Rebels are the most improved team in the nation this season.  Second year coach Hugh Freeze surprised fans across the South when he guided the Rebels to a bowl game in his first season, following a disastrous 2-10 mark the year before.  There is a chance Ole Miss could sneak into division title contention if the defensive backfield can improve enough.

 

Freeze welcomes back 19 starters and adds the best recruiting class seen in Oxford since the days of Johnny Vaught.  If it were not for a brutal schedule that finds the Rebels playing at Texas, and at Alabama in back-to-back games, we would forecast a BCS At-large Bowl Bid for this team.  Quarterback Bo Wallace should improve upon his 2012 numbers (63.9%/2,994 yds/22 TD/17 Int.) with a year of experience in Freeze’s no-huddle offense.  Keep an eye on receiver Donte Moncrief, as we believe he is on the cusp of a major breakout season with 85-90 receptions for 1,200 yards.

 

Texas A&M is one of two teams in limbo as the season approaches.  Quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel has made headlines and could be looking at a suspension for selling autographs.  Even if he plays, we do not believe he has the wherewithal or fortitude to lead his team.  A swollen head rarely performs at peak performance, and it is our opinion that he will not replicate his big statistics of last season.  While our ratings do not factor this belief, they will factor the loss in rating if he cannot play.  Manziel’s loss would cost the Aggies roughly 9.4 points per game.  For now, A&M gets these 9.4 points.

 

Two Western Division schools introduce new coaches to the league in 2013, and both of the pair know how to coach and get positive results.

 

Gus Malzahn takes over at Auburn after guiding Arkansas St. to a conference title.  The Tigers dropped off a mountain in the two years following their national championship, and the Tigers lost their last two Iron Bowl games to their rival by a combined score of 91-14.  Malzahn should immediately produce results in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but the War Eagles have way too much ground to make up in one year and will probably come up short at least one times too many for bowl eligibility.

 

Bret Bielema has landed at Arkansas after doing yeoman’s work at Wisconsin.  He brings a power running game philosophy with big passing targets at the tight end position.  It will take him a couple seasons to create a new mold, as this team was built for the quick passing game.  Year one should see another losing mark in Fayetteville.

 

Mississippi St. began 2012 with seven consecutive wins, but none of those victories came at the expense of a bowl team.  A closing schedule of Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss saw the Bulldogs go 1-4, yielding 38.5 points in the four losses.  In the Gator Bowl, MSU lost to Northwestern to make it a 1-5 finish.  It would not surprise us one bit if the Bulldogs lose eight games this year, even though our ratings call for a .500 season.

 

The Eastern Division has not won a conference championship since Tim Tebow led Florida to the 2008 national title.  Last year, Georgia came very close to pulling the upset over Alabama in the title game.  That team was really good, but this team should be even better.  Georgia may actually have the best chance of going 12-0 before the conference title game, but we figure that with a schedule that includes Clemson, South Carolina, LSU, and Florida, as well as Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs will stumble at least once.

 

Aaron Murray must be considered a Heisman Trophy contender.  After all, he was voted as the preseason number one QB by the coaches’ poll ahead of McCarron and Johnny Football.  Last year, he completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,893 yards and an average per attempt of 10.1 yards!  Usually, a double-digit ypa means an option qb threw 60 passes for 600 yards.  No, Murray attempted 386 passes.

 

A couple of high quality receivers are no longer around for Murray, but he still has Malcolm Mitchell and big tight end Arthur Lynch.

 

What makes the Bulldogs so deadly on offense is the running game.  It used to be that teams ran to set up the pass, but Georgia can do it in reverse.  If defenses don’t plan to stop Murray’s downfield passing attack, they are committing suicide.  Thus, putting eight in the box is like playing Russian Roulette with only one empty chamber in the firearm.  Backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall teamed for 2,144 yards and 25 scores on the ground in 2012.  It’s pick your poison if you are an enemy defensive coordinator.

 

Now add to the equation the fact that the entire starting offensive line returns, and Georgia fans can expect their team to average 40-45 points and gain 475 to 500 yards per game.

 

The only possible impediment that could keep the Bulldogs from repeating as Eastern champs is a defense that is a bit too generous and must break in a host of new starters.  Alabama torched the ‘Dogs for 512 yards.  Tennessee gained 478.  Nebraska gained 443, and yet UGA won two of these contests.

 

Added to the defensive woes for this season are the losses of Alec Ogletree, Shawn Williams, Jarivs Jones, and Bacarri Rambo, the top four tacklers from a year ago.

 

If Georgia does not win the Eastern Division flag, South Carolina should.  The “Ole Ball Coach” has guided the Gamecocks to consecutive 11-2 seasons, and Steve Spurrier welcomes back enough talent to compete for another 11-win season.  Like Georgia, USC lost a considerable amount of talent on the defensive side, but The Gamecocks have one very big advantage.  They have the best defensive player in college football returning to the defensive flank.  Jadeveon Clowney has no peer at defensive end.  A year ago, the behemoth made headlines for a bone-shattering tackle in the offensive backfield at the Outback bowl, but take a look at his stats, as they are even more eye-popping.  He recorded a league best 23.5 total tackles for loss with 13 sacks.  The SEC routinely has the most NFL-caliber offensive tackles in the nation, and still Clowney could not be contained.  Opponents can eliminate him only by running to the opposite flank.

 

The Carolina offense returns its key contributor for the ninth year in a row.  Spurrier runs the offense much like Tom Landry ran the Dallas Cowboys’ offense for close to three decades.  You can always count on USC to average about 380-400 yards per game and 31-35 points per game.

 

Florida has too much of a rebuilding project this year to be a serious contender in the division, but the Gators have the talent to beat out everybody else for third place.  Jeff Driskel plays in virtual anonymity in a league with so many star signal callers, but he has an NFL arm.  Unfortunately, this year, he does not have the same quality of receivers as last year.  To add to the troubles, the Gators must replace Mike Gillislee at running back.

 

There are more holes on the defensive side of the ball as five of the top six tacklers from last year are gone.

 

After Florida, the next three spots are up for grabs.  Missouri, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt will jostle for the four, five, and six spots.

 

Tennessee welcomes Butch Jones as its new coach.  We believe of the four new coaches to enter the league, Jones will have the most success in year one, as he inherits a team that underperformed greatly in 2012.

 

The offense must break in a new quarterback, and that man figures to be Justin Worley.  Worley benefits by enjoying the best offensive line in the league if not in the entire nation.  The Vols are especially talented inside, and that should bode well for their running back tandem of Marlin Lane and Rajion Neal.  This duo teamed for 1,366 yards, and it is likely that they will move that number north of 1,750 yards this year.

 

Part of the reason for the bump in rushing yards is due to the fact that Tennessee lost two receivers that heard their names called early in the 2013 NFL Draft.  The Vols do not have a receiver on this year’s roster that can equal Justin Hunter and Cordarelle Patterson.

 

Tennessee played matador defense last year, giving up more points and total yards (428 pts/5,666 yards) than any stop unit in school history.  We have a suspicion that having Jones on the sidelines will be worth at least seven points improvement per game on this side of the ball.  If so, look for the Big Orange to return to a minor bowl this year.

 

Vanderbilt is coming off its most successful season since 1948 and first nine-win season since World War I.  Third year coach James Franklin is a hot commodity and has already turned down offers to coach elsewhere.  He has simply led the Commodores to bowl games in consecutive seasons and just signed the best recruiting class in Vandyland since the days of Coach Henry “Red” Sanders.

 

Vanderbilt suffered a major black eye in July, and the wound is still oozing.  Four players were dismissed from school and later indicted for an alleged rape on an unconscious student.  A fifth player has since been indicted for alleged evidence tampering.  The other four had never played for the Commodores, but one of those involved was expected to compete for a starting spot this year and had NFL potential.

 

However, that fifth player was one of the top players on the team.  Chris Boyd was suspended with less than two weeks to go before the opening game, and that leaves the black and gold in a bind.  Boyd would have teamed with Jordan Matthews to form the best two-man receiving punch in the league.  Without Boyd, Matthews figures to see a lot of extra attention from pass defenders.  His catch total might actually go up, but his yards per catch is headed south.

 

Austyn Carta-Samuels takes over for Jordan Rodgers at quarterback.  Carta-Samuels has prior starting experience at Wyoming, but the SEC and the Mountain West are not comparable.  Also missing from the offense is all-time leading rusher Zac Stacy, who rushed for 1,141 yards and 10 TDs last year.

 

The defense should be as talented this year as last, but the offense may force it to stay on the field a bit longer.  The secondary is very talented with two players capable of becoming NFL draft picks.  Andre Hal and Kenny Ladler combined for four interceptions and 19 Passes Defended.

 

Missouri was on course for a rather decent first season in the SEC until star quarterback James Franklin went down with an injury in October.  Three close losses followed, and the Tigers finished 5-7.  Franklin returns for one final season, and MU has the pieces in place to reverse that record and head back to a bowl in 2013.

 

Kentucky has a lot of ground to make up before the Wildcats can compete for sixth in the Eastern Division.  New coach Mark Stoops has already received commitments that would make this next recruiting class one of the best ever in Lexington, but the only thing Wildcat fans can look forward to this fall is the commencing of basketball practice in mid-October.  The Cats could very well go 0-8 in league play for the second year running.

 

New Teams: None

 

Departures: None

 

Pre-season PiRate Ratings

Southeastern Conference
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	PiRate	Mean	Bias
Georgia	0-0	0-0	121.4	117.4	121.7
South Carolina	0-0	0-0	119.8	116.7	119.5
Florida	0-0	0-0	117.8	113.3	116.0
Missouri	0-0	0-0	114.1	109.7	112.9
Vanderbilt	0-0	0-0	109.8	106.8	109.2
Tennessee	0-0	0-0	107.6	107.5	107.2
Kentucky	0-0	0-0	100.0	100.9	98.1
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	PiRate	Mean	Bias
Alabama	0-0	0-0	132.9	123.9	133.7
Ole Miss	0-0	0-0	122.0	117.2	122.0
Texas A&M	0-0	0-0	122.0	114.7	121.9
L S U	0-0	0-0	120.2	117.3	120.6
Mississippi St.	0-0	0-0	109.2	109.6	109.3
Auburn	0-0	0-0	105.5	103.5	103.9
Arkansas	0-0	0-0	101.7	107.3	99.8
League Averages			114.6	111.8	114.0

 

 

Official SEC Preseason Media Poll

 

Pos	Team	Points	1st Place
Eastern Division
1	Georgia	1570	149
2	South Carolina	1474	75
3	Florida	1300	19
4	Vanderbilt	858	0
5	Tennessee	694	0
6	Missouri	577	0
7	Kentucky	331	0
Pos	Team	Points	1st Place
Western Division
1	Alabama	1681	225
2	Texas A&M	1333	11
3	L S U	1324	7
4	Ole Miss	883	0
5	Auburn	579	0
6	Mississippi St.	516	0
7	Arkansas	488	0
Picks To Win SEC Championship
1	Alabama		182
2	Georgia		38
3	South Carolina		18
4	Texas A&M		4
5	L S U		1

 

Official Media SEC Preseason All-SEC Teams

OFFENSE
First-Team
Pos	Player	Team
QB	Johnny Manziel	Texas A&M
RB	T. J. Yeldon	Alabama
RB	Todd Gurley	Georgia
WR	Amari Cooper	Alabama
WR	Jordan Matthews	Vanderbilt
TE	Arthur Lynch	Georgia
OL	Cyrus Kouandjio	Alabama
OL	Jake Matthews	Texas A&M
OL	Anthony Steen	Alabama
OL	Gabe Jackson	Mississippi St.
OL	Travis Swanson	Arkansas
Second-Team
Pos	Player	Team
QB	A. J. McCarron	Alabama
RB	Tre Mason	Auburn
RB	LaDarius Perkins	Mississippi St.
RB	Keith Marshall	Georgia
WR	Donte Moncrief	Ole Miss
WR	Mike Evans	Texas A&M
TE	Rory Anderson	South Carolina
OL	Antonio Richardson	Tennessee
OL	Jon Halapio	Florida
OL	Chris Burnette	Georgia
OL	JaWuan James	Tennessee
OL	Reese Dismukes	Auburn
Third-Team
Pos	Player	Team
QB	Aaron Murray	Georgia
RB	Matt Jones	Florida
RB	Jeff Scott	Ole Miss
RB	Alfred Blue	L S U
WR	Malcolm Mitchell	Georgia
WR	Jarvis Landry	L S U
TE	Brian Vogler	Alabama
OL	La’el Collins	L S U
OL	Josh Williford	L S U
OL	Wesley Johnson	Vanderbilt
OL	A. J. Cann	South Carolina
OL	Zach Fulton	Tennessee
OL	James Stone	Tennessee
OL	Jonotthan Harrison	Florida
DEFENSE
First-Team
Pos	Player	Team
DL	Jadeveon Clowney	South Carolina
DL	Dominique Easley	Florida
DL	Anthony Johnson	L S U
DL	Chris Smith	Arkansas
LB	C. J. Mosley	Alabama
LB	A. J. Johnson	Tennessee
LB	Denzel Nkemdiche	Ole Miss
DB	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	Alabama
DB	Craig Loston	L S U
DB	Loucheiz Purifoy	Florida
DB	Deion Belue	Alabama
Second-Team
Pos	Player	Team
DL	Xzavier Dickson	Alabama
DL	Ed Stinson	Alabama
DL	Dee Ford	Auburn
DL	Jeoffrey Pagan	Alabama
LB	Adrian Hubbard	Alabama
LB	Jordan Jenkins	Georgia
LB	Lamin Barrow	L S U
DB	Damian Swann	Georgia
DB	Andre Hal	Vanderbilt
DB	Marcus Roberson	Florida
DB	Vinnie Sunseri	Alabama
Third-Team
Pos	Player	Team
DL	Garrison Smith	Georgia
DL	Daniel McCullers	Tennessee
DL	Alvin Dupree	Kentucky
DL	C. J. Johnson	Ole Miss
LB	Ronald Powell	Florida
LB	Tahj Jones	L S U
LB	Trey DePriest	Alabama
LB	Avery Williamson	Kentucky
DB	E. J. Gaines	Missouri
DB	Charles Sawyer	Ole Miss
DB	Jalen Mills	L S U
DB	Chris Davis	Auburn
SPECIALISTS
First-Team
Pos	Player	Team
P	Kyle Christy	Florida
K	Carey Spear	Vanderbilt
Ret	Odell Beckham, Jr.	L S U
All-Purp	Bruce Ellington	South Carolina
Second-Team
Pos	Player	Team
P	Cody Mandell	Alabama
K	Cody Parkey	Auburn
Ret	Bruce Ellington	South Carolina
All-Purp	Odell Beckham, Jr.	L S U
Third-Team
Pos	Player	Team
P	Steven Clark	Auburn
K	Zach Hocker	Arkansas
Ret	Andre Debose	Florida
All-Purp	Loucheiz Purifoy	Florida

 

 

PiRate Ratings Summary

 

About Grades

93-100         A+

86-92           A

79-85           A-

72-78           B+

65-71           B

58-64           B-

51-57           C+

44-50           C

37-43           C-

30-36           D

0-29             F

 

About Predictions

Predictions are based on the PiRate Ratings with home field advantage factored in.  The PiRate Ratings use different home field advantages for every game, since the opponent factors into the equation.

