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The Texas Longhorn football wrap up their last workout of the summer conditioning program today (Thursday).
“We do need to finish strong here in the summer,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said during last week’s SEC Media Days.
The summer time is when Sark wants his players to really come together as a team. The grueling summer temperatures shows which players are going to fight through the hard times and which ones are going to wilt.
“We pride ourselves on our conditioning,” Sarkisian said. “We pride ourselves on our mental and physical toughness. I think summer allows us to work on that. When it’s four o’clock at DKR right now, it’s hot and it’s tough. I love being there with the guys when they’re doing that stuff. And then they need some time to let their bodies cool down a little bit.”
The players will cool down a little bit with five days off before getting back to Austin for the start of fall camp on Wednesday, July 31st.
With the break in action, this felt like a good time to continue my “way too early look” at upcoming opponents.
I posted the first one back in May taking a look at Michigan, which you can check out here.
This week, we’re doing a drive up I-35 to for a way too early look at the OU Sooners and the Red River Rivalry.
OU'S OFFENSE:
OU has a couple of big question marks heading into the 2024 season which makes predicting how the season will play out, very hard.
“Because of where the question marks are, which is quarterback and offensive line, Oklahoma, could be anywhere from a college football playoff contender to a team that loses four or five games this year,” Toby Rowland, OU’s radio play-by-play announcer told me this week.
Former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold is taking over the starting quarterback duties in Norman this year – and he’ll be doing so behind five new starters on the offensive line.
Arnold has had one start in his career, a 38-24 loss to Arizona in last season’s Alamo Bowl. At times, he looked like a potential star QB throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns in the game. At other times, he looked like a quarterback who has a lot to learn while throwing three interceptions. Here is where I will make the obligatory notice that it was new Texas co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen who was UA's d-coordinator that night. In all, the Wildcats forced six OU turnovers.
Still, there is a lot of excitement in Norman that Arnold has the mental makeup to be able to handle being a first year starting quarterback during OU’s first year in the SEC.
“Everything you've ever heard about the young man is that he is mature beyond his years,” Rowland said. “And since he has taken over the reins, has handled it with tremendous confidence, self confidence, and has looked great.
“He's not one of these. Baker, Mayfield rah-rah leaders. I'd say he's cut more out of the Quinn Ewers mold from a personality standpoint, in that he's pretty quiet but he has that square jawed confidence about him. He looks the part you know, when he when he takes the field, he looks like what a starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma is supposed to look like.”
It’s not every day you’ll hear an OU insider compare their quarterback to a Texas quarterback.
Arnold will have to learn on the curve, while playing behind five new starters on the offensive line.
Projected starters: Spencer Brown, Geirean Hatchet, Branson Hickman, Febechi Nwaiwu, Jacob Sexton
Expected contributors: Eugene Brooks, Troy Everett, Heath Ozaeta, Jake Taylor, Michael Tarquin
Hickman transferred into OU from SMU and is already written into the starting lineup in ink at Center. He started 33 games for the Ponies during his first three seasons on the hilltop.
"Just knowing that the guy who is snapping me the ball and basically controlling the O-line has that experience is very comforting for me, and I know that I can rely on a guy like that," Arnold said at SEC Media Days.
Hickman isn’t the only new Sooner with experience.
Febechi Nwaiwu (North Texas), Geirean Hatchet (Washington), Michael Tarquin (USC) and Spencer Brown (Michigan State) also have a lot of college playing time before transferring to OU.
The question is, are these guys capable of playing together?
“They've got 10 guys that are either highly recruited or were very good transfer pickups,” Rowland said. “There's got to be a certain amount of chemistry that comes together in an offensive line. You’ve got to be able to read each other's minds and be on the same page. And we just don't know yet whether that's going to click for these guys or not.”
OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh will mix and match these guys throughout fall camp and maybe even during the early part of the season in order to find which five guys can play together the best.
If the OU offensive line can give Arnold enough time, he should be able to find someone open.
The Sooners picked up wide receiver Deion Burks in the transfer portal and he immediately started generating buzz among the OU observers. All of that buzz was proven to be true when Burks repeatedly burned a pretty good OU secondary during the spring game.
