==== EAST ==== jusblaze09 Coach_III chance17 ==== WEST ==== Nautica MarkyMark67 LTL7360
The 2013 Sugar Bowl was the best possible thing to happen to this year’s Florida Gators. A very valid and very reasonable case could be made that before the post-season, Florida absolutely deserved to be in the BCS championship discussion and would’ve and should’ve earned the spot next to Alabama had Notre Dame faltered down the stretch. No, the Gators didn’t win their own division, much less their own conference title – which automatically should exclude them from winning the national title in my world, but put that aside for now – but they had a better résumé than anyone in college football including Oregon, Notre Dame and Alabama. Once again, Florida will have one of the most talented teams in America, and once again, everything that went right last year should work once again, but to get from BCS good to BCS championship great, there are still holes that need patching. Those who don’t learn from losing to Louisville are doomed to repeat it. The season will be a success if …: the Gators win the SEC East. There might not be enough in the passing game to honestly think about the national championship, and there will probably be a hiccup at LSU or at South Carolina, but there’s no reason to go for anything less than a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title. There’s too much talent, the defense will be too good, and the expectations are too high to merely hope for a nice ten-win season. The Season Will Be a Failure If ...: no SEC East crown and playing for the SEC Championship for a shot the National Title. Losing to LSU and Georgia and then the OOC game against FSU. Prediction: At the least a 10 win season with losses to either LSU and S. Carolina or Georgia, at worst a 9-3 season with two losses against the previous teams and FSU.
So close. The Georgia Bulldogs were just so darn close. In what will go down as one of the most thrilling conference title games ever played in SEC country, Mark Richt and his scrappy Bulldogs came within five yards of upsetting mighty Alabama last year in Atlanta. The loss was a bitter one, to be sure, but the fact that the Dawgs fought so hard, right to the very end, against an opponent that, let’s be honest, was simply more talented speaks volumes about that squad’s heart—and about Richt’s still-sharp coaching acumen, too. Now with Richt gone and Coach_iii taking over with his high powered offensive attack, they might not even need those last 5 yards for an SEC Championship win and berth into a National Title. Georgia returns eight starters on offense and three on defense from a team that went 12-2 in 2012. The most notable returnee, of course, is quarterback Aaron Murray The Season Will Be a Success If ...: They find themselves back in Atlanta come December. Richt had so much success early in his career that, when things headed (somewhat) south in recent years, Georgia fans weren’t sure how to react. Nothing short of an SEC title game appearance will do for Coach and his Bulldogs. The Season Will Be a Failure If ...: They fail to win the SEC East and cede divisional superiority to Florida. Make no mistake, while South Carolina has certainly evolved into a true contender under Steve Spurrier and while Tennessee is powerhouse just waiting to return, Georgia’s top competition in the SEC East will always come from Florida. Prediction: The offense will be fantastic. When you can line up the likes of Murray, Gurley and Keith Marshall, you know you’ll score some points—and that’s even taking into account the fact that this team is fairly short on experienced wideouts. There are certainly some questions over on defense, however, as key starters need to be replaced pretty much everywhere, and I think those questions will ultimately cost the Dawgs a game or two they might have otherwise won.