 

Eastern Division   Team Florida Gators                 Head Coach Will Muschamp                 Colors Orange and Blue                 City Gainesville, FL                 2012 Record               Conference 7-1 Overall 11-2                 Grades               Run Offense 86 Pass Offense 76 Run Defense 87 Pass Defense 84                 Ratings               PiRate 117.8 Mean 113.3 Bias 116.0                 Rankings               PiRate 14 Mean 18 Bias 19                 Prediction               Conference 5-3 Overall 8-4     Team Georgia Bulldogs                 Head Coach Mark Richt                 Colors Red and Black                 City Athens, GA                 2012 Record               Conference 7-1 (lost in SEC Champ. Game) Overall 12-2                 Grades               Run Offense 94 Pass Offense 97 Run Defense 80 Pass Defense 75                 Ratings               PiRate 121.4 Mean 117.4 Bias 121.7                 Rankings               PiRate 9 Mean 3 Bias 8                 Prediction               Conference 7-1 (lose in SEC Champ. Game) Overall 11-2     Team Kentucky Wildcats                 Head Coach Mark Stoops                 Colors Blue and White                 City Lexington, KY                 2012 Record               Conference 0-8 Overall 2-10                 Grades               Run Offense 61 Pass Offense 70 Run Defense 69 Pass Defense 60                 Ratings               PiRate 100.0 Mean 100.9 Bias 98.1                 Rankings               PiRate 57 Mean 59 Bias 71                 Prediction               Conference 0-8 Overall 3-9     Team Missouri Tigers                 Head Coach Gary Pinkel                 Colors Black and Gold                 City Columbia, MO                 2012 Record               Conference 2-6 Overall 5-7                 Grades               Run Offense 77 Pass Offense 92 Run Defense 76 Pass Defense 70                 Ratings               PiRate 114.1 Mean 109.7 Bias 112.9                 Rankings               PiRate 30 Mean 30 Bias 31                 Prediction               Conference 3-5 Overall 7-5     Team South Carolina Gamecocks                 Head Coach Steve Spurrier                 Colors Garnet and Black                 City Columbia, SC                 2012 Record               Conference 6-2 Overall 11-2                 Grades               Run Offense 72 Pass Offense 92 Run Defense 89 Pass Defense 84                 Ratings               PiRate 119.8 Mean 116.7 Bias 119.5                 Rankings               PiRate 12 Mean 6 Bias 12                 Prediction               Conference 7-1 Overall 11-1     Team Tennessee Volunteers                 Head Coach Butch Jones                 Colors Orange and White                 City Knoxville, TN                 2012 Record               Conference 1-7 Overall 5-7                 Grades               Run Offense 79 Pass Offense 74 Run Defense 73 Pass Defense 66                 Ratings               PiRate 107.6 Mean 107.5 Bias 107.2                 Rankings               PiRate 40 Mean 37 Bias 41                 Prediction               Conference 3-5 Overall 6-6     Team Vanderbilt Commodores                 Head Coach James Franklin                 Colors Black and Gold                 City Nashville                 2012 Record               Conference 5-3 Overall 9-4                 Grades               Run Offense 75 Pass Offense 72 Run Defense 70 Pass Defense 81                 Ratings               PiRate 109.8 Mean 106.8 Bias 109.2                 Rankings               PiRate 37 Mean 39 Bias 38                 Prediction               Conference 2-6 Overall 6-6     Western Division									Utah Utes
Team	Alabama Crimson Tide
Head Coach	Nick Saban
Colors	Crimson and White
City	Tuscaloosa, AL
2012 Record
Conference	7-1
Overall	13-1
Grades
Run Offense	98
Pass Offense	97
Run Defense	100
Pass Defense	97
Ratings
PiRate	132.9
Mean	123.9
Bias	133.7
Rankings
PiRate	1
Mean	1
Bias	1
Prediction
Conference	7-1
Overall	12-1

 

 

Team	Arkansas Razorbacks
Head Coach	Bret Bielema
Colors	Cardinal and White
City	Fayetteville, AR
2012 Record
Conference	2-6
Overall	4-8
Grades
Run Offense	70
Pass Offense	66
Run Defense	80
Pass Defense	55
Ratings
PiRate	101.7
Mean	107.3
Bias	99.8
Rankings
PiRate	50
Mean	38
Bias	59
Prediction
Conference	1-7
Overall	5-7

 

 

Team	Auburn Tigers
Head Coach	Gus Malzahn
Colors	Burnt Orange and Navy
City	Auburn, AL
2012 Record
Conference	0-8
Overall	3-9
Grades
Run Offense	69
Pass Offense	72
Run Defense	68
Pass Defense	72
Ratings
PiRate	105.5
Mean	103.5
Bias	103.9
Rankings
PiRate	43
Mean	45
Bias	44
Prediction
Conference	1-7
Overall	5-7

 

 

Team	L S U Tigers
Head Coach	Les Miles
Colors	Purple and Gold
City	Baton Rouge, LA
2012 Record
Conference	6-2
Overall	10-3
Grades
Run Offense	90
Pass Offense	88
Run Defense	85
Pass Defense	79
Ratings
PiRate	120.2
Mean	117.3
Bias	120.6
Rankings
PiRate	11
Mean	4
Bias	9
Prediction
Conference	6-2
Overall	10-2

 

 

Team	Ole Miss Rebels
Head Coach	Hugh Freeze
Colors	Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue
City	Oxford, MS
2012 Record
Conference	3-5
Overall	7-6
Grades
Run Offense	88
Pass Offense	93
Run Defense	90
Pass Defense	78
Ratings
PiRate	122.0
Mean	117.2
Bias	122.0
Rankings
PiRate	7
Mean	5
Bias	6
Prediction
Conference	6-2
Overall	9-3

 

 

Team	Mississippi St. Bulldogs
Head Coach	Dan Mullen
Colors	Maroon and White
City	Starkville, MS
2012 Record
Conference	4-4
Overall	8-5
Grades
Run Offense	75
Pass Offense	73
Run Defense	82
Pass Defense	69
Ratings
PiRate	109.2
Mean	109.6
Bias	109.3
Rankings
PiRate	38
Mean	31
Bias	37
Prediction
Conference	3-5
Overall	6-6

 

 

Team	Texas A&M Aggies
Head Coach	Kevin Sumlin
Colors	Maroon and White
City	College Station, TX
2012 Record
Conference	6-2
Overall	10-3
Grades
Run Offense	84
Pass Offense	99
Run Defense	78
Pass Defense	84
Ratings
PiRate	122.0
Mean	114.7
Bias	121.9
Rankings
PiRate	6
Mean	12
Bias	7
Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	9-3

 

 

This closes the college football conference previews.  Beginning Monday, we commence with our NFL previews.  Additionally, on Tuesday, we will publish our regular weekly college ratings and spreads for week one of the FBS season.

2010 Southeastern Conference Football Preview

Go to www.piratings.webs.com where we beat the spread 60.4% in 2009!

 

2010 Southeastern Conference Preview

We close out the conference previews with a look at the biggie.  The SEC has produced the last four national champions and five in the past decade, compared to two from the Big 12, one from the Big Ten, one from the Pac-10, and one from the Big East.  Not since Georgia in 2005 has the SEC Champion not played in the BCS National Championship Game.

We are going to predict this trend ends this season, but not without a lot of controversy.  We believe the SEC Champion, like all the other five BCS Conference champions will lose at least one game.  As we have stated in earlier previews, we believe both Boise State and TCU will win all their games and meet in Glendale for the rubber match bowl game.

One coach finds himself on a hot seat that he may not be able to cool down.  One coach is on a mildly warm seat due to fans that have ridiculously high and impossible standards.  One coach may want to hang it up at the end of this year after many years in the business.  One coach already decided to get out, leaving just before August practices began.  It is possible that four jobs in the elite conference will be available after the season. 

Note: The PiRate Ratings are not meant to be used to predict the outcome of future games.  They are usable only as a basis for the current week’s games.  We do not use these ratings to make our selections.  They are only a starting point.  The predictions given below, as for every college conference and NFL division, are not taken from the ratings themselves.

Predictions

Pos	East	SEC	W-L
1	Florida	7-1	11-2
2	South Carolina	5-3	8-4
3	Georgia	5-3	9-3
4	Kentucky	2-6	6-6
5	Tennessee	1-7	4-8
6	Vanderbilt	0-8	1-11
Pos	West	SEC	W-L
1	Alabama	7-1	12-1
2	Auburn	5-3	9-3
3	Arkansas	5-3	9-3
4	L S U	4-4	7-5
5	Ole Miss	4-4	8-4
6	Mississippi State	3-5	6-6

 

SEC Championship Game: Alabama over Florida

 

BCS Bowl (Sugar): Alabama

BCS Bowl: Florida

Capital One Bowl: Auburn

Outback Bowl: Georgia

Cotton Bowl: Arkansas

Chick-fil-A Bowl: South Carolina

Gator Bowl: L S U

Music City Bowl: Mississippi State

Liberty Bowl: Ole Miss

PapaJohns.com Bowl: Kentucky

 

 

Team By Team Breakdown

S E C  East

Team	Florida Gators
Head Coach	Urban Meyer
Colors	Blue and Orange
City	Gainesville, FL
2009 Record
Conference	8-0
Overall	13-1
PiRate Rating	121.4
National Rating	10
2010 Prediction
Conference	7-1
Overall	11-2
Strengths:	QB, RB, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, LB, DB, Special Teams
Weaknesses:	Receiver (small weakness)
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Miami (O), South Florida, Appalachian State, @ Florida State
Key Games:	@ Alabama, LSU, Georgia (n), South Carolina
Offense Pred.	28-32 points & 375-400 yards
Defense Pred.	15-19 points & 275-300 yards
Outlook

The Gators went 13-1 last year, and it was considered a major disappointment.  The team that returned almost every starter from a national championship was expected to go 14-0 and become the next 2001 Miami, 1995 Nebraska, 1971 Nebraska, and 1945 Army in college football.

 

Head Coach Urban Meyer briefly stepped down only to come back a few days later.  Unfortunately, Tim Tebow, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez, Ryan Stamper, Joe Haden, Brandon Spikes, Dustin Doe, and Carlos Dunlap don’t have the option of coming back.  The Gators lost nine players to the NFL.  How can they possibly still be considered the top contender in the SEC East?  Simple: they still have the best overall talent in the division.

 

Quarterback John Brantley completed 36 of 48 passes for 410 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions in mop-up situations last year.  Not a real dual-threat runner like Tebow, he will set up in the pocket and throw downfield.  Remember, Meyer won a national title here with Chris Leak doing the same thing.

 

Brantley has fewer weapons at his disposal than Tebow had.  The loss of Cooper and Hernandez (119-1,811/14) leaves Deonte Thompson as the leading holdover.  Thompson will get help from the speedy Andre DeBose and the big-bodied Carl Moore.  Slotback Chris Rainey caught only 10 passes last year, and he will have to quadruple that mark this year for the Gators to be successful.

 

The running game will need more production from real backs, because Brantley will run much less than Tebow.   Rainey will team with Chris Demps and Emmanuel Moody to carry the load.  Expect the trio to top 1,800 rushing yards this year.

 

The offensive line returns four talented blockers, including all-American center Mike Pouncey and 6-5, 360-pound guard Carl Johnson.

 

Losing three defensive players who were drafted in the 1^st two rounds of the NFL Draft and two other players in later rounds, UF will be a little weaker on this side of the ball, but not too much weaker to miss out on a return trip to a BCS Bowl.

 

The Gators have strength at defensive tackle thanks to the return of Omar Hunter and Jaye Howard.  Very few teams will run the ball up the middle against them.  Meyer recruited a lot of grade A d-line talent, and three could see immediate action as true freshmen.  Keep an eye on Ronald Powell and Sharrif Floyd.

 

A.J. Jones is the lone starter returning at linebacker.  Jones plays the run and the pass well, but UF will be weaker in the second line of defense.

 

The secondary will be strong once again with the return of two starters and several talented letterwinners.  Enemy quarterbacks will throw away from cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

 

Florida must play Alabama in the regular season at Tuscaloosa on October 2.  They will probably face the Tide in Atlanta two months later in a rematch game.

Team	Georgia Bulldogs
Head Coach	Mark Richt
Colors	Red and Black
City	Athens, GA
2009 Record
Conference	4-4
Overall	8-5
PiRate Rating	115.5
National Rating	23
2010 Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	9-3
Strengths:	RB, Receiver, Offensive Line ***, Linebacker, Special Teams
Weaknesses:	Quarterback, Defensive Line, Defensive Back
Schedule
Non-Conf:	UL-Lafayette, @ Colorado, Idaho State, Georgia Tech
Key Games:	@ South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida (n), @ Auburn
Offense Pred.	27-31 points & 375-400 yards
Defense Pred.	22-26 points & 350-375 yards
Outlook

It is ridiculous that many Georgia fans want to get rid of Coach Mark Richt, when he just guided the Bulldogs to the most successful decade in their history.  Vince Dooley did not post 10-consecutive seasons as victorious as the decade Richt produced in Athens.  Pay close attention to what happened in Minnesota when Glen Mason was fired.

 

Editorial aside, Georgia has another fine team this season.  10 starters return on the offensive side; the one position that needs to be filled just happens to be at quarterback.  Richt has basically one option here.  Redshirt freshman Aaron Murray has the job from day one, because true freshman Hutson Mason is the only real backup.

 

If Murray is worth his salt as a passer, he will have a lot of weapons at his disposal.  A.J. Green has all-American potential after grabbing 53 passes for 808 yards in an injury-plagued season.  Tavarres King and Orson Charles should both top 40 receptions.  Former quarterback Logan Gray moves to receiver, where he should contribute this year.

 

At running back, Washaun Ealey played in the final nine games and rushed for 717 yards.  Caleb King added 594 yards.  Both have a combination of power and speed and can hit anywhere on the line of scrimmage.

 

The offensive line returns all five starters from last season, and this quintet ranks second nationally to Wisconsin’s line.  Guards Chris Davis and Cordy Glenn make a terrific tandem, and when you throw in center Ben Jones, the Bulldogs will be able to run the ball inside with authority and keep defensive pass rushers from coming up the middle.

 

In the last five seasons, Georgia gave up 16.4, 17.6, 20.2, 24.5, and 25.9 points per game.  This annual deterioration has led to a change at defensive coordinator.  Enter NFL veteran Todd Grantham, and enter the 3-4 defense.

 

We are a bit concerned about the new front three, as nose guard DeAngelo Tyson is not the answer there for a 3-4 front.  Former offensive lineman Justin Anderson may eventually take over in the interior.  At 330 pounds, he is better suited to growing roots over center.

 

If the new defensive line can keep blockers away from the UGa linebackers, the defense will have a chance to improve for the first time in five years.  Watch for Justin Houston to become a fixture in opponents’ backfields.  He could register double figure sacks and 20+ tackles for loss.

 

Brandon Boykin is the only returning starter in the secondary, and there isn’t much experience taking the place of the three departed starters.  Look for the ‘Dogs to give up more passing yards this year.

 

Georgia faced a key game in week two, when they visit South Carolina.  The winner will get a chance to play for the division title later in the season against Florida, while the loser will be out of the race.

Team	Kentucky Wildcats
Head Coach	Joker Phillips
Colors	Royal Blue and White
City	Lexington, KY
2009 Record
Conference	2-6
Overall	7-6
PiRate Rating	101.9
National Rating	55
2010 Prediction
Conference	2-6
Overall	6-6
Strengths:	Receiver, Special Teams, Defensive Back
Weaknesses:	Quarterback, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebacker
Schedule
Non-Conf:	@ Louisville, Western Kentucky, Akron, Chas. Southern
Key Games:	@ Ole Miss, Auburn, South Carolina, @ Miss. St., Vandy, @ Tenn.
Offense Pred.	24-28 points & 300-325 yards
Defense Pred.	23-27 points & 350-375 yards
Outlook

Joker Phillips takes over as head coach in Lexington after directing the Wildcats’ offense.  Kentucky has used intelligent non-conference scheduling to gain bowl eligibility four years in a row.  The trend should continue in Phillips’ first season.

 

This will be a weaker Kentucky team, but the Wildcats will benefit from having the easiest schedule in the league.  They should sweep their four non-SEC foes for the fourth year in a row and win two conference games to make it back to a bowl for the fifth straight year.

