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What did we learn from this year's version?
- Some NFL agents are pimps ... except when they're predators. We know this because everyone who stood in front of a microphone basically said as much.
- Interim Vandrebilt coach Robbie Caldwell can entertain a group of sportswriters with the best of them.
- Aairon Savage is a snazzy dresser.
We know that won't be the case. Despite the optimism bursting from media days, football has winners and losers. And what better way to start off the week than a preseason power rankings of the teams in the SEC.
(As a quick programming notes, I plan to start daily opponent previews to fill time in this last week before players report. If all goes to plan, Arkansas State will be up on Tuesday.)
Back to the power rankings. Let's get to it. And yes, the worst-case scenarios are meant to be hyperbolic ...
1. Alabama
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- Best-case scenario: Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson are unstoppable behind a strong offensive line and new faces step up on defense, leading to another national title. Funds for a second Saban statue immediately go into the Alabama athletic budget.
- Worst-case scenario: The Tide's defense is slow to jell, leaving it vulnerable in early-season matchups to Penn State, Arkansas and Florida. It ends up losing more games this season than the previous two combined. The Apocalypse soon begins.
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- Best-case scenario: Brantley gives Florida the "real" quarterback it needs to completely utilize its stable of offensive weapons and the defense holds strong even without Charlie Strong.
- Worst-case scenario: They miss Tebow's leadership more than they think and drift back to the pack, opening up a chance for another team to steal the Eastern Division crown. Bummed out, Urban Meyer calls it quits for real this time, leading to another Ron Zook-like situation in Gainesville with his replacement.
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- Best-case scenario: Newton is the real deal, the offense takes off and the defense does enough to keep opponents under 25 points a game. If all goes right, the Iron Bowl will be a winner-take-all showdown for the SEC West.
- Worst-case scenario: Gene Chizik suffers a sophomore slump. Newton isn't quite ready, the defense is still a sieve and, with the prospect of having to re-tool the offense in 2011, Gus Malzahn strikes while he can and takes a head coaching job.
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- Best-case scenario: The Hogs catch Alabama at the right time early in the season, using the win as a springboard to a surprise run to the SEC West title. Mallett's 40 touchdown passes earn him the Heisman.
- Worst-case scenario: Despite averaging 40 points a game, the defense allows 42 points a game, setting a new bar for the most entertaining yet frustrating team to be a fan of. Bobby Petrino stays true to form by leaving for another job after the season.
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- Best-case scenario: Todd Grantham's 3-4 scheme does wonders for the defense, allowing Richt to more easily break in redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray. The Dawgs knock off Florida and steal the East.
- Worst-case scenario: The new defensive scheme merely rearranges the deck chairs of the Titanic and the Bulldogs plummet under .500. Richt gets got, following Phil Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville in the pantheon of precipitous falls from SEC grace.
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- Best-case scenario: Jordan Jefferson realizes his potential at quarterback, leading an offensive revival. The defense returns to its dominant self. And every win the Tigers have is by a wide margin, making Miles' handling of the end game less important.
- Worst-case scenario: The offense can't put it together, leaving the defense to get overwhelmed. Miles gets canned after taking a knee to run out the clock of a game that LSU was losing at the time.
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- Best-case scenario: Stephen Garcia finally gets on Spurrier's good side after years of headaches. That's enough for a dominant defense to take over, putting the Gamecocks in contention in a very even East.
- Worst-case scenario: Disappointed by Garcia's slow start, Spurrier benches him, pushing back the team's competitive window another couple years. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Spurrier hangs up his whistle and pursues a leisure life of golf.
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- Best-case scenario: Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb are so good that it makes the quarterback situation moot. The Wildcats get up to nine wins and get past the Music City Bowl, happily accepting a Chick-fil-A Bowl bid.
- Worst-case scenario: An inexperienced group struggles in John Calipari's second year. Oh ... football? Joker's not quite ready for primetime, the quarterback situation never gets resolved and the Wildcats slip up in a non-conference game, failing to get to the six wins required for bowl eligibility.
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- Best-case scenario: Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli finds a safe landing spot, makes an otherwise bad offense better than average and allows a strong defense to carry the day, right back to the Cotton Bowl for an attempted three-peat.
- Worst-case scenario: The offense is terrible, leaving the defense overworked and ultimately ineffective. Things bottom out and Nutt, always on the lookout for a better deal, begins to have wandering eyes once again. Also, Hotty and Toddy win the mascot competition and two Muppets end up cheering on the team.
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- Best-case scenario: Things aren't as bad as they first seem. Dooley gets rid of the troublemakers on the roster and still has enough talent to get the ball moving. The Vols maintain their 2009 record and make it back to a decent bowl.
- Worst-case scenario: Tennessee players continue to run afoul of the law and Dooley has to clean house to save the program. The Vols bottom out and fail to make a bowl game, leading to the Vols' full-fledged move to being a basketball-first school.
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- Best-case scenario: Mullen's offensive system takes root and the Bulldogs begin to look like Florida/Utah-lite. The defense comes together and MSU does enough to get into a bowl game.
- Worst-case scenario: The quarterback shuffle continues and the defense can't stop anyone through the air, keeping the Bulldogs out of the bowl derby. At the spring meetings, the SEC overturns its rule defending MSU's cowbell tradition, leading to a riot in Starkville.
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- Best-case scenario: Vandy steals an SEC game or two and can split its non-conference games, a good enough showing that the 'Dores give Caldwell another year in charge and another shot to dazzle at next year's media days.
- Worst-case scenario: Oh-and-12. It's possible. And while Caldwell is an entertaining guy, an oh-fer isn't going to save his hide. On the bright side, he could make a fortune as a corporate speaker.
6 comments:
I would slide Ole Nutt down to 11th. Other than that, I think it pretty fair.
The 3-7 spots could be shuffled. We'll just have to see how things turn out.
Andy, I think some of those best case scenarios are hyperbolic too; Mallet wins the Heisman, the Gamecocks in contention...
I think Ole Miss might be better than people think. This team has won 18 games the last two years. Nutt knows how to coach. And the defense won't be too bad.
I agree with the 3-7 spots. Very similar resumes there.
And yes, the best-case scenarios are looking at the very best-case. But Mallett could legitimately win the Heisman if he puts up big numbers and the Razorbacks pull off some big wins. I'm not saying it's likely , but if the chips fall right, it could happen.
That's as good as any I've seen. Once they kick it off, we'll know something.
I do think UT has enough talent on campus to compete with anybody, and the Georgia DullDawg fans are delusional about the difference Grantham's coaching is going to make.
Auburn's defense will be better because there won't be nine contributors miss games or the entire season due to injury. If Newton is as advertised and Malzhan's offense can avoid the dead spells that haunted the team last year the Tigers could be a strong contender.
I'd have ua-t at 12 and move everyone else up one spot.
(hate trumps reason)
Bwahahaha, THT, I love that comment.
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