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Chewbaccer
Illustrious Potentate
I don't know how well this will carry over on here with so many prediction threads already out there, but this is something I used to do every week on Fannation thanks to @Norka! for coming up with the concept that was once done for all P5 conferences.
I took last year off doing these because I was working a lot more hours than I am now, and I was still new to the site, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty. I haven't written anything of length in two years, and I am a professional writer by no means.
The SEC and the Next Best 3 is basically just a run down of all SEC games during the week with predictions, and a brief rundown and predictions for what I deem to be the three best games not featuring an SEC team.
I had full intentions of doing a season preview last week, but I had a pretty bad ear infection, one where I even had to tap out early at work on Thursday and go to the doctor for the first time in 6 years. I just wasn't up for the task. Please forgive me, Guide Bear.
Now that the introduction stuff is out of the way, we can get started.
This has been a long offseason hasn't it? The Braves have been terrible, and I doubt many of you follow NASCAR as closely as I do. The weather is starting to break, we haven't reached 90 in nearly a week, Fall is so close I can damn near taste it, and working outside in rock quarries where there's no shade to be found, I can't be more ready.
The wait is almost over. So what if most week 1 games are cupcakes, it's still college football by golly.
Since I didn't get to do a season preview and since most of these games are cupcakes, this week will mostly be a season preview for the teams.
Let's get started with the actual games
The Which Team is the Cupcake?
Western Kentucky @ Vanderbilt- I'm gonna be honest, I don't really follow Vanderbilt too closely. Really all that I know is they were arguably the worst power 5 team last season, and they haven't done much to drastically improve. Western Kentucky has a lot of firepower on offense. Brandon Doughty who threw 49 touchdowns last season is returning for his senior season, and Leon Allen who rushed for over 1500 yards is returning for his senior season. WKU's defense leaves a lot to be desired, but the same can be said and then some about Vanderbilt's offense. Final score: WKU 38-14
The Cupcakes
Louisiana-Monroe @ Georgia- Georgia is coming off a 10 win season where they return Nick Chubb, who had a sensational season as a true freshman, and a couple of 5 star backups in Sony Michel and Keith Marshall. Georgia's running game will be their bread and butter this season, because much like last season, there's still a lot of question marks at quarterback. Brice Ramsey has a good arm, but his accuracy and decision making are still questionable. UGA's defense should be one of the better groups in the SEC. They return a lot of starters from last season, and their front 7 should be pretty solid against the run. UL-Monroe will get a nice paycheck for playing this game, but that's about all they'll be getting. They were a poor team last season, and I expect the same this season. Final score: UGA 42-7
Tennessee-Martin @ Ole Miss- Ole Miss started the season strong last season. They took some lumps when Bad Bo started showing up later in the season, and their star receiver, Laquon Treadwell going down in brutal fashion with a broken leg against Auburn really didn't help their cause either. For this season, they have been piling up some solid recruiting classes the last few years, and I expect their defense to be a solid group, but I have some questions about their offense. Their running game will need to be a bigger factor if they want to get over the top this season, and I'll have to hold off judgement on Ryan Buchanan until I see him play, but I doubt he will be as bad as Bo Wallace when bad Bo decided to make an appearance. I don't really keep up with the goings on of FCS teams, but I do expect this game to be merely a tune up for the Rebels. Final score: Ole Miss 35-0
UTEP @ Arkansas- I honestly don't know if there's ever been as much hype surrounding a team that finished the regular season 6-6 the season before. I have confidence in Bret Bielema's coaching ability, and it's hard not to respect their ability to run the ball, but I'm gonna need to see some improvements in the running game and defense before I crown them as a top 15 team. I do think they will be an improved team this season, but I'm not buying them contending for the SEC West title just yet, but I have been proved wrong many times before and will be many times again in the future, Lord willing. UTEP wasn't a terrible team last season, but much like last season, I don't see them beating any power 5 teams that aren't in shambles. Final score: Arkansas 52-17