 

Phillips has to make a decision at quarterback.  He has senior Mike Hartline and sophomore Morgan Newton as his two main options.  Hartline is a more conservative passer who seldom takes chances.  He’s got a more accurate arm, but he doesn’t have much zip on the ball.  Newton can hum the ball deep and has a quick release, but he doesn’t always put the ball where he aims.  Expect both to play, and redshirt freshman Ryan Mosakowski could see some game time as well.

 

There is another option at quarterback.  Randall Cobb is the Wildcat Offense quarterback, but he is a starting wideout.  Cobb led UK with 39 receptions and 447 yards last year.  He finished second in rushing with 573 yards, and he passed for 89 more.  If the single wing were still in vogue, he would be an all-star tailback.

 

Speaking of tailbacks, Derrick Locke returns after rushing for 907 yards.  Expect Locke to run the ball 200-225 times for more than 1,000 yards this season.

 

Besides the previously mentioned Cobb, Kentucky returns four other receivers that saw considerable action, so whoever ends up in the pocket should have some good targets running routes.

 

The offensive line could be a liability this year, as just one starter returns.  Guard Stuart Hines has all-conference potential, but three of the new starters have seen a lot of action in SEC games.  Don’t expect too many more sacks allowed by this unit.

 

The 2009 UK defense turned out to be outstanding.  Ask Tim Tebow about the pass rush.  This year, the defensive line could even be a bit better.  Ends DeQuin Evans and Taylor Wyndham (the concussion-delivering blow to Tebow) will give the ‘Cats a good pass rush from the outside.  The tackles are not as talented as the ends, and opponents will run the ball up the middle against them.

 

Only one starter returns at linebacker.  Danny Trevathan finished second in tackles last year with 82, and he had five tackles for loss.  Phillips may have some depth issues here, because several expected backups have left.

 

Half of last year’s great secondary returns.  Cornerback Randall Burden intercepted two passes and knocked down eight others.  Safety Winston Guy was an excellent run stuffer, and he broke up five passes.  The pass defense won’t come close to matching last year’s exceptional output (just 48.5% completions allowed), but it will still be quite good.

 

Kentucky has not defeated rival Tennessee since 1984, but we believe this is the season that streak ends.

Team	South Carolina Gamecocks
Head Coach	Steve Spurrier
Colors	Garnet and Black
City	Columbia, SC
2009 Record
Conference	3-5
Overall	7-6
PiRate Rating	121.6
National Rating	9
2010 Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	8-4
Strengths:	Running Back, Receiver, Defensive Back
Weaknesses:	Offensive Line
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Southern Miss, Furman, Troy, @ Clemson
Key Games:	Georgia, @ Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, @ Florida
Offense Pred.	26-30 points & 360-380 yards
Defense Pred.	18-22 points & 300-325 yards
Outlook

It could be now or never for Coach Steve Spurrier in Columbia.  He has enough talent to break through into the top two in the division, if he can get halfway decent production from his quarterbacks.

 

Spurrier tends to eat at his quarterbacks when they don’t play every down like they have the name “Wuerffel” on the back of their jerseys.  He has bad-mouthed two-year starter Stephen Garcia since the end of last season, and it appears he will carry the insults to the opening game.  Garcia passed for 2,862 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, and he scrambled at times when the pocket broke down.  Still, Spurrier is threatening to start true freshman Connor Shaw in the first game.

 

Another true freshman might start from day one and become the best running back the Gamecock’s have had since George Rogers.  Marcus Lattimore is the real deal.  He was the top running back recruit in the nation last year.  Returning starter Kenny Miles and backups Brian Maddox and Jarvis Giles return, so the USC running game may produce the most yards here since Lou Holtz was coaching.

 

The receiving corps welcomes back leading pass catcher Alshon Jeffery, who finished 2009 with 46 receptions for 763 yards and six touchdowns.  He will team with Tori Gurley to form a formidable pair of wideouts.  If tight end Weslye Saunders can improve on his 32 receptions, the Gamecocks are going to be potent on the attack.  Saunders was one of the college stars present at that South Beach agent party, so he could miss some or even all of 2009.

 

The offensive line has played inconsistently the last couple of years, but it should be a team strength this season with four returning starters. 

 

The USC defense gave up just 20 points and 300 yards per game last year, and seven starters return to keep it strong in 2010.  Two starters return to the front four, including all-conference end Cliff Matthews.  Matthews made 47 tackles with seven sacks and three other tackles for loss, and he proved valuable against the pass with three knocked down passes.

 

At linebacker, leading tackler Shaq Wilson returns after making 85 stops last year.  Rodney Paulk returns to the middle linebacker spot after missing two seasons due to injury.  If he is close to 100% after suffering an ACL injury, the Gamecocks will be strong here.

 

The secondary is the strength of the defense.  USC has a top notch pair of cornerbacks in Stephon Gilmore and Chris Culliver.  They broke up 17 passes last year, and they should pick up a couple more interceptions this season.

 

Everything is in place for Spurrier to take USC to the next level.  They have a chance in all eight conference games, as they get to host Alabama and Georgia, and they play Florida in Gainesville in a year where the Gators will have a minor rebuilding season.  If the Gamecocks repeat with a 7-6 season, Spurrier may hang it up.

Team	Tennessee Volunteers
Head Coach	Derek Dooley
Colors	Orange and White
City	Knoxville, TN
2009 Record
Conference	4-4
Overall	7-6
PiRate Rating	101.9
National Rating	54
2010 Prediction
Conference	1-7
Overall	4-8
Strengths:	Receiver
Weaknesses:	Quarterback, Offensive Line, Linebacker, Defensive Back
Schedule
Non-Conf:	UT-Martin, Oregon, UAB, @ Memphis
Key Games:	@LSU, @ Georgia, @ S. Carolina, Ole Miss, @ Vandy, Kentucky
Offense Pred.	16-20 points & 275-300 yards
Defense Pred.	20-24 points & 300-325 yards
Outlook

Welcome to the annual soap opera known as “All My Coaches.”  The Volunteers have their third coach in three seasons and fourth offensive coordinator in four seasons.  Add to this that several players have left and more have suffered injuries, and this is going to be the weakest team on the hill in Knoxville in more than 30 years.

 

The offense starts with a new quarterback that threw for 39 yards in very limited action at Louisville two years ago.  Matt Simms is the son of Phil Simms.  The junior transfer will compete with true freshman Tyler Bray, but whoever winds up as the starter will not come close to matching the stats compiled by departed starter Jonathan Crompton.

 

Three talented receivers will give the new QB a decent chance at having some success against weaker pass defenses.  Wideouts Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore and tight end Luke Stocker teamed up for 115 receptions, 1,609 yards, and 16 touchdowns.  True freshman Justin Hunter could see extensive action.

 

The running game has to start from scratch with the loss of the top two rushers.  Tauren Poole and David Oku are serviceable backs, but neither will threaten to run for 1,000 yards.

 

The weakest unit on the team is the offensive line.  All five starters are gone.  Guard Jarrod Shaw started three games last season, and the rest of this unit has no career starts.

 

This will be the weakest offense at UT since before Doug Dickey’s time as coach in the mid-1960’s.

 

The defense should be better off than the offense, but there are no Reggie White’s or John Henderson’s on this team.  There are also no Eric Berry’s.  Berry finished his career with seven tackles for loss and nine passes defended last season.  The all-American strong safety was the fifth overall pick in the draft.

 

Darren Myles was going to be the new stud of the secondary, but he was dismissed from the team this spring.  Expect opponents to shred this secondary for 200+ passing yards this season.

 

The defensive line took a major hit with injuries, and there will be a problem stopping the run and rushing the passer.  Southern Cal transfer Malik Jackson could see immediate playing time.  Chris Walker will be the lone serious QB sack threat.

 

Tennessee has a similar history to Penn State when it comes to producing linebackers.  They have two fine ones this year who should combine for 100-120 tackles.  LaMarcus Thompson and Nick Reveiz won’t make all-conference teams, but they won’t be liabilities either.

 

Tennessee should win three of their four non-conference games this year, but once conference play begins, the Vols may have to wait to November to get a league win.  Coach Derek Dooley’s first season in Knoxville could produce a 4-8 record.  Since the Vols started playing football in 1902, they have never lost eight games in a season.

Team	Vanderbilt Commodores
Head Coach	Robbie Caldwell
Colors	Black and Gold
City	Nashville, TN
2009 Record
Conference	0-8
Overall	2-10
PiRate Rating	96.1
National Rating	68
2010 Prediction
Conference	0-8
Overall	1-11
Strengths:	Running Back
Weaknesses:	QB, Receiver, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, LB, Defensive Back
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Northwestern, @ Connecticut, Eastern Mich., Wake Forest
Key Games:	@ Ole Miss, @ Kentucky, Tennessee
Offense Pred.	13-16 points & 275-300 yards
Defense Pred.	23-26 points & 375-400 yards
Outlook

Vanderbilt was supposed to contend for another bowl game last year and maybe win as many as eight games with a veteran squad returning from a seven-win season that included a bowl victory.  Instead, the Commodores suffered through numerous injuries and crashed to a 2-10 season.  The offense could not move the ball on Army much less a conference foe.  Vanderbilt averaged just 8.9 points and 234 yards of offense in conference play, numbers not seen in the SEC since the mid-1960’s.

 

To add insult to injury, Bobby Johnson decided in July that he could take no more of this.  He retired, leaving the job to Robbie Caldwell.  Vanderbilt is a team that must stay healthy to have a chance in the SEC, and immediately after practice began, serious injuries put a major crimp in the offense.  It is going to be a long season in Nashville, and the Commodores are going to be underdogs in all but one game.

 

Larry Smith returns at quarterback after suffering through a sophomore slump season that ended in the first quarter of the ninth game.  He will compete with holdovers Jared Funk and Charlie Goro and junior college transfer Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Aaron Rodgers.  We expect Smith to start the opener with Northwestern, but we wouldn’t be surprised if more than one quarterback played in that game.

 

The running back situation appeared to be a team strength until practice began.  Sophomore Warren Norman rushed for 783 yards as a freshman, while fellow freshman Zac Stacy added 478.  Stacy sprained his MCL in practice and is out for the first couple of games.  Backup backs Kennard Reeves and Wesley Tate (younger brother of Golden Tate) are nursing injuries as well, so depth will be an issue here.

 

The Commodores are rather weak at receiver.  There is not a deep ball threat on the roster, and there is only one consistent possession man.  John Cole led the team with just 36 receptions and 382 yards.  Tight end Brandon Barden finished second with 29 catches for 357 yards.  No receiver had more than one touchdown reception.  Expect another year of struggles through the air.

 

The offensive line lost its one all-conference caliber blocker when tackle James Williams was lost to academic difficulties.  One starter returns to the blocking corps–guard Kyle Fischer.

 

This looks like an offense that will possibly score fewer than 10 points per game in conference play for a second consecutive season.

 

The Vanderbilt defense was decent last year, but the offense forced it to defend too many plays, more than 70 to be exact.  Injuries and graduation will make this side of the ball weaker than last year.  Tackle Adam Smotherman tore his ACL in Spring drills, and he will not be 100% at all this season.  He will probably miss some games as well.  End Theron Kadri will become the sack specialist on this team, but we don’t expect Vanderbilt to top 20 sacks with this defense.

 

Chris Marve is an all-conference talent at middle linebacker after leading the Commodores with 121 tackles last year.  He will have two new partners starting with him in the second line of defense.

 

The back line of defense loses its leading pass defender, but cornerback Casey Hayward returns after intercepting two passes and batting away seven others.

 

We cannot see the Commodores breaking through with a conference victory this season.  Vanderbilt’s non-conference schedule is the toughest of any SEC team.  They face Northwestern, Connecticut, and Wake Forest, and we see these opponents defeating the Commodores in close games.  That leaves an October 9 home game with Eastern Michigan as possibly the only chance to pick up a victory.

S E C  WEST

Team	Alabama Crimson Tide
Head Coach	Nick Saban
Colors	Crimson and White
City	Tuscaloosa, AL
2009 Record
Conference	8-0
Overall	14-0
PiRate Rating	126.1
National Rating	2
2010 Prediction
Conference	7-1
Overall	12-1
Strengths:	Quarterback **, Running Back ***, Defensive Line, Linebacker
Weaknesses:	Defensive Back
Schedule
Non-Conf:	San Jose State, Penn State @ Duke, Georgia State
Key Games:	@ Arkansas, Florida, @ S. Carolina, Auburn
Offense Pred.	34-38 points & 400-425 yards
Defense Pred.	15-19 points & 275-300 yards
Outlook

What can the Tide do for an encore?  They had maybe two tough games in their march to a 14-0 record and national championship.  The had the Heisman Trophy winner as well.  How can a team lose nine starters on their defensive side and still be a legitimate contender for another national championship?

 

That’s simple.  When you have a top five recruiting class three years in a row, you have exceptional talent past your two-deep.  There are players on this team that may see no more than a few snaps of game action per year that could be starting for other bowl teams.

 

Let’s start on offense, where the Tide will be tough to slow down.  The second best running attack in college football starts with the best individual back.  Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is back after rushing for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns.  He added 32 receptions for 334 yards and three more scores.  Backup Trent Richardson rushed for 751 yards and eight scores, earning 1^st Team Freshman All-American honors! 

 

Handing the ball off to this dynamic duo is a quarterback that has never lost a game at the college or high school level.  Greg McElroy didn’t get much publicity with Ingram running roughshod over opponents, but he completed better than 60% of his passes for 2,508 yards and 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions.  He could top 3,000 yards this year.

 

McElroy’s receivers are not as talented as the running backs, but they are still quite talented in their own right.  Julio Jones led the Tide with 43 catches, even though he missed the better part of seven games.  Marquis Maze is a deep threat in his own right, and he will see mostly single coverage.

 

The offensive line returns three starters but has several talented newcomers, including redshirt freshman tackle D.J. Fluker, who has all-conference written all over his chest.

 

The defense has some major reloading to do.  13 of the top 16 tacklers are gone, and that number could become 14 of 16. Middle linebacker Dont’a Hightower and strong safety Mark Baron are the only two returning starters, and Hightower only started four times before going down for the season with an ACL injury. 

 

Baron could be a 1^st Team all-American this year.  He led the SEC with 18 passes defended (7 Int./11 PBU).  There is very little experience joining him in the secondary, but there is a lot of raw talent waiting for Coach Nick Saban to mold into the next tough pass defense.

 

Sophomore Nico Johnson made the SEC All-Freshman team last year in limited action, and he will team with Hightower to form a splendid pair at linebacker.

 

The front line could have another major blow.  End Marcell Dareus, a sack machine, may be declared ineligible for part or all of the season for his attendance at the South Beach agent party.

 

Alabama will give up more points and yards this year, but they will still finish in the top 20 in the nation in total defense.

 

The schedule is really tough for all SEC West teams this year, as every team could easily be bowl eligible.  Throw in a game with Florida, and it doesn’t look possible for a third consecutive undefeated regular season.  Call it a one-loss year and trip to the Sugar Bowl.

Team	Arkansas Razorbacks
Head Coach	Bobby Petrino
Colors	Cardinal and White
City	Fayetteville, AR
2009 Record
Conference	3-5
Overall	8-5
PiRate Rating	124.9
National Rating	4
2010 Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	9-3
Strengths:	Quarterback ***, Receiver
Weaknesses:	Defensive Line
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Tenn. Tech, UL-Monroe, Texas A&M (n), UTEP
Key Games:	@ Georgia, Alabama, @ Auburn, Ole Miss, @ S.Car, LSU
Offense Pred.	40-44 points and 450-475 yards
Defense Pred.	24-28 points & 375-400 yards
Outlook

Arkansas has half of the best team in the nation.  Their offense is unrivaled by any team.  They may not finish atop the total offense and scoring offense statistics, but the teams that beat them out won’t play SEC defenses.  If the Razorbacks played a CUSA schedule, they might average close to 55 points per game this year.

