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As we head towards another college football season, one of the questions being pondered by pundits is whether or not the Southeastern Conference can send another representative to the National Championship. And if this squad can win it we’ll have the sixth national title for the conference in as many years.
The West division holds title contenders in Alabama and LSU while Arkansas and Mississippi State will be stingy enough to pin a loss on either of the frontrunners. LSU has a monstrous schedule with non-conference games against Oregon and West Virginia, and even with an early loss, they could still punch their ticket to the big game. Ole Miss and Auburn are rebuilding but have plenty of stockpiled talent to be dangerous if overlooked.
Alabama
2010 Record: 10-3
2010 Offensive Rank (out of 120): 18th
2010 Defensive Rank (out of 120): 3rd
Base Offense: Pro-Style (Two TE)
Returning Starters (Offense/Defense): 8/9
Significant Losses:
QB Greg McElroy, RB Mark Ingram, WR Julio Jones, TE Preston Dial, DT Marcell Dareus, OT James Carpenter
Newcomers of Note:
Running back Demetrius Hart was the top rated all-purpose back in the nation coming out of high school and was expected to make an impact right away. However a summer ACL injury will likely shelve this super talent until 2012. Another impact arrival is wide receiver Duron Carter, the son of NFL great Cris Carter. Carter started his career at his father’s alma mater, Ohio State, but eventually transferred to the JUCO ranks and wound up in Tuscaloosa. With Julio Jones off to collect some hefty paychecks from the NFL, Carter could be able to step right in and be a big, physical target for his quarterback.
2011 Thoughts:
Even with a new quarterback, the Tide have four of the five offensive line starters from last season, which should give whoever is the field general plenty of time to work. Trent Richardson should shine now that he is out of the shadow of Heisman winner Mark Ingram. Regardless if it is McCarron or Sims slinging the ball, all they will be required to do is hand off to the junior back and occasionally toss the pigskin on a play action to Carter or Darius Hanks. If the new quarterback gets the team in trouble, the rock solid defense should bail it out. On defense the Crimson Tide should be as strong as ever. They lose Marcell Dareus as well as quite a few transfers, but they get back a wealth of talent in the linebacking corps and secondary.
Final Analysis:
The schedule seems very manageable as they get LSU and Arkansas at home, a Cam Newton-less Auburn, and play a rebuilding PennState and Florida on the road. After a one-year hiatus, it is very possible that the Tide land back in the National Championship Game. If there are concerns about quarterback play, just look at the 2008 season when Bama was one game away from the national title despite having John Parker Wilson at the helm.
Arkansas
2010 Record: 10-3
2010 Offensive Rank (out of 120): 17th
2010 Defensive Rank (out of 120): 47th
Base Offense: Pro-Style
Returning Starters (Offense/Defense): 5/7
Significant Losses:
QB Ryan Mallett, TE D.J. Williams, OT DeMarcus Love, OT Ray Dominguez
Newcomers of Note:
Brey Cook and Jason Peacock entered their first springs as Razorbacks, and both immediately challenged for the two starting tackle spots. Cook was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and started in the spring game. Peacock is a junior college transfer and will battle with Cook, Grant Freeman, and Anthony Oden for a starting spot. Even if Cook and Peacock cannot claim starting jobs, they provide phenomenal depth for the Hogs at tackle.
2011 Thoughts:
While Mallett was good, Tyler Wilson is no slouch and may even be a better fit for this type of offense. The Hogs have plenty of playmakers back from last season with the biggest loss being Williams at tight end. Chris Gragg should step into his role and ease the loss. The Hogs have arguably the deepest and most talented receiving corps in the nation with speedy options in Jarius Wright and Joe Adams and some big-bodied targets in Cobi Hamilton and Greg Childs. Some may look at a Bobby Petrino offense and think they just wing it all day, but then you would be overlooking Knile Davis. Davis, a dangerous size and speed combo, could push for 1,500 yards as the full-time starter.
However good the offense can be, the key to any plausible run to the SEC title game is the Razorback defense. Last year they were gouged on the ground to the tune of over 160 rushing yards per game and will need to shore that up if they desire a trip to Atlanta.
