SEC Offseason News

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KENTUCKY will enter 2019 having beaten South Carolina five games in a row, Missouri
four straight times and Vanderbilt four out of five. Those positive streaks have been the
foundation of Mark Stoops' elevation process that has taken the Wildcats from 2-10 in
2013 to 10-3 last season.

VANDERBILT has added at least nine transfers to its roster since last season. One, key
graduate transfer is quarterback Riley Neal who was a three year starter at Ball State
where he threw for 7,393 career passing yards. He is expected to replace four year
starter Kyle Shurmur this season.

MISSOURI is hoping for a reversal by the NCAA Infractions Appeal Committee where
they have been ruled ineligible for postseason play in 2019 due to sanctions from an
academic fraud case. The bowl ban means any senior on the Tigers roster can transfer
to another school this summer and play immediately without penalty in the coming
season. So far, no one has opted to transfer.

 

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Over/Under on Tennessee playing Rocky Top during their game with Alabama.
(132 times for the game, about 33 times per quarter)

An Alabama fan and a Tennessee fan, fighting alongside each other for the Allies,
where captured during World War II and sentenced to die by firing squad. The
German commander ask the Tennessee fan if he had any last requests. The Vol
said, "I want to hear 'Rocky Top' on last time." The Bama fan was then asked if
he had any last requests. "YES, shoot me first!"

If you have ever been to a Bama/Tennessee game, especially one in Knoxville,
you know what I mean...…………...

 

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Opening Week Schedule

8/29 Florida - Miami (Orlando)
8/31 Texas State - Texas A&M
8/31 Georgia - Vanderbilt
8/31 Toledo - Kentucky
8/31 Georgia Southern - LSU
8/31 Ole Miss - Memphis
8/31 Miss State - Louisiana (ULL)
8/31 Alabama - Duke (Atlanta)
8/31 Portland State - Arkansas
8/31 Auburn - Oregon (Arlington)
8/31 South Carolina - North Carolina (Charlotte)
8/31 Georgia State - Tennessee
8/31 Missouri - Wyoming

 

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Florida - After announcing a home-and-home series with Colorado last week,
the Gators announced a home-and-home series with Texas. The first game
of the series will take place in Gainesville on September 7, 2030. Florida will
then travel to Austin the following season on September 6, 2031. The Gator
- Colorado series is set for 2028 and 2029.

Alabama also has a home-and-home series scheduled with the Longhorns.

 

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NICK SABAN is the third oldest coach remaining in the Football Bowl Subdivision
behind Ohio's Frank Solich (74) and North Carolina's Mack Brown (67). Brown, who
has Saban by a couple of months, played running back at Vanderbilt and Florida
State, and had five knee surgeries before he started coaching. If Saban and Brown
coach for five more years, then maybe they'll be around for Urban Meyer's third
retirement from the sport.

AUBURN is nearing its fundraising goal for a Football only facility. Athletic Director Allen
Greene has been working to fund-raise for the new complex, which is expected to cost
around $60 million to complete, and he hopes to soon be able to present the project
to the Auburn board of trustees. Head coach Gus Malzahn has made a $2 million donation
to the project. Auburn's most recent football related project was a $40 million makeover
to Jordan Hare Stadium.

GEORGIA announced recently that the Bulldogs will travel to Oklahoma on September 9,
2023, and the Sooners will play in Athens on September 13, 2031. Georgia's previously
announced home-and-home series with Power 5 nonconference opponents include two with
Clemson (2029 at Clemson and 2030 in Athens, and 2032 in Athens and 2033 at Clemson);
Texas (2028 at Austin and 2029 in Athens); UCLA (2025 in Pasadena and 2026 in Athens);
and Florida State (2027 in Tallahassee and 2028 in Athens). Georgia also will play in Atlanta's
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Virginia in 2020, Oregon in 2022 and Clemson in 2024. Dawg
fans have some strong nonconference games to look forward to in the near future.

 

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There were no SEC COACHING CHANGES this year. Not even Tennessee, who seems to change
its head football coach on a regular basis didn't make a change. 2005 was the last time SEC teams
made no changes at the top of their football programs. Here's a breakdown of changes made from
2006-2019.

