BUCKET SQUAD - NCAAF

2024 SEC Preseason QB Rankings

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:29:25 GMT

We're exactly one week away from the start of the 2024 SEC football season, and here at Bucket Squad Sports Reports (Your #1 Source for All Things Sports), we couldn't be more excited.

One thing that everyone loves is ranking people, teams, and objects in relation to their peers. There's something about placing things in order from best to worst that is just a lot of fun, and it always generates a ton of engagement from everyone who disagrees.

Our experts have seen a ton of inexcusably bad rankings on the internet, specifically surrounding who people expect the top quarterbacks to be this college football season. And that prompted one of our experts to generate his own ranking, focusing in on the QBs of the SEC.

Here's what his hard work analyzing the 16 starting quarterbacks produced:

What do you agree or disagree with in our SEC quarterback rankings? Debate and discuss in the comments, and tune back next week as we kick off the 5th Annual BSSR SEC Betting Challenge on the "Betting" portion of our site.

Written by Nick Swatson

Biggest Takeaways from the 2023 National Championship Game

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 03:48:27 GMT

We just witnessed a murder on live television.

I've been watching sports for my whole life, and I've never seen a massacre in a championship game, in any sport, like we saw in Georgia's 65-7 win over TCU to repeat as the College Football Playoff national champions.

I wanted to share just a few brief thoughts regarding this game, which turned out to be much more lopsided than almost anyone could have expected.

1. The 2022-23 Georgia Bulldogs have entered into the conversation for greatest college football team of all time.

We've literally never seen a performance like this in a college football championship game. Prior to last night, the biggest margin of defeat in a championship game came in 1996, when the #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the #2 Florida Gators 62-24, a 38-point differential. Georgia nearly reached that differential by halftime, dominating the entire way to eventually win by a whopping 58 points. In fact, it was the largest margin of victory in any bowl game ever(!), topping Tulsa's 63-7 win over Bowling Green in the 2008 GMAC Bowl, a game which I'm sure no one has forgotten.

This performance, combined with the Bulldogs' resumé from Week 1 of the regular season, cement their place among college football's greatest squads. They showed signs of vulnerability over the course of the season in narrow wins against weaker teams such as Kent State, Missouri, and Kentucky, but Georgia always came through when it mattered most against the toughest teams on their schedule.

They demoralized #11 Oregon 49-3 in the opening week, defeated #1 Tennessee 27-13 in impressive fashion, hung 50 points on #14 LSU in a runaway SEC Championship Game, and pulled off an improbable win in crunch time in the CFP semifinals against #4 Ohio State. And all of this led to their 65-7 stomping of #3 TCU in the CFP final.

Georgia's defense struggled a bit more than it did last year, but that's to be expected when you lose eight defensive starters to the NFL draft (five of which taken in the first round). Still, as we saw last night, when the defense is on, it's on. And coupled with the best offensive skill group in the country and a veteran dual-threat quarterback in his 18th college season, it's hard to imagine many teams in college football history competing with this year's Bulldogs.

I'd love to see a matchup between this Georgia team and the 2019 LSU Tigers. That would have made for an incredible championship game.

2. The SEC is still clearly the best conference in college football. And it's not close.

There's always a bunch of talk about how teams in other Power 5 conferences would fare in the SEC, and after a performance such as this, it's fair to put that question to bed. I normally wouldn't hold one game in such high regard, as flukes do happen. But if you lose by 58 points, it's safe to say that you are significantly underpowered.

TCU, as great of a season as they had, would likely be the fourth or fifth best team (and that's being generous) in the SEC this year. And keep in mind that they got into this game by beating the Big 10's champion, Michigan, in their semifinal playoff game. It's also worth noting that the team TCU lost to in the Big 12 Championship, Kansas State, was trounced by Alabama 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl.

The truth is that the best football in the country is played in the Southeastern Conference, and for some reason, every season, people want to believe that the tide is changing (no pun intended). In reality, the SEC has been continuing to prove its dominance since the BCS began in 1998. After last night's win by Georgia, the SEC has now won the last four CFP national titles (by three different teams), six of the last eight CFP titles, and 13 of the last 17 championships. A hilarious statistic is that the Big 10 lost more CFP semifinal games on one day (December 31, 2022) than the SEC has lost in the nine seasons of the CFP's existence.

Georgia's destruction of TCU helped to solidify the SEC's prowess for yet another season of college football.

3. The 12-team playoff can't get here soon enough

This is exactly why the playoff expansion is necessary.

Everyone with a brain who had watched college football this season knew that Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State were not among the best four teams in the country going into the playoff. And man, was last night's game a rough look for the CFP Committee.

For the record, as the format stands now, I understand that you have to select the four teams that are most deserving over what some may call the best four teams. I don't like that that's the case, but to do otherwise would make the regular season entirely meaningless. With that said, my four playoff teams as of Selection Sunday would have been as follows:

Georgia
Michigan
TCU
Tennessee

This is a bit of a mixture of the two principles of most deserving versus best quality. Georgia and Michigan had obviously secured their spots as undefeated teams, and although I didn't think TCU was a better team than some of the others in contention, I agreed with them getting in as the 3-seed despite losing in the Big 12 Championship game. The only real argument was between who would get the 4-slot between Ohio State, Tennessee, and Alabama. My argument was that Ohio State's performance in their final game against Michigan combined with the fact that they had a weak strength of schedule allowed both two-loss Tennessee and Alabama, who played much tougher slates of game, to jump them. Between those two, Tennessee owned the head-to-head and would be rewarded the final seat in the playoffs.

But even that reasoning, or any reasoning for that matter, can't justify omitting one of the four best teams in football from the postseason tournament, regardless of how the season went. The true issue of the four-team format is that you can't exactly tell how good each team is in respect to other teams in other conferences unless you have a head-to-head reference, which is rare for most of the top contenders. It turns out, Michigan's resumé was inflated by a very week schedule, with their only real test being in their regular season finale against Ohio State. And that showed when they gave up 51 points in a loss to TCU, who could only muster 7 points against Georgia's first, second, third, and fourth string lineups.

Some people have argued that a 12-team playoff is unnecessary because there are usually only two or three teams that have any chance of actually winning a championship each season. And that may be true. But the beauty of the expansion will be in ensuring that all teams with a legitimate shot to win it will almost assuredly be included in the tournament. And don't be surprised when we see four SEC teams battling it out in the Final Four one season, which a lot of national media will absolutely hate.

4. For Georgia, this is exactly how you build a dynasty

As I alluded to above, Georgia was winning so dominantly that they were able to give their backups significant playing time in the national championship. I mean, Stetson Bennett was pulled at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and he could have received his send-off much earlier. The whole fourth quarter consisted of each member of the Bulldogs' starting lineup on both sides of the ball exiting the game to a standing ovation for the Georgia faithful in attendance. And this is the same formula that Nick Saban has employed to establish his dynasty at Alabama.

Every year at Alabama, and now at Georgia, you think how it would be possible for a team to replace so much talent that has been lost to the NFL draft. And while winning in that kind of fashion on national TV is sure to help in recruiting and the transfer portal, I think the biggest benefit to a team that already has massive exposure is getting your backups a chance to play in big time atmospheres against Power 5 talent. Georgia has been beating teams in and out of conference so bad that second teamers are playing in the second half, and third and fourth stringers have entered by the fourth quarter. Which is exactly what happened last night. And the fact that you can do that in a national championship game is just silly.

Unfortunately for the rest of the country, Kirby Smart was already looking ahead to next season for the final quarter or so of last night's game. And the fact that you have time to plan for future seasons while playing in the CFP National Title means Georgia won't be going anywhere any time soon.

Final Thoughts

We can only hope that going forward, some other teams ascend to attempt to rival the Bulldogs other than just Alabama or maybe Ohio State, which I think will happen. However, I think most of Georgia's potential demise will come from within the conference and the grind of an SEC schedule. The 12-team playoff will help ensure that the best two teams are actually fighting for the trophy in the title game, which will hopefully prevent another decimation like this year's championship was.

Congratulations to Georgia for winning the 2022-23 CFP National Title for the second year in a row in utter dominant fashion. The Bulldogs were the best team in football from start to finish and it's safe to say that there will be no dispute to who owns the championship trophy this season. Credit to TCU for making it there, but you've learned you can't swim with the big sharks yet.

Now, we'll turn our attention to the NFL postseason for a few weeks before awaiting the return of college football eight long months from now.

Written by Nick Swatson

2022-23 SEC Final StandingS Predictions

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 20:21:40 GMT

Ah, the College Football year is almost upon us, and we all know what that means. It’s officially time to put our own predictions and projections out there for how the season will turn out, so that at the end of the season we can tell everyone, “See, look how right I was!” Or, in most people’s cases, they’ll have to explain that they’re only wrong because of (insert x, y, and z excuses here). This year, more than ever, people will have objections to their failed predictions because College Football has seemingly turned into THE WILD WEST overnight. Between the transfer portal, NIL, Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12, UCLA and USC leaving the completely failed conference known as the Pac 12, and many intriguing new coaching hires, this season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and uncertain ones in recent memory. With that said, let’s dive into my thoughts on what’ll happen throughout this year in the SEC, which will inevitably be 100 percent correct, no questions asked.

