College Football
Predicting the 2024 Southeastern Conference
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TP Hammock
June 28, 2024
Who will win the SEC?
Georgia: Well the only thing that has really stopped Georgia this last few years has been Alabama, and they lost the greatest college football coach of all time this season. Who can stop this team? They lost Brock Bowers, and that is a hard loss, but when he was out Oscar Delp stepped into the role nicely, almost like he was ready to take the throne of the back to back Mackey award winning tight end. Returning Carson Beck certainly helps and looks to cement himself as a top draft pick. Do not be surprised to see Kirby Smart's bulldogs in the national championship game this winter.
Texas: Everything's bigger in Texas right? Well I think this team will be a strong contender this season. They return a lot of talent from last years squad. Traveling to Michigan, hosting Georgia alongside traveling to College Station against Texas A&M which will certainly be a hostile environment. Despite this all, I think Texas has turned a corner.
Alabama: Alabama lost literally the greatest college football coach of all time, and also got hurt by the transfer portal as well. However they hired a great coach in Kalen DeBoer who should keep them afloat. However that is a tall task, and the fans from Tuscaloosa will certainly not tolerate anything less than excellence like Nick Saban had set. They return Jalen Milroe, who I believe will take a step, and Tommy Rees is no longer the OC so that helps. I think Alabama will be good, but it is tough to see them doing excellent in year one. Look out for them in year two with DeBoer.
Missouri: Well look who we got here with Missouri. I think they finally got the right coach and were patient with that coach who brought them a Cotton Bowl victory and a great season. Brady Cook and Luther Burden help the Tigers case in my eyes. However they lost their DC to LSU so they could take a step back. Coach Drinkwitz will continue to be a hot name on coaching hot boards for big time jobs come this winter as I think he could take Missouri in as a 11 ranked CFP team since there are now 12 teams.
Ole Miss: Some may scratch their head as many expect Ole Miss to take the next step into being a contender. However does Lane Kiffin value defense? Is Pete Golding an elite defensive coordinator? Fans in Tuscaloosa will tell you no, and I agree with those fans. I do not see a world were Ole Miss is a contender with a lack luster defense. Coach Kiffin will bring explosive offense but can you win a title by outscoring every team? History says no.
LSU: Well Brian Kelly is certainly in an interesting situation. Coach Kelly's tenure began back in 2022 with the fan base hating him for losing to Florida State in a bizarre yet awesome game. Then he regain the love of the fanbase after upsetting Alabama in Baton Rouge. But the 2023 saw the Tigers have a Heisman winning quarterback, but one of the worst defenses in the country, not the conference, but the country to pair with an awesome offense. So now the Tigers are kind of in limbo, and they lost Jayden Daniels. But Coach Kelly can regain the fan base's love and admiration in week zero as LSU will travel to Las Vegas to play the new Big Ten school in the USC Trojans. I think USC wins that game personally. I think LSU will have a fine season, but the fan base likely will not like it as much as other seasons. The Tigers lost a lot on offense and could struggle on that side of the ball.
Oklahoma: I think Oklahoma could surprise some teams. It won 't be easy as they have a very tough schedule with the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas and Tennessee. Their biggest question mark is the quarterback position. But Coach Venable is an excellent defensive mind and think the defense could carry them just above Tennessee in this remark. Speaking of the Volunteers...
Tennessee: I love what they do on offense, but I think their defense is just too bad to really be a contender. They have a new man under center with Nico Iamaleava and a lot of people are putting stock into him but that was off of a bowl game victory. Iamaleava could be excellent but I want to see how he holds up to the Georgia's of the world. Tennessee's defense has more questions than answers it feels most of the time under Josh Heupel who is a great offensive mind. We shall see how they fair this year.
Texas A&M: The Aggies made the expensive decision to fire Jimbo Fisher last season, and rightfully so as it was a disaster of a tenure. Now Mike Elko steps in after having an impressive few seasons with the Duke Blue Devils. However the Aggies got hurt by the portal in many spots and had a large staff turnover. But I think Elko will be the right man for the job, but this season could be a throwaway season filled with many ups and downs. Bringing the starting QB back helps but he got injured so we will see how he returns from injury.
Kentucky: Always respect Mark Stoops and what he does for the Wildcats year in and year out and I could see them finishing higher than this but they have a big question mark at quarterback with Brock Vandagriff stepping in from Georgia after a few seasons as a backup. My question is can the kid play ball? He never really challenged for the job at Georgia. They also lost some other pieces as well.
Auburn: Well I think this roster upgraded in a lot of spots and could be pretty good, except they still are extremely average at the quarterback position. One of the worst passing offenses last season and that was led by Payton Thorne. It looked like the Tigers went after many big time QB's in the portal but did not land any. If Auburn wants to be any sort of contender it all starts with the quarterback position. I think this could be another long season for Auburn fans, who grow impatient with the play of their quarterback.
South Carolina: Coach Beamer had Gamecock nation at his finger tips and last year felt like a big disappointment. However Beamer can certainly recruit and has landed big prospects in the portal and high school. It feels there are more questions in answers and fans will start to question leadership it feels.
Florida: Speaking of questioning leadership it feels that way at Florida with the Gators head coach Billy Napier. They have one of the hardest schedules in the country, if not the hardest schedule. And fans have had enough with Coach Napier. It feels like if this year is anything less than great he will be sent packing. They lost a lot of talent in the portal. Florida fans are tired of Coach Napier and with the schedule he has he may be lucky to finish the season with the Gators.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks have also had a lot of questions about the man who is in charge of Arkansas football. They brought back Bobby Petrino as their OC which was certainly a choice. Anything less than a good season for Arkansas will likely sense the end of the Pittman era for Arkansas. They lost a lot out of the transfer portal which doesn't help.
Mississippi State: New head coach Jeff Lebby steps into a tough situation. It felt the Bulldogs rushed into the Zach Arnett era and he tried to change a lot of things that had worked with the late Mike Leach during his tenure with Mississippi State. Lebby is more likely to play back into the air raid that was working under Leach. However it is certainly a tough place to coach and win football games at.
Vanderbilt: You knew they had to be last right? they lost a lot out of the portal, and did not gain really anything at all in return. Clark Lea's tenure felt like it had taken a swing for the better with a 5-7 season in 2022. However last seasons 2-10 season with a loss to the likes of UNLV has hurt his chances to recapture an already strained fanbase. If Vanderbilt has another lackluster season at the bottom of the SEC, administration may send Lea packing. It could be time for change in Nashville.
TP Hammock
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Picklehammock2@gmail.com