Randy Smith
It's almost here! College football season kicks off in one month, (give or take a day or two) And it's time for my annual pre-season picks. A warning here; don't take these to Las Vegas. Today we begin with the Western division. The East will follow later this week.
7. Mississippi State: Coach Dan Mullen has his Bulldogs in a competitive mode every year. Though the Bulldogs have enough talent and ability to beat any team they face this season, I had to pick somebody to finish last in the West.
Mullen's biggest priority is finding a quarterback to replace Dak Prescott. MSU has four heir apparents to the throne but none emerged following spring practice in Starkville. If the Bulldog's staff can settle on one or two guys to run the offense, they could be headed to another bowl game in 2016, but will not compete for the SEC West until 2018.
6. Texas A&M: The Aggies have placed head coach Kevin Sumlin on a very hot seat in College Station. It didn't help when they landed just two of the top twenty recruits in the state of Texas. Still, if Sumlin can solve the personnel problems the team has suffered through at quarterback, A&M should be competitive. The biggest conference games for the Aggies are at home against Tennessee, then at Alabama two weeks later. They do catch Ole Miss and LSU at home late in the year, but to save Sumlin's job, they need at least eight-nine wins.
5. Arkansas: The Razorbacks were 8-5 a year ago, but finished 5-3, tied for third in the SEC West. They did it with offense in 2015, but they are faced with rebuilding almost the entire unit in 2016. The Hogs must be able to stop people early or this could develop into a bad season. They have a chance to improve early in the year as they face three non-conference opponents before playing their first SEC game against Texas A&M on September 24th. Coach Bret Bielema was quoted as saying, "Might be the first time our best personnel might be 3-4 wide receivers on the field at a time."
4. Auburn: The Tigers could surprise a few people this year. After falling well below expectations for two years in a row, those expectations aren't that high in 2016. The biggest problem Coach Gus Malzahn faces is finding a trusted quarterback to run the offense. The team will play solid defense and be able to run the ball, and those two things alone should allow them to compete. If Malzahn finds a good quarterback to lead the way, Auburn could be looking at as many as nine wins. That would be a big improvement over the 7-6 mark of a year ago. We'll find out just how good Auburn is when they host 2015's national runner-up Clemson on the plains on September 3rd.
3. Ole Miss: Ole Miss can claim something that no other team in America can claim. They have a two year winning streak over Alabama. The Johnny Rebs have had great back to back success going 10-3 last year and winning nine games in 2014. They have their sights set on winning the SEC West this season and that is a very possible task. Also the Rebels have perhaps the best all around quarterback in the SEC in senior Chad Kelly, but they have a lot of key personnel to replace if they compete with Alabama and LSU. They go for three in a row over the Crimson Tide on September 17 in Oxford.
2. Alabama: What? He's picking Alabama to finish second in the SEC West? You heard it. Alabama will do no better than second in the West, and scheduling is the biggest detriment. The Tide's three biggest SEC games this year are all on the road; at Ole Miss on September 17, at Tennessee on October 15, and at LSU on November 5. That's not counting the Iron Bowl against Auburn on November 26 in Tuscaloosa. It will be difficult for 'Bama to win two of those three big road games. If they do, they deserve to be in the playoffs if they're 11-1 again. Finding a solid quarterback is so crucial for Alabama. their running backs and receivers are outstanding and so is the defense. This year however, the ball doesn't bounce Alabama's way each and every week.
1. LSU: While this pick may surprise a lot of people, a lot of stranger things have happened. LSU will be very good, especially if the Bayou Bengals find a good quarterback; something they haven't had in a while.Brandon Harris was brilliant at times last season, but he struggled down the stretch following the loss at Alabama. LSU has arguably the best running back in the country in junior Leonard Fournette. Getting off to a fast start as he did a year ago is key for the Tigers as well as his Heisman Trophy hopes. When Fournette's production went down, so did the Tigers. The Tigers have a favorable schedule on their side with games against biggest SEC West rivals Ole Miss and Alabama at home in "Death Valley"
The SEC East picks will be out Friday.
---
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.