 

Ryan Mallett is the best quarterback in the SEC and one of the five best in the nation.  Last year, he passed for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns versus just seven interceptions.  His 55.8% completion rate was lower than others, because Mallett tends to throw deeper passes.  He averaged nine yards per attempt and more than 16 yards per completion.

 

The vertical passing game works so well, because Arkansas has the best group of receivers in the SEC.  Three Hog pass catchers can burn a secondary for a quick six on a go route.  Greg Childs, Jarius Wright, and Joe Adams teamed up for 118 receptions, 2,143 yards (18.2 avg), and 19 touchdowns.  Tight end D.J. Williams added 32 receptions, and he can take a pass over the middle and go the distance.

 

Pass defenders will have to cede territory in their alignments, and that will make the running game have more room to run when backs break free from the line.  Arkansas doesn’t run the ball much, and they have little need to do so, but when they do, expect the backs to improve on last season’s average per attempt.  Ronnie Wingo and Broderick Green should average a combined five yards per rush this year.

 

The offensive line returns four starters from last year, and this group will give Mallett ample time to locate his deadly receivers.

 

The defense is a different kettle of fish.  Arkansas gave up 25 points and 400 yards per game last year, giving up 52 points to Georgia. 

 

Two starters return to the defensive line, but neither was a star.  The two new starters saw extensive time last year, so this unit will be about as mediocre as it was last year.  Look for true freshman Bryan Jones to see immediate action in the trenches.

 

The Hogs will be improved at linebacker.  Two starters, the numbers one and three tacklers, return.  Jerry Franklin collected 94 tackles and played admirably against both the run and pass.  Jerico Nelson was a better run-stopper than pass defender.  New starter Freddy Burton started seven games last year, so he can be considered a half-starter.

 

The defensive backfield is the weak spot of the defense.  The Razorbacks gave up far too many big plays last year.  Arkansas gave up 248 passing yards per game last year.  With three starters returning, there should be some improvement.  However, none of them intercepted a pass.

 

Expect another entertaining season out of Coach Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks.  We believe they will average more than 40 points per game.  We also think they may be the team that upsets Alabama.  However, they have too many holes on defense to run the table.  Call it a second or third place finish in the tough West.  Jerry Jones would love for his alma mater to play in his stadium at bowl season.

Team	Auburn Tigers
Head Coach	Gene Chizik
Colors	Navy and Burnt Orange
City	Auburn, AL
2009 Record
Conference	3-5
Overall	8-5
PiRate Rating	117.8
National Rating	19
2010 Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	9-3
Strengths:	Receiver, Offensive Line, Linebacker
Weaknesses:	Defensive Line
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Arkansas State, Clemson, La.-Monroe, Chattanooga
Key Games:	S. Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, @ Ole Miss, Georgia, @ Alabama
Offense Pred.	28-32 points & 400-425 yards
Defense Pred.	22-26 points & 350-375 yards
Outlook

What a difference a year made!  In their last season with Tommy Tuberville in charge of this program, Auburn averaged 17 points and 300 yards per game in offense and gave up 18 points and 320 yards.  In their first season under Gene Chizik, and with offensive guru Gus Malzahn’s offense being implemented, Auburn’s offense improved to 33 points and 430 yards per game.  Unfortunately, their defense weakened to 28 points and 375 yards allowed.

 

The end result was an 8-5 record that included a bowl win over Northwestern.  In year number two, Chizik has the pieces in place to win more games and even possibly challenge for the SEC West division title.

 

Former Florida signee Cam Newton takes over at quarterback this year.  He is a dual-threat that could add to the running game, but he won’t pass for as many yards as this team had in 2009.

 

Newton’s excellent running ability will help take some heat off the backs.  Mario Fannin and Onterio McCalebb combined for just 850 subbing for departed star Ben Tate, and we believe they will team for 1,600 or more yards.  True freshman Michael Dyer is a tank with quickness, and he could take away some of the snaps from the other two.

 

Newton has an outstanding receiver to aim for in Darvin Adams, who caught 60 passes for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Terrell Zachery added 26 receptions for 477 yards and five scores.  Fannin also proved to be a valuable weapon out of the backfield, taking 42 passes.  Look out for true freshman Trovon Reed, who could actually supplant one of the starters.

 

Four starting offensive linemen return to provide excellent pass protection and to open holes for the running backs.  Center Ryan Pugh and tackle Lee Ziemba are both stars.

 

Look for Auburn to rush for 225-250 yards and pass for 150-175 yards.  It looks like another big year from the offense.

 

Auburn returns half of their starting defensive line, but the loss of Antonio Coleman makes this unit considerable weaker.

 

Linebacker is a major asset with the return of all three starters.  Josh Bynes, Craig Stevens, and Daren Bates finished one-two-and four in tackles last year.  Expect Jonathan Evans to see considerable time here as well and possibly crack the starting lineup.

 

Neiko Thorpe has all-conference potential at cornerback.  He intercepted two passes and broke up nine others last year.  He joins two safeties with past starting experience, so the pass defense should be a little tighter this season.

 

Auburn hosts both LSU and Arkansas, the two teams they will compete with for second place in the SEC West.  We give them the edge over the other two.

 

Team	Louisiana State Tigers
Head Coach	Les Miles
Colors	Royal Purple and Gold
City	Baton Rouge, LA
2009 Record
Conference	5-3
Overall	9-4
PiRate Rating	113.0
National Rating	28
2010 Prediction
Conference	4-4
Overall	7-5
Strengths:	Receiver, Special Teams
Weaknesses:	Offensive Line, Linebacker
Schedule
Non-Conf:	North Carolina (n), West Virginia, McNeese St., UL-Monroe
Key Games:	@ Florida, @ Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, @ Arkansas
Offense Pred.	20-24 points & 300-325 yards
Defense Pred.	18-22 points & 290-310 yards
Outlook

The Tigers were a major disappointment last year, finishing 9-4 and fielding very little offense.  Coach Les Miles is on a very hot seat, and we believe this will be his last season in Baton Rouge, because the Tigers lost too much talent to improve on last year’s record.

 

Six starters return on offense, but those starters did not shine.  Quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed 61.5% of his passes for 2,166 yards with a TD/Int. ratio of 17/7.  However, Jefferson (and backup QB Jarrett Lee) took 37 sacks because of difficulty reading defensive coverage.  We don’t see the quarterbacking position being all that much improved this season.

 

Two receivers caught almost 56% of all completed passes last year, and one is no longer here.  Terrence Toliver caught 53 passes for 735 yards.  Former quarterback Russell Shepard has moved to receiver full-time and will start immediately.

 

The running game averaged 123 yards per game (skewed by all the sacks).  Take away the four non-conference breathers, and the Tigers averaged just 97 rushing yards per game.  The top two runners are gone, leaving a major hole at this position. 

 

The offensive line lost its top two blockers, so even with three starters returning, we expect little or no improvement here.

 

Opposing defenses will beg LSU to run the ball and take away the passing lanes.  Jefferson will have a hard time of it this season, and we expect the offense to boggle down yet again.

 

It was defense that won most of LSU’s games last year.  Only four starters return to this side of the ball.  Four of the top five tacklers must be replaced.

 

Only one starter returns to the defensive line.  Tackle Lazarius Levingston made eight tackles for loss and batted away four passes.  Drake Nevis will team with Levingston to make a great tandem at tackle and prevent many gains up the middle.  The news isn’t so rosy at end, where there isn’t a real proven pass rusher present.

 

Mike linebacker Kelvin Sheppard led the Tigers with 110 tackles, including 8 ½ for loss.  Expected starter Ryan Baker will be out until October, so the Tigers will have some concerns in their first four games.

 

The secondary is the strongest unit on the entire team, and it returns just two starters.  Cornerback Patrick Peterson is one of the league’s top three players at his position.  He picked off two passes but batted away 13 others.

 

LSU’s defense will still be powerful, but we doubt they will hold opponents to 16 points per game like last year.  The Tigers will struggle to score enough points week after week, but they will still win more than they lose.  But, it won’t be enough to save Miles’ job.  Three years ago, after supposedly being in line to take over the Michigan job, he chose to stay at LSU.  In a strange twist of fate, if Rich Rodriguez were to have a big year at Michigan and this job came open, he might be a candidate here.

Team	Ole Miss Rebels
Head Coach	Houston Nutt
Colors	Cardinal and Navy
City	Oxford, MS
2009 Record
Conference	4-4
Overall	9-4
PiRate Rating	108.3
National Rating	41
2010 Prediction
Conference	4-4
Overall	8-4
Strengths:	Quarterback, Running Back, Defensive Back
Weaknesses:	Offensive Line
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Jacksonville St., @ Tulane, Fresno State, UL-Lafayette
Key Games:	Kentucky, @ Arkansas, Auburn, @ Tennessee, @ LSU, Miss. St.
Offense Pred.	31-34 points & 410-430 yards
Defense Pred.	18-22 points & 325-350 yards
Outlook

Brett Favre left Mississippi to return to the Minnesota Vikings.  Ole Miss has their own version of Favre, so to speak.  They will rent a quarterback for the season with hopes of winning a conference championship.  Enter Jeremiah Masoli, who was booted off the Oregon Ducks’ team for two infractions.  Masoli would have been a Heisman Trophy candidate at OU.  He led the Ducks to the Rose Bowl last season after running for 668 yards and 13 touchdowns and passing for 2,147 yards and 15 touchdowns.

 

The Rebels lost a great all-purpose back in Dexter McCluster.  He topped 1,100 yards last year.  Brandon Bolden returns after running for 614 yards.  Keep an eye of Enrique Davis.  The former highly sought after back has floundered so far, but the junior could be getting ready to come into his own.

 

The Rebels lost their top two receivers from last year, and that may keep Masoli from putting up passing stats like he did at Oregon.  Markeith Summers is the leading returnee with 394 yards on 17 receptions.

 

The offensive line lost three multi-year starters, but both tackles return.  Expect a small step backward in pass protection, but Masoli is much more mobile than last year’s quarterback, Jevan Snead.

 

The defense is in a little better shape with the return of six starters.  Three starters return up front, and the Rebels should be strong against the run and also have another good pass rush.  Jerrelle Powe could make the 1^st Team All-SEC list after coming up with 12 tackles for losses last year.

 

Linebackers Jonathan Cornell and Allen Walker return to form a good mix in the second line of defense.  Cornell is a better run-stopper and Walker is a better pass defender.

 

The secondary will take a step back with just one starter returning.  Safety Johnny Brown finished second with 81 tackles last year.

 

Coach Houston Nutt’s Rebels benefit from a great schedule.  Ole Miss could easily open 5-0 and should be no worse than 4-1.  The Rebels then get an off week to prepare for their October 16 game at Alabama.  We believe Ole Miss will win eight regular season games for the third consecutive year.

Team	Mississippi State Bulldogs
Head Coach	Dan Mullen
Colors	Maroon and White
City	Starkville, MS
2009 Record
Conference	3-5
Overall	5-7
PiRate Rating	110.8
National Rating	36
2010 Prediction
Conference	3-5
Overall	6-6
Strengths:	Defensive Line
Weaknesses:	Quarterback, Receiver
Schedule
Non-Conf:	Memphis, Alcorn State, @ Houston, U A B
Key Games:	Kentucky, Arkansas, @ Ole Miss
Offense Pred.	24-28 points & 375-400 yards
Defense Pred.	23-27 points & 360-380 yards
Outlook

Coach Dan Mullen’s first year in Starkville almost produced bowl eligibility when the Bulldogs had been picked to possibly lose 10 games.  If not for a mix-up at the line of scrimmage at the end of the LSU game, Miss. State would have gone 6-6 instead of 5-7.

 

We think the Bulldogs will get that extra win this year and earn a trip back to a bowl for the first time in three years.  Seven starters return on both sides of the ball.

 

One position that must be replaced is at quarterback.  Chris Relf has a rifle arm, and he is mobile.  He should add another dimension to the Bulldog offense.  He also should cut down on the number of interceptions State quarterbacks threw last season (17).  Tyler Russell, a redshirt freshman, should also see some playing time this year.

 

There isn’t a lot of talent at wide receiver, but the top two pass catchers do return.  Wideout Chad Bumphis and Tight end Marcus Green have some breakaway potential, but they won’t remind anybody of Mardye McDole.

 

Replacing Anthony Dixon at running back is not possible with the running backs on the roster; Vick Ballard is expected to get the lion’s share of the load, but the roster is really thin behind him.

 

The offensive line returns four experienced starters, and they should give Relf room to run and time to pass.  We would not be surprised if Relf led the Maroons in rushing yards while passing for close to 2,000 yards.

 

The biggest loss on defense may have been defensive coordinator Carl Torbush.  Now, the Bulldogs will have their third DC in three years.  Chris Wilson from Oklahoma and Manny Diaz from Middle Tennessee will share the responsibility.

 

Mississippi State’s defense will rely on a talented defensive line to set the tone.  End Pernell McPhee is one of the best in the league.  He comes off a year in which he had five sacks, 12 total tackles for loss, and four knocked down passes.  New starter Sean Ferguson will give State a strong end tandem.

 

The top two returning tacklers return to the second line of defense.  Linebackers Chris White and K.J. Wright combined for 157 stops a year ago.

 

The Bulldogs have a terrific trio of starting defensive backs returning this year.  Safeties Charles Mitchell and Johnathan Banks both intercepted four passes last year; cornerback Corey Broomfield had six!

 

Look for State to improve on this side of the ball and allow fewer points this year.  We believe it will bring them one more win and bowl eligibility.

Coming Next Week: The initial PiRate, Mean, and Biased Ratings for the NFL, and the entire first week of the college football season 

PiRate Ratings and Spreads For College Football–October 21-24, 2009

Time To Start Bowl Projecting

 

With the initial BCS ranking coming out this week, it’s time for the PiRates to start projecting the bowls.  Of course, the only one that really matters is the National Championship Game.  It looks rather easy as of right now.  Most of our competitors are picking Texas to play the winner of the Florida-Alabama SEC Championship Game.  We don’t concur for one reason—we think Texas will lose one of its remaining Big 12 games.  The Longhorns have squeaked by Texas Tech and Oklahoma.  We think either Missouri, Oklahoma State, or even Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game could knock the Longhorns off their perch.

 

That presents a major problem for the BCS.  Boise State is sitting at number four, and the Broncos have only Idaho and Nevada left on their schedule to worry about.  BSU should run the table and could move up to number two in the Harris and USA Today polls by the end of the season.  Could a Florida or Alabama game against Boise State be possible?  We think the numbers will be fudged just enough to allow a possible rematch of the SEC championship Game for the National Championship Game.

 

Another strong possibility could leave an undefeated team in the Top 10 out of the BCS Bowl picture.  TCU could easily run the table and finish 12-0 and around number six in the final regular season poll.  The at-large rules wouldn’t guarantee the Horned Frogs an automatic at-large bid if Boise State finished undefeated and ahead of them in the BCS standings.  It would come down to one of the big bowls, like the Sugar Bowl to choose between them and a possible 10-2 Southern Cal or 11-1 Cincinnati team.

 

As of today, we are projecting Pittsburgh to edge Cincinnati for the Big East title and Oregon to beat USC in the Pac-10.  That could change, but if both the Bearcats and Trojans lose those games, they could still be selected as at-large teams over an undefeated TCU team. 

 

The PiRate Ratings have seen the top teams coming back to the pack.  Florida and Texas no longer have the big gap between them and the rest of the Top 10.  Both the Gators and Longhorns were very fortunate to come out of Saturday undefeated.