The rest of the receiving corps isn’t bad either.
Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq, Jaquaize Pettaway, and even former UT receiver Brenen Thompson should all contribute.
OU’S DEFENSE:
I have a core tenet when it comes to having a strong defense: you have to be strong up the middle.
OU is strong up the middle.
The Sooners are led by two All-American’s in linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman. Add in defensive tackle Damonic Williams, who transferred in from TCU, and you have the makings of a very good defensive unit.
“That’s playmaking, that’s leadership, that’s speed, that’s explosiveness, that’s tackling,” gushed OU head coach Brent Venables during the SEC Media Days.
The biggest question mark on defense is whether they’ll be able to generate a pass rush.
Oklahoma was 82nd in the country in sacks last year and they haven’t really added much to the edge rushing unit.
Stutsman and Bowman both could have gone on to the NFL after last season, but both decided to return for another year at OU to help lead the Sooners into the SEC … and to try to wrap up some unfinished business.
“When I came here, Oklahoma won six conference championships in a row,” Bowman Jr. said. “Since I’ve been here, I haven’t been to one. My goal is to win championships.”
OU’S SCHEDULE:
Getting to the SEC Championship Game won’t be easy for the Sooners.
OU was picked to finish eighth in its inaugural SEC season …
SEC MEDIA POLL:
1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Ole Miss
5. LSU
6. Missouri
7. Tennessee
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas A&M
10. Auburn
11. Kentucky
12. Florida
13. South Carolina
14. Arkansas
15. Mississippi State
16. Vanderbilt
And the teams above OU in the media poll will look familiar to any Sooner fan glancing at this year’s schedule.
“There's no such thing as an easy schedule in the SEC but I do think Oklahoma was dealt one of the two toughest schedules in the entire league this year, along with Florida,” Rowland said. “You look at the preseason conference rankings that came out, Oklahoma plays the numbers two, three, four, five, six, seven, ten and 13. So it is a brutal, brutal gauntlet, but that's what makes this conference fun.”
The good news for OU on the scheduling front is that the season starts off with three cupcakes; Temple, Houston and Tulane. Those first three weeks could give OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh enough time to figure out his offensive line before Tennessee rolls into town on September 21st.
Plus, as OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said, all of the coaches in Norman wanted to play in the SEC and those that didn’t are gone.
“I think I can speak for everybody on the team that we’re all super amped up to go out and play this SEC schedule,” Arnold said. “It’s a tough one for sure, but we love the challenge.”
So given the schedule and the question marks at offensive line and quarterback, what is Toby Rowland predicting for this year’s squad?
“Twelve and 0 and national champions. I will never predict anything different and it would be incredibly stupid of me to do so,” Rowland said with a laugh. He went on to imagine the outrage if he said anything else. “‘Did you hear that the voice of the Sooners went on Orangebloods and predicted 6-6?’"
PREDICTING THE SEC:
I was planning to write about the SEC this week and @CodyCarpentier beat me to it with his excellent column last Saturday.
Still, I wanted to take a crack at it and let you know how I see things playing out this season.
I’ve broken the conference down into tiers with my predicted record in parentheses next to each team. Please note, the math on these records won’t match up. I’m really just looking at the schedule and saying I could see this playing out. For example, I have Texas losing one game this year … where that loss comes in the schedule could come from two or three places. So I’m not saying Texas will definitely lose to team X, which would then give team X a win.
TIER ONE – SEC CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS:
Texas (11-1)
Ole Miss (11-1)
Georgia (10-2)
Alabama (10-2)
I am very, very bullish on UT this year. I think the Horns have the chance to be nearly perfect.
I’m not sure they make it through the season undefeated, but I do have them going 4-0 against the four biggest games on the schedule; Michigan, OU, Georgia and Texas A&M.
The one game that I think could be a real stumbling block is the Kentucky game. The Wildcats are a pretty good team and they come to Texas right after the Horns renew their rivalry with Arkansas (in Fayetville) and right before they renew their rivalry with Texas A&M (in Famersville).
If ever there was a trap game, that would be it.