Alabama 1, Auburn 2, Arkansas 3, Florida 3, Georgia 1, Kentucky 2, LSU 1, Miss St. 1, Mo 1
(from 2012), Ole Miss 3, South Carolina 1, Tennessee 4, Texas AM 2 (from 2012), Vanderbilt 3

That's 29 HC changes since the 2006 season started. Basically, it's an average of more than two
changes per team during that stretch, which equals three different HC at each school over the course
of 13 years. That's also an average of just north of 2 coaching moves made per offseason.

I've got to believe there will be a change or two after the 2019 season.

 

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Athlon ranks SEC quarterbacks going into the 2019 season.

14. Riley Neal - Vanderbilt
13. Ben Hicks - Arkansas
12. Terry Wilson - Kentucky
11. Joey Gatewood - Auburn
10. Matt Corral - Ole Miss
9. Keytaon Thompson - Mississippi St.
8. Jarrett Fuarantano - Tennessee
7. Jake Bentley - South Carolina
6. Joe Burrow - LSU
5. Kelly Bryant - Missouri
4. Feleipe Franks - Florida
3. Kellon Mond - Texas A&M
2. Jake Fromm - Georgia
1. Tua Tagovailoa - Alabama

I might have to disagree with Athlon on the order of a few of these quarterbacks.
Gatewood may not even start for Auburn. South Carolina's Bentley is overrated
in my opinion. I've never been a fan of Florida's Franks. I look for A&M Kellon Mond
to have a big year. Tua and Jake are way better than the others.

 

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Auburn - The Tigers play three road games against SEC teams with division title aspirations.
They don't ease into it, either. They open SEC play in week 4 at Texas A&M. Two weeks later,
they travel to Florida. Later they visit LSU. That's not an easy road to navigate with a veteran
quarterback, and it's downright scary with a first-time starter. Presumably, it will be redshirt
freshman Joey Gatewood, but it's still possible that true freshman Bo Nix could line up under
center in College Station, The Swamp or Death Valley. Pressure year for coach Gus Malzahn.
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Alabama - The Tide have NFL-caliber backups at many positions. They overcome juniors leaving
early for the NFL better than any team in America. The only position where they absolutely have
to have the starter remain the starter all season is at quarterback. A backup makes them vulner-
able because there is no Jalen Hurts to turn to in 2019.

 

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GEORGIA - The past two years, the Bulldogs owned the SEC East Division in a way most people
don't realize. Georgia has gone 12-0 against East teams. All of those games were won by at
least 14 points with an average margin of victory of 25.3 points per contest. The East team
that's been the closest to them on average over the past two seasons (smallest margin of defeat)
was South Carolina.

Missouri is the only East Division team the past two years to score 28 points in a single game
against Georgia. In fact, non-Missouri East teams averaged 12 points per game against the Dawgs
the past two seasons.

Georgia played 720 minutes of football against East opponents the past two years, and trailed
for just 9 minutes and 38 seconds. That's 1.3 percent of the time Georgia was on the field.

Georgia beat three East opponents who were ranked last year and all of those wins were away
from home by at least 3 scores.

Now, who's going to be the first East team to lose by fewer than 14 points? Who can actually
hold a lead against Georgia for more than 7 minutes? Who will reach 30 points? And can
anyone form the East, actually beat the Bulldogs?

 

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SEC and more....by the numbers.

(11): Alabama and Clemson have combined to win 11 of the past 12 college football playoff games.

(1-8): Jimmy's record at Michigan against top-10 opponents. Jimmy is now hard at work planning
next year's world tour for his team.

(10): Number of starters returning on Oregon's offense, led by star quarterback Justin Herbert. Can
this help the Pac-12 stay in the playoff hunt?

(40-1): Alabama's record against all non-Clemson teams in the past three years. Bama is 1-2 against
the Tigers.

(20 +): Clemson enters 2019 having won 10 consecutive games by 20 or more points, tied for the
longest streak since 1936.

(125): ESPN 300 recruits who signed with SEC schools, the most by any conference in the 14 years
ESPN has done recruiting rankings.

(2001): The last year a first year coach (Larry Coker, Miami) won a national championship. Can Ohio
State's Ryan Day do the same?

(21-5): Army's record over the past two seasons, better than all Division 1 teams except Alabama,
Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Georgia. Salute!

(79): Percentage of Texas' touchdowns last season accounted for by quarterback Sam Ehlinger, the
highest for a Big 12 player since 2011.

(85.1): The total QBR for Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in 2018, behind only Kyler Murray and
Tua Tagovailoa.

