I know there has been a lot of noise made by a certain coach from the Big XII about the depth and strength of the SEC but last season the conference placed five teams in the top ten and six in the top fifteen. The amount of top tier teams at the top of the conference makes up for the dregs at the bottom, however this does not extend to any individual schedule within the conference. This year the conference looks to have a great roster once again with Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, Georgia and Texas A&M all having legitimate cases to win the conference. This is the last preview this off-season and we are only two weeks from the start of games. (Big XII, Pac-12, B1G, ACC, MWC and Conference rank previews)
East: |last year W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Florida|11-2, 6, 5, 55.2%, 47.3%| The East division of the SEC is getting better and this year is the best iteration in a couple of years and that makes it difficult to pinpoint the winner. I gave the nod to Florida in my preseason preview because I believe more in it's ability to replenish the roster. The secondary lost a lot of NFL talent but the two deep was especially strong last season and they should be able to fill in nicely. The biggest question however, on this team is once again the offense. The running threat has always been fine, the stable is filled with very good talent from within the state of Florida and will be steady again with a stout o-line. The question is at the skill positions where the QB and WR play have been abysmal, the latter maybe an effect of the first, Jeff Driskel returns to once again take the field and if he can get his sacks under control the skill position play could be much better this season. It will undoubtedly be ugly but it should be winning football once again.
Worst Team: Kentucky|2-10, 6, 7, 81.1%, 78.3%| Mark Stoops is bringing excitement to Lexington which isn't something that has been seen on the football side very much in the last decade or two. This year however will test that excitement because none of the high profile recruits are in this year or have officially signed for next year yet. This is a team that lost to WKU last season and looked absolutely horrific in it's conference slate. The good news is that a new staff has a better chance to squeeze something new out of the current roster than the last staff did but that is all that can be expected of this years version of the Wildcats.
Intriguing Team: South Carolina|11-2, 9, 8, 68.4%, 41.8%| South Carolina brings back a good amount on offense, loses some key players on defense and has a manageable schedule which all point to a team that should probably have the header of "Best Team". The running game has never really bounced back after the loss of Lattimore to a knee injury, with a steady but just above average run game. I have faith in Connor Shaw, I can't explain why and it feels weird but I think he makes this team dangerous on offense and they need that. On defense everything revolves around Clowney and we should all enjoy watching that, but the loss of two starters and a key rotation piece on the line is a cause for concern. Along with the line losses the entire starting linebacker crew has moved on and they lost their top DB in D.J. Swearinger. The Ol' Ball Coach will have this team ready to play this year and hopefully wear shirts to all games.
West:
Best Team: Alabama|13-1, 6, 7, 81.4%, 70.5%| Alabama has been one of the two best teams in the country for the last four years, and they have a very good chance of being right there in this mix again. This years team is reminiscent of the team from a couple years ago that didn't win the championship, but this years team has a few advantages. First and foremost the offense should be potent, with AJ McCarron, T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper. The offensive line loses a few starters who were very good, but they have a couple returners coming back and enough recruited talent to make them serviceable at worst. On defense, the line loses four players who played in every game last season, most notably starter Jesse Williams. The biggest losses, however, are in the secondary where they lose Dee Milliner and Robert Lester and in the linebacking corps Nico Johnson is gone. Overall this team has talent out the wazzou (river, not the school) and should be a beast for any team that doesn't play a disciplined and hard nosed game.
Worst Team: Mississippi State|8-5, 7, 6, 70.9%, 64.7%| How to put this... I think thath Auburn & Arkansas have greater chances to be the worst team in the West but Mississippi State has been stagnant now for three years after a promising couple of years in the Mullen era. The defenses have steadily progressed to average, the offenses have always been meh and the overall performance of the team has moved back to the median as well. There is talent on defense we've seen it flash in the past but with stagnation and fresh blood at cross state rival Ole Miss have been enough to make the talent level stay at, at best an above average handle.
Intriguing Team: LSU|10-3, 8, 5, 81.6%, 50.4%| LSU has been one of handful of teams to be the consistently great in the SEC the past 5 or so years. Florida had an off year, Georgia had a lull, South Carolina never quite reaches the pinnacle, Auburn had the Newton year and then nothing, but LSU and Alabama have been the stalwarts. The defense once again loses a bunch of talent to the NFL most notably both defensive ends and a couple defensive backs. The staff in Baton Rouge are use to this yearly ritual and the recruiting and depth are strong enough that they may take a small step back but will still be well above average. The offense has another new offensive coordinator and Mettenberger is back behind center and he will just need to be good or maybe a bit better than last year. The backfield has an abundance of talent back again this year in Blue, Hill & Hilliard and the line will be as stout as ever to battle the Florida, Alabama and South Carolina fronts. The offense should have some ability to make plays and pick up any slack left by the defense.
Conference Standings:
East: Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky
Legends: Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State
Championship Game: Alabama vs. Florida Winner: Alabama
Alright, this is the last of my conference previews, thank you if you read them and the season starts in about a week. I should be able to get predictions up for week 1 by wednesday night and I'm jacked for the season.
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