 

NCAA Top 25 For October 12, 2009
Rank	Team	PiRate	Won	Lost
1	Florida	137.4	6	0
2	Texas	133.1	6	0
3	Alabama	130.2	7	0
4	Oklahoma	129.0	3	3
5	Southern Cal	124.4	5	1
6	Va. Tech	120.5	5	2
7	T C U	117.9	6	0
8	Iowa	117.2	7	0
9	Nebraska	116.4	4	2
10	Boise St.	116.3	6	0
11	Ole Miss	116.3	4	2
12	Penn St.	116.1	6	1
13	Georgia Tech	116.1	6	1
14	Texas Tech	115.5	5	2
15	California	115.2	4	2
16	Oregon	115.1	5	1
17	Miami (Fla.)	115.0	5	1
18	Ohio St.	114.8	5	2
19	Okla. St.	114.3	5	1
20	Cincinnati	113.3	6	0
21	B  Y  U	113.1	6	1
22	Arkansas	112.9	3	3
23	Pittsburgh	112.4	6	1
24	L  S  U	112.4	5	1
25	Stanford	111.2	4	3
Note: Ratings rounded to one decimal point
even though I rank them to two decimal points

 

Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Clemson	2-2	3-3	111.0
Florida State	0-3	2-4	110.0
Boston College	3-2	5-2	109.2
Wake Forest	2-2	4-3	105.5
North Carolina State	0-3	3-4	102.5
Maryland	1-2	2-5	91.5
Coastal Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Virginia Tech	3-1	5-2	120.5
Georgia Tech	4-1	6-1	116.1
Miami-FL	2-1	5-1	115.0
North Carolina	0-3	4-2	106.1
Virginia	2-0	3-3	102.3
Duke	1-1	3-3	100.8

 

Big East Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Cincinnati	2-0	6-0	113.3
Pittsburgh	3-0	6-1	112.4
South Florida	1-1	5-1	107.2
Connecticut	1-1	4-2	105.0
West Virginia	1-0	5-1	104.5
Rutgers	0-2	4-2	100.8
Louisville	0-2	2-4	92.9
Syracuse	0-2	2-4	92.6

 

Big Ten
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Iowa	3-0	7-0	117.2
Penn State	2-1	6-1	116.1
Ohio State	3-1	5-2	114.8
Michigan	1-2	5-2	104.3
Michigan State	3-1	4-3	104.0
Wisconsin	2-2	5-2	102.0
Minnesota	2-2	4-3	100.4
Purdue	1-2	2-5	98.4
Northwestern	1-2	4-3	94.9
Indiana	1-2	4-3	92.1
Illinois	0-4	1-5	91.2

 

Big 12
North Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Nebraska	1-1	4-2	116.4
Kansas	1-1	5-1	108.5
Missouri	0-2	4-2	105.9
Colorado	1-1	2-4	98.0
Kansas State	2-1	4-3	97.6
Iowa State	1-2	4-3	95.8
South Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Texas	3-0	6-0	133.1
Oklahoma	1-1	3-3	129.0
Texas Tech	2-1	5-2	115.5
Oklahoma State	2-0	5-1	114.3
Baylor	0-2	3-3	101.6
Texas A&M	0-2	3-3	93.2

 

Conference USA
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Southern Mississippi	2-1	4-3	100.0
East Carolina	3-1	4-3	98.6
Marshall	2-1	4-3	94.7
Central Florida	1-2	3-3	93.3
U A B	2-1	2-4	88.8
Memphis	1-3	2-5	85.5
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Houston	1-1	5-1	105.6
Tulsa	2-0	4-2	101.5
U T E P	1-1	2-4	90.9
S M U	2-0	3-3	88.1
Rice	0-3	0-7	78.4
Tulane	0-3	2-4	74.8

 

Independents
Team		Overall	Rating
Notre Dame		4-2	109.0
Navy		5-2	101.4
Army		3-4	82.9

 

Mid American Conference
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Temple	3-0	4-2	97.2
Buffalo	1-2	3-4	92.7
Ohio U	3-0	5-2	92.6
Bowling Green	2-1	3-4	88.7
Kent St.	2-1	3-4	85.1
Akron	0-3	1-5	83.9
Miami (O)	0-3	0-7	75.7
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Central Michigan	4-0	6-1	108.1
Northern Illinois	1-1	3-3	93.1
Toledo	2-1	4-3	90.2
Western Michigan	2-2	3-4	89.2
Ball State	0-3	0-7	80.7
Eastern Michigan	0-3	0-6	80.3

 

Mountain West Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
T C U	2-0	6-0	117.9
B Y U	3-0	6-1	113.1
Utah	2-0	5-1	106.5
Air Force	3-1	4-3	98.9
Colo. State	0-3	3-4	92.8
Wyoming	2-1	4-3	88.6
S. D. State	0-2	2-4	88.2
UNLV	0-3	2-5	85.4
New Mexico	0-2	0-6	76.4

 

Pac-10 Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Southern Cal	2-1	5-1	124.4
California	1-2	4-2	115.2
Oregon	3-0	5-1	115.1
Stanford	3-2	4-3	111.2
Arizona	2-1	4-2	110.7
U C L A	0-3	3-3	104.8
Oregon St.	2-1	4-2	104.5
Arizona St.	2-1	4-2	104.0
Washington	2-2	3-4	102.1
Wash. St.	0-4	1-5	77.0

 

Southeastern Conference
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Florida	4-0	6-0	134.9
Tennessee	1-2	3-3	110.6
Georgia	3-2	4-3	109.4
South Carolina	2-2	5-2	108.7
Kentucky	1-3	3-3	104.7
Vanderbilt	0-4	2-5	93.6
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Alabama	4-0	7-0	130.2
Ole Miss	1-2	4-2	116.3
Arkansas	1-3	3-3	112.9
L S U	3-1	5-1	112.4
Auburn	2-2	5-2	104.0
Mississippi State	1-2	3-4	97.7

 

Sunbelt Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Troy	3-0	4-2	98.4
Arkansas State	0-2	1-4	91.5
Louisiana-Monroe	3-0	3-3	88.5
Middle Tennessee	1-1	3-3	87.9
Florida International	1-2	1-5	86.6
Louisiana	2-0	4-2	83.4
Florida Atlantic	1-1	1-4	82.6
North Texas	0-3	1-5	77.9
Western Kentucky	0-2	0-6	74.2

 

Western Athletic Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Boise State	1-0	6-0	116.3
Fresno State	2-1	3-3	101.8
Nevada	2-0	3-3	99.0
Louisiana Tech	2-1	3-3	96.4
Utah State	0-2	1-5	93.2
Idaho	3-0	6-1	91.6
San Jose State	0-2	1-5	87.1
Hawaii	0-3	2-4	84.4
New Mexico State	1-2	3-4	72.7

 

This Week’s Games–PiRate & Mean Ratings
Home Team in CAPS	(N) Denotes Neutral Site
Tuesday, October 20		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
None
Wednesday, October 21		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Tulsa	U T E P	8.1	35-27	10
Thursday, October 22		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Florida State	NORTH CAROLINA	0.7	21-20	1
Friday, October 23		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Rutgers	ARMY	15.9	30-14	11
Saturday, October 24		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
MARSHALL	U  a  b	9.2	30-21	10
SYRACUSE	Akron	12.2	33-21	10
DUKE	Maryland	12.3	34-21	10
Georgia Tech	VIRGINIA	10.8	31-20	6
MIAMI (FL)	Clemson	7.0	24-17	8
PURDUE	Illinois	10.2	34-24	12
Central Michigan	BOWLING GREEN	16.9	34-17	7
NORTHWESTERN	Indiana	5.8	27-21	3
OHIO STATE	Minnesota	17.9	28-10	14
PITTSBURGH	South Florida	8.5	28-19	6
WEST VIRGINIA	Connecticut	2.7	20-17	6
SOUTH CAROLINA	Vanderbilt	18.6	26-7	21
NEBRASKA	Iowa State	24.6	28-3	16
EASTERN MICHIGAN	Ball State	2.1	22-20	-1
Northern Illinois	MIAMI (O)	15.1	28-13	15
Oklahoma State	BAYLOR	9.7	34-24	7
OHIO U	Kent State	10.2	30-20	13
Buffalo	WESTERN MICHIGAN	1.0	24-23	-5
Louisiana Tech	UTAH STATE	0.0	27-27 ot	3
NOTRE DAME	Boston College	3.3	34-31	6
ALABAMA	Tennessee	22.9	33-10	19
Oregon	WASHINGTON	9.8	34-24	11
TEXAS TECH	Texas A&M	25.3	42-17	21
Penn State	MICHIGAN	8.3	21-13	3
Oklahoma	KANSAS	17.5	35-17	5
Texas	MISSOURI	24.2	34-10	14
Wake Forest	NAVY	1.4	28-27	-6
COLORADO STATE	San Diego State	7.6	34-26	11
UTAH	Air Force	10.6	24-13	12
NEVADA	Idaho	10.4	38-28	0
ARIZONA	U  c  l  a	8.9	30-21	11
CALIFORNIA	Washington State	41.2	48-7	27
Temple	TOLEDO	4.3	24-20	-1
OLE MISS	Arkansas	6.4	27-21	3
CINCINNATI	Louisville	23.1	33-10	26
SOUTHERN MISS	Tulane	27.9	38-10	18
Central Florida	RICE	12.2	24-12	11
KANSAS STATE	Colorado	2.6	31-28	3
Iowa	MICHIGAN STATE	10.0	24-14	8
T  c  u	B  Y  U	1.6	26-24	4
Florida	MISSISSIPPI STATE	34.2	37-3	24
HOUSTON	S  m  u	20.5	52-31	16
Fresno State	NEW MEXICO STATE	26.4	33-7	21
L  S  U	Auburn	11.7	28-16	10
U  n  l  v	NEW MEXICO	6.5	24-17	6
SOUTHERN CAL	Oregon State	23.4	40-17	13
STANFORD	Arizona State	10.2	31-21	4
Boise State	HAWAII	28.4	42-14	26
UL-LAFAYETTE	Florida Atlantic	3.5	31-27	6
ARKANSAS STATE	Florida International	7.6	35-27	9
TROY	North Texas	23.5	34-10	20
KENTUCKY	Louisiana-Monroe	19.4	40-21	12
MIDDLE TENNESSEE	Western Kentucky	16.4	28-12	18

 

Bowl Projections

 

Bowl	Conference	Team	Conference	Team
New Mexico	MWC #4	Colorado St.	WAC #3	Fresno St.
St. Petersburg	Big East #6	Rutgers	C-USA #5	Marshall
New Orleans	Sunbelt #1	Troy	C-USA #4	East Carolina
Las Vegas	MWC #1	T C U	Pac 10 #4 or 5	Arizona St.
Poinsettia	MWC #2	Air Force	Pac 10 #6	U C L A
Hawaii	WAC	Nevada	C-USA	S M U
Little Caesar’s Pizza	Big 10 #7	Minnesota	MAC #1 or 2	Ohio U
Meineke Car Care	ACC #5-6-7	Wake Forest	Big East #3	West Va.
Emerald	Pac 10 #4 or 5	Oregon St.	ACC #5-6-7	Virginia
Music City	SEC #6 or 7	Auburn	ACC #5-6-7	North Carolina
Independence	SEC #8	Arkansas	Big 12 #7	Kansas
Eagle Bank	ACC #8	Boston College	Army/At-large	[Northwestern]
Champs Sports	ACC #4	Clemson	Big 10 #5	Wisconsin
Humanitarian	WAC #1	Idaho	MWC	Utah
Holiday	Big 12 #3	Nebraska	Pac 10 #2	California
Armed Forces	C-USA #3	Tulsa	MWC #3	B Y U
Sun	Pac 10 #3	Arizona	Big 12 #5 or Big East #2	Oklahoma
Texas	Big 12 #8	Kansas St.	Navy or C-USA	Navy
Insight.com	Big 12 #6	Missouri	Big 10 #6	Michigan St.
Chick-fil-A	SEC #5	Georgia	ACC #2	Va. Tech
Outback	SEC #3 or 4	Ole Miss	Big 10 #3	Ohio St.
Capital One	Big 10 #2	Penn St.	SEC #2	L S U
Gator	Big East #2 or Big 12 #5	Notre Dame	ACC #3	Ga. Tech
Rose	BCS Pac10	Oregon	BCS Big 10	Iowa
Sugar	BCS SEC	Southern Cal	BCS At-Large	Cincinnati
International	Big East #5	Connecticut	MAC #3	Temple
Cotton	Big 12 #2	Oklahoma St.	SEC #3 or 4	South Carolina
Papajohns.com	Big East #4	S. Florida	SEC #9	Kentucky
Liberty	SEC #6 or 7	Tennessee	C-USA #1	Houston
Alamo	Big 10 #4	Michigan	Big 12 #4	Texas Tech
Fiesta	BCS Big 12	Texas	BCS At-Large	Boise St.
Orange	BCS ACC	Miami (Fl)	BCS At-Large	Pittsburgh
G M A C	ACC #9	[Southern Miss]	MAC	Central Mich.
National Championship	*** BCS #1 ***	Alabama	*** BCS #2 ***	Florida

PiRate Ratings and Spreads For College Football–October 13-17, 2009

A Week of Can’t Miss College Football

 

This week may not be the most important week in the college football season, but it’s stacked with exciting games.  With colder weather setting in across many parts of the nation, Saturday may be a great day to make some hot soup, hot chocolate, popcorn, or whatever comforts you on a cold, dark, and dreary day, and stay indoors with multiple televisions blasting away in your den or great room.  Let’s take a look at some of these games.

 

Note: These previews are the PiRates’ personal opinions and do not reflect the computerized ratings we issue.  Additionally, when you purchase our picks at www.piratings.webs.com, you get our personal opinions and not the computerized ratings’ picks.  Last week’s picks finished 7-4 to bring our seasons’ record against the spread to 32-19-1 (62.7%).

 

Boise State at Tulsa: This game is a Wednesday night special.  This is the Broncos last chance to really impress the pollsters and influence their strength of schedule in the computer rankings.  Future games with Nevada and Idaho won’t do much for BSU’s résumé.  This Tulsa team is missing quarterback David Johnson and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, as the Golden Hurricane are 15 points per game off their scoring average of last year.  Boise State is yielding 14.4 points per game, and a road win here would almost guarantee a 12-0 season and BCS at-large bowl bid.

 

Cincinnati at South Florida: This Thursday night thriller could decide the Big East’s representative in the Orange Bowl or even the National Championship Game if the ball bounces right.  The PiRates believe there is just enough parity in this league to produce a champion with one conference loss.  The loser of this game can still recover to take the crown, but we think the schedule favors the Bearcats.  So, this becomes a must-win game for USF.

 

Pittsburgh at Rutgers: If the Panthers are going to challenge for the Big East title, they must win this game.  Cincinnati already won at Rutgers, but the Scarlet Knights appear to be a much better team since Labor Day.  Check out this exciting game Friday night.

 

Texas vs. Oklahoma (The Red River Shootout): Oklahoma has been a huge disappointment to date having already lost twice.  Texas fell a spot in the polls after a lackluster win over Colorado coupled with an impressive win by Alabama.  We aren’t ready to crown the Longhorns as Big 12 Champions, as they begin a rough three-week stretch that finds them facing Missouri and Oklahoma State on the road after this game.  We just don’t think they will be 8-0 when November dawns.  Still, this is a great rivalry game to watch.

 

Ohio State at Purdue: On paper, this game is a major mismatch, but these two teams have a history of playing close games even in years where the Boilermakers were not all that good.  We expect Ohio State to win by double digits this year, but it could be close for a lot longer than the scarlet and gray want.

 

Iowa at Wisconsin: The undefeated Hawkeyes venture to Madtown to take on some mad Badgers.  Wisconsin held onto the ball for what seemed like three quarters of the game at Ohio State Saturday afternoon, but all they had to show for it was an 18-point loss.  Iowa dominated Michigan for most of Saturday night before another big Wolverine comeback attempt fell just short.  The Hawkeyes have made a habit out of playing just well enough to win, and if they do so again this week, we’ll have to start making comparisons between them and the 1967 Indiana Hoosiers.

 

Virginia at Maryland: Could this be correct?  If Virginia wins at Maryland Saturday, there’s a good chance that by Saturday evening the Cavaliers could be in undisputed first place in the ACC Coastal Division?  This is the same UVa team that lost to William & Mary and Southern Mississippi.  We may have more than one comparison to 1967, as the Cavs are starting to look like Gene Stallings’ 1967 Texas A&M Aggies.