When people talk about the best coaches in college football, they often talk about Nick Saban. They often talk about Les Miles. They often talk about Urban Meyer. But there's one guy they rarely mention, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. That guy is Steve Spurrier. At Carolina, the titles have yet to arrive. But let's be honest: What this guy has done at Carolina--a program that languished in mediocrity for decades--is every bit as impressive, if not more so. Thanks to Spurrier's efforts, Carolina today is a legitimate Top 15 program--with Top 5 potential. He's built this program into something to be reckoned with, and that, I assure you, has been no small task. Now that Spurrier is out and the Gamecocks led by faithful Chance, someone who had great success in the SEC last release, will look to take it up another notch this year. Carolina returns six starters on offense and five on defense from a team that finished 11-2, including 6-2 in the SEC, in 2012. Returning to run the offense is Connor Shaw, an occasionally frustrating but still talented signalcaller. Gone is the supremely talented but star-crossed Marcus Lattimore, who could have been one of the all-time greats had injuries not cut his career short, but returning to lead the defense is defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the single best player in college football. Not a bad guy to build around. The Season Will Be a Success If ...: They can hang with Georgia and Florida and make the SEC East battle a three-team race. To be fair, the Bulldogs and Gators look stronger on paper, and Spurrier has some serious rebuilding to do, especially on offense. The Season Will Be a Failure If ...: They struggle right out of the gate, have two losses by the end of September and can't get back on track. North Carolina is hardly a powerhouse, but on a Thursday night, in the season opener, that's no gimme. And again, those back-to-back SEC tilts against Georgia and Vandy will not be easy, either. This team will be tested early. We'll know what they're made of by October. Prediction: Though the return of Clowney will certainly help the defense hold its own against pretty much anybody, that offense has some issues. Shaw isn't exactly Johnny Manziel and there is a clear lack of playmakers. The Gamecocks might win 10, but eight or nine is much more likely. Those first three games will be telling.
This really isn’t that difficult. If you have the best players, usually, you’re going to win and win big. But to come up with this over the past five seasons is something truly special. It’s not just that Nick Saban has brought in really good recruits; it’s that he’s bringing in the best of the best recruits, and lots of them. That’s why there could be such a massive turnover from the No. 1 defense in 2011 and still come up with the No. 1 defense in 2012. It’s why a few true freshmen could play such integral roles on last year’s offense, and it’s why Alabama is going into this season as the favorite to make it a fourth national title in five years to add to what’s already the greatest run in the history of college football. And now insert Nautica, a pretty offensive minded coach to go with a dominating defense only spells more trouble for the Nation. But there are potential holes at corner and backup quarterback, even for a team with so much skill. Remember, as good as the Tide was last year, it needed minor miracle to beat LSU, lost to Texas A&M, and wouldn’t have played for the national title had Oregon slipped past Stanford or if Ohio State was eligible. The season will be a success if …: Alabama wins a fourth national title in five seasons. An SEC championship will be very, very empty if there isn’t confetti falling on Nautica's head in Pasadena. At this point, with this much talent, win a national title or the season is a failure. The Season Will Be a Failure If ...: no West crown, SEC crown and National Title. Prediction: A difficult three weeks to open the season, VT and A&M are on the schedule, navigate those undefeated with LSU at home. Alabama should pretty much be heading into Atlanta undefeated and will take on one of the East's finest.
The recent years have been pretty darn good ones for the LSU Tigers. With the always entertaining and often confounding Les Miles at the helm, LSU has established itself as one of the true elites of college football—a program that comes into every season thinking, quite correctly, that it’s got a chance to win the national title. But this year? After making a move and letting Miles walk, the Tigers bring in consistent MarkyMark and look for them to turn the corner against hated rival, Alabama. The situation has left some pundits to wonder whether this is the year that the Tigers finally take a big step backward. The Season Will Be a Success If ...: They can win 10 games and keep that perception going that they remain truly elite. Make no mistake, Nautica is going to have Alabama on top of or near the top of the polls for so long as he decides to remain in Tuscaloosa, which means that Markis going to have his hands full, not only on the field, but on the recruiting trail as well. If he lets Nautica put some distance between the two programs, recruits will notice. And head elsewhere. The Season Will Be a Failure If ...: They fall back into the SEC West pack. Given the talent that this bunch has lost, it certainly doesn’t seem impossible that they could end up at 8-4 or 9-3—or maybe even 7-5. While such a dip would certainly be understandable, it’s not the kind of thing that LSU fans will be very happy about. Prediction: Passionate Tigers fans are about their football, which means I also know that this bunch is going to be very, very unhappy this year; the talent simply isn’t there, and ‘Bama is pulling ahead of the pack. Whether or not Marky can close that gap in the long term remains to be seen, but it certainly won’t happen this year. Look for 8-4 and a lot of grumbling in Baton Rouge.