Ole Miss has perhaps the ‘easiest’ schedule in the SEC. The Rebels have only one truly tough road game (LSU) and one truly tough home game (Georgia).
Combine that with very high quarterback play from Jaxson Dart and an expensive but elite defensive line led by Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen and you have the makings of an all-time type of season at The Grove.
Georgia has the best roster in the SEC but they have a gauntlet of a schedule. They open the year taking on Clemson and then they have to go on the road in conference play to take on Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss. Even elite teams will have trouble making it through that schedule unscathed.
I really love the combination of new head coach Kalen DeBoer pairing his offense with Bama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Milroe was the most accurate deep ball passer in all of college football last season while DeBoer calls more downfield passing plays than any other coach. The offensive line is also one of the best in the country. If the defense doesn’t fall off too far from where Nick Saban had them playing then the Tide might be right back in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
For the record - I am predicting a Texas vs. Ole Miss matchup in Atlanta.
TIER TWO – COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF CONTENDERS:
Missouri (10-2)
Tennessee (10-2)
LSU (9-3)
Texas A&M (8-4)
Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – should be surprised if the Missouri Tigers make it to the SEC Championship Game this year.
I’m already on record as saying I think Brady Cook is the most underrated QB in the SEC and he has future high first round WR Luther Burden to catch passes – along with former OU wide receiver Theo Wease. The Tigers also have a really good offensive line. The only reason the Tigers aren’t in tier one is because there are enough questions about their defense to knock them down one rung.
Can LSU rebound from the loss of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels? Can the Tigers improve on their truly pathetic defensive play last year? I think the answer to both questions is yes. However, they won’t get the same level of QB play from Garrett Nussmeier as they did Daniels and their defense will improve, but not to an elite level.
Tennessee has an incredibly talented new quarterback in Nico Iamaleava. But much like OU, new quarterbacks (even extremely talented ones) make mistakes that usually result in an extra loss or two. The good news for Vols coach Josh Heupel is that he has one of the SEC’s best offensive lines protecting the new QB. They will also be able to get after the opposing quarterbacks James Pearce coming off the edge this year before being picked very, very high in next year’s NFL draft.
I’m actually much higher on Texas A&M quarterback Connor Weigman than many on this board. If he’s fully healthy again then I think he will lead the Aggies to a very respectable season. Plus, they have a lot of talent back on defense and new head coach Mike Elko knows a thing or two about calling defenses. They’ll be good.
TIER THREE – BOWL ELIGIBLE
Auburn (8-4)
Kentucky (8-4)
Oklahoma (7-5)
South Carolina (6-6)
Florida (6-6)
Auburn should be much better with Payton Thorne throwing to freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman. But there are a lot of tough games on the Tigers’ schedule so it’s not going to be a breakthrough season.
The Kentucky Wildcats will live and die based on how far transfer quarterback Brock Vandargriff can take them. Barion Brown may be one of the fastest, most electric, receiving threats in the nation so that should help. But unfortunately, for Wildcats fans, their toughest games are on the road.
OU will be very good on defense but having a new QB and a new offensive line taking on that schedule is just too much to ask.
South Carolina struggled some last year even with Spencer Rattler on the roster last year (who wasn’t bad). Now, they have a new quarterback in LaNorris Sellers. Sellers is an excellent athlete and the Gamecocks are going to need him to run a lot because he’s playing behind an awful offensive line. The defense is pretty good but it’s also a tough schedule. Going to a bowl game will be a good year in Columbia.
I think I’m being pretty generous giving Florida a 6-6 record considering the strength of their schedule. It is ROUGH! However, there is talent on the Gators roster. Graham Mertz is also probably a better quarterback than I’ve given him credit for. So, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and have the Gators going bowling with a .500 record.
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:
Arkansas (4-8)
Mississippi State (3-9)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
I know media days are a time for schools to get fans hyped up … and media days rarely, if ever, have me second guessing what I think about a team … but I’m kind of buying into the “we’re not as bad as everyone thinks we are” hype around Arkansas coming out of the SEC Media Days.
