Randy Smith
As I begin writing this SEC East preview, I am still torn between picking Georgia or Tennessee to place first. If I follow the advice I have given Tennessee fans for a couple of years now, I would choose Georgia, because I have constantly preached...patience. Butch Jones is in his third year as the Vols' head coach, and to pick them to win a divisional title in the SEC may still be a bit too soon. But boy, this is a really talented team, with a favorable schedule.
Here goes.
7. Vanderbilt: This is the only sure pick I can find among the fourteen SEC teams. Vanderbilt is back to the Commodores of old. In the three seasons that James Franklin was in charge, Vandy was more than just competitive. They were actually a good team. As coach Derek Mason enters his second season for the black and gold, a total of 19 starters return. That's the good news. The bad news is, the ones they lost were all skill players, and as far as the offensive side of the football is concerned, the cupboard is pretty bare. Vandy signed just 18 players and placed 47th nationally in recruiting. To improve on last years' 3-9 mark will take a great effort and a lot of luck.
6. Kentucky: You could plug any one of four teams in the number six position in the SEC East. I truly believe the Wildcats could finish as high as third in the division, but coach Mark Stoops crew may be a year away from being that competitive. Kentucky still lacks enough talent to compete week in and week out in the SEC, but on any given weekend, they could sneak up and win a game or two they're not supposed to win. The Cats must replace a couple of NFL draft picks in Bud Dupree and Za'Darius Smith, but they should be pretty darn good on offense. Quarterback Patrick Towles and running back Stanley "Boom" Williams can play for a lot of other schools. Coach Stoops must figure out a way to avoid another six straight losses down the stretch if Kentucky is to get back in the bowl picture.
5. Florida: I have never picked the Gators to finish this low in the SEC East, and neither has anyone else for that matter. I do believe Jim McElwain is a good fit in Gainesville as the new Florida head coach, but the talent level is nothing to compare to what is was under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. The Gators should have a great defense, but three years of Will Muschamp's recruiting few skill players on the offensive side of the football will be very evident. Only four starters return from a really bad offense in 2014, so the rebuilding is definitely underway. Settling in on a starting quarterback is a must, but the gators also have to find some linemen and a few other skill guys on offense. Running back Kelvin Taylor could be a top flight SEC running back, but finding other "go to" guys on offense is a must.
4. South Carolina: Last year head coach Steve Spurrier designated play calling to a pair of offensive assistant coaches. This year, the "Ole ball coach" will do what he does best and call the Gamecocks plays again. Finding a starting quarterback is a top priority but the biggest job ahead for South Carolina coaches is to teach team play once again. When the Gamecocks are on their game, they force mistakes and turnovers; something they didn't do well in 2014. Jon Hoke is now onboard as the Gamecocks co-defensive coordinator and he has changed the defense to a 4-3 from a 4-2-5. USC has the athletes to be competitive. Getting back to a bowl game is a probability, but competing for a divisional title is unlikely.
3. Missouri: The back to back defending SEC East champs have never been picked to win the East, but they've been in the SEC Championship Game two straight years. Just 15-20 years ago, the SEC East was the dominant division, led by Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. To show you how the tide has changed, Missouri has been the best the East has had to offer for two straight seasons and they've lost big to Auburn then Alabama in the title game. Coach Gary Pinkel has done a super job coaching the Tigers and he has a veteran quarterback returning in Maty Mauk, but only five other offensive starters return. Missouri has a lot of work to do to repeat for a third time as the SEC East champ, but with a break or two and a slip-up or two by Tennessee and Georgia the Tigers could very easily be back on top. The schedule is manageable but the two toughest stops on the road are at Georgia and at Arkansas.
2. Georgia: If coach Mark Richt gets solid quarterback play once again after losing a senior starter, the Bulldogs can win the East and compete in the title game against whoever comes out on top in the West. What will do the 'Dawgs in however will be the schedule. Georgia plays Alabama and Missouri at home and Tennessee and Auburn on the road. They have a three game stretch in the middle of the year against Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri. If they win all three, they will win the East. If they win two of the three, they can still win the East, but losing two or more spells doom in Athens. Georgia should be good on defense, but their defense is still suspect; though they should be better under second year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. The Bulldogs have recruited well as always under Mark Richt, but coach Richt and the Bulldog nation will not be satisfied until they bring home a national championship.
1. Tennessee: The Vols haven't won an SEC East title since 2007, yet here I am going out on a limb picking the Big Orange to finish on top in the East in 2015. Why you may ask? It's all about the schedule. Hosting Georgia at home will be a big plus. Tennessee should have posted wins over the Bulldogs two straight years, but Georgia pulled them out because they knew how to win, and Tennessee was still searching for a way to win. Having won four of their last five in 2014, including a 45-28 win over Iowa in the Taxslayer Bowl has taught the Vols how to win. UT is solid at every position, except possibly on the offensive line. They have a talented junior quarterback in Josh Dobbs who is as good as it gets, plus a pair of outstanding running backs in sophomore Jalen Hurd and junior Alvin Kamara. This is still a very young Tennessee team, but finally after three great recruiting years under Butch Jones, the Volunteers finally have enough weapons to win.
SEC Championship Game: In a classic battle, the Crimson Tide will win over Tennessee for a second time during the 2015 season. I can see the Vols going 10-2 and going to a top level bowl game.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. He is currently teaching Broadcasting at Coahulla Creek High School near Dalton, Ga.
His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for thirty years.
He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.
In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have four grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, DellaMae and CoraLee.