 

Kentucky at Auburn: This game may have lost much of its luster when Kentucky quarterback Brian Hartline was lost to an MCL injury in the South Carolina game.  Still, it should be an interesting game if only to see how UK coach Rich Brooks chooses to replace Hartline.  Backup quarterback Will Fidler may not have the talent to step in and move the Wildcat offense.  Randall Cobb runs the Wildcat package, but he’s also the team’s top receiver.  Playing him full time at quarterback gives Kentucky few passing options.  True freshman Morgan Newton has not appeared in a game and is scheduled to redshirt, but he may be forced into action.

 

Wyoming at Air Force: Don’t look now, but the Cowboys must rank as one of the two big surprises in the Mountain Time Zone (Idaho being the other).  They are 2-0 in the Mountain West and 4-2 overall under first year coach Dave Christensen.  The second half of the schedule gets incredibly harder for Wyoming with Utah, BYU, TCU, and Colorado State still to play.  If the Cowboys are to sneak into a bowl, they may have to win this game.

 

Minnesota at Penn State: We feel this game will be much closer than people expect it should be.  Penn State has yet to prove itself worthy of its ranking this season, and the Lions lost at home to the only high-caliber team on its schedule.  Minnesota has been consistent this season, beating teams they should beat and losing to teams that are better.  We’re not sure Penn State is better than the Gophers, so we expect an excellent game that could go down to the final minute or even to overtime.

 

Marshall at West Virginia: Huh!  You are reading this one correctly.  We expect this backyard brawl to be a nail-biter for most if not all the game.  In the three previous games since this rivalry has been renewed, West Virginia won with ease.  We don’t think it will be the case this time around.  The Mountaineers may not respect their smaller rival as much as they should, and we believe the Thundering Herd could put a big scare into their big brother.  It may take a late Noel Devine touchdown run to sew this one up.  

 

Southern Cal at Notre Dame: Both teams had a week off to prepare for this game, and we expect a duesy.  An Irish win would just about guarantee them a spot in a BCS bowl this year, while a Trojan win could keep their hopes alive of playing in the second Pasadena bowl this year instead of the first.  It should be a great contrast in styles with Notre Dame scoring at a near 33-point pace and USC giving up just 8.6 points per game. 

 

Texas Tech at Nebraska: The Cornhuskers need to follow up a great fourth quarter comeback at Missouri with four full quarters of action against the Red Raiders.  Nebraska won’t win this game if they have a goose egg on the scoreboard after three quarters, or even at halftime.  They may have a tough time winning if they don’t score in the first quarter.  The Black Shirts defense is almost all the way back, as NU is giving up a stingy 8.0 points per game this year.  Texas Tech is beginning to pick it up on offense, and if the Cornhuskers hold them under 20 points, then they will have proven they deserve to be considered a top contender for the Big 12 title.

 

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: The Hokies could secure the Coastal Division title with a win this week.  However, we aren’t ready to cede the game to them just yet.  Last year in Blacksburg, VT escaped with a 20-17 win by virtue of a late long drive that would have stalled had it not been for two, 15-yard penalties called against the Yellow Jackets.  This year, Paul Johnson’s team has a much better grasp of the offense, but the GT defense has let them down, allowing 26.5 points per game.  Hokie Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster needs to get his charges to play more consistently.  This one could be an instant classic.

 

Missouri at Oklahoma State: If Missouri cannot get over the heartbreaking loss to Nebraska, they are going to be feeling even worse this week.  Oklahoma State has fallen out of the national limelight due to their loss to Houston, but the Cowboys are very much still in the Big 12 South race. 

 

Stanford at Arizona: We have a name for games like this one—bowl eliminator.  The loser of this game will have three losses.  If it’s Arizona, then the Wildcats could finish no better than 5-7 with games still to play against UCLA, Cal, Oregon, Arizona State, and USC.  If it’s Stanford, then 5-7 looks like the best possible record for the Cardinal with games still to play against Arizona State, Oregon, USC, Cal, and Notre Dame.

 

Arkansas at Florida: Could Arkansas actually give Florida a good game Saturday afternoon?  We see a lot of similarities between this game and last year’s Florida-Ole Miss game.  The Gators’ offense looked pedestrian against LSU, and Arkansas’s offense will not allow Florida to win this game with such little offense themselves.  Three of us believe this will be a much closer game than expected with Arkansas even having a chance to pull off the upset; one of us sees it being a 27-10 type game; one of us sees the Gators winning by four or five touchdowns.  We’ll have to see who’s correct.

 

What’s With Georgia and Mark Richt?

 

Georgia has averaged better than 10 wins per season in the eight years Mark Richt has been in Athens.  Now, off to a 3-3 start, some crazy, idiotic fans have begun to stir up some dust in the Peach State.  The defense is underperforming, while the offense has played better than expected considering UGa lost Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and Mohamed Massaquoi from last year’s team.

 

Cheer up Bulldog fans.  Your team will rebound from the orange crushing last week with a nice road win this week.  What your defense needs best is a breather game against a team that cannot move the football, even against the likes of Mississippi State and Army.  An easy win over a Vanderbilt team headed to a 2-10 season should be what the doctor called for.  Who knows what will happen following this win and a week off?  Florida should cream the Bulldogs, but three consecutive home games against beatable teams should set up the season-ending rivalry as a game where a Georgia win could sneak the red and black into the Outback Bowl at 8-4.

 

NCAA Top 25 For October 12, 2009
Rank	Team	PiRate	Won	Lost
1	Florida	137.4	5	0
2	Texas	131.9	5	0
3	Alabama	130.1	6	0
4	Oklahoma	129.8	3	2
5	Southern Cal	124.2	4	1
6	Va. Tech	121.8	5	1
7	Ohio St.	117.9	5	1
8	Nebraska	117.3	4	1
9	Iowa	117.0	6	0
10	Boise St.	116.1	5	0
11	Ole Miss	115.8	3	2
12	T C U	115.3	5	0
13	Oregon	115.1	5	1
14	Penn St.	115.0	5	1
15	Miami (Fla.)	114.9	4	1
16	Georgia Tech	114.8	5	1
17	Texas Tech	114.6	4	2
18	California	114.4	3	2
19	Okla. St.	113.5	4	1
20	B  Y  U	113.0	5	1
21	L  S  U	112.4	5	1
22	Pittsburgh	112.3	5	1
23	Stanford	111.5	4	2
24	Cincinnati	110.9	5	0
25	Kansas	110.8	5	0
Note: Ratings rounded to one decimal point
even though I rank them to two decimal points

 

Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Florida State	0-3	2-4	110.0
Clemson	1-2	2-3	108.6
Wake Forest	2-1	4-2	107.8
Boston College	2-2	4-2	107.0
North Carolina State	0-2	3-3	104.9
Maryland	1-1	2-4	91.8
Coastal Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Virginia Tech	3-0	5-1	121.8
Miami-FL	2-1	4-1	114.9
Georgia Tech	3-1	5-1	114.8
North Carolina	0-2	4-2	106.1
Virginia	1-0	2-3	102.0
Duke	1-1	3-3	100.8

 

Big East Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Pittsburgh	2-0	5-1	112.3
Cincinnati	1-0	5-0	110.9
South Florida	1-0	5-0	109.6
Connecticut	0-1	3-2	104.8
West Virginia	1-0	4-1	104.3
Rutgers	0-1	4-1	100.9
Louisville	0-1	2-3	93.1
Syracuse	0-2	2-4	92.6

 

Big Ten
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Ohio State	3-0	5-1	117.9
Iowa	2-0	6-0	117.0
Penn State	1-1	5-1	115.0
Michigan	1-2	4-2	104.0
Michigan State	2-1	3-3	103.9
Wisconsin	2-1	5-1	102.2
Minnesota	2-1	4-2	101.2
Purdue	0-2	1-5	95.6
Northwestern	1-1	4-2	95.0
Illinois	0-3	1-4	93.9
Indiana	0-2	3-3	89.9

 

Big 12
North Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Nebraska	1-0	4-1	117.3
Kansas	1-0	5-0	110.8
Missouri	0-1	4-1	106.7
Colorado	0-1	1-4	96.9
Iowa State	0-2	3-3	93.8
Kansas State	1-1	3-3	93.1
South Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Texas	2-0	5-0	131.9
Oklahoma	1-0	3-2	129.8
Texas Tech	1-1	4-2	114.6
Oklahoma State	1-0	4-1	113.5
Baylor	0-1	3-2	104.1
Texas A&M	0-1	3-2	97.7

 

Conference USA
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Southern Mississippi	1-1	3-3	99.2
East Carolina	2-1	3-3	96.8
Marshall	2-1	4-2	94.7
Central Florida	1-2	3-2	93.4
U A B	2-1	2-3	89.3
Memphis	1-2	2-4	86.3
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Houston	0-1	4-1	105.4
Tulsa	2-0	4-1	101.7
U T E P	1-1	2-4	90.9
S M U	2-0	3-2	87.3
Rice	0-2	0-6	80.5
Tulane	0-2	2-3	75.0

 

Independents
Team		Overall	Rating
Notre Dame		4-1	109.2
Navy		4-2	102.2
Army		3-3	83.0

 

Mid American Conference
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Temple	3-0	3-2	97.1
Buffalo	0-2	2-4	92.6
Ohio U	2-0	4-2	92.0
Bowling Green	1-1	2-4	87.6
Akron	0-2	1-4	83.7
Kent St.	1-1	2-4	83.3
Miami (O)	0-2	0-6	76.3
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Central Michigan	3-0	5-1	107.9
Northern Illinois	1-0	3-2	93.6
Toledo	1-1	3-3	89.7
Western Michigan	2-1	3-3	89.4
Ball State	0-2	0-6	82.2
Eastern Michigan	0-2	0-5	82.1

 

Mountain West Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
T C U	1-0	5-0	115.3
B Y U	2-0	5-1	113.0
Utah	1-0	4-1	106.0
Air Force	2-1	3-3	98.8
Colo. State	0-2	3-3	95.4
Wyoming	2-0	4-2	88.5
S. D. State	0-1	2-3	88.3
UNLV	0-2	2-4	85.9
New Mexico	0-2	0-6	76.4

 

Pac-10 Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Southern Cal	2-1	4-1	124.2
Oregon	3-0	5-1	115.1
California	0-2	3-2	114.4
Stanford	3-1	4-2	111.5
Arizona	1-1	3-2	110.4
U C L A	0-2	3-2	105.1
Oregon St.	2-1	4-2	104.5
Arizona St.	1-1	3-2	103.4
Washington	2-1	3-3	102.7
Wash. St.	0-4	1-5	77.0

 

Southeastern Conference
East Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Florida	3-0	5-0	137.4
Tennessee	1-2	3-3	110.6
Georgia	2-2	3-3	108.1
South Carolina	2-1	5-1	107.9
Kentucky	0-3	2-3	102.0
Vanderbilt	0-3	2-4	95.5
West Division
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Alabama	3-0	6-0	130.1
Ole Miss	1-2	3-2	115.8
L S U	3-1	5-1	112.4
Arkansas	1-2	3-2	110.0
Auburn	2-1	5-1	106.2
Mississippi State	1-2	2-4	96.4

 

Sunbelt Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Troy	2-0	3-2	97.8
Arkansas State	0-1	1-3	92.0
Middle Tennessee	1-1	3-2	89.2
Louisiana-Monroe	2-0	2-3	87.8
Florida International	1-1	1-4	87.2
Louisiana	1-0	3-2	83.1
Florida Atlantic	0-1	0-4	82.0
North Texas	0-2	1-4	78.5
Western Kentucky	0-1	0-5	74.5

 

Western Athletic Conference
Team	Conf.	Overall	Rating
Boise State	1-0	5-0	116.1
Fresno State	1-1	2-3	101.1
Nevada	1-0	2-3	98.9
Louisiana Tech	1-1	2-3	93.5
Utah State	0-1	1-4	93.3
Idaho	2-0	5-1	89.3
San Jose State	0-1	1-4	87.8
Hawaii	0-2	2-3	85.9
New Mexico State	1-1	3-3	75.6

 

This Week’s Games–PiRate & Mean Ratings
Home Team in CAPS	(N) Denotes Neutral Site
Tuesday, October 13		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Arkansas State	UL-MONROE	2.0	28-26	0
Wednesday, October 14		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Boise State	TULSA	11.2	31-20	10
Thursday, October 15		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
SOUTH FLORIDA	Cincinnati	1.9	24-22	0
Friday, October 16		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Pittsburgh	RUTGERS	8.4	24-16	4
Saturday, October 17		PiRate Spread
Favorite	Underdog		Score	Mean
Texas     (N)	Oklahoma	2.1	26-24	3
BOSTON COLLEGE	North Carolina St.	5.6	30-24	6
Ohio State	PURDUE	19.3	33-14	18
Bowling Green	BALL STATE	2.9	24-21	7
MICHIGAN STATE	Northwestern	12.1	25-13	11
Iowa	WISCONSIN	11.6	28-16	3
Virginia	MARYLAND	7.5	35-27	5
CLEMSON	Wake Forest	4.1	31-27	3
Baylor	IOWA STATE	7.3	30-23	2
OLE MISS	U  a  b	30.0	44-14	20
Georgia	VANDERBILT	10.1	20-10	8
AUBURN	Kentucky	7.5	35-27	10
TEMPLE	Army	16.4	26-10	11
C  m  u	W  M  U	15.8	40-24	9
AIR FORCE	Wyoming	13.6	35-21	13
OHIO U	Miami (O)	18.4	28-10	20
Nevada	UTAH STATE	3.3	27-24	7
PENN STATE	Minnesota	17.3	31-14	12
WEST VIRGINIA	Marshall	12.6	33-20	14
ALABAMA	South Carolina	26.0	38-12	18
Southern Cal	NOTRE DAME	11.0	28-17	8
California	U  C  L  A	6.3	20-14	1
Houston	TULANE	28.1	45-17	20
NEBRASKA	Texas Tech	6.2	27-21	8
Texas A&M	KANSAS STATE	1.6	28-26	4
Virginia Tech	GEORGIA TECH	3.7	28-24	6
OKLAHOMA STATE	Missouri	10.0	34-24	3
EAST CAROLINA	Rice	19.3	40-21	16
BUFFALO	Akron	11.9	33-21	9
T  C  U	Colorado State	23.2	35-12	20
LOUISIANA TECH	New Mexico State	20.9	42-21	16
E  M  U	Kent State	1.1	28-27	-3
IDAHO	Hawaii	6.7	31-24	10
B  y  u	SAN DIEGO STATE	21.7	45-23	20
ARIZONA	Stanford	1.9	26-24	4
Illinois	INDIANA	1.5	24-22	-3
SOUTHERN MISS	Memphis	15.9	37-21	13
Northern Illinois	TOLEDO	0.9	35-34	7
CONNECTICUT	Louisville	14.9	35-20	14
Kansas	COLORADO	10.9	35-24	12
Miami (Fla)	U  C  F	18.5	40-21	14
FLORIDA	Arkansas	30.9	38-7	22
Navy	S  M  U	11.9	44-32	10
ARIZONA STATE	Washington	3.7	24-20	4
Utah	U  N  L  V	17.6	35-17	19
FRESNO STATE	San Jose State	16.3	44-28	18
Louisiana-Lafayette	WESTERN KY	6.3	20-14	10
Troy	FLORIDA INT’L	8.1	28-20	9
Florida Atlantic	NORTH TEXAS	0.8	27-26	-1
Mississippi State	MIDDLE TENNESSEE	4.2	28-24	0

 

Starting next week, we will begin to look at the bowl possibilities.  Every team will have played at least half of their scheduled games by then.