Piggies head coach Sam Pittman (who will likely be fired after this season) was simply gushing over transfer quarterback Taylen Green. Again, I usually blow that kind of thing off, but Pittman seemed genuinely excited about Green playing in Bobby Petrino’s offense. They also have a very good defensive line led by Landon Jackson. I can’t help it, I came away believing they won’t be as atrocious as I was assuming. Still, 4-8 feels like it will be a good season for them. But the Arkansas game is definitely one Texas needs to be ready for because the pigs will give Pittman another contract extension instead of firing him if he beats Texas.
Jeff Lebby takes over as head coach at Mississippi State and he inherits a roster without a lot of talent. Oh, and former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen is the new signal caller for the Bulldogs. It’s going to be a long, long season in Starksville.
Vanderbilt’s best chances to pick up wins this year come from Alcorn State, Georgia State and Ball State. I actually think the Commodores lose to Georgia State (on the road in Atlanta). I do like Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia. The New Mexico State University transfer is a lot of fun to watch and he’ll be playing for offensive coordinator Tim Beck (the other one – not the former UT Tim Beck) who was the offensive coordinator at NMSU last year so he already knows the playbook. The good news is that they should sell a lot of tickets when Texas comes to Nashville October 26th.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
This is just to whet your appetite for the start of fall camp and soon … actual games!
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Texas kicker Bert Auburn is leading his best life. How does he do it?
Incidentally, this may not be legit. I've also seen tweets linking Sweeney with OU linebacker Danny Stutsman. Still, if I can get a Bert Auburn tweet into my column, I'm going to do it.
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Money well spent?
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Three of my bottom feeder SEC teams are on high alert for another coaching search.
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Remember when OU athletic director Joe Castiglione took the veiled shot at former head coach Lincoln Riley?
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Maybe I’ll see Riley at Camp Brisket this January? Lord knows he needs it!
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that I got into brisket camp (even if it is an Aggie production). I've been trying for five years now and finally got in via the lottery.
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Since when did Texas Tech start caring about softball? $1.2 million for a softball pitcher? I mean, she is an absolutely incredible player … but Tech?
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This is playing chess while the dumb kids are playing checkers.
The Texas Longhorn football wrap up their last workout of the summer conditioning program today (Thursday).
“We do need to finish strong here in the summer,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said during last week’s SEC Media Days.
The summer time is when Sark wants his players to really come together as a team. The grueling summer temperatures shows which players are going to fight through the hard times and which ones are going to wilt.
“We pride ourselves on our conditioning,” Sarkisian said. “We pride ourselves on our mental and physical toughness. I think summer allows us to work on that. When it’s four o’clock at DKR right now, it’s hot and it’s tough. I love being there with the guys when they’re doing that stuff. And then they need some time to let their bodies cool down a little bit.”
The players will cool down a little bit with five days off before getting back to Austin for the start of fall camp on Wednesday, July 31st.
With the break in action, this felt like a good time to continue my “way too early look” at upcoming opponents.
I posted the first one back in May taking a look at Michigan, which you can check out here.
This week, we’re doing a drive up I-35 to for a way too early look at the OU Sooners and the Red River Rivalry.
OU'S OFFENSE:
OU has a couple of big question marks heading into the 2024 season which makes predicting how the season will play out, very hard.
“Because of where the question marks are, which is quarterback and offensive line, Oklahoma, could be anywhere from a college football playoff contender to a team that loses four or five games this year,” Toby Rowland, OU’s radio play-by-play announcer told me this week.
Former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold is taking over the starting quarterback duties in Norman this year – and he’ll be doing so behind five new starters on the offensive line.
Arnold has had one start in his career, a 38-24 loss to Arizona in last season’s Alamo Bowl. At times, he looked like a potential star QB throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns in the game. At other times, he looked like a quarterback who has a lot to learn while throwing three interceptions. Here is where I will make the obligatory notice that it was new Texas co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen who was UA's d-coordinator that night. In all, the Wildcats forced six OU turnovers.
Still, there is a lot of excitement in Norman that Arnold has the mental makeup to be able to handle being a first year starting quarterback during OU’s first year in the SEC.