I know in most people’s estimations and talk shows for the SEC, they start with the West, but because I’m less confident in the East, we’ll go there first to get it out of the way. I’d also like to preface this division specifically by pointing out that at least 4 of these teams are a quarterback injury from likely derailing their seasons. And not to spoil anything, but those teams aforementioned are Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Surprise, surprise.

SEC East

1. Georgia Bulldogs: 11-1 Overall (7-1 Conference)

Shocker, I know.  To predict the reigning national champions to finish first in their own division.  And where will the loss come?  I’m not sure, to be exact.  But it’s extremely difficult to run the table twice in a row in CFB, especially with all the talent they lost.  Luckily for them, they still have an incredibly talented roster, but Stetson Bennett won’t be able to hide as easily behind the beasts and brutes they possessed on the defensive side of the ball as he did last year.  Regardless, two of the best tight ends in the nation play for the Bulldogs and they have an impressive trio of receivers.  My guess: they drop a game in conference to either South Carolina in Columbia early in the year (this assumes Spencer Rattler lives up to his insane preseason hype, which I don’t quite buy), Tennessee, or at Kentucky.  Which one, I don’t know.  But there’s always a chance.

2. Kentucky Wildcats: 10-2 (6-2)

Kentucky has the easiest schedule in the SEC, with them likely being favored in every game aside from Georgia and probably Tennessee.  Combine those factors with a decently talented roster and veteran head coach, and you’re set up for a successful season.  The Wildcats will start the season 4-0 and Will Levis’ name will start being mentioned as an early Heisman contender.  They’ll then play four straight “toss-up” games with in-conference match-ups at Ole Miss, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and rounding out with a BYE week before playing at Tennessee.  Expect to hear Chris Rodriguez’s name called a ton, especially with Levis not having Wan’Dale Robinson there to bail him out whenever he gets in trouble this year.  Their two-deep isn’t as impressive or full this year as it was last year though, and that’s the reason they’ll drop at least two games with the insanely easy schedule for an SEC team.

3. Tennessee Volunteers: 8-4 (4-4)

Hendon Hooker is one of the most important quarterbacks in the nation.  He’s one of the few players capable of dragging a team to victory, especially with All-SEC talent Cedric Tillman to throw to.  The offense is only capable of scoring so many points though, and the defense has yet to prove they’re capable of stopping teams when it counts.  I see games against Alabama and Georgia as almost auto-losses.  And they’ll also likely drop two of three against Florida, at LSU, and Kentucky.  The Volunteers lost a few key pieces defensively, but otherwise they return a great amount of production and added depth they didn’t possess a year ago.  This will be key to keeping their defense fresh throughout the season and in close games where they feel comfortable rotating between their ones and twos at all three levels.  This will be a team likely better than their record indicates, assuming Hendon Hooker stays healthy.  Josh Heupel exceeds expectations once again.

4. South Carolina Gamecocks: 6-6 (3-5)

Shane Beamer and Spencer Rattler might be the most talked about head coach/quarterback duo not in the top 25.  Why?  I’m not sure.  But their in-conference schedule is not doing them any favors.  I currently have them beating Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Florida.  Their offensive line is old and experienced, but that doesn’t always equate to being better than their subpar product last year.  Defensively, they return just eight sacks from their starting front men, so you also must wonder how much pressure they’ll be able to apply to opposing quarterbacks.  They also lost a star defensive back, so you question how their linebackers and secondary will fare knowing they don’t have Cam Smith to rely on as a lockdown defender.  I see them losing to Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Clemson this year.  But there’s always the chance Rattler comes out as a Heisman dark horse candidate and makes me into a fool.

5. Florida Gators: 6-6 (3-5)

This is a tough one for me.  I’m a full believer in Billy Napier’s coaching abilities, but his first year entirely depends on Anthony Richardson living up to his hype and his starters staying healthy.  I feel as though Richardson will be great, but with their schedule this year, it’s hard to count on them to do anything better than 6-6 or 7-5.  This will truly be a rebuilding year in my estimation.  But once again, if they stay healthy and Richardson lives up to his potential, this could be a scary team come November and December.  It’s just hard to assume both things will come to fruition.

6. Missouri Tigers: 4-8 (1-7)

After outperforming expectations in year 1, Eliah Drinkwitz took a wrong turn and did a 180 in year two. They possessed one of the worst rushing defenses of any P5 team outside of Vanderbilt I’ve seen in the past decade.  I mean, they allowed 6.4 yards per rush attempt for an entire season.  Their team has been reloaded with transfers and a freshman receiver likely to make waves, but I’m not convinced it will be enough to patch the holes in the sinking ship.  For instance, offensively, they lost their best RB, WR, TE, and starting quarterback.  There’s optimism the defense will fare better this campaign as they return decent production, but they have a slim shot of outperforming SEC teams on both ends of the ball for an entire ballgame.  This might be Eli Drinkwitz’s final season at Missouri.

7. Vanderbilt Commodores: 3-9 (0-8)

Sure, Clark Lea’s team lost to an FCS school and only beat Colorado State and UConn last year, but they managed to show improvement as the season progressed.  No, I don’t mean that as a joke either, they genuinely showed promise.  And that’s why they’ll win at least three games this year.  They only got to the quarterback eight times as a team last year, but their whole team will have the entire offseason to get stronger mentally and physically to see what they can do this year.  There’s just no way I trust them yet to compete against SEC competition.  Which is why, if they happen to lose to a Hawaii team who went through a total offseason overhaul, we’ll pretend like I didn’t pick the Commodores to get to three wins this year.

Yes, yes.  I recall just a few paragraphs ago how I mentioned not being entirely confident in my picks for the East.  But as I continue looking through stats, news, and information for the West teams, I’m realizing just how murky these waters can be too.  Here goes nothing.

SEC West

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: 12-0 (8-0)

You didn’t see this one coming either, did you?  I could sit here and write vague statements about schemes and players to watch out for and teams that could trip them up, but I’m not going to do that.  There are three things you need to know about this Crimson Tide team, and that’s it.  Nick Saban, Bryce Young, Will Anderson.  The greatest coach of all time and the two best players in college football.  And if you still aren’t convinced, I’d like to introduce you to the rest of their roster, filled with more 4- and 5-star players than I can count.  Goodnight, sweet prince.  It will surely be an interesting matchup between them and Ohio State in the National Championship this year.

2. Arkansas Razorbacks: 10-2 (7-1)

Phew.  If I told myself in 2019 that I thought Arkansas would go 10-2 in 2022, especially given their extremely difficult schedule, I’d have laughed in my own face.  Sam Pittman has done an absolutely phenomenal job in Fayetteville and this team is poised to exceed expectations set by the media, in my estimation.  There are a few glaring gaps to fill defensively, but they’re so deep on that side of the ball that I believe they’ll be able to fill them.  K.J. Jefferson and Jadon Haselwood will be able to put points on the board this year and they have the added bonus of not playing Georgia in the regular season.  The Hogs finish 2nd in the West this season…  Or so I think.

3. Texas A&M Aggies: 10-2 (6-2)

Jimbo Fisher is an excellent coach, but there’s only so much to be done without a proven quarterback and a young offensive line.  They’re a year away from greatness if Haynes King becomes the player the media figure him to be.  Additionally, it’s yet to be seen how the newly figured defensive line shakes out given their lack of game experience.  Either way, A&M fans will have to be okay waiting just 365 more days before their chance to come out atop of the SEC West arrives.  But this is a warning shot to everyone else, if they compete heavily this year, it might be the Aggies’ world for the next few years following.

4. LSU Tigers: 8-4 (5-3)

Phew.  I don’t know how much I believe in this pick, but to me, winning transfers over from powerhouse programs.  And Brian Kelly sure knows how to win (regular season games, that is).  This is one of my boldest predictions and it could come back to bite me in the future.  I believe, though, that the fanbase and players are fully bought back in and that Death Valley is still one of the most difficult places to travel to.  They brought in five transfer defensive backs and are relatively untested otherwise, so if they become cohesive it’ll make Brian Kelly’s life a heck of a lot easier.  Anyway, LSU comes out and shocks a few people in their rebuilding year, going 8-4.

5. Mississippi State Bulldogs: 6-6 (3-5)

This record doesn’t indicate the team I believe Mississippi State to be.  Every year, one team has to get the brunt end of the stick and it happens to be them.  Aside from their stomping against Alabama last year, they were within 10 points of the rest of their regular season losses, and they clearly got better each week.  They also return the most production of any SEC team, including vastly underrated QB Will Rogers.  The Bulldogs have just seven underclassmen currently in their projected two-deep roster and even return almost every major coach from last year’s team.  I was very tempted to place them above LSU, putting both their records at 7-5 (4-4), respectively.

6. Ole Miss Rebels: 6-6 (2-6)

This will be the tale of two halves of the year for Lane Kiffin.  I see them starting out 5-1, and then going just 1-5 in the final stretch when they get into real league play.  Matt Corral managed to hide a ton of inadequacies on Ole Miss’ roster last year.  The offensive line struggled and the defense was middling at best, failing to show up week in and week out.  Jaxson Dart may be the next big thing in Oxford, but I don’t believe he and Zach Evans will have quite the same impact in year one together.  They won’t simply be able to “outscore” everyone this season.