2009 Southeastern Conference Preview

2009 Southeastern Conference Preview

A PiRate Look

Welcome to the conference where football is not just a sport; it’s a way of life for millions.  SEC fans at 11 schools act like their teams are football factories and not institutions of higher learning.  The average capacity of the perennial six powers (Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee in the East and Alabama, Auburn, and LSU in the West) exceeds 92,500, and on home game Saturdays, there are more people in the stands of half these teams than there are in the cities in which they are located.

This year, the SEC begins the season as the top-ranked league.  Throw in the fact that the member teams, for the most part, are playing non-conference schedules as weak as the teams in the Sunbelt Conference, and there’s a good chance that nine bowl eligible teams could emerge (which by the way equals the number of bowl tie-ins).

Here are the preseason PiRate ratings for the league.  The ratings have been rounded to the nearest whole number even though we calculate them to two decimal places.  Thus, when you see multiple teams with the same rating, they are not actually exactly even.  To understand what the rating means, it is set so that 100 is average.  Thus, a rating of 90 means the team is 10 points weaker than the average team in the FBS.  The average of all 120 FBS teams should round to 100 if the math has been successfully calculated.

For those who have not followed the PiRate Ratings before and wonder about the home field advantage, we do not assign set in stone advantages.  These are assigned on a game-by-game basis.  For instance, if Vanderbilt hosts Tennessee at the end of the year, when the Commodores are 4-7 and the Vols are 9-1, then the game could actually be a “home game on the road” for the Vols.  Tennessee might actually receive a couple of points if it appears 75% of the fans at the stadium will be wearing orange.  If that same Vanderbilt team begins the season 2-0 and hosts New Mexico State, then the Commodores would receive about four to six points.  The PiRates think it’s ridiculous to issue a blank home field advantage for all teams or even assign a range of set home field advantages.

	Southeastern Conference Preseason PiRate Ratings
			Prediction *
	Team	PiRate	SEC	Overall
	East
	Florida	142	8-0	13-0	#
	Georgia	114	5-3	8-4
	Tennessee	106	3-5	7-5
	Vanderbilt	104	2-6	5-7
	South Carolina	103	4-4	6-6
	Kentucky	100	1-7	5-7
	West
	Ole Miss	120	6-2	10-2
	Alabama	120	7-1	11-2	#
	L S U	114	6-2	10-2
	Arkansas	108	4-4	8-4
	Auburn	105	2-6	5-7
	Mississippi St.	91	0-8	1-11

 

	*  Predictions not based on PiRate Rating but
	on expected changes to rating during the year
	# Florida picked to beat Alabama
	in SEC Championship Game

 

SEC East

Florida: What is there to say that hasn’t already been said?  It will be a disappointing year if the Gators go 13-0 in the regular season but don’t win every game by more than three touchdowns.  Their 142 preseason PiRate Rating places them in some heavy company.  The only other preseason 140 or higher-rated teams were Nebraska in 1995, Miami of Florida in 2001, and Ohio State in 1975.

Tim Tebow is being called the greatest collegiate player ever.  We don’t know about that, but he is the best college quarterback in the nation in 2009.  He led the Gators in rushing with 673 yards and 12 touchdowns, but Coach Urban Meyer would probably like to cut his carries some to protect him and to showcase his passing arm to the NFL.  We expect Tebow will pass the ball more than the 21 times a game he passed last year.  Look for his attempts to rise to about 28, unless he is out of too many games after Florida has a five touchdown lead at the half, and his passing yardage to top 3,500.

The Gators rushed for 231 yards per game last year, and none of the backs/slot receivers topped 675 yards.  The depth is so great here that five players could top 500 yards.  Jeffrey Demps, Chris Rainey, and Emmanuel Moody will run 1-2-3 at the running back position.

The receiving unit will definitely miss all-everything Percy Harvin, who might make life easier for Brett Favre this year.  Louis Murphy is also gone, so this area is the only area of concern.  Riley Cooper, David Nelson, Deonte Thompson, and tight end Aaron Hernandez still make up one of the three best receiving units in the conference.

When you have the best offensive line in the league and second best to Southern Cal’s nationally, the superior skill players become even more dangerous.  The Pouncey brothers, center Maurkice and guard Mike, may both be ready to place their names in the NFL draft next spring.

There’s no catchy way to describe the Gator defense.  It just doesn’t seem like it could be real.  All 11 starters from last year’s top-flight defense plus 10 of the second 11 return!  That’s 21 of the top 22 players from a defense that gave up just 12.9 points and 285 yards per game.  In this day and age, shutouts don’t occur all that often like they did in past decades, but the Gators could post more than one this season. 21 players recorded double digit tackles, and of course, they are all back. 

In the defensive line, Carlos Dunlap had 9 ½ sacks from his end position.  Jermaine Cunningham had six sacks and four other tackles for loss.  Sophomore Jaye Howard isn’t one of the 21 returning key contributors, but he will be a big one this year from his tackle spot.

The head of the second line of defense is middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, who led UF with 93 tackles.  Ryan Stamper, A. J. Jones, Dustin Doe, Brandon Hicks, and Lorenzo Edwards all have the potential to make an All-SEC team.

In the secondary, safety Ahmad Black intercepted seven passes last year.  Cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden had six interceptions, and they batted away 25 balls.  The Gators allowed just 53.1% completions, and they actually could bring that number under 50% this year.

The only possible games where the Gators could face a little trouble are the October 10 game at LSU, and the Cocktail Party against Georgia in Jacksonville on October 31.  No matter which team wins the other division, we see Florida winning the SEC Championship Game by three touchdowns.  Who will the Gators play for all the marbles?  It would be interesting to see them square off in Pasadena against Southern Cal, but the Trojans would need help.  A 12-0 USC team will not make it if Oklahoma or Texas goes undefeated.  We think one will, and that team will face the Gators.

Georgia: The Bulldogs are a clear second place pick here, but they begin the season a full four touchdowns behind Florida.  Coach Mark Richt faces a minor rebuilding project on the offensive side, but the defense should be a little stronger this year—maybe as good as the defenses of 2002-2006, when UGA gave up an aggregate of 16 points per game.

The defense will rely on a strong trio of linebackers to stop opponents this year.  Rennie Curran is likely to leave for the pros after this year if he simply repeats last year’s production of 115 tackles, three sacks, and 10 total tackles for loss. 

The front four needs to get a better pass rush, or the secondary will not be able to top last year’s numbers.  The secondary gave up 190 yards per game and 55.7% completions, and strong safety Reshad Jones was the big star last year with five interceptions to go with 76 tackles.  If the pass rush doesn’t improve, those numbers will get a little ugly; in addition to facing Tebow and the other SEC passers, this defense will have to face Zac Robinson on his home turf.

Joe Cox will not approach Matthew Stafford’s passing numbers from 2008, but he won’t be a total bust either.  Cox has an accurate arm, but he doesn’t have the velocity of Stafford.

Replacing running back Knowshon Moreno may be a tougher assignment.  Richard Samuel, Carlton Thomas, and Caleb King will split the carries, but the three of them combined may not gain the 1,400 yards Moreno gained nor score 16 touchdowns.

Even with the departure of Mohamed Massaquoi, the receiving unit will be the strength of the offense.  A. J. Green is one of the top three receivers in the league.  He led the Bulldogs with 56 receptions and 963 yards in 2008.  Michael Moore should see his totals jump, maybe double, this year after grabbing 29 passes for 451 yards last year.

The offensive line should be better this year than last.  Tackle Clint Boling is a returning 1^st Team All-SEC player.  Look for the ‘Dogs to match last year’s low number of 17 sacks.

Richt wasn’t scared to schedule a road game against Oklahoma State to begin the season.  This game will be close to a tossup, and the Bulldogs will have a chance at the upset.  Outside of the Florida game, the rest of the schedule is manageable.  The key to returning to a New Year’s Day bowl is the LSU game.  The winner will still be in contention for an at-large BCS Bowl bid.

Tennessee: Welcome to the Orange Soap Opera!  Did Lane Kiffin come away with permanent damage after working for Al Davis?  And Tom Cable didn’t even punch him in the head.  Actually, Kiffin is being crazy like a fox.  Now if he can coach as good as he can market himself, the Volunteers are going to become a top-flight program once again.

Tennessee had one half of a great team last year.  Their defense gave up 16.8 points and only 264 total yards per game.  Adding defensive guru and Lane’s dad Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator and Ed Orgeron as defensive line coach can only make a good situation better.

Coach Kiffin promised his recruits that they would be given a real chance to play as true freshmen, and he has kept his word.  Freshmen dot the two-deep on both sides of the ball.  The top recruit is running back Bryce Brown, who some say was the overall top high school recruit last year.  He will contribute immediately and maybe start ahead of Montario Hardesty.  UT rushed for just 123 yards and 3.6 yards per carry last year, and Brown gives this unit an immediate boost.  If he stays healthy, and if the offensive line can develop its run blocking skills, Brown could rush for 1,000 yards in year one.

The passing game was nothing to shout about last year, as Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens combined for just 146 yards per game and completed less than half of their passes with a TD/INT ratio of 8/8.  Sports pundits said it was the overly difficult offense designed by former offensive coordinator Dave Clawson that accounted for the lack of success. 

The offensive line just wasn’t up to standards last year, and this will be the problem once again.  None of the heralded freshmen are Offensive linemen, and if the returning players don’t improve a good deal, the offense will still struggle against good teams.

The Vols’ best player and maybe the best defensive player in all of college football is strong safety Eric Berry.  Berry intercepted seven passes and knocked down six in 2008.  He recorded 72 tackles, had three QB sacks, and registered 5 ½ other tackles behind the line of scrimmage.  If he played for Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, or Southern Cal, he might be one of the five finalists invited to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York on December 12.

The other two units on the stop side may be a little weaker this year than last, even with the elder Kiffin directing it.  No middle linebacker has come to the forefront, and in Kiffin’s defense, a multi-talented MLB is required.  Rico McCoy is an exceptional outside linebacker.  In the trenches, nose tackle Dan Williams returns after making 8 ½ stops behind the line.  The Vols yielded just 2.8 yards per rush in ’08 and got to enemy quarterbacks 25 times.  They will probably get more sacks this year, but the yards allowed per rush will be higher.

 The schedule gives the Vols a decent shot at getting back to a bowl.  The four out-of-conference games are Western Kentucky, UCLA, Ohio, and Memphis, which will all be played at Neyland Stadium.  The Vols also draw a rebuilding Auburn team at home and finish with Vanderbilt and Kentucky, two teams they have dominated for decades.

Vanderbilt: There’s a television program called “Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed,” where a masked magician shows the viewing audience how all the big magic tricks are done.  Recently, enquiring minds just had to know who was behind the mask.  They hired someone to get onto that show as an assistant and pull the mask off and find out just who the guy was.  Guess what, it was Commodore head coach Bobby Johnson!  No, not really, but it might as well had been after the way Johnson produced Vanderbilt’s first winning season since 1982 and first bowl win since January 1, 1956!

Looking at the statistics, Vanderbilt was outgained by 64 yards per game, 76 in conference play.  They scored their fewest amount of points since Johnson’s first year.  They completed less than half of their passes and averaged just 3.7 yards per rush.  How did they win?  They came up with timely plays on defense and special teams, and they were +9 in turnover margin.

The offense should show signs of improvement this year.  Larry Smith, who made his first start in the bowl game, looks to have the tools necessary to play in the SEC.  He’s got a quick release, accurate arm, and decent zip on the ball.

Just who will be on the other end of those passes is the problem.  Vanderbilt lost top receiver Sean Walker to graduation, and it wasn’t like the Commodores were loaded at this position last year.  Former star defensive back D. J. Moore played both ways toward the end of the year, and it was his big plays against Kentucky that gave VU that important sixth win.  Vandy may use two tight ends more often this year to take advantage of good depth there.  Look for Brandon Barden, Austin Monahan, and Justin Green to combine for 50 or more receptions. 

Vanderbilt had a hard time running the ball past the line of scrimmage last year, and they have improved this position with the addition of some talented freshmen.  Jared Hawkins led the team with 593 rushing yards, but he may see fewer chances this year with Warren Norman and Zac Stacy getting significant playing time.

The offensive line returns intact with a lot of depth, and there could be some shuffling in the depth chart.  One player who won’t be shuffled is tackle Thomas Welch, the next Vandy OL who will play in the NFL.

The defense will be just as tough as last year, but only if the two new secondary starters can prove they are SEC caliber defenders.  Replacing Moore and safety Reshard Langford won’t be easy.  Look for better play in the front seven to give the secondary a fair chance at covering receivers.

Vanderbilt’s schedule is the reason they may not repeat last year’s feats.  The Commodores play two bowl teams in their four non-conference games.  They must visit Rice, which won’t be an easy win, and they host Georgia Tech at the end of October.  An even bigger concern is the fact that they have no off weeks.  Injuries will pile up, and the depth isn’t strong enough to withstand more than a couple of lost starts.  Vanderbilt won five games in 2007 and 2005; they may make it a pattern and win five in 2009, unless they can pull off a big upset.

South Carolina: Steve Spurrier has not turned this program around like everybody theorized would happen when he took the job in 2005.  The Gamecocks have won seven, eight, six, and seven games in his first four seasons, only marginally better than before he arrived.  Add to the disappointment the fact that USC has some rebuilding to do on both sides of the ball, and Spurrier will have to perform wonders to get this team to eight wins.

Last year, the offensive line wrecked the offense.  They played like a quintet of matadors.  The Gamecocks rushed for just 94 yards per game, and the quarterbacks went down 39 times and threw 27 interceptions.  Unless new coaching can make them better, there isn’t much chance that there will be much improvement here.

Quarterback Stephen Garcia has the tools needed to be a good SEC passer, but Tim Tebow would have a hard time succeeding if he was rushed as much as Garcia was last year.  Garcia alternated with departed QB Chris Smelley and proved to be more of a dual threat out of the spread offense.

USC lost their top two receivers in Kenny McKinley and Jared Cook, who combined for 91 receptions and 1,225 yards.  True freshman Alshon Jeffrey could eventually be as talented as McKinley, but it won’t happen this year.  Another true freshman, DeMario Bennett should see playing time as well.  The ‘Cocks will have to rely on a receiver by committee approach.

The running game will be handed over to freshman Jarvis Giles, who at least has the moves to avoid a big loss when the defense is already in the backfield at the time of the handoff.  Freshman Kenny Miles may see some snaps as well.

On the defensive side, things are not as sad and gloomy.  New coordinator Ellis Johnson inherits some rather talented troops, and South Carolina could even better last year’s stats (21.1 points and 292 yards allowed per game).  The front seven is considerably stronger than the secondary, so expect to see the focus of attention on getting a great pass rush. 

Linebacker Eric Norwood finished second in the league with nine sacks, but he’s the only returning starter to the unit.  Defensive end Cliff Matthews heads the front line, but there will be some shuffling following the suspension of opposite terminal Clifton Geathers.

There is experienced talent at safety, but cornerback is a different matter.  True freshman Stephon Gilmore and sophomore Akeem Auguste are the new starters.

South Carolina plays too tough ACC opponents (at North Carolina State, Clemson) as well as both Alabama and Ole Miss from the West Division.  The Gamecocks will have to win one or two road games from among Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas in order to gain bowl eligibility.

Kentucky: In Lexington, it’s the football and baseball programs that are getting it done these days.  Do they play any other sports there?  It’s hard to believe it, but UK has won three consecutive bowl games.  If Coach Rich Brooks can guide his team to another bowl game this year, he should be nominated for national coach of the year. 

The Wildcats relied more on defense to win games last year, and the stop troops gave up just 21.5 points and 332 yards per game.  Seven starters from that side are now gone, including four of the top five tacklers plus 2^nd Team All-SEC end Jeremy Jarmon.

UK still has two potential 1^st Team All-Americans on the defensive side.  Trevard Lindley is the best cornerback and second best defensive player in the SEC.  He comes off a season in which he intercepted four passes and knocked away 11 others.

Linebacker Micah Johnson was a 1^st Team All-SEC choice last year after making 93 tackles with 13 for lost yardage.  He wasn’t even 100% most of the year, so he should have an even better production in ’09.