“Everything you've ever heard about the young man is that he is mature beyond his years,” Rowland said. “And since he has taken over the reins, has handled it with tremendous confidence, self confidence, and has looked great.
“He's not one of these. Baker, Mayfield rah-rah leaders. I'd say he's cut more out of the Quinn Ewers mold from a personality standpoint, in that he's pretty quiet but he has that square jawed confidence about him. He looks the part you know, when he when he takes the field, he looks like what a starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma is supposed to look like.”
It’s not every day you’ll hear an OU insider compare their quarterback to a Texas quarterback.
Arnold will have to learn on the curve, while playing behind five new starters on the offensive line.
Projected starters: Spencer Brown, Geirean Hatchet, Branson Hickman, Febechi Nwaiwu, Jacob Sexton
Expected contributors: Eugene Brooks, Troy Everett, Heath Ozaeta, Jake Taylor, Michael Tarquin
Hickman transferred into OU from SMU and is already written into the starting lineup in ink at Center. He started 33 games for the Ponies during his first three seasons on the hilltop.
"Just knowing that the guy who is snapping me the ball and basically controlling the O-line has that experience is very comforting for me, and I know that I can rely on a guy like that," Arnold said at SEC Media Days.
Hickman isn’t the only new Sooner with experience.
Febechi Nwaiwu (North Texas), Geirean Hatchet (Washington), Michael Tarquin (USC) and Spencer Brown (Michigan State) also have a lot of college playing time before transferring to OU.
The question is, are these guys capable of playing together?
“They've got 10 guys that are either highly recruited or were very good transfer pickups,” Rowland said. “There's got to be a certain amount of chemistry that comes together in an offensive line. You’ve got to be able to read each other's minds and be on the same page. And we just don't know yet whether that's going to click for these guys or not.”
OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh will mix and match these guys throughout fall camp and maybe even during the early part of the season in order to find which five guys can play together the best.
If the OU offensive line can give Arnold enough time, he should be able to find someone open.
The Sooners picked up wide receiver Deion Burks in the transfer portal and he immediately started generating buzz among the OU observers. All of that buzz was proven to be true when Burks repeatedly burned a pretty good OU secondary during the spring game.
The rest of the receiving corps isn’t bad either.
Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq, Jaquaize Pettaway, and even former UT receiver Brenen Thompson should all contribute.
OU’S DEFENSE:
I have a core tenet when it comes to having a strong defense: you have to be strong up the middle.
OU is strong up the middle.
The Sooners are led by two All-American’s in linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman. Add in defensive tackle Damonic Williams, who transferred in from TCU, and you have the makings of a very good defensive unit.
“That’s playmaking, that’s leadership, that’s speed, that’s explosiveness, that’s tackling,” gushed OU head coach Brent Venables during the SEC Media Days.
The biggest question mark on defense is whether they’ll be able to generate a pass rush.
Oklahoma was 82nd in the country in sacks last year and they haven’t really added much to the edge rushing unit.
Stutsman and Bowman both could have gone on to the NFL after last season, but both decided to return for another year at OU to help lead the Sooners into the SEC … and to try to wrap up some unfinished business.
“When I came here, Oklahoma won six conference championships in a row,” Bowman Jr. said. “Since I’ve been here, I haven’t been to one. My goal is to win championships.”
OU’S SCHEDULE:
Getting to the SEC Championship Game won’t be easy for the Sooners.
OU was picked to finish eighth in its inaugural SEC season …
SEC MEDIA POLL:
1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Ole Miss
5. LSU
6. Missouri
7. Tennessee
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas A&M
10. Auburn
11. Kentucky
12. Florida
13. South Carolina
14. Arkansas
15. Mississippi State
16. Vanderbilt
And the teams above OU in the media poll will look familiar to any Sooner fan glancing at this year’s schedule.
“There's no such thing as an easy schedule in the SEC but I do think Oklahoma was dealt one of the two toughest schedules in the entire league this year, along with Florida,” Rowland said. “You look at the preseason conference rankings that came out, Oklahoma plays the numbers two, three, four, five, six, seven, ten and 13. So it is a brutal, brutal gauntlet, but that's what makes this conference fun.”