7. Auburn Tigers: 4-8 (1-7)

Hm, where is there to start with this team?  This was a squad that fell apart at the end of last season, failing to win a single game once November hit.  If you have more faith in Zach Calzada than Bo Nix, there’s possibly a reason to believe the offense has a shot at improving, but skill-wise I certainly fail to see it.  Not to mention they lost both coordinators from a year ago.  Fortunately, they return stud edge rushers Colby Wooden and Derick Hall, but after that, the majority of their defense, I don’t believe, will be overly productive.  It will be interesting to see if Bryan Harsin will survive the season, given the tumultuous relationship between him and the boosters.

Alright, that wraps up my thoughts and picks heading into the 2022 season.  But I’d also like to make a few extra comments after the thorough research conducted for this article.

Number one: picks 2-5 in the East can be likely switched around with a few bounces of the football in SEC play.

Number two: the exact same comment can be made for picks 3-7 in the West.

The fact is these teams are all closer in skill to each other than we’d like to admit, and scheduling advantages/conflicts or even random injuries or ineligible players can be all the difference needed for one team to beat another on any given Saturday.

Written by Alex Hill

Predictions for Every 2021-22 Bowl Game

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

The 2021 college football regular season has come to an end, but bowl mania will be underway beginning tomorrow. Just like last year, the Bucket Squad boys are back to give our predictions for the winners of every single bowl game that will occur over the next few weeks. We'll keep track of our individual records and a winner will be crowned following the conclusion of the College Football Playoff in January.

If you follow our SEC Betting Challenge (in the "Betting" section of the website), you probably already know that, unbelievably, Jacob pulled off an amazing comeback to knock off the nearly season-long leader, Ryne, via their respective picks in the SEC Championship Game. When asked postgame how he felt about his big win, Jacob simply responded, "Back 2 back like I'm Jordan, '96-'97." We have attempted to contact him several times since then for further comments, but we have been unable to reach him. Some reports say that he fell victim to a mafia-style hit due to his recent success in the BSSR SEC Betting Challenge. I am not legally allowed to name the alleged orchestrator of the slaying, but I will say that he was the third place finisher in our betting challenge this season.

Stay tuned for a full statistical analysis of our SEC bets to see how we performed collectively over the course of the season. Also, please immediately alert your local law enforcement if you have any evidence of Jacob Perry's whereabouts. While his friends aren't overly concerned, his wife and children are distraught.

12/17/21

Bahamas Bowl, Nassau, Bahamas
Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo

Tailgreeter Cure Bowl, Orlando, FL
Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina

12/18/21

Boca Raton Bowl, Boca Raton, FL
Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State

New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, NM
UTEP vs. Fresno State

Independence Bowl, Shreveport, LA
#13 BYU vs. UAB

LendingTree Bowl, Mobile, AL
Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty

L.A. Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
Utah State vs. Oregon State

New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, LA
Marshall vs. #23 Louisiana

12/20/21

Myrtle Beach Bowl, Conway, SC
Tulsa vs. Old Dominion

12/21/21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise, ID
Kent State vs. Wyoming

Frisco Bowl, Frisco, TX
UTSA vs. #24 San Diego State

12/22/21

Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, TX
Army vs. Missouri

12/23/21

Frisco Classic Bowl, Frisco, TX
Miami (OH) vs. North Texas

Gasparilla Bowl, Tampa, FL
Florida vs. UCF

12/24/21

Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu, HI
Memphis vs. Hawaii

12/25/21

Camellia Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Ball State vs. Georgia State

12/27/21

Quick Lane Bowl, Detroit, MI
Western Michigan vs. Nevada

Military Bowl, Annapolis, MD
ECU vs. Boston College

12/28/21

Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, AL
#20 Houston vs. Auburn

First Responder Bowl, University Park, TX
Louisville vs. Air Force

Holiday Bowl, San Diego, CA
UCLA vs. #18 N.C. State

Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
Texas Tech vs. Mississippi State

Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Phoenix, AZ
Minnesota vs. West Virginia

12/29/21

Fenway Bowl, Boston, MA
Virginia vs. SMU

Pinstripe Bowl, New York, NY
Virginia Tech vs. Maryland

Cheez-It Bowl, Orlando, FL
#19 Clemson vs. Iowa State

Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX
#16 Oklahoma vs. #14 Oregon

12/30/21

Duke's Mayo Bowl, Charlotte, NC
North Carolina vs. South Carolina

Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN
Purdue vs. Tennesse

Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
Wisconsin vs. Arizona State

Peach Bowl, Atlanta, GA
#10 Michigan State vs. #12 Pittsburgh

12/31/21

TaxSlayer Bowl, Jacksonville, FL
#17 Wake Forest vs. #25 Texas A&M

Arizona Bowl, Tucson, AZ
Central Michigan vs. Boise State

Tony the Tiger Bowl, El Paso, TX
Miami (FL) vs. Washington State

1/1/22

Outback Bowl, Tampa, FL
Penn State vs. #21 Arkansas

Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
#15 Iowa vs. #22 Kentucky

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA
#7 Baylor vs. #8 Ole Miss

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
#6 Ohio State vs. #11 Utah

Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ
#5 Notre Dame vs. #9 Oklahoma State

1/4/22

Texas Bowl, Houston, TX
Kansas State vs. LSU

College Football Playoff

12/31/21

Orange Bowl, Arlington, TX
#2 Michigan vs. #3 Georgia

Cotton Bowl, Miami Gardens, FL
#1 Alabama vs. #4 Cincinnati

National Championship, Indianapolis, IN
#2 Michigan/#3 Georgia vs. #1 Alabama/#4 Cincinnati

Written by Nick Swatson

The Curious Case of the Ole Miss Injury Bug

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 04:10:16 GMT

To preface this article, I'd like to begin by saying I was one of the attendees of the contentious Ole Miss - Tennessee face-off that garnered national recognition. Granted, the attention wasn't due to the gameplay or... we'll call it peculiar number of injuries sustained by Mississippi's defense or the questionably poor officiating, but rather the conduct and inexcusable behavior of around 300-400 or so fans in Neyland Stadium.

That said, it's now been a few days after the fact, and I've decided on rewatching a recording of the game to try and set the record straight of the events of that night in an (hopefully, though not likely) unbiased perspective. Many in the media assumed the onslaught of debris entering the field was solely based on a 4th and 24 play where the ball was spotted unfavorably for the Vols (even though I'm in the minority of fans who believe he was short of the line to gain). No. This is much more than that. It deals with the culmination of the curse laid upon Tennessee athletics since Lane Kiffin's appearance here as head coach, specifically being indefinitely on the receiving end of historically improbable and laughably unfortunate referee decisions and downright unlucky plays, as well as the downward spiral of the football program due to complete ineptitude of former Tennessee Athletic Director regimes (well, as well as other decision makers and boosters with too much input/power). But most importantly, last Saturday - where we didn't have our best running back, lost our best lineman on our first series of the night on a play that didn't even count, were down to walk ons playing significant minutes, and battling an unprecedented number of â€˜injuriesâ€™ to Ole Miss defenders during our offensive drives... Again, despite all of that, we still should have and could have come out of that game victorious. And then, with 54 seconds left, the tension boiled over and chaos ensued.
â€‹
With all of that, this article will only focus on A FEW OF the questionable calls in favor of Ole Miss, but more importantly I will be documenting all of the injuries sustained to Lane Kiffin's team (as well as time left, the result of the play, and whether the player returned to the game). Without further ado, let's dive in.

1st Quarter:

9:26 - 3rd & 5 for UT at their 25-yard line

Hendon Hooker throws short right to Velus Jones slanting, clearly being tackled at least half a yard short of the 1st down. Vols attempt to run hurry up to convert the short 4th and 1 but as the ball was snapped the referees blew it dead. Some players heard the whistle, others didn't. The result was a whacky mess around the LOS, with our best lineman, Cade Mays, being injured. Nothing egregious here, but certainly the type of thing to occur to a Tennessee football team.

5:55 - 4th & 2 for Ole Miss

Tennessee strip sack on Matt Corral, the refs ran with Tyler Baron into the endzone, touchdown. Then the play was called back due to lack of forward progress? And the play is not reviewable. You're taught to play until the whistle blows in sports and Matt Corral got rewarded for not doing that.

4:20 - 1st & 10 for UT

Jabari Small 11-yard run for a UT first down. #7 (all cited jersey numbers will be in reference to Ole Miss players) went down, as part of the tackling process. Appears to be an undisclosed lower extremity injury? (Not sure.) He returned next series.

2nd Quarter:

3:30 - 1st & 10 for UT

Hendon Hooker sacked for 7 yards. #1 went down and pointed to his knee. He notably kept trying to shed a block on our backup RB long after the play was over. He was, however, able to run back onside and promptly fall down. He returned next series.
3rd Quarter:

6:43 - 2nd & 10 for UT

Hendon hooker run for 9 yards. #44 tackled him and goes down. Still unsure of injury sustained. He walked off maybe 30 seconds later on his own volition. Returned two plays later.

5:51 - 1st & 10 for UT

Jabari Small 1-yard run. #55 wasn't part of the tackle but found the turf. Held his stomach as he exited the field. Returned next possession.

5:20 - 3rd & 10 for UT on the Ole Miss 32-yard line

Incomplete pass. #96 went down with an apparent knee injury. He didn't touch Hendon Hooker on the attempt to get into the backfield. After the throw, he jogged a few steps before grabbing his knee on the way down. He returned next possession.

4th Quarter:

14:05 - 2nd & Goal from the 7 for UT

Hendon Hooker run for 3 yards. #96 down again. He wasn't near the tackle, but fell holding his leg again as the play was coming to a close. He left for the locker room afterwards and was the only Rebel all day to not return by the next possession.

