We're now only 40 days away from the beginning of the most anticipated college football season in decades...and possibly ever. The landscape in the college game has changed drastically just in the last three years and while I still haven't decided how I'll present my annual SEC Preview...I will offer up some valid points and questions about the 2024 season.
Which will become the " real " U.T. Tennessee or Texas? Both schools are now in the same conference and since if it weren't for Tennessee there wouldn't be a Texas, I'll choose the Big Orange...the brighter color orange.
Former 'Bama Coach Nick Saban picked Georgia and Texas to meet in the SEC Championship Game.
And I wonder how Alabama fans will react to that prediction since they're naming the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium after him.
Tennessee is considered to be a dark horse as a College Football Playoff team. To be able to make the 12 team playoff, the Volunteers must finish in the top three in the SEC standings, with at least a 10-2 record. It's certainly possible but it will be difficult. My gut feeling is the Vols may be a year away.
Is Ole Miss really as good as predicted? Only time will tell but Coach Lane Kiffin has made tremendous use of the Transfer Portal, stocking his roster with talent from other schools. Most every other school in the country is taking advantage of the Portal with the exception of Clemson. Dabo Swinney seems to be too stubborn to accept transfers. He wants to do things his way, but you have to change with the times and so far he's unwilling to do so.
Now...with all the changes for the Power Five Conferences there is a lot of angst among the nation's mid-level schools. There have been very few changes for leagues like the Sun Belt, Conference USA and others. I can see in the not too distant future schools like MTSU, UAB, and Western Kentucky forming their own division with championship playoffs. It would be almost like the way high schools are set up, with more than just a couple of championships crowned. That could be the next big change on the horizon.
Even though we've yet to play a 12-team playoff, there is already talk of another expansion. Please, just let us see how this format works out before we start another one.
If you take baseball out of the equation, Vanderbilt no longer can compete with the other SEC schools. I mentioned years ago the Commodores would be better off in a smaller conference because they will never be able to consistently win in the SEC.
College football has now taken on the appearance of a nuclear arms race, with each and every school trying to outspend and outdo the other. Bigger and more luxurious weight rooms and training centers, dorms for athletes that look like resorts and locker room facilities that put most pro football facilities to shame. It's all about money and the rich keep getting richer.
That's enough psycho-babble. It's time for a pre-season look at the SEC and it will start tomorrow!
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