Southeast Missouri State @ Missouri- Missouri sure is a funny team ain't they? Who else wrote them off last season after losing to Indiana at home? Who else wrote them off again when UGA shut them out at home? You have to hand it to them, when everyone else said they were done, they didn't lose another game until they faced Bama in the SEC championship. I have a lot of respect for Gary Pinkel as a coach, and I have no doubt that they will be a competitive team again this season. They return a 100 yard rusher in Russell Hansbrough, and they're always solid on defense. Their biggest question is the play of Matty Mauk. At times he has looked great, many other times he has been terrible. If he can iron out some kinks and become just a solid QB, Missouri has the potential to be a dangerous team. I didn't even know there was a college called South East Missouri State, much less one that fielded a football team. Final score: Missouri 35-0
Bowling Green @ Tennessee- Much like Arkansas, Tennessee is getting a lot of hype for a team that's coming off a 7-6 performance last season, they're even ranked in the AP preseason top 25 for the first time in a long time. I do think we'll see an improved Tennessee team, and playing in the weaker of the two divisions, I think we'll see a bigger improvement than Arkansas in the win/loss column. They have a talented group of receivers, a solid running game, a promising QB and a lot of upperclassmen starting on defense. They'll get some tests to prove their improvement later on, but this game isn't one of them. Final Score Tennessee 43-14
Louisiana Lafayette @ Kentucky- I'm not saying Kentucky is going to be a player in the East, or that they'll even make a bowl game, but I am saying that this isn't a team that the other teams in the East should take lightly or look past. Even last season they took Florida to triple OT, hung 40 on Louisville in a 4 point loss and gave South Carolina and Mississippi State all they wanted. Patrick Towles impressed me several times last season. He's probably not gonna sneak up and win the Heisman, but Jim Bunning's grandson should improve a bit, but he will need a lot better protection, because as highly as I think of the kid, he doesn't have the ability to win the game on his own, and they still have that famous, Kentucky Porous Defense. UL-L is the better of the two UL schools, but I'm just not gonna favor them to beat too many power 5 teams on the road. Final Score- Kentucky 46-24
McNeese State @ LSU- I've got to believe that LSU will be an improved team over the last couple of seasons. They haven't been terrible, but they haven't been the LSU quality teams we're using to seeing, and I'm thinking Les Miles will be looking to make a statement this season. LSU will always have a solid running game, but they have eventually got to get a big play making QB. I haven't had the chance to see Brandon Harris play yet, but he's got to be better than the last several guys that's been ran through doesn't he? At any rate, LSU's defense has been their staple over the last decade, and after a few bumps early in the season, they started coming around towards the end of the year, and that was a very young defense that improved over the season and I look for them to take another step forward this season. A lot of people claim they have the easiest path to win the SEC West, which might be true, but I wouldn't call them favorites just yet. Looking forward to seeing what this team has this season. I don't think they'll be like Nebraska and need a hail mary run to beat McNeese State. Final score LSU 35-14
New Mexico State @ Florida- Florida has been a bit of a mess the last few years. The Will Muschamp era ultimately ended in disaster, and they'll be breaking in a new coach this season on a team with a lot more questions than answers. Florida hasn't had a QB since Tebow, and they have a very young offensive line. Treon Harris has the ability to run, but his passing game could use some work, but their defense should be good enough to win them some games and get them in a bowl. New Mexico State was one of the worst FBS teams in the country last season. Hopefully for Florida, this game doesn't get stormed out. Final Score- Florida 42-0
Mississippi State @ Southern Miss- Mississippi State was a team that turned a lot of head last season. They started the year out like a house on fire and spent several weeks ranked number 1. But they stumbled when it mattered the most and lost 3 of their last 4 including the bowl loss to Georgia Tech. They are returning last year's Heisman candidate in Dak Prescott, and I think they have enough power on offense to be competitive, every one of their starters is an upperclassman, same goes for their defense. My biggest problem with them is that the good teams started figuring out their option attack late in the season last year, and I think the same will hold true this season. They will beat or have a shootout with teams with weaker defense, but will ultimately lose to teams with a disciplined defense. That's probably why a 10 win team from last year with every starter on both sides of the ball being either a junior or senior starts this season unranked. Southern Miss was pretty piss poor last season and I expect much of the same this season. Final Score Mississippi State 56-0
I took last year off doing these because I was working a lot more hours than I am now, and I was still new to the site, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty. I haven't written anything of length in two years, and I am a professional writer by no means.