11:35 - 1st & 10 for UT

Jabari Small run for 3 yards. Javontez Spraggins pancaked #35 who then proceeded to kick upwards twice with his right foot at Spraggins while on the ground. Somehow no referee saw it happen and nobody else was within 5 yards of them at the time.

10:53

Tennessee OL lost his helmet and seemed to fake an injury on his way to the sideline. Definitely appeared to flop his way to the ground. He returned shortly after.

9:00 - 1st & 19 for UT

Jabari Small 3-yard run up the middle. An entire 15 seconds after he was tackled, #24 looked over to the sideline and falls down holding his leg. Notably, during the play, our wide receiver nearest the cornerback ran a "phantom" 5-yard route at 50% speed. It was approximately 50 degrees in the stadium at night, if it's assumed to have been a cramp while he was standing there not doing anything. He returned next possession.

8:34 - 2nd & 16

The very next play. #33 went down. He wasn't part of the tackle, but he was in the area. Again, it appeared to have been a cramp for the 2nd straight play. He returned next possession.

5:13 - 3rd and 8 for Ole Miss at their 39-yard line.

Matt Corral sweep pass to Snoop Conner. #13 for UT is there to make the play but instead is shoved in the back straight into the ground by #6 for Ole Miss. The referee was standing less than 5 yards away with no obstruction between him and the block. Results in a crucial Rebels first down.

3:08 - 1st & 10 for UT

Hooker finds Javonte Payton for their second straight play resulting in a 1st down. #6 for Ole Miss falls down with yet another apparent lower extremity injury which appeared to be his ankle. Interestingly, they were in a zone defense the play he was hurt and he didn't have to run for the duration of the play. He had fallen down 5 or 6 seconds after the Tennessee player was tackled. Miraculously, he ultimately returned the same possession.

2:13 - 2nd & 17 for UT

The very next play. Hooker ran for 5 yards while #44 tackled him. Oddly enough, he gets hurt in the exact same way he did earlier in the game making the exact same type of tackle. He writhed in pain until he got back up shortly after and jogged himself back off the field. The play was ultimately negated by a holding penalty on Tennessee. Once again, he returned next possession.

1:03 - 4th & 24 for UT

Tennessee appears to have gained 23.5 yards. Again, I'm not in the camp that he reached the line to gain. It is unfortunate, though, for the SEC that there were somehow just 2 angles for the play to be seen, neither of which were anywhere near conclusive. My greatest gripe with the play is the tight end was clearly tackled with 57 or 58 seconds left, yet the clock ran an extra 3 seconds to :54 and time was never put back on the clock. As those of us who watched the ending, that could've very well made the difference.

Watching the game, it was blatantly obvious in which half Tennessee had more success moving the ball as they more than doubled their total yardage output in the second half compared to the first. First half injuries for Ole Miss: 2. 2nd half: 8. Only one of the injuries resulted in a player not returning to the game within the following possession. According to ESPN, Tennessee ran 49 plays in the second half, meaning every 6.1 plays resulted in an injured defensive Rebel. That's pretty anomalous considering a 15-year study run by Dr. Jennifer M. Hootman found collegiate football players get injured at a rate of one in 27.9 plays.* The math also indicates a 16.3% chance of an injured Rebel per play ran, as compared to the national average of right under 3.6%.

*Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1941297/

My prediction is that this will result in yet another rule change that just so happens to be at the forefront of a Tennessee defeat. The other notable, high-profile instance is the 10 second runoff penalties late in games, thanks to a Tennessee loss to North Carolina in the 2010 Music City Bowl. Ultimately Lane Kiffin and company are a great team that will do anything to win. And who can blame them here, as technically no rules were broken since there has still yet to be a rule requiring players to sit out for an extended amount of time after leaving with an injury. I see the arguments both ways of either forcing the player to sit the remainder of the drive or the quarter, but a change has to be made soon either way. Until then, hurry up offenses are going to be that much easier to stop.

Written by Alex Hill

Thursday's Game May Set the Tone for Tennessee's Next Decade

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:13:21 GMT

POV: Butch Jones has recently been fired, and we're in the midst of one of the most chaotic, circus-like coaching search carousels the sporting world has ever witnessed. There are so many "candidates" being thrown around hourly it's almost impossible to keep up. Heck, I'm pretty sure General Neyland himself was rumored to be in the running to return from the grave to lead the Volunteers. And after all the madness, we ended up with… Jeremy Pruitt? One of the few names unspoken of in the search until it came to light they’d reached an agreement with him. An uneasy optimism ensued, hoping to be once again in the promised land of college football. And although we all know too well the outcome, we can't blame ourselves for having hope.

Now we've found ourselves in similar territory heading into the 2021-22 CFB season as the Vols had a less, although not completely null, wild west style of a coaching search. We'd swung for the fences and probably had unrealistic head coach expectations, yet unsurprisingly ended up with one of the lesser talked about candidates: Josh Heupel, reunited with his former Athletic Director at Central Florida. On one hand: a coach who inherited a winning team at UCF, yet slowly won less over his time there. Optimistically speaking though, his offenses consistently topped the rankings in multiple categories, specifically the most important ones, at every stop he's made as a coach.

This brings us to the title of the article. Option 1: He gathers the troops and they dog walk Bowling Green back to wherever it is they come from (somewhere in Ohio, I'm told). That's what should happen. Then there's option 2: We pull a Georgia State, or something close to it. Let's play that scenario out real quick in what would be an alternate universe we hopefully aren't destined for. First, every fan immediately shuts down into cardiac arrest, simultaneously. And when they wake up, they realize it isn't a nightmare, but their only way to cope is to not put themselves through watching any longer. But the point is all support is over right then and there. Second, any recruits on the fence present and future quickly look to that game to realize UT isn't where they should be or want to be. Third, and this might not be an exaggeration, the entire city of Knoxville bans football from the city, never to be played again there at the collegiate level. Essentially, I'm not sure the fanbase has it in them to endure seeing through yet another coaching buyout and rebuild process lasting another decade, nor should they.

Okay, so those are the two scenarios, so how do we think it plays out? I want to preface this by saying I'm absolutely one of the more reasonable fans in college sports, so my head is clear for how game one goes down at least. That said, I believe we kill their spirits. We haven't fielded the most talented teams of late, but our experience is glaring. 17 of the 22 starters are upperclassmen, and our second string don't get much younger from there. Our biggest weakness, to me at least, is the linebacker position, as it lacks the playmakers of UT's past as well as the proper depth for an SEC team. However, I don't think the issue will be too pressing against a team that amassed an 0-5 COVID-shortened record last year in MAC only play (and not to mention their closest loss was by 25 points).

The line currently sits at -35 in favor of Tennessee with an Over/Under of 61 points. The line is extraordinary considering UT opened only as 27-point favorites, with the line moving 8 points in their direction. The way I'm betting the game is one that I don't imagine will happen often this season in UT games (depending on how Vegas views the Volunteers). I'll be taking the under, Tennessee money line, and for the Vols to cover as well. For a season set with many uncertainties, my final score prediction is 48-7.

P.S. I would also to like to point out here, I believe Heupel will pleasantly surprise some fans this year, but we will have some let downs as well. Looking at our schedule, I'm projecting a 6-6 season, with all of our losses coming in SEC play. We should have an offense bound to make mistakes along the way, yet will be exciting nonetheless. IF we are going to lose games, we might as well score points doing it.

To adhere to our weekly SEC betting challenge for 2021, here's what each of the experts of the Bucket Squad predict for Tennessee's game against Bowling Green. The remainder of our picks for every other SEC team's game will be out on Friday morning, so be sure to check that out when the time comes so you can make money on top of enjoying your team's opening weekend.

Good luck to everyone this weekend. May your favorite team win and all your bets hit.

Written by Alex Hill

Predictions for Every 2020-21 Bowl Game

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:21:56 GMT

Ah, bowl season. A time of year where we get a chance to watch atypical matchups and determine which conference will own the end of season bragging rights. Whether or not your team accepted a bowl bid this time around, there are a plethora of intriguing games to look out for, most noticeably within the College Football Playoff (obviously). Our Bucket Squad experts are picking the winners of each game of the bowl season, including a prediction for the National Championship Game's competitors and final score. The expert who picks the most games right will be awarded an undisclosed cash prize that they all agreed to pitch in on prior to the start of the first game on December 21. Good luck to everyone and may the best man win. Let's take a look at each game's picks.