The good news for OU on the scheduling front is that the season starts off with three cupcakes; Temple, Houston and Tulane. Those first three weeks could give OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh enough time to figure out his offensive line before Tennessee rolls into town on September 21st.
Plus, as OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said, all of the coaches in Norman wanted to play in the SEC and those that didn’t are gone.
“I think I can speak for everybody on the team that we’re all super amped up to go out and play this SEC schedule,” Arnold said. “It’s a tough one for sure, but we love the challenge.”
So given the schedule and the question marks at offensive line and quarterback, what is Toby Rowland predicting for this year’s squad?
“Twelve and 0 and national champions. I will never predict anything different and it would be incredibly stupid of me to do so,” Rowland said with a laugh. He went on to imagine the outrage if he said anything else. “‘Did you hear that the voice of the Sooners went on Orangebloods and predicted 6-6?’"
PREDICTING THE SEC:
I was planning to write about the SEC this week and @CodyCarpentier beat me to it with his excellent column last Saturday.
Still, I wanted to take a crack at it and let you know how I see things playing out this season.
I’ve broken the conference down into tiers with my predicted record in parentheses next to each team. Please note, the math on these records won’t match up. I’m really just looking at the schedule and saying I could see this playing out. For example, I have Texas losing one game this year … where that loss comes in the schedule could come from two or three places. So I’m not saying Texas will definitely lose to team X, which would then give team X a win.
TIER ONE – SEC CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS:
Texas (11-1)
Ole Miss (11-1)
Georgia (10-2)
Alabama (10-2)
I am very, very bullish on UT this year. I think the Horns have the chance to be nearly perfect.
I’m not sure they make it through the season undefeated, but I do have them going 4-0 against the four biggest games on the schedule; Michigan, OU, Georgia and Texas A&M.
The one game that I think could be a real stumbling block is the Kentucky game. The Wildcats are a pretty good team and they come to Texas right after the Horns renew their rivalry with Arkansas (in Fayetville) and right before they renew their rivalry with Texas A&M (in Famersville).
If ever there was a trap game, that would be it.
Ole Miss has perhaps the ‘easiest’ schedule in the SEC. The Rebels have only one truly tough road game (LSU) and one truly tough home game (Georgia).
Combine that with very high quarterback play from Jaxson Dart and an expensive but elite defensive line led by Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen and you have the makings of an all-time type of season at The Grove.
Georgia has the best roster in the SEC but they have a gauntlet of a schedule. They open the year taking on Clemson and then they have to go on the road in conference play to take on Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss. Even elite teams will have trouble making it through that schedule unscathed.
I really love the combination of new head coach Kalen DeBoer pairing his offense with Bama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Milroe was the most accurate deep ball passer in all of college football last season while DeBoer calls more downfield passing plays than any other coach. The offensive line is also one of the best in the country. If the defense doesn’t fall off too far from where Nick Saban had them playing then the Tide might be right back in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
For the record - I am predicting a Texas vs. Ole Miss matchup in Atlanta.
TIER TWO – COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF CONTENDERS:
Missouri (10-2)
Tennessee (10-2)
LSU (9-3)
Texas A&M (8-4)
Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – should be surprised if the Missouri Tigers make it to the SEC Championship Game this year.
I’m already on record as saying I think Brady Cook is the most underrated QB in the SEC and he has future high first round WR Luther Burden to catch passes – along with former OU wide receiver Theo Wease. The Tigers also have a really good offensive line. The only reason the Tigers aren’t in tier one is because there are enough questions about their defense to knock them down one rung.
Can LSU rebound from the loss of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels? Can the Tigers improve on their truly pathetic defensive play last year? I think the answer to both questions is yes. However, they won’t get the same level of QB play from Garrett Nussmeier as they did Daniels and their defense will improve, but not to an elite level.
Tennessee has an incredibly talented new quarterback in Nico Iamaleava. But much like OU, new quarterbacks (even extremely talented ones) make mistakes that usually result in an extra loss or two. The good news for Vols coach Josh Heupel is that he has one of the SEC’s best offensive lines protecting the new QB. They will also be able to get after the opposing quarterbacks James Pearce coming off the edge this year before being picked very, very high in next year’s NFL draft.
