Randy Smith: A Preview Of The SEC West

  • Tuesday, August 11, 2015
  • Randy Smith
Randy Smith
Randy Smith
We are now a little more than three weeks away from the start of the 2015 college football season. This one has more promise, at least for Tennessee fans than any in several years. While defending national champ Ohio State is a clear cut favorite to repeat, it won't be a lock; especially with year two of the college football playoff upon us. Here is what I think will happen in the talented, loaded SEC West in 2015:
7. Mississippi State: What? A team that was number one in the country last year for five weeks and returns the SEC's best quarterback (Dak Prescott) is picked to place last? Well, we had to put the Bulldogs somewhere, and with a lot of bodies to replace on defense, seventh was the best place to put them.
The biggest positive I can see for State is head coach Dan Mullen. Mullen has consistently been a winner in Starkville, Mississippi; a place where winning football has never been seen on a consistent basis. There is a surplus of wide receivers for Prescott to throw to so scoring points shouldn't be a problem. It will be stopping the opponents from scoring that could be a major problem. 
6. Ole Miss: Another "mystery" team. The Rebels are faced with finding a starting quarterback to go with great talent at receiver and in both lines. They should be okay at running back but there are some questions that must be answered early for Coach Hugh Freeze in the secondary. If that problem and a few others can be solved, Ole Miss can challenge for the SEC West title. The Rebs won their first seven games of the season last year and climbed to as high as third in the polls, before slipping the final month of the season. They were a very good 9-4 and the team feels it can be much better. Quarterback Bo Wallace is a player that needs to be replaced, but while he was brilliant at times, he made a few awful decisions that cost Ole Miss some games near the end. 
5. LSU: Former defensive coordinator John Chavis must have known something before he bolted to Texas A&M this past winter. One of the games' finest defensive gurus left Baton Rouge with a bad taste in his mouth. That bad taste could have been brought on by a lack of future top draft picks on the Bengals' defensive line. There are two major bright spots for the Tigers; one is sophomore running back Leonard Fournette, who is one of the early favorites for Heisman Trophy consideration. The other is head coach Les Miles who I believe is one of the most underrated head coaches in the SEC. "The hat" has really done a super job since taking over for Nick Saban at LSU. He's won a national championship and he has many other big wins. I fully believe LSU will return to college football's elite programs, but not in 2015.
4. Texas A&M: The Aggies were as up and down as any roller coaster in the world in 2014. They looked so impressive in dismantling South Carolina in their season opener but looked so terrible a few other times during the season. Hiring John Chavis to run the defense was a great move for coach Kevin Sumlin. Scoring points has never been a problem for Texas A&M and won't be this season. Keeping teams out of the end zone, even with John Chavis calling the shots could be a major downside. Stability at quarterback will be a plus for the Aggies as Kyle Allen returns as the starter. Speedy Noil also returns at wide receiver along with Josh Roberts so there are plenty of guys for Allen to throw to. On defense with the "Chief's" attacking style now in place, they should be much better and that could spell trouble for the rest of the West.
3. Auburn: I'm going out on a limb by picking the Tigers third. I won't make many friends down on the plains, but unless coach Gus Malzahn can work a few miracles, I don't see the Tigers finishing higher than third. They must get a great year from new quarterback Jeremy Johnson who must replace the talented Nick Marshall. Auburn has been totally devastating in their rushing attack, but they need to get a big year from running back Roc Thomas as well. On defense, Will Muschamp being the new defensive coordinator should also be a big plus. If everything works and the Tigers can avoid injuries, they could be as good as any team in the country; even make the college football playoffs. But that's a lot of "ifs".
2. Arkansas: At the end of 2014 nobody wanted to play the Razorbacks. The Hogs won three of their last four including back to back shut out wins over LSU and Ole Miss. They clobbered Texas 31-7 in the Texas Bowl to finish 7-6. They will once again be good on defense and while Coach Bret Bielema's style of offense isn't flashy, it is more than just efficient. Arkansas has a solid quarterback in Brandon Allen and two fine running backs in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. Everyone in the state of Arkansas is excited about Razorback football once again. But Coach Bielema stated, "7-6 is not a landing point, it's a launching point." It is very possible for Arkansas to win at least ten games in 2015.
1. Alabama: I'm really getting tired of picking Alabama to win the SEC West every year. It seems when the Crimson Tide doesn't win it, they come darn near close. It doesn't matter that the Tide is having to find a quarterback or replace several starters on defense. Coach Nick Saban just plugs in someone and the red elephants just keep on keepin' on. Last year I was very skeptical about offensive coordinator Lane Kiffen. I felt that eventually Alabama would self destruct on offense. They came close a couple of times in losing to Ole Miss and then dropping the college football playoff semi-final game to Ohio State. Other than those two games, 'Bama was brilliant offensively in 2014. A lot of people are saying, "This is the year that Alabama finally bites the dust." I just don't see it. You don't just bite the dust when you have dominated college football recruiting for the last 6-7 years. As long as coach Saban can simply plug in a four- or five-star player where he needs them, Alabama will continue to be a force in the SEC.
Later this week, I'll preview the SEC East and give an overview of what to expect in the SEC Championship Game.   
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