12/21/20

Myrtle Beach Bowl, Conway, SC
North Texas vs. Appalachian State

12/22/20

Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise, ID
Tulane vs. Nevada

Boca Raton Bowl, Boca Raton, FL
UCF vs. BYU

12/23/20

New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern

Montgomery Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Memphis vs. FAU

12/24/20

New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, NM
Houston vs. Hawaii

12/25/20

Camellia Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Buffalo vs. Marshall

12/26/20

Cure Bowl, Orlando, FL
Coastal Carolina vs. Liberty

Gasparilla Bowl, Tampa, FL
South Carolina vs. UAB

First Responder Bowl, Dallas, TX
Louisiana vs. UTSA

Lending Tree Bowl, Mobile, AL
Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State

12/29/20

Cheez-It Bowl, Phoenix, AZ
Miami vs. Oklahoma State

Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX
Texas vs. Colorado

12/30/20

Duke's Mayo Bowl, Charlotte, NC
Wake Forest vs. Wisconsin

Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN
Iowa vs. Missouri

Cotton Bowl, Arlington, TX
Oklahoma vs. Florida

12/31/20

Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, TX
Mississippi State vs. Tulsa

Arizona Bowl, Tucson, AZ
Ball State vs. San Jose State

Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
West Virginia vs. Tennessee

Texas Bowl, Houston, TX
TCU vs. Arkansas

1/1/20

Peach Bowl, Atlanta, GA
Cincinnati vs. Georgia

Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Auburn vs. Northwestern

1/2/20

Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, FL
Kentucky vs. NC State

Outback Bowl, Tampa, FL
Ole Miss vs. Indiana

Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ
Oregon vs. Iowa State

Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
Texas A&M vs. North Carolina

College Football Playoff

1/1/20

Rose Bowl, Arlington, TX
Alabama vs. Clemson

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA
Clemson vs. Ohio State

1/11/20

National Championship, Miami, FL
Alabama/Notre Dame vs. Clemson/Ohio State

Written by Nick Swatson

SEC Weekly Power Rankings - Week 5

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 20:00:49 GMT

This weekend only allowed us eight teams to watch, as the six other teams either had their schedules moved around to not play this week or were already on their bye. In these writeups I’ll do my best to keep those teams in a more stagnant position as I don’t believe it’s fair to them to be bumped down when they weren’t able to support their claim and fight for their position. Of course, say, if Alabama would have lost to Tennessee last weekend, (hard to imagine, but at least try for the hypothetical situation) clearly, Tennessee would’ve overtaken Arkansas in the rankings.

1. Alabama (5-0) (No Change) – Head Coach (HC): Nick Saban
Offensive Coordinator (OC): Steve Sarkisian – Defensive Coordinator (DC): Pete Golding

Alabama goes into week 6 with a matchup against a floundering Mississippi State team off a bye. Oh, and before I forget, Alabama destroyed Tennessee 48-17 in a game they could’ve sleepwalked through. Unfortunately, though, it appears Jaylen Waddle will miss the remainder of the season after an ankle injury during the opening kickoff. Hopefully for him, he recovers swiftly and fully, because he has a bright career ahead of him. That said, Alabama is still doing Alabama things. Their games have seen them post point totals of 38, 52, 63, 41, and 48. Their secondary has still been prone to giving up big plays, though, so that might affect them against better teams. Regardless, they were able to go through the motions this week, so we’ll see how bad they beat State next week going into their bye the week following.

2. Georgia (3-1) (NC) – HC: Kirby Smart
OC: Todd Monken – DC: Dan Lanning

Georgia will be coming off a week of rest and practice ahead of their matchup against Kentucky. I’m not sure what the over/under for that game will be, but I’m almost certainly going to take the under. Georgia’s defense has been great so far this year, and with an extra week to prepare I’m not sure if Kentucky will score. Meanwhile, we’ll see what changes they’ve made (if any) to their offensive attack and quarterback situation.

3. Texas A&M (3-1) (NC) – HC: Jimbo Fisher
OC: Darrell Dickey – DC: Mike Elko

Texas A&M will be meeting Arkansas with both teams coming off bye weeks heading into their meetup in College Station. So far, A&M has controlled the line of scrimmage in most of their games, and they don’t really do many things wrong. The Aggies are also aware they control their destiny this season, so the motivation will be there to come out strong against a surprisingly decent Arkansas team this year. I believe their rushing has improved in every outing this year, so they should look to dominate Arkansas in that element, early.

4. Florida (2-1) (NC) – HC: Dan Mullen
OC: Brian Johnson – DC: Todd Grantham

It feels like eons since Florida last played, but they’ll finally be presuming business as usual starting again this weekend, in their matchup against Missouri. Missouri has increasingly looked better and better so far, and I expect this to be an entertaining matchup. It’s still hard to process exactly what to expect when they play though, just because it’s hard to fully predict if Florida will come out rusty or swinging. These are two offenses and quarterbacks that are fun to watch though, and I think there will be a plethora of yards through the air in this affair. But will Florida be able to correct their defensive woes? That remains the question.

5. Arkansas (2-2) (UP 1) – HC: Sam Pittman
OC: Kendal Briles – DC: Barry Odom

Arkansas, to me, remains the most surprising (in the good sense) team in the SEC so far. Barry Odom has this defense playing extraordinarily, and they’re allowing just 25.5 points per contest so far (11.3 less than last year). Although they’re giving up a lot of yards, they’re stopping teams when needed which is allowing them to stay in games. Offensively, with Franks at the helm, there’s an obvious ceiling, as I’ve said before. However, it does provide them with a subtly stable floor, as he isn’t really known for making extremely costly mistakes. Their offensive line still needs improving if they want to score more points, though. I believe they’ll continue to struggle in that area for the rest of the season, as they’re still yet to play some of the tough teams remaining on the schedule. But let’s see if Briles can work some magic and earn themselves some points.

6. Auburn (3-2)* (UP 3) – HC: Gus Malzahn
OC: Chad Morris – DC: Kevin Steele

Auburn was yet again the beneficiary of a very questionable review booth blunder against Ole Miss. They did, however, ultimately prevail 35-28 in that match. The good news for Auburn: Bo Nix looked much improved this week in passing accuracy and overall decision making. The bad news, on the other hand: they only averaged 4.8 yards per carry (YPC) against the worst defense in the conference, and their defense had so many missed assignments it was embarrassing to watch. Next week’s matchup for LSU might be a tough one for Auburn’s defense. We’ll see how the team performs there, because that’s a big deciding point for this season’s future.

7. Missouri (2-2) (UP 3) – HC: Eliah Drinkwitz
OC: N/A – DC: Ryan Walters

Drinkwitz is easily up there as one of the most underappreciated coaches in the conference already. Missouri is coming off a 20-10 victory over Kentucky, in which their defense only allowed Kentucky to run 36 PLAYS. 36. I Just read a stat, the last time Missouri held an in-conference opponent to 36 plays was 1966. Phenomenal. Meanwhile, the offense fell back to Earth, scoring just 20 points on almost 92 plays. The matchup next week against Florida in Gainesville should prove to be a more favorable one for the offense, though.

8. LSU (2-2) (UP 5) – HC: Ed Orgeron
OC: Steve Ensminger – DC: Bo Pelini

LSU’s defense has been completely sporadic this season, and you never know how they’re going to perform. On the other hand, the offense has beguiled us, averaging 486 yards of offense so far this year. They’ve posted point totals of 34, 41, 41, and 52 to this point, and their passing game has been phenomenal, regardless of the quarterback. Well, barring the two bad misthrows in their home opener. Bo Pelini is still yet to put together a full defensive performance though, and they’re still allowing teams 470 yards of offense and over 7 yards per play. Hopefully for LSU, the defense will fare well enough against Auburn this coming week.

9. Kentucky (2-3) (DN 4) – HC: Mark Stoops
OC: Eddie Gran – DC: Brad White

Kentucky got dominated by Missouri last week in the way Kentucky’s defense typically attempts to. They were outgained in yards 3:1, had 8 first downs all game, and only ran 36 plays. How does that happen? It’s unfortunate as well, because their defense was on the field for 92 plays and only allowed 4.6 yards per play and 20 points on the night. The offense will look to escape the ensuing stifling that will undoubtedly occur against Georgia this coming Saturday. Hopefully their defense rests up during the week and comes to play. This is going to be a tough one.

10. Tennessee (2-3) (DN 3) – HC: Jeremy Pruitt
OC: Jim Chaney – DC: Derrick Ansley

Ah, the third Saturday in October, where Tennessee gets beat down by Alabama every year. Oh wait, the third Saturday was last week in a blowout loss to Kentucky. Well, no matter. The rivalry game was moved to the fourth Saturday in October this year. But It didn’t change the outcome as Alabama still destroyed the Vols, 48-17. They’ve continued to regress categorically in almost every facet as the season’s progressed and it all starts with the quarterback play. Nonetheless, Tennessee fans are beginning to grow weary of this season and coaching staff. Bad news, Vol fans, you still have Arkansas (after the bye week), Florida, Auburn, and Texas A&M. Yikes.

11. South Carolina (2-3) (DN 3) – HC: Will Muschamp
OC: Mike Bobo – DC: Travaris Robinson

Phew, all the momentum the Gamecocks had stockpiled going into the LSU game just fell apart like some poorly stacked Lincoln Logs house. They got picked apart by a freshman QB in his first appearance, allowing over 12 yards per attempt. Additionally, they allowed LSU to have their best game on the ground by far as well. SC also only scored 24 points on a night they averaged almost 8 yards per play on offense… They’ll get a bye week to regroup which will be followed by a date with Texas A&M. They need things to turn around if Muschamp wants to secure his job.

12. Ole Miss (1-4) (DN 1) – HC: Lane Kiffin
OC: Jeff Lebby – DC: Durkin/Partridge

Ole Miss lost a heartbreaker to Auburn this past weekend. They got screwed over by a bad no-review on a play that should’ve resulted in an Ole Miss touchdown that instead granted Auburn the ball. What’s good for them still, their defense is progressing every game it seems. Their run defense is improving, and they only got beat for a long pass twice, and even that one was just because Seth Williams is a crazy playmaker. Point is, we’re seeing less breakdowns and overall stronger defensive performances. The offense is still more than capable moving the ball on almost anybody, and they’ve yet to go for less than 442 yards in a game so far. If they can limit turnovers, they should be able to accumulate a few more wins this year.