I’m actually much higher on Texas A&M quarterback Connor Weigman than many on this board. If he’s fully healthy again then I think he will lead the Aggies to a very respectable season. Plus, they have a lot of talent back on defense and new head coach Mike Elko knows a thing or two about calling defenses. They’ll be good.
TIER THREE – BOWL ELIGIBLE
Auburn (8-4)
Kentucky (8-4)
Oklahoma (7-5)
South Carolina (6-6)
Florida (6-6)
Auburn should be much better with Payton Thorne throwing to freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman. But there are a lot of tough games on the Tigers’ schedule so it’s not going to be a breakthrough season.
The Kentucky Wildcats will live and die based on how far transfer quarterback Brock Vandargriff can take them. Barion Brown may be one of the fastest, most electric, receiving threats in the nation so that should help. But unfortunately, for Wildcats fans, their toughest games are on the road.
OU will be very good on defense but having a new QB and a new offensive line taking on that schedule is just too much to ask.
South Carolina struggled some last year even with Spencer Rattler on the roster last year (who wasn’t bad). Now, they have a new quarterback in LaNorris Sellers. Sellers is an excellent athlete and the Gamecocks are going to need him to run a lot because he’s playing behind an awful offensive line. The defense is pretty good but it’s also a tough schedule. Going to a bowl game will be a good year in Columbia.
I think I’m being pretty generous giving Florida a 6-6 record considering the strength of their schedule. It is ROUGH! However, there is talent on the Gators roster. Graham Mertz is also probably a better quarterback than I’ve given him credit for. So, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and have the Gators going bowling with a .500 record.
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:
Arkansas (4-8)
Mississippi State (3-9)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
I know media days are a time for schools to get fans hyped up … and media days rarely, if ever, have me second guessing what I think about a team … but I’m kind of buying into the “we’re not as bad as everyone thinks we are” hype around Arkansas coming out of the SEC Media Days.
Piggies head coach Sam Pittman (who will likely be fired after this season) was simply gushing over transfer quarterback Taylen Green. Again, I usually blow that kind of thing off, but Pittman seemed genuinely excited about Green playing in Bobby Petrino’s offense. They also have a very good defensive line led by Landon Jackson. I can’t help it, I came away believing they won’t be as atrocious as I was assuming. Still, 4-8 feels like it will be a good season for them. But the Arkansas game is definitely one Texas needs to be ready for because the pigs will give Pittman another contract extension instead of firing him if he beats Texas.
Jeff Lebby takes over as head coach at Mississippi State and he inherits a roster without a lot of talent. Oh, and former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen is the new signal caller for the Bulldogs. It’s going to be a long, long season in Starksville.
Vanderbilt’s best chances to pick up wins this year come from Alcorn State, Georgia State and Ball State. I actually think the Commodores lose to Georgia State (on the road in Atlanta). I do like Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia. The New Mexico State University transfer is a lot of fun to watch and he’ll be playing for offensive coordinator Tim Beck (the other one – not the former UT Tim Beck) who was the offensive coordinator at NMSU last year so he already knows the playbook. The good news is that they should sell a lot of tickets when Texas comes to Nashville October 26th.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
This is just to whet your appetite for the start of fall camp and soon … actual games!
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Texas kicker Bert Auburn is leading his best life. How does he do it?
Incidentally, this may not be legit. I've also seen tweets linking Sweeney with OU linebacker Danny Stutsman. Still, if I can get a Bert Auburn tweet into my column, I'm going to do it.
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Money well spent?
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Three of my bottom feeder SEC teams are on high alert for another coaching search.
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Remember when OU athletic director Joe Castiglione took the veiled shot at former head coach Lincoln Riley?
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Maybe I’ll see Riley at Camp Brisket this January? Lord knows he needs it!
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that I got into brisket camp (even if it is an Aggie production). I've been trying for five years now and finally got in via the lottery.
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Since when did Texas Tech start caring about softball? $1.2 million for a softball pitcher? I mean, she is an absolutely incredible player … but Tech?
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This is playing chess while the dumb kids are playing checkers.