Final Analysis:
Last year with Mallett at the helm, the Razorbacks were the sexy pick to win the SEC and possibly make a trip to the national championship. Prognosticators must not have paid attention to the defensive side of the ball as that was the biggest impediment. This year the offense won’t lose a step and the defense should be at least improved, which could lead to an SEC title berth.
Auburn
2010 Record: 14-0
2010 Offensive Rank (out of 120): 7th
2010 Defensive Rank (out of 120): 53rd
Base Offense: Spread-TE
Returning Starters (Offense/Defense): 4/4
Significant Losses:
QB Cam Newton, WR Darvin Adams, WR Terrell Zachery, K Wes Byrum, OT Lee Ziemba, DT Nick Fairley,
Newcomers of Note:
Last year wide receiver Trovon Reed was supposed to come in and be an instant playmaker for the Tigers but ended up redshirting due to a knee injury. Now Reed is completely healed and should be a matchup nightmare operating out of the slot. Reed has used the off-season to bulk up a bit without losing his speed and cutting ability. He will also act as a Wildcat quarterback, which should make him even more dangerous.
2011 Thoughts:
Newton was a once-in-a-lifetime player for the Tigers, but the show must go on. As long as Malzahn is calling the plays then the offense will still be more than effective. There are still quite a few playmakers back from last year in Michael Dyer, Onterio McCalebb, Emory Blake, and Philip Lutzenkirchen, so as long as either Barrett Trotter or Clint Moseley can be a solid distributor of the ball, the scoring should continue.
The biggest factor may be the aftermath of Nick Fairley's departure. Fairley was a gamechanger and now the Tigers must find a way to stop opposing offenses instead of just outscoring them.
Final Analysis:
The 2010 Auburn team was to college football what Los del Rio was to the music industry: a one-hit wonder. Sure, Auburn will be a contender as long as Gus Malzahn is around, but there is no mistaking that the success of the Tigers was strapped on the shoulders of two junior college transfers. If it were not for Cameron Newton on offense and Nick Fairley on defense, this team may have been an eight-win squad at best. This season Auburn will have to run the offense through either Trotter or Moseley, which will be a considerable drop-off. While this will certainly be a bowl team (partly because over 50% of teams make it to a bowl), it is doubtful that they can even smell a BCS bowl. Malzahn and Co. will still move the ball but the loss of the two stars from 2010 will be felt early and often in 2011.
LSU
2010 Record: 11-2
2010 Offensive Rank (out of 120): 45th
2010 Defensive Rank (out of 120): 11th
Base Offense: Pro-Style
Returning Starters (Offense/Defense): 8/7
Significant Losses:
RB Stevan Ridley, WR Terrence Toliver, K Josh Jasper, OT Joseph Barksdale, DT Drake Nevis, LB Kelvin Sheppard, CB/KR Patrick Peterson
Newcomer of Note:
Zach Mettenberger originally signed with Georgia out of high school and before getting kicked off the team, was challenging Aaron Murray for the starting job. Mettenberger made a stop in the junior college ranks and emerged back in the SEC with the Tigers. He is Ryan Mallett-sized with better mobility, and while it is doubtful that he will unseat Jordan Jefferson as the starter this year, he provides good depth and should be the unquestioned field general next year.
2011 Thoughts:
You know your defense is good when you can win three games without throwing for over 100 yards as a team. The quarterbacking woes of the Tigers were well documented, but a strong run game and even stronger defense and special teams kept them in games. To change this Gary Crowton is out as offensive coordinator and is replaced by renowned quarterback guru Steve Kragthorpe. Kragthorpe has worked extensively with Jefferson, and it looks as if he could end his college career with a bang. Jefferson has a dynamic two-sport athlete to hand the ball to in Spencer Ware, who when he wasn’t cranking the ball for the LSU baseball team, was running all over the defense in the LSU spring game. Jefferson has some nice targets to toss the pigskin to with do-it-all speedster Russell Shepard manning the slot and Rueben Randle on the outside. Tight end Deangelo Peterson is primed for a breakout season.
The defense has to replace superstars at every level (Drake Nevis, Kelvin Sheppard, and Patrick Peterson) but the cupboards are far from bare. Tyrann Mathieu was a superb playmaker last year as the nickelback, but he is now one of the starting corners opposite Morris Claiborne who picked off five passes of his own last year.