13. Mississippi State (1-3) (DN 1) – HC: Mike Leach
OC: Mike Leach – DC: Zach Arnett

State inconveniently comes back from their bye week into a matchup in the ring against Alabama. Fortunately for them, Alabama hasn’t been getting to the quarterback as often as they typically do. Mississippi State will be looking to answer many questions surrounding their offense though, and it’s yet to be seen if any of them will be answered this Saturday.

14. Vanderbilt (0-3) (NC) – HC: Derek Mason
OC: Todd Fitch – DC: Ted Roof

If anyone even noticed, it will be right at 21 days since Vanderbilt has taken the field. Surely they’ve improved in some areas, so I really believe this intermission in play will be more than useful for them (not that I’m actually saying they’ll win a game this year). Fortunately, though, they begin play back against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. But it’s all downhill from there. Moreover, In Derek Mason’s seven years over the program, they’ve never broken the .500 mark. I 100% do not believe this team will suddenly become super competitive spontaneously. However, as I previously stated, it would be really hard to see them getting worse than the numbers they’ve shown through their first three games. Good luck, Vanderbilt fans.

End of Season Predictions

Rank	West	East
1	Alabama	Georgia
2	Texas A&M	Florida
3	Arkansas	Kentucky
4	LSU	Missouri
5	Auburn	Tennessee
6	Ole Miss	South Carolina
7	Mississippi State	Vanderbilt

Written by Alex Hill

SEC WEEKLY POWER Rankings - Week 4

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 20:30:34 GMT

I think going forward for these weekly articles my plan is to do a more commentary-based write-up. It will probably be something along the lines of listing the teams’ current strengths and weaknesses into what they’ve accomplished so far in the year. That’s an important point, because these power rankings are only based on accolades, not which teams I believe are better. I will, however, always put my forecasted SEC regular season predictions at the end of every article. This article will also provide a special treat for you folks, because it will include my first ever rant about the Tennessee Volunteers program’s current state of affairs (I’m unashamedly biased towards them and have strong feelings towards their current situation).

1. Alabama (4-0) (UP 1) – Head Coach (HC): Nick Saban
Offensive Coordinator (OC): Steve Sarkisian – Defensive Coordinator (DC): Pete Golding

Alabama is now 4-0 on the season with wins over the second and third best teams in the SEC. To this point, it appears their offense will be able to outscore any team regardless of how many points their defense allows. They’re winning games by an average of 20 points a game, and they’re second in the nation in scoring. Their offensive stats week-in-and-week-out are unparalleled and we can just about cast them into the SEC Championship game right now. Mac Jones and company are more than enough firepower to get the job done against any team (seeing as they just hung 41 on the best defensive team in college football).

2. Georgia (3-1) (DN 1) – HC: Kirby Smart
OC: Todd Monken – DC: Dan Lanning

I almost don’t want to fault Georgia on that loss against Alabama, because it’s becoming almost evident that Saban is immortal and will never lose to a former assistant. I have Georgia over Texas A&M here, because they still fared better against Alabama than the Aggies did. Regardless of what you just saw last game, their defense is still ridiculously good and deserve the credit for the job they’ve done this season. However, Stetson Bennett did not do nearly enough to get the job done against teams that have the size and strength on the interior that Alabama and other top tier teams possess. He had more balls swatted down at the line of scrimmage last week than my second-grade cousin had shots blocked against me one-on-one in basketball. It’s clearly their weak spot this season, and it’s difficult to believe a 5’10”, 180-pound quarterback could lead them to a championship-type season this year.

3. Texas A&M (3-1) (No Change) – HC: Jimbo Fisher
OC: Darrell Dickey – DC: Mike Elko

Scrolling through the twitterverse this weekend, I stumbled across somebody tweeting something positive (imagine that) about Texas A&M’s likelihood/potential to make it to the College Football Playoff (CFP) this year. Certainly, challenges lie ahead, but I’d argue they have the easiest remaining schedule of any SEC team. All they must do is stay out of their own way and trust in the capabilities of an experienced and successful coach as well as their quarterback leader. IF they limit turnovers and work on improving their third down defense, all they’d need to do is maintain their current offensive output and they shouldn’t run into any problems.

4. Florida (2-1) (No Change) – HC: Dan Mullen
OC: Brian Johnson – DC: Todd Grantham

Florida will not have played in 21 days when they go into their Halloween matchup against Mizzou. Florida fans can only hope this doesn’t throw off their offensive momentum and chemistry after such a long break. It will, on the other hand, probably provide their defense a great upper hand moving forward to get much needed reps in to improve what could be described as a lackluster start for that end of the field. They have many things to work on on that side of the ball, and if they’re able to become about 5-10% more efficient on defense, I don’t see them struggling to beat anyone but Georgia for the remainder of the regular season. Trust in Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to lead the offense going forward, and hope their defense improves just enough to make more stops against the better offensive teams.

5. Kentucky (2-2) (UP 5) – HC: Bob Stoops
OC: Eddie Gran – DC: Brad White

Kentucky is coming off a statement win against Tennessee, but they didn’t do it in the kind of way you’d expect. They beat Tennessee 34-7 last week and only outgained the Vols by seven yards. They still aren’t able to garner the yards offensively they’d prefer to create, but their defense has been tremendous. They’ve forced 9 interceptions and a fumble (three pick sixes) over their last two games as their secondary has been playing phenomenally. I don’t believe their turnovers forced per game is maintainable or practical, but they’re still doing great work on third downs both offensively and defensively. It’s just unfortunate for them that they’re still yet to face off against Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It doesn’t get any easier from here.

6. Arkansas (2-2) (or 3-1) (UP 4) – HC: Sam Pittman
OC: Kendal Briles – DC: Barry Odom

Arkansas has been playing incredible ball this year. Absolutely remarkable considering what this team was a year ago. Today of last year, they sat at 1-5 against FBS teams, and got the brakes beat off of them by Auburn, 51-10. This offense is not going to be anything good this year, but Barry Odom is proving himself once again to be one of the best DCs in college football. They’ve forced 13 turnovers so far, own one of the best third down defenses, and do great defensively in the red zone. They still won’t be able to get a whole lot done though behind Feleipe Franks and a line that produces an average of 2.6 yards per carry (YPC) this season. Seriously, averaging 3.1 YPC against Ole Miss, of all teams, should be criminal. I’m expecting a lot of low scoring affairs for this team unless the offense lights a spark.

7. Tennessee (2-2) (DN 2) – HC: Jeremy Pruitt
OC: Jim Chaney – DC: Derrick Ansley

Okay, this is what we are all here for… The most anticipated section of the article. I honestly don’t even really know where to begin other than by saying that we Tennessee fans are all disappointed. I tried to say that I was mad, but then I remember the numbness as I watched Guarantano throw his second pick six. I was as numb as my fingers used to be as a kid running around late December playing hide and go seek in shorts and a t-shirt in 20-degree weather at midnight. I felt nothing. It’s the first time I can remember that feeling coming over me watching Tennessee sports. And then they brought out J.T. Shrout as the backup and I immediately turned to one of my roommates and said, “oh no, he’s actually worse.” Then JT proceeds to throw a pick his first play. And then, as if the despair couldn’t be any more unbearable, THEY BRING GUARANTANO BACK OUT ONTO THE FIELD.

Before the season, if you would’ve polled 100 UT fans about what their biggest concern was going into the season, 98 rational fans would’ve immediately blurted out the name Guarantano. So how could this coaching staff not realize what a ridiculous mistake it is to try and believe in him to win big games this season. And then back him up with J.T. Shrout? The whole thing is indefensible. Put out Maurer or your greatest investment yet in Harrison Bailey and let them make young quarterback mistakes that your tenth-year quarterback is going to make anyway. Let them learn and experience that so we can rely on them in the future (or now, preferably) so that we don’t have to endure the insufferableness of our current predicament. I actually don’t have anything remotely nice to say about anything else in that game aside from Henry To’o To’o and Eric Gray going out there and playing ball. I don’t want to see #2 play another snap in a Tennessee uniform again.

8. South Carolina (2-2) (UP 4) – HC: Will Muschamp
OC: Mike Bobo – DC: Travaris Robinson

The only reason South Carolina is behind UT is because of their head to head matchup loss. I’d argue though, that the Gamecocks have certainly been trending in the right direction, and although they might not get as many wins as they wish this season, I don’t believe they’ll be losing near as bad as they were last year. They have chances to beat LSU, Ole Miss, and Missouri still to get their season to 5-5. Their third down defense and great passing defense (aside from their first game) should provide them a solid foundation to set up on and propel them forward.

9. Auburn (2-2) (or 1-3) (DN 3) – HC: Gus Malzahn
OC: Chad Morris – DC: Kevin Steele

Auburn has regressed quite a bit since last year, mostly on the offensive side of things. They don’t get enough passing yards for the amount of times they drop back, Bo Nix is having trouble seeing the field, and their only strength is the ability to run the football relatively well. Fortunately, Tank Bigsby is a stud and is going to eat up Ole Miss’ defense next week. You can only hope for the rest of the team, though, that this week’s lucky draw against the worst defense in the SEC will give them some confidence as they’ve struggled to perform so far. Additionally, their third down defense is second worst in the SEC so they aren’t even stopping teams nearly as much as they were last year. As easy of a matchup as it is for their offense, their defense will be tested greatly to stop the potent Ole Miss attack.