(1-12): Don't expect USC to pull off many upsets. The Trojans are just 1-12 straight up and 2-11
against the spread as Dogs under Clay Helton.

(1-11): UConn's record last season against the spread. Over the past 5 years, the Huskies are a
money burning 16-40-2 ATS, the worst mark of any team in the FBS.

(14-3-1): The number of games Texas coach Tom Herman has covered during his career against
top-25 teams.

(13-3-1): The number of games Northwestern has covered as an underdog their past 17 games,
including a 7-1-1 mark with 6 outright wins as a dog in 2018.

(1-9): Jimmy's record at Michigan against AP top-25 teams. Even worse, in the 5 games Jimmy's
team was favored, the Wolverines were 0-5 ATS with 4 outright losses.

(9-2-1): The number that Washington State posted against the spread last year, best in FBS.
Amazing what the Pirate does with all those 3star recruits.

(69%): Since Lincoln Riley took over at Oklahoma, 19 of the Sooners 28 games have gone
over the total.

(6): The underdog has covered in six straight championship games. That includes 3 of the
5 college football playoff championship games.

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Tennessee - Oddsmakers have set the Vols' over-under win total at seven and based on the
schedule, they have a good chance of going over that number. There's four 'swing' games in
2019 that will dictate the difference between 6-6, 7-5 and 8-4 for what's expected to be a
much improved football team. South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Missouri. The
Vols get two of those opponents at home and two on the road. Tennessee will have to go
3-1 to get to eight wins, given projected losses as underdogs to Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
It's also vital to start the season 3-0 heading into the SEC opener in Gainesville on Sept. 21.
Tennessee should be much improved in Pruitt's second year.

 

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The SEC is absolutely loaded at the receiver position this fall, even after losing several talented
pass catchers to the NFL. Down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is stacked with five or so very good
receivers led by future #1 round choice Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy led the talented 2018 unit with 68
catches, 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns and they are all back. Vanderbilt has Kalija Lipscomb
whose 87 receptions led the SEC last year. Bryan Edwards from South Carolina will be counted
on to use his size and speed to lead the Gamecocks. LSU looks for Justin Jefferson to improve
on his numbers last year where he had 54 catches for 875 yards. Johnathon Johnson had 59
receptions for Missiouri in 2018, and along with tight end Albert Okweuegbunam should be the
focal points of the passing game this fall. Kentucky's Lynn Bowden is a versatile weapon who
caught 67 passes last year and also reliable returning punts and kickoffs. He returned two kicks
for scores last season. Tennessee needs Marquez Callaway to step up and improve on his 37
receptions from last year. There are others who will have stand out seasons, but these are guys
to keep an eye on.

*I have been following Alabama football all my life and this is the best group of receivers for
the Tide that I can remember. Now if we just had a QB to throw them the ball. Ha!

 

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SEC Schedules...Toughest, Easiest

South Carolina - The schedule starts off a bit soft before kicking into high gear. North Carolina
and Charleston Southern are the first two teams on the docket, and then its Alabama in town
followed by Missouri and Kentucky. Then, after a bye week, the Gamecocks hit the road for
Georgia, and follow that up immediately with Florida. They also play another tricky out of league
game against Appalachian State before finishing the season with road games against Texas A&M
and Clemson at home. There have been three programs to reach the College Football Playoff
National Championship in the past two seasons, and South Carolina is playing all three of them
this year.
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Alabama - Since 2010, the Tide's nonconference schedule has been headlined by Louisville, Florida
State, Southern Cal, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Penn State. This fall it's
Duke. Nothing against Duke but compared to those other opening opponents, they don't carry the
same kind of weight. The rest of Alabama's nonconference schedule are powerhouses New Mexico State,
Southern Miss and Western Carolina. No UAB that would create interest. No Troy State or Jacksonville State
or any other instate school that would create more interest for Bama fans. The Tide also miss Georgia and
Florida, but they do get South Carolina and Tennessee from the East. The toughest games will be on the
road against Texas A&M and Auburn as well as a home game against LSU. Still, while the schedule isn't
easy by any stretch, it projects to be the easiest of all SEC teams this year.
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MISSISSIPPI STATE - With three studs gone off of last year's No. 1 defense in the SEC, it's fair
to say that the offense will probably have to pick it up a bit. Nick Fitzgerald struggled (51%) as
a passer last year where the unit ranked No. 13 in the conference with just 175 yards per game.
Kaytaon Thompson provided a few glimpses throwing the ball that suggest he could provide a
boost. He threw three touchdowns in the spring game and had a 6-to-1 touchdown to interception
ratio in limited action last year. The receiving corps struggled during 2018, but tall targets like
Stephen Guidry (19) and Osirus Mitchell (26) should become bigger factors with Thompson slinging
it around. Coach Joe Moorhead will be looking for more balance between his offense and defense,
especially in conference play. Being No. 1 in defense and No. 13 in offense won't cut it.