Of course last season was special. Of course the emergence of Johnny Manziel was a thrilling and wonderful surprise for an Aggie fan base that’s been waiting for a signature superstar. Of course the win over Alabama was the best road victory by anyone in 2012, and of course a case could’ve been made that A&M might have picked the wrong year to bolt from the Big 12. Of course the first season in the SEC far exceeded even the wildest of dreams, and of course the blowout win over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl was the icing on the cake. But here’s the thing; it’s not like the Aggies actually won anything. It’s one thing to get the ball close to the pin, but it’s not like Alabama is folding up shop. LSU isn’t going anywhere, Ole Miss is growing into a power, and Auburn and Arkansas aren’t going to stink like that again. LTL has the style and he’s upping his recruiting game with a whopper of a 2014 class on the horizon following a great 2013 haul, but even though this is now the hot program with the hot coach and hot player in the hot system, it’s going to take a whole lot of luck to go from being Cotton Bowl good to SEC title good to national title good. With expectations through the roof after the bar was set so high last season, now the problem will be that 11-2 won’t get it done. Can it be done again while aiming for the next tier? We shall find out. The season will be a success if …: the Aggies win the West. With the schedule, so much talent and all the expectations, a division title is a must. However, it might not happen without a victory against LSU. The Season Will Be a Failure If ...: A&M can't exact revenge on LSU and have a chance to win the West. Prediction: If A&M can start out the SEC season with a win over Alabama, and if it can come up with a victory over the Tigers, the West title might be a lock. I will go ahead and say they will split these two games and look to go to Atlanta at 11-1.
Predictions SEC East Winner: SEC West Winner: Coach of the Year: O-MVP: D-MVP: Newcomer of the Year (FR/RS FR): Give me your predicted record and/or outcome: chance17 Coach_III Nautica MarkyMark67 jusblaze09 LTL7360
SEC East Winner: Georgia SEC West Winner: Texas A&M Coach of the Year: Coach III O-MVP: Johnny Manziel (TAMC) D-MVP: CJ Mosley (Alabama) Newcomer of the Year (FR/RS FR): WR Ricky Seals-Jones (TAMC) Give me your predicted record and/or outcome: 12-2. Texas A&M sweeps the west but loses to Georgia in Atlanta. That on top of a bowl loss will give A&M a losing streak to close out Johnny's last year in Aggieland.
You want real life or this dynasty, because I can't make these boys win like Spurrier can... SEC East Winner: Hard to tell, favorite is UGA SEC West Winner: Have to take Bama, but it's closer than people think Coach of the Year: Mark Stoops if he wins 9 games, Coach_III otherwise O-MVP: Johnny Football (hell, football is in his name even) D-MVP: Jadaveon Clowney if the sliders permit, Mosley if not Newcomer of the Year (FR/RS FR): TJ Holloman because he's a starting MLB and has the talent to compete there in the SEC as a RS freshman Predicted record, etc.: 10 wins and one to send off Connor Shaw, but probably not with him at the helm
SEC East Winner: Florida (duh) SEC West Winner: Alabama. I wanted to go with LTL here but I have a feeling after facing FSU he might drop the big week 3 matchup that will probably be the key. Respect to Mark, but I see him dropping at least 2 of the user games Coach of the Year: Me (duh, again lol) O-MVP: Johnny Manizel. I expect LTL to use him to his full potential. D-MVP: Jadaveon Clowney. Linemen in NCAA dominate Newcomer of the Year (FR/RS FR): I don't even know. I'll throw a name out there from my team and say DeMarcus Robinson. The slot is one of the easiest positions to produce from.
SEC East Winner: Georgia SEC West Winner: Texas A&M Coach of the Year: Lazer O-MVP: Johnny Manziel D-MVP: J. Clowney Newcomer of the Year (FR/RS FR): Robert Nkemdiche Give me your predicted record and/or outcome: 10-2
CFB wouldn't be the same without him. He is a great instigator and brings fire to the rivalry games with the crap he says. He's kind of like a wrestling personality that can coach. Like him or not, he's good for business and that's what CFB is these days.