10. Missouri (1-2) (DN 1) – HC: Eliah Drinkwitz
OC: N/A – DC: Ryan Walters

With the postponement of the Vanderbilt game comes a bittersweet conundrum. On one hand, Missouri will be missing out on an easy win. On the other hand, they get to record and work out the kinks offensively and defensively. They’ll be matching up against a Kentucky team whose defensive is blisteringly hot and is riding high after a blowout win over their rival, Tennessee. It’ll be a tough contest and provide many challenges, including to see how their freshman quarterback performs, as well as to see if they’re able to thwart Kentucky’s rushing attempts. So far, they’ve also performed well converting third downs and scoring in the redzone. Let’s see how Drinkwitz gameplans and prepares his team off a bye.

11. Ole Miss (1-3) (DN 4) – HC: Lane Kiffin
OC: Jeff Lebby – DC: Durkin/Partridge

Matt Corral up until last week had been on a roll. He was the integral reason the offense was putting up video game numbers. However, the Lane Train and company hit a roadblock in the form of the Arkansas Razorbacks defense. The Razorbacks picked off 6 passes and I believe they set the tone early with the early goal line stop on Mississippi’s first drive. The game wasn’t full of bad news though, as the Rebels defense finally proved they were capable of not giving up 200 yards on the ground every game. It didn’t really amount to a whole lot for them though as the Razorbacks still amassed almost 400 yards of offense and 33 points. The defense will be challenged once again next week to one of the best teams in the run game, the Auburn Tigers.

12. Mississippi State (1-3) (DN 1) – HC: Mike Leach
OC: Mike Leach – DC: Zach Arnett

It doesn’t matter how stout your defense is, when your quarterback play is that of the Mississippi State bulldogs, you’re going to have tremendous troubles trying to win games. Last week they only gave the ball away twice and yet their offense still only managed to find the endzone once. For as successful as their defense has been and looked, the offense has outclassed them on the opposite end. Receivers are dropping balls, the o-line isn’t protecting the quarterbacks, and the quarterbacks aren’t good at making good decisions under duress. The good news is that they get a bye this week. The bad news is that they come back against Alabama. Let’s hope Leach can salvage anything from this season.

13. LSU (1-2) (No Change) – HC: Ed Orgeron
OC: Steve Ensminger – DC: Bo Pelini

LSU is coming off their Florida game postponement into a home game matchup against the Gamecocks. This will be a game of an unstoppable object meeting an immovable force as LSU’s pass offense, which is one of the best, will square off against one of the best pass defenses. On the defensive side of the ball for LSU, they have a lot to show improvement on as they also rank last in passing yards allowed and have an exploitable third down defense. We also need to see improved offensive line play so that Myles Brennan can stay protected and to get the rushing game going more.

14. Vanderbilt (0-3) (No Change) – HC: Derek Mason
OC: Todd Fitch – DC: Ted Roof

The good news is Vanderbilt didn’t lose last week. Even though they didn’t play. But I guess there isn’t really bad news seeing as that’s all you can ask for out of this team. They’re one of the few teams that will have an extended break in between games, which sees them on a 21-day hiatus. Maybe they will actually be able to change things around and show signs of improvement in literally any area. They come back against an Ole Miss team on Halloween, so it may actually provide them with a chance to find the end zone a few times. I don’t really have anything else to say about them, other than that I’m sure their only goal this season is to at least come out victorious at least once this season. Godspeed, Vanderbilt.

End of Season Predictions

These standings are extremely volatile four weeks through the season and there’s bound to be even more fluctuations in the coming few weeks as well. The 3-7 seed in the SEC West is completely wide open and it’s week-to-week trying to determine how they’ll shake out. I would also argue that 3-6 is kind of the same in the East, but I think Kentucky has the edge so far on the other teams there. I am, however, confident in the top two for East and West, though Georgia and Florida’s matchup soon is intriguing. Every team on this list, except for probably Vanderbilt, has a shot to propel themselves forward with the talent they contain on their respective rosters. That said, here’s my new predictions for how the season shakes out:

Rank	West	East
1	Alabama	Georgia
2	Texas A&M	Florida
3	Auburn	Kentucky
4	Arkansas	Tennessee
5	Ole Miss	South Carolina
6	LSU	Missouri
7	Mississippi State	Vanderbilt

Written by Alex Hill

SEC Weekly Power Rankings - Week 3

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 03:08:09 GMT

Three weeks have gone by in the SEC season and we’re starting to see trends emerging. Teams streaking, teams slumping, and teams somewhere in between. My goal here is to give an idea and understanding of how your favorite team is doing relative to the rest of the conference. We will go through this together weekly with myself giving you two lists. The first one, Weekly Power Rankings, is how teams have performed up to this point in the season, while my second list will show my predictions for how each team will ultimately finish in conference play. I will, of course, provide short detailed points as to my rationale for each spot. Expect fluid movement week to week, especially in the weekly power rankings list, because as intuitive and knowledgeable as I may be, not everyone can be correct 100% of the time (as much as my dad may like to believe he is).

1. Georgia (3-0) – Head Coach (HC): Kirby Smart
Offensive Coordinator (OC): Todd Monken – Defensive Coordinator (DC): Dan Lanning

Georgia has the best resume by far to this point in the season. They’ve dominated in their wins in all three games, including against Tennessee and Auburn. They’re only giving up 237 yards per game on defense and watching the film makes it appear that they have 15 players on the field at all times. There are hardly any holes to exploit for a team with some of the best athletes and schemes in college football. Lanning is earning his paycheck. Meanwhile, the offense is doing exactly what’s needed to get the job done. They boast a +1.7 net yard per play (YPP) differential, while Stetson Bennett has a 5:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. I said at the end of last season they'd win it all this year (before the offseason QB debacle) so I may be biased about this team's potential. Not likely. Next week will determine their regular season.

2. Alabama (3-0) – HC: Nick Saban
OC: Steve Sarkisian – DC: Pete Golding

Alabama will be rolling into the Georgia game next week 3-0, with their most convincing win being the 52-24 rout of Texas A&M. The Tide’s defense is the worst they’ve been since Saban arrived and revived their program and Pete Golding is officially the least liked person in the whole state. Most recently, they allowed 7.5 YPP and gave up 647 yards of total offense. Yes, Alabama allowed that. That isn’t to say their offense hasn’t been as impressive. Their defense has been unimpressive, though. After three games they’re averaging 560 yards per game (YPG), 8.7 YPP, and 51 PPG. Unreal. So far, Mac Jones is filling Tua’s shoes, but I have doubts the offense will be anywhere near as successful against Georgia next week. We’ll see.

3. Texas A&M (2-1) – HC: Jimbo Fisher
OC: Darrell Dickey – DC: Mike Elko

A&M had a ho-hum first week versus Vandy, terrible defensive outing against Alabama, and played surprisingly well against Florida. As the season’s progressed, we’ve seen their offense become more and more competent. Kellen Mond made some huge plays last week and they’re also averaging 5.4 yards per rush. Moving forward you have to believe in their offense until proven otherwise.

However, defensively, they’ve had their ups and downs. Alabama and Florida have two of the best offenses in the country though, and even still they’re only allowing 3.4 yards per rush. That said, their secondary has major concerns, allowing a 71.6% completion percentage and 299 passing yards per game. Next week against a slumping Mississippi State should be a clarifying game to decide if A&M should be taken seriously going forward.

4. Florida (2-1) – HC: Dan Mullen
OC: Brian Johnson – DC: Todd Grantham

Florida’s offense has been dominating in a way they haven’t seen since the Tebow days. Kyle Trask continues to add to his Heisman resumé and we’re yet to see if a team can stop, or even contain, this offense that’s converting 57.1% of their third downs. The only concern on this side of the ball is creating plays and yards on the ground (other than Ole Miss) as this will likely haunt them down the road.

Amazingly, their defense is allowing a greater percentage of third down conversions at 58.7% of the time. They’re giving up 6.3 YPP and 495 YPG to their opponents this year. I’d argue that A&M and Ole Miss have two top 5 offenses in the SEC, so some inflation is to be expected. The experienced DC Grantham will have to come up with a way to fix these issues if Florida wants to find themselves in the SEC Championship discussions at the end of the year.

5. Tennessee (2-1) – HC: Jeremy Pruitt
OC: Jim Chaney – DC: Derrick Ansley

Tennessee is ahead of Auburn here solely based off the fact that I believe they put up a better game against Georgia. Don’t let the last game fool you, Tennessee does in fact have a top offensive line in the country, but the Vols always get busted by the Bulldogs defensive front seven. They’ll also be incapable of making the leap in SEC standings they desire until they get better quarterback play. With that said, the young but talented receiving corps along with the one-two punch of Eric Gray and Ty Chandler in the backfield should propel them to more wins.

Going into the Georgia game, the defense was only allowing 3 yards per rush and are definitely capable of great things. They do an overall good job of getting off the field when needed and haven’t allowed more than 65% completions or 290 yards through the air on the season. They have great playmakers, good size up front, and a DC who’s more than capable of creating schemes proficient at stopping opposing offenses.