Final Analysis:
LSU has some holes to fill from a squad that went 11-2 with a Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M, but the Tigers should still be in the thick of it for an SEC title berth. Jefferson has worked hard all off-season to improve his passing skills and should build upon his momentum from the last few games of the 2010 season. Stevan Ridley was an effective power runner for the Tigers, but Ware could be even better. The defense has great depth and even better speed and should carry on the LSU tradition of stifling opposing offenses. If the Tigers can put together a semblance of a passing game they should be able to match the win total of some of the better years gone by. Of course, 11-2 ain't too shabby.
Ole Miss
2010 Record: 4-8
2010 Offensive Rank (out of 120): 41st
2010 Defensive Rank (out of 120): 107th
Base Offense: Power I
Returning Starters (Offense/Defense): 8/7
Significant Losses:
QB Jeremiah Masoli, WR Markeith Summers, DT Jerrell Powe
Newcomer of Note:
Barry Brunetti originally began his college career with West Virginia but decided to transfer closer to home. Brunetti ended up heading to Oxford, and after receiving a waiver from the NCAA, is eligible to play in 2011. Brunetti faced off against Zack Stoudt and Randall Mackey and at the end of the spring, had the lead on the starting job. He’s a strong-armed passer who is also an athletic runner. Look for Brunetti to hold down the starting job and possibly be a three-year starter for the Rebels.
2011 Thoughts:
Now that Jeremiah Masoli is gone from Oxford, the Rebels have another quarterback quandary on their hands. The picture became a bit clearer when Nathan Stanley opted to transfer, which left Mackey, Stoudt, and Brunetti to battle it out. Brunetti looks poised to win the job and could be the starter for the next few years. Bolden will be another solid contributor at tailback and should only get better with improved quarterback play. The biggest thing that the Rebels need is some vertical receiving threat, which could come from a host of bodies including incoming freshmen Nickolas Brassell and Tobias Singleton or even JUCO transfer Philander Moore.
Final Analysis:
The offense has a ways to go as they will be starting a third new quarterback in as many years. There are some gems but some playmakers need to emerge. The one thing that will help Bolden and Brunetti along is an offensive line that is one year older and returns four out of five starters from last year. The defense needs to shore up the secondary if they are going to stop opponents from lighting up the scoreboard with regularity. While the future looks bright with Brunetti and Co., the Rebels will be hard pressed to finish better than 6-6.
Mississippi State
2010 Record: 9-4
2010 Offensive Rank (out of 120): 48th
2010 Defensive Rank (out of 120): 21st
Base Offense: Spread Option
Returning Starters (Offense/Defense): 8/7
Significant Losses:
OT Derek Sherrod, C J.C. Brignone, LB K.J. Wright, DE Pernell McPhee, DC Manny Diaz
Newcomers of Note:
Linebacker Brandon Maye spent the last three years at Clemson where he started 33 games and racked up 233 tackles. Maye earned his Bachelor’s degree in May and is eligible to play in 2011 per NCAA rules that allow certain college graduates to play immediately. This bodes well for the Bulldogs as they lost their three starting linebackers to graduation. Maye should come in and earn a starting spot early.
2011 Thoughts:
Head coach Dan Mullen has real momentum building in Starksville, and he has recruited some serious speed for the Bulldogs. Quarterback Chris Relf is a powerful runner who showed late last season that he could wing the pigskin as well. He is the guy the offense will flow through, and he appears more than ready to guide a potent offensive attack. When Relf is not running he has a bulldozer in Vick Ballard and the speedster LaDarius Perkins. The receivers are speedy and athletic but they need to be more consistent, and Chad Bumphis needs to emerge as the feature guy.
Final Analysis:
While the Bulldogs look to build off of a Gator Bowl beatdown on Michigan, they will take a few steps back with the loss of quite a few key contributors. The offensive line loses J.C. Brignone and Derek Sherrod. The defense loses its mastermind in Manny Diaz as well as all three starting linebackers. The offense should hum along while the defense can lean on a seasoned secondary to allow for some blitzing flexibility. The Bulldogs are probably not going to challenge for the SEC title but will certainly give teams a run on their way to a decent bowl game at season’s end.