SEC Round-up: Season predictions and a glance at opening weekend
Four Southeastern Conference football teams are ranked among the Top Ten in the AP poll. That’s twice as many as any other conference. Two more SEC teams are among the first 16 listed. Two more are listed among the next three in the “others receiving votes” category.
All that indicates what is already generally known and widely accepted — the SEC is college football’s premier conference. SEC teams will have three opportunities to reinforce that claim in the season-opening weekend in Power 5 matchups against teams from the Pac-12 and ACC.
Look for SEC to notch victories with Alabama over Duke and South Carolina over North Carolina. The SEC might even make it a clean sweep with Auburn over Oregon, though that game is a toss-up. Auburn is a 3.5-point favorite.
Here are a few more predictions of what to expect this season.
SEC West winner: A rash of injuries could make Alabama’s defense vulnerable, but the explosive offense will compensate. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and arguably the best group of receivers will make it difficult — maybe impossible — for opponents to keep the Tide under 30 points.
SEC East winner: No doubt, Georgia has areas of concern — the pass rush, unproven receivers. However, the Bulldogs offensive line may be the best in the country, D’Andre Swift is a 1,000-yard back and quarterback Jake Fromme is a proven winner.
SEC champion: Alabama’s injury situation (details coming later) could compromise its defense against the run. Georgia might have the nation’s best rushing game. Also, the Bulldogs are due.
Team most likely to surprise: Most observers feel Texas A&M is a year away from seriously contending for a championship. That may be true, especially against a treacherous schedule. But several teams have surprisingly won championships in their coach’s second season. Oklahoma did in 2000. Ohio State did in 2002. Florida did in 2006. Auburn did in 2010. That’s not a prediction that A&M will win the national title or even reach the College Football Playoff, but the Aggies could exceed expectations in their second year under Jimbo Fisher.
Team most likely to disappoint: Florida is ranked No. 8, but certainly didn’t look the part in an opening 24-20 win over Miami. The Gators offensive line is suspect, the defense allowed too many big plays, there were three turnovers and 10 penalties. That doesn’t fit the profile of a Top 10 team.
Around the SEC
Who’s hot: Texas A&M’s offense closed the 2018 season by scoring at least 38 points in each of the final four games. That trend continued with Kellen Mond throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for another in the Aggies’ 41-7 victory over Texas State.
Who’s not: Misfortune has struck Alabama’s inside linebackers. In Tuesday evening practice, star linebacker Dylan Moses suffered a torn ACL that will sideline him for the season. This comes two weeks after projected starter Joshua McMillion sustained a knee injury that figures to keep him out for the season. The Tide, which was already considered thin at inside linebacker, now projects to have freshmen Christian Harris and Shane Lee in the starting lineup against Duke.
Keep an eye on: Don’t be surprised if Georgia running back D’Andre Swift gets off to a great start. Not only is Swift running behind arguably the SEC’s best offensive line, but he’ll be facing a Vanderbilt defense that was ranked 94th in the nation against the run in 2018. That said, Vanderbilt did limit Swift to just 50 rushing yards a year ago. Of course, that’s because Swift only had seven carries in a 41-13 victory.
The pressure is on: Ole Miss hasn’t managed a winning record over the last three years. The Rebels figure to struggle this season, too. Squeaking out seven victories likely will require winning all their non-conference games. Obviously, that includes the opener against Memphis, which was 8-5 last season. Memphis is 5.5 point favorite.
Best matchup: No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 16 Auburn is the only matchup of ranked teams this week. But zooming in shows the best matchup is on the line of scrimmage with Oregon’s offensive line against Auburn’s defensive front. The Ducks, who averaged 427 yards in 2018, return their entire offensive line intact. Some have ranked Oregon’s offensive line as the second-best in the nation behind only Georgia. Meanwhile, Auburn’s defensive front is generally considered among the nation’s Top Ten. The outcome likely will be determined by which unit wins that matchup.
This week’s SEC games: Texas A&M 41, Texas State 7; Toledo at Kentucky; Ole Miss at Memphis, Mississippi State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette at New Orleans; Duke vs. Alabama at Atlanta; South Carolina vs. North Carolina at Charlotte; Georgia State at Tennessee; Portland State at Arkansas; Georgia at Vanderbilt; Georgia Southern at LSU; Oregon vs. Auburn at Arlington; Missouri at Wyoming.