What do you make of the fact that all but one of State's games last year finished at least nine points from the number, one way or the other?

 

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2019 Schedules...most difficult to least difficult.
(subject to debate)

1. South Carolina
2. Georgia
3. Texas A&M
4. Arkansas
5. Ole Miss
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Mississippi State
9. Florida
10. Missouri
11. Auburn
12. Vanderbilt
13. Kentucky
14. Alabama

 

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What do you make of the fact that all but one of State's games last year finished at least nine points from the number, one way or the other?

I think the jury is still out on Moorhead. Mullin won 9 games in 2017 and left Moorhead with a very talented team and he
disappointed a lot of Bulldog faithful last year. Should be an interesting season for Mississippi State.

 

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Georgia's Kirby Smart speaks out about the TRANSFER PORTAL. "A lot of small colleges are saying
'I'll just go recruit the portal and stop signing kids.' We would never do that because we are not
bottom feeders. I've talked to some guys at that level...I'm not going to repeat their names. They'll
say, "We're just going to save all our scholarships. Instead of signing a 25-man class, we'll sign five
of the best high school players we can and then go sign 20 out of the portal." Smart says the transfer
issue is, "where are you going to go to get developed the best? But that's not the society we live in.
We live in the, Me, now, I want mine now. I want to go play right away."

*There are at least 720 football players in the transfer portal. That's a huge number for something
that made its debute only last October. Soon, full free agency will exist in college athletics. Can of
worms that needs to be addressed.

 

[Knightrofins]

Georgia's Kirby Smart speaks out about the TRANSFER PORTAL. "A lot of small colleges are saying
'I'll just go recruit the portal and stop signing kids.' We would never do that because we are not
bottom feeders. I've talked to some guys at that level...I'm not going to repeat their names. They'll
say, "We're just going to save all our scholarships. Instead of signing a 25-man class, we'll sign five
of the best high school players we can and then go sign 20 out of the portal." Smart says the transfer
issue is, "where are you going to go to get developed the best? But that's not the society we live in.
We live in the, Me, now, I want mine now. I want to go play right away."

*There are at least 720 football players in the transfer portal. That's a huge number for something
that made its debute only last October. Soon, full free agency will exist in college athletics. Can of
worms that needs to be addressed.

Glad to see how much a college education means to these players!!

Curious to know 5-10 years down the road if these players didnt make the NFL, did they receive a college degree? I know when you transfer schools, sometimes classes you took at your old school do not count towards your new school. Get the free education while you can kids (unless you have NFL talent)

 

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Auburn - The Tigers' schedule is Brutal, with road games against LSU, Florida and Texas A&M,
a neutral site date with a likely Top 15 Oregon and annual contest with Alabama and Georgia.
Auburn is likely to be an underdog in five, maybe all six of those games, and might be playing
a true freshman at quarterback. I think Auburn beats Oregon, but probably lose the other five.
Winning 8 games this season may prove difficult.

Oregon (Atlanta)…..Tulane.....Kent State.....@Texas A&M.....Mississippi State.....@Florida.....
@Arkansas.....@LSU.....Ole Miss.....Georgia.....Samford.....Alabama

*Auburn is:
112-117-8 all time against Georgia (3-7 last 10)
72-91-1 all time against Alabama (3-7 last 10)
40-59-1 all time against LSU (5-18 away)
8-9 all time against Texas A&M (3-0 away)
42-38-2 all time against Florida (9-23 away)
2-0 all time against Oregon (won 22-19 in 2010)

 

[LSUpete]

2019 Schedules...most difficult to least difficult.
(subject to debate)

1. South Carolina
2. Georgia
3. Texas A&M
4. Arkansas
5. Ole Miss
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Mississippi State
9. Florida
10. Missouri
11. Auburn
12. Vanderbilt
13. Kentucky
14. Alabama

That Alabama schedule is shameful.