Up front, the late loss of Jarmon is going to take its toll.  Corey Peters is the only holdover up front.

There was a major reclamation in the 2008 offense, and it’s still a work in progress.  Quarterback Mike Hartline returns for his second season as the starter.  He completed 55.3% of his passes for 1,666 yards last year.  Former QB Randall Cobb is now strictly a receiver, but he will get snaps in the wildcat formation.

Cobb will team with Chris Matthews and Kyrus Lanxter to form a formidable trio at wide out.  Mathews, a junior college transfer, is big, quick, and agile.  Look for him to make a big contribution this year.

The running attack was not as potent last year following the 2007 graduation of Rafael Little.  Leading rusher Tony Dixon has moved on, but his contribution was minimal at 3.3 yards per carry.  Alfonso Smith, Derrick Locke, and Moncell Allen will share the load this season.

Up front, the offensive line returns three starters from a unit that allowed a league low 13 sacks.  Tackle Zipp Duncan is the leader of this unit.

An easy non-conference schedule (Miami-OH, Louisville, Louisiana-Monroe, and Eastern Kentucky) will give the ‘Cats four wins.  A home game with Mississippi State should be win number five.  Their best chance for a sixth win will come from Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee.

SEC West

Ole Miss: Houston Nutt couldn’t have picked a better time to inherit a job.  Former coach Ed Orgeron left him with a full cupboard.  In year two at the Nutthouse, Ole Miss is the sexy pick for SEC West Division champion.  The PiRate Ratings formula gives them the edge over Alabama by .09 points to start the season.  All five of us agree that the Rebels will be plenty good, just not the division winner.

The offense was strong all season, and there’s no reason to think it won’t be just as strong or stronger.  Eight starters return to an attack that averaged 32.1 points and 408 yards per game.

Quarterback Jevan Snead has had to take a backseat to two great quarterbacks.  He left Texas after Colt McCoy got the job.  Now, he plays Sham to Tim Tebow’s Secretariat.  Snead passed for 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns last year.

The running game is stocked with talent, and it’s not just running backs that carry the ball.  Wide out Dexter McCluster led the Rebels with 655 yards rushing (6.0 avg).  He ran the ball out of the wildcat formation.  He tried to pass the ball five times, and he threw two interceptions without a completion.  Cordera Eason,  Brandon Bolden, and Enrique Davis will split time at running back.

McCluster will team with Shay Hodge and top recruit Pat Patterson to form a trio of wide outs.  Tight end Gerald Harris is used more as a blocker.

Speaking of blockers, the Rebels have a big, but slightly inexperienced offensive line.  Tackle John Jerry is a monster at 6’5 and 350 pounds.

Ole Miss improved defensively as the season progressed.  The Rebels gave up 25 points per game in the first half of the year and 11 points per game in the second half.  It all begins up front, where the four starters (Kentrell Lockett and Marcus Tillman at DE and Lawon Scott or Justin Smith and Ted Laurent at DT) form the best front four in the league.  They will send a lot of backs to the ground before they get back to the line of scrimmage.  If Greg Hardy ever returns to 100% health, then this unit will be dominating.  In limited action last year, he made 8 ½ QB sacks.

The back seven are not as talented as the front four, but they are above average compared to the league as a whole.  Linebackers Jonathan Cornell and Allen Walker return after teaming for 86 tackles. 

The secondary is the weakest unit on the stop side.  Three starters return there, with free safety Kendrick Lewis being the closest thing to a star player.  He led the Rebels with 85 tackles, four interceptions, and six passes batted away.

Ole Miss should easily win their four non-league games (Memphis, Southeast Louisiana, UAB, and Northern Arizona).  They avoid both Florida and Georgia from the East.  It will all come down to how they perform in a trio of games to determine whether they can get to Atlanta for a great rematch with Florida.  They host Alabama on October 10, host Arkansas on October 24, and host LSU on November 21.  Even though they get all three of these games at home, we think they will slip up in one of these.  Our founder believes the Thursday night, September 24 game at South Carolina could actually be the hardest game they have on their schedule.

Alabama: It was almost a great story in Tideland in 2008.  Alabama won all 12 of their regular season games and entered the SEC Championship game ranked number one in the nation.  They were a 10-point underdog as the top-ranked team, something that has never happened before in modern times.  They failed to cover and lost by 11 to Florida.  Then, in the Sugar Bowl, they were embarrassed by Utah.

Some teams would fall apart when their prior season ended that way.  We believe the Crimson Tide will be just as hard to beat this year, even with major losses on the attack side.

The offense returns just four starters from last year.  Among the missing are quarterback John Parker Wilson and running back Glen Coffee.  The new quarterback is Greg McElroy, who saw limited action as a freshman last year.  He should be able to approach Wilson’s numbers if he stays healthy, but if he gets injured, ‘Bama is in trouble and will have to go with untested freshmen.

The running game will be okay if Mark Ingram stays eligible to play, and the NCAA investigators don’t go on a fishing expedition trying to declare him ineligible.  Number two back Terry Grant will be used more on passing downs, as he has good hands and great speed to turn a short pass into a long gain.

Julio Jones is in the same boat as Ingram, but if the star wide out loses some games due to the famous fishing trip, the Tide will suffer much more than they would at running back.  Jones led Alabama with 58 receptions and 924 yards.  The next leading returnee, Mike McCoy, had just 16 catches.

Three new starters dot the offensive line.  Guard Mike Johnson is the best of the blockers. 

The Tide defense was stingy last year until the last two games.  In the 12-0 start, they gave up 11.5 points and 249 yards per game.  Most of the key contributors are back for more this year, and the Tide could challenge Florida for top defense in the league.

Middle linebacker Rolando McClain led the defense with 95 tackles and 12 total tackles for loss.  He batted away eight passes as well.  He’ll be joined by three more than capable mates, Don’t’A Hightower, Eryk Anders, and Cory Reamer.

The three-man front is anchored by nose guard Terrence Cody, who at 365 pounds, plugs two gaps by himself.  End Brandon Deaderick is an excellent pass rusher.

The secondary features three returning starters and a top reserve from a year ago.  Cornerbacks  Javier Arenas and Kareem Jackson combined for 17 deflected passes in ’08.  Safety Justin Woodall picked off four passed and knocked away eight others.

The kicking game is first-rate with Leigh Tiffin having the best leg in the conference.

The Tide get a big test to start the season, taking on Virginia Tech in Atlanta.  We believe Coach Nick Saban’s club will win that game in a grind-it-out style.  If so, they should be 5-0 when they travel to Oxford to take on Ole Miss on October 10.  The LSU game in Tuscaloosa on November 7 is the only other game where they won’t be favored by a touchdown or more.  Alabama could go 12-0 in the regular season and lose to Florida in the SEC Championship for the second year in a row. 

Note: Brandon Deaderick was shot in the forearm Monday August 31, and his status for the Virginia Tech game is still undecided.

L S U: 8-5 is not an acceptable record at LSU these days.  It’s been rumored that back-to-back 8-5 records could even get a coach in trouble, even though he won a national championship two years ago.  Warning to Bayou Bengal Fans:  11-2 could get a coach a job at Michigan.

The Tigers return seven starters to both the offense and the defense.  Some exceptional talent returns, but there are a couple of holes in the lineup as well.

Quarterback Jordan Jefferson emerged as a potential star during the big comeback against Troy and later proved himself the position during last year’s Chick-fil-A Bowl.  He has good legs and can run the spread offense better than backup Jarrett Lee.

Jefferson is not the star of this backfield though.  Charles Scott is the top running back in the SEC.  He picked up 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns last year.  Keiland Williams is an able backup who can make his own hole if one isn’t there.

Brandon LaFell may be the best receiver in the league.  He led LSU with 63 receptions for 929 yards and eight touchdowns.

The offensive line returns three starters, and it is strongest at tackle with Ciron Black and Joseph Barksdale.

The Tigers averaged 30.9 points and 368 yards per game in 2008, and we see those numbers improving to 32 points and 400-425 yards per game.  Defensively, LSU gave up too many points and yards last year (24.2 and 326).  Coach Les Myles brought in former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis to fix the problem.

There won’t be a need for much tinkering in the secondary with three quality starters returning.  Cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Chris Hawkins and safety Chad Jones combined for 141 tackles, five interceptions, and 18 deflected passes.

All three starting linebackers from last year return, plus team leading tackler Harry Coleman moves up from safety, giving this unit even more athleticism.

The problem area is the defensive line.  Three starters finished their college careers, including the great Tyson Jackson.  End Rahim Alem led the team with eight sacks, and he will lead the rebuilt trenchmen.

The Tigers have one of the best punt and kick returners in the nation in lightning quick Trindon Holliday.  He’s a threat to take any punt back for a score.

LSU is just as talented as Alabama and Ole Miss.  They just get penalized this year for having to play both Florida and Georgia out of the East Division and Alabama and Ole Miss on the road.  They could easily lose all four of these games, and if they do, the natives will be getting restless in Baton Rouge.

Arkansas: Year one wasn’t a pleasant one in Fayetteville for Coach Bobby Petrino.  His Razorbacks were drilled by Alabama, Texas, and Florida in successive games by a combined score of 139-31, and the team never really recovered.  After falling to South Carolina and Mississippi State to drop out of bowl contention, they ended the season on a high note with an upset of LSU.  This year promises to be different.  Arkansas will be bowl eligible once again with an exciting team.

Let’s start the excitement reporting on the attack side.  New quarterback Ryan Mallett left Michigan when Rich Rodriguez came in as coach.  He’s matured physically and mentally in that time, and he could be the best QB in the league after Tebow and Snead.  Mallett has three experienced starters and several able reserves to catch his passes.  We expect the Arkansas passing game to produce 275-300 yards per game this season, but only if the protection improves.  Arkansas QBs were dumped 46 times last year.

Michael Smith returns at running back after topping 1,000 yards last year.  True freshman Ronnie Wingo could see action immediately.

The offensive line needs some repairs after three starters graduated.  One of the returning starters, center Wade Grayson, has been bumped to second string by Seth Oxner, so there should be some improvement there.  Mitch Petrus has a chance to become a 1^st Team All-SEC guard after making the 2^nd team last year. 

How much the defense improves will determine how many games over .500 this team finishes in 2009.  The top 10 tacklers are back, but the Razorbacks gave up a very generous 31.2 points and 375 yards per game in ’08.  There will be some, but not much improvement this year, as there are liabilities in all three units.

The star of the stop side is tackle Malcolm Sheppard.  He finished second on the team with 68 tackles, and he led with 6 ½ sacks and eight other tackles for loss.

The secondary was burned too many times last year, and it will continue to happen somewhat this season.  There’s been some shuffling in the depth chart, but it appears that the answer has yet to be found.  The loss of Isaac Madison is big.

The linebackers are in better shape than the secondary, but this trio isn’t going to be compared to Alabama or Ole Miss’s trio. 

The Hogs should win all four non-conference games against Missouri State, Texas A&M, Eastern Michigan, and Troy, but the latter three could pull off an upset if Arkansas isn’t ready to play.  The Razorbacks get Auburn, South Carolina, and Mississippi State at home.  They have seven winnable games and, we think they could pull off an upset along the way.  Arkansas could even sneak into the New Year’s Day Bowl picture.

Auburn: The Tigers suffered through a rare losing season, and Coach Tommy Tuberville decided to call it quits at the end.  Like Tennessee, the defense was good enough to win big, but the offense couldn’t adjust to a new philosophy.

Enter Gene Chizik.  An offensive guru, he isn’t.  He’s the architect of defenses that produced undefeated seasons in 2004 at Auburn and 2005 at Texas.  In three years at Iowa State, his teams compiled a 5-19 record. 

Chizik made a great hire at offensive coordinator, taking Gus Malzahn away from Tulsa.  His Tulsa offense scored 47.2 points per game and gained 570 yards per game last year.  Auburn averaged 17.3 points and 302 yards per game.  Look for immediate improvement, but don’t even think about this team averaging 30 points and 400 yards this year.

There has been a change at quarterback, where Chris Todd supplants last year’s starter Kodi Burns.  Burns is a much better runner, while Todd is a much better passer.  Todd didn’t handle former offensive coordinator Tony Franklin’s spread offense.

Todd doesn’t have any stars running routes to catch his passes.  Leading returning receiver Montez Billings will miss at least four games to start the season, and it will take him a week or two to shake the cobwebs off.  Tight end Tommy Trott has the potential to be a difference maker.

Ben Tate has the potential to be a 1,000 yard rusher for the Tigers.  He gained 664 yards last year after gaining over 900 as a sophomore in 2007.  Mario Fannin is excellent compliment to Tate, and Auburn should increase their rushing numbers from 137 to 150 or more yards per game.

The offensive line has beefed up and should do a better job with four guys back who saw extensive action. 

On the defensive side, the back seven should be tough, but the front four will be short on depth.  In the secondary, cornerback Walter McFadden batted away eight passes, and free safety Zac Etheridge led the Tigers with 75 tackles.

Linebackers Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens anchor the second tier of the defense after teaming for 107 tackles in 2008. 

The defensive line will miss tackle Sen’Derrick Marks and his 10 total tackles for loss.  Ends Michael Goggans and Antonio Coleman are tough to run on, and Mike Blanc holds his position as good as any tackle.

Auburn can win six or seven games and return to a minor bowl this year, but it won’t be easy.  The opening game against Louisiana Tech could be a tough one if the Tigers come out tight on offense.  A week two game with Mississippi State could be interesting, after they won 3-2 last year.  The third game, against West Virginia, is the game that will show how well the War Eagles have improved.  Auburn needs to be at least 2-1 after that game in order to make a run to a bowl.  They need to be at least 6-4 after the Furman game, or it won’t happen.

Mississippi State:  Former Florida quarterback coach Dan Mullen takes over as coach in Starkville this year, but he couldn’t bring his QB with him.  That means, it is going to be a long year in Bulldog country. 

Tyson Lee isn’t terrible, especially if his knee is 100% healthy, but he’s a bit on the small side at 5’11.  True freshman Tyler Russell may take over before the year is out.  He’s got one really good receiver to locate in Brandon McRae, who caught 51 passes last year.  Mullen recruited eight receivers, and two or three will see significant action this year.

At running back, Anthony Dixon is capable of rushing for 1,000 yards again after doing so two years ago.  He runs downhill when he gets the ball, and rarely can one man bring him down.

 The offensive line is a problem both in talent and depth.  Two starters return, and inexperienced underclassmen will see a lot of playing time.  A lack of consistent blocking will keep Mullen’s offense from taking off in year one.

The defense is another story.  The Bulldogs gave up just 328 total yards per game last year, and were one of the best against the pass.  It should continue to impress, as Mullen hired Carl Torbush as coordinator.  Expect maybe a minor increase in yards and points given up because the new offense will add total plays to the games.

The front four welcomes three new starters, and they should give up about 150-160 rushing yards again.  The Bulldogs only recorded 19 sacks, so those numbers won’t go down much if at all.

Only one starting linebacker returns from last year, but the star from 2007, Jamar Chaney, returns after missing all of last year.  Chaney should be the leading tackler if he stays healthy.

The secondary has just one returning starter.  Marcus Washington is a decent cornerback, but this unit will be torched by a few teams.

Mullen will open his career 1-0, because the Bulldogs play Jackson State.  After that, things will head south.  Games at Auburn and Vanderbilt, followed by three consecutive home games against LSU, Georgia Tech, and Houston should leave MSU 1-5 heading to Murfreesboro, TN to face Middle Tennessee.  That game could be an embarrassing loss.  If they lose it, we think they will fold up like a tent and drop the final five games by about 150 points.  A 1-11 season would be a weak start, but give Mullen time.  He just might turn things around in Starkville.

Next up: We save our own neighborhood conference for last.  The Big Ten may not be as strong as the Big 12 and SEC this year, but we believe the competition will be much more exciting with upwards of five teams capable of winning the conference championship.