6. Auburn (2-1) – HC: Guz Malzahn
OC: Chad Morris – DC: Kevin Steele

Let’s be clear: Auburn should’ve lost last week but got bailed out by the refs. Regardless, they’re our last team 2-1 on the list so that’s how they have this spot. So far, Bo Nix still hasn’t lived up to expectations of improving upon last year’s performance. On the plus side, they finally got their run game going against a team good against the run going into the game. They possess a middle of the road third down conversion percentage and haven’t performed great so far, yet they still possess the blueprint to be a successful team.

It appears Auburn will be relying on their defense to win games until they can get the offense rolling. They’re sufficient against the run, which is great, but they haven’t been able to stop opposing quarterbacks enough to this point. And even if you take the Georgia game away, they’ve still been outgained by inferior teams. That shouldn’t happen. This is a team capable of righting the ship, but we’ve still yet to see if they will or won’t.

7. Ole Miss (1-2) – HC: Lane Kiffin
OC: Jeff Lebby – DC: Durkin/Partridge

Kiffin knew what he signed up for when he joined the SEC again, but man, they’ve had arguably the toughest first three games of anyone in the conference. The top two offenses and one of the better defenses and still putting up numbers is impressive. Any Ole Miss fan should be ecstatic to be 1-2 right now. To this point they’re third in yards per game, ninth in third down conversion percentage, and fifth in passing yards per game in the country. Video. Game. Numbers. They’re only averaging 4.1 yards per rush, but I expect that number to rise throughout the season. All aboard the Lane Train offense.

Okay, so remember everything great that was just mentioned about their offense? It’s almost the exact same but in reverse on defense. They returned production from last year, but they’ve been completely incapable of putting things together as a cohesive unit. To this point they’ve allowed 641 YARDS PER GAME TO OPPOSING TEAMS. 641. Let that sink in. It’s almost impossible to be that bad. Luckily for the team, Matt Corral and company will be able to keep them competitive, but changes must be made on the defensive side for things for Ole Miss to be great.

8. Kentucky (1-2) – HC: Mark Stoops
OC: Eddie Gran – DC: Brad White

Kentucky is a missed extra point in overtime against Ole Miss from potentially being 2-1 right now. Stoops’ game plan is to run through opponents rather than around them, and against poorer defenses, that will work. To this point they’ve run the ball 51 more times than they’ve thrown and it’s no secret this is the Wildcats’ bread and butter. Unfortunately for them, though, this really caps their potential against teams with a strong front seven. Additionally, they’re less than middle of the road when it comes getting to the red zone and scoring touchdowns when they get there.

Defensively, they’re a pretty stout team. They just had 6 interceptions against Mississippi State, but it’s they’re only game so far forcing a turnover. Furthermore, they’re only allowing 3.1 yards per rush to other teams. They also excel at getting off the field, being 18th in the country in stopping teams on third down. Their next game against Tennessee will be a deciding factor in predicting how they perform the rest of the season.

9. Missouri (1-2) – HC: Eliah Drinkwitz
OC: N/A – DC: Ryan Walters

Missouri just beat LSU in a shootout of a game where we finally got to see Connor Bazelak from the beginning to the end, and he excelled. 406 yards and 4 touchdowns are extremely impressive in your first start, even if it’s on an LSU defense in a down year. They’ve only been getting outgained by 0.1 YPP this year and I believe people are sleeping on a team with potentially the best one-two punch in college football. Drinkwitz knows offense, and Missouri could have some exciting games this year.

They’re a bit inconsistent on the defensive end of things. The Tigers only have one takeaway on the year and don’t really shine in any facet defensively. I think moving forward, they need to establish their identity as a run stopping defense that can look to eventually perform better against the pass as well.

10. Arkansas (1-2) – HC: Sam Pittman
OC: Kendal Briles – DC: Barry Odom

I don’t know if it’s just me, but this Arkansas team has been the most surprising thus far. Briles was part of those incredible Baylor offenses and Odom’s resume as a DC speaks for itself. And Sam Pittman in his first head coaching role has far exceeded expectations, in a situation where his team should be 2-1 after their first three games (Auburn got bailed out by the refs last week in case you missed it). What’s interesting about Arkansas is that Pittman’s expertise is offensive lines and I’d argue their O-line is the area with the most faults. Feleipe Franks as the experience transfer QB has worked in the system thus far, but there is an obviously low ceiling for him in that role.

The 2019 Arkansas team was notoriously bad on defense, finishing 124th out of 130 in scoring out of every FBS team and giving up more than 30 points in every game but two. This year so far? 33rd out of 76 teams, giving up 10 less points per game. This is a bend but don’t break defense, as they are top 10 in the country in red zone defense.

11. Mississippi State (1-2) – HC: Mike Leach
OC: Mike Leach – DC: Zach Arnett

‘Til the day I die, I’ll love Mike Leach and maintain that he’s an offensive genius. That said, playcalling and scheming only gets you so far when K..J. Costello is your quarterback. Since the LSU game they’ve had 29 drives resulting in two touchdowns and 14 turnovers. Almost unfathomable. A team averaging almost 450 YPG with a stellar defense and talented skill position players now sits at 1-2 thanks to their quarterback. Listen, If we were playing flag football and given 10 seconds to throw, I’d probably pick him all day, but that isn’t the case. And the slightest amount of pressure throws him off his game, which is really unfortunate because the Bulldogs pass protection is not very good at all. Keep the system, throw out the quarterback.

I’m a huge fan of this State defense going forward. It took 84 plays for LSU to eclipse 400 yards and even then, they still forced two turnovers in that one. Their run defense thus far is probably the best they’ve ever had, allowing just 2.1 yards per rush. They possess a top 15 third down defense and top 10 sack percentage. And probably the most amazing stat is they still own a top 15 defense in opponents PPG even though they’re offense has surrendered the ball 14 times. This team has the most potential to improve going forward in my opinion, but it all comes down to the offense straightening out their struggles.

12. South Carolina (1-2) – HC: Will Muschamp
OC: Mike Bobo – DC: Travaris Robinson

Colin Hill transferred from Colorado State to be with his former coach Mike Bobo at South Carolina. So far, it’s been the most mediocre tandem since Allen Iverson teamed up with Melo and the Nuggets. They’re having a rough time opening up the offense due to the lack of a run game and only being able to count on Shi Smith in the pass game. I believe they’ll continue to be mid-tier on that side of the ball going forward, especially against teams with a secondary capable of locking in on Shi. They’ll need Sophomore Kevin Harris to be a consistent threat out of the backfield for them to be competitive offensively moving forward.

Travaris Robinson has the defense clicking for the most part this season, having yet to allow 400 yards in a game. They’re only allowing 3.2 yards per rush and do an exceptional job at getting off the field, limiting opponents to a 19.35% conversion rate on third downs. This, as I’m sure you guessed, places them top 10 nationally in opponent plays per game, allowing them to stay fresh on defense. Robinson does a great job getting his team prepared every week and has improved the defense drastically since he first arrived.

13. LSU (1-2) – HC: Ed Orgeron
OC: Steve Ensminger – DC: Bo Pelini

What is going on in Baton Rouge? If you take away the Vanderbilt game (who might not even be an FBS team anymore) this team is averaging 5.95 YPP while giving up 8.45 YPP. LSU, the defending national champs. Yes, them. They’re incapable of running the ball and if Myles Brennan faces significant pressure, you can go ahead and assume something terrible is going to happen. They’ve still been able to achieve over 400 yards in every outing this year, but that’s about all I have good to say about them.

The defense last year, against much greater offensive threats, only allowed 22 PPG. They’ve declined to the point of already allowing 32 PPG through three games. And it doesn’t get any easier from here. They’re terrible against the pass, mediocre against the run, and can’t get off the field. The only thing they have going for them is being #4 in the nation in takeaways per game. And I almost don’t want to count that considering Vanderbilt football essentially only exists as an idea and Mississippi State gives the ball away more often than Chick-Fil-A employees say, “my pleasure.”

14. Vanderbilt (0-3) – HC: Derek Mason
OC: Todd Fitch – DC: Ted Roof

Vanderbilt ends week 3 with, you guessed it, an 0-3 record. I almost didn’t even include a write-up for them because they honestly don’t even really deserve one… The Commodores had probably the best first 60 minutes in program history against A&M week 1 and things actually didn’t look bleak. Their OC Fitch was an integral part of La Tech’s success the few seasons prior, and he may be the man to turn around the ship. Just not this season. Let’s look into this. 3.9 YPP (worst in nation), 8.7 PPG (also worst in nation), and 2.9 yards per rush (3rd worst in SEC). If you’re Vanderbilt, now’s the time to experiment. Triple threat, air raid, heck, maybe even the wishbone. It doesn’t really even matter.

Ted Roof is one of the more experienced coaches in the SEC, and he’s fresh off a 12-1 season as Appalachian State’s DC. But he isn’t at App State anymore. The good news is Vanderbilt is one of the best in the country at getting their defense off the field. The bad news is that’s solely because teams are scoring almost at will, since the A&M game. Even that game, the Aggies fumbled three times and only scored 17 points, but they still amassed 372 yards in the game. Vanderbilt can’t stop the run or the pass and I don’t actually know what advice to give them going forward.

Rank	West	East
1	Alabama	Georgia
2	Texas A&M	Florida
3	Auburn	Tennessee
4	Ole Miss	Kentucky
5	Mississippi State	Missouri
6	LSU	South Carolina
7	Arkansas	Vanderbilt

Written by Alex Hill