The SEC and the Next Best 3 is basically just a run down of all SEC games during the week with predictions, and a brief rundown and predictions for what I deem to be the three best games not featuring an SEC team.
I had full intentions of doing a season preview last week, but I had a pretty bad ear infection, one where I even had to tap out early at work on Thursday and go to the doctor for the first time in 6 years. I just wasn't up for the task. Please forgive me, Guide Bear.
Now that the introduction stuff is out of the way, we can get started.
This has been a long offseason hasn't it? The Braves have been terrible, and I doubt many of you follow NASCAR as closely as I do. The weather is starting to break, we haven't reached 90 in nearly a week, Fall is so close I can damn near taste it, and working outside in rock quarries where there's no shade to be found, I can't be more ready.
The wait is almost over. So what if most week 1 games are cupcakes, it's still college football by golly.
Since I didn't get to do a season preview and since most of these games are cupcakes, this week will mostly be a season preview for the teams.
Let's get started with the actual games
The Which Team is the Cupcake?
Western Kentucky @ Vanderbilt- I'm gonna be honest, I don't really follow Vanderbilt too closely. Really all that I know is they were arguably the worst power 5 team last season, and they haven't done much to drastically improve. Western Kentucky has a lot of firepower on offense. Brandon Doughty who threw 49 touchdowns last season is returning for his senior season, and Leon Allen who rushed for over 1500 yards is returning for his senior season. WKU's defense leaves a lot to be desired, but the same can be said and then some about Vanderbilt's offense. Final score: WKU 38-14
The Cupcakes
Louisiana-Monroe @ Georgia- Georgia is coming off a 10 win season where they return Nick Chubb, who had a sensational season as a true freshman, and a couple of 5 star backups in Sony Michel and Keith Marshall. Georgia's running game will be their bread and butter this season, because much like last season, there's still a lot of question marks at quarterback. Brice Ramsey has a good arm, but his accuracy and decision making are still questionable. UGA's defense should be one of the better groups in the SEC. They return a lot of starters from last season, and their front 7 should be pretty solid against the run. UL-Monroe will get a nice paycheck for playing this game, but that's about all they'll be getting. They were a poor team last season, and I expect the same this season. Final score: UGA 42-7
Tennessee-Martin @ Ole Miss- Ole Miss started the season strong last season. They took some lumps when Bad Bo started showing up later in the season, and their star receiver, Laquon Treadwell going down in brutal fashion with a broken leg against Auburn really didn't help their cause either. For this season, they have been piling up some solid recruiting classes the last few years, and I expect their defense to be a solid group, but I have some questions about their offense. Their running game will need to be a bigger factor if they want to get over the top this season, and I'll have to hold off judgement on Ryan Buchanan until I see him play, but I doubt he will be as bad as Bo Wallace when bad Bo decided to make an appearance. I don't really keep up with the goings on of FCS teams, but I do expect this game to be merely a tune up for the Rebels. Final score: Ole Miss 35-0
UTEP @ Arkansas- I honestly don't know if there's ever been as much hype surrounding a team that finished the regular season 6-6 the season before. I have confidence in Bret Bielema's coaching ability, and it's hard not to respect their ability to run the ball, but I'm gonna need to see some improvements in the running game and defense before I crown them as a top 15 team. I do think they will be an improved team this season, but I'm not buying them contending for the SEC West title just yet, but I have been proved wrong many times before and will be many times again in the future, Lord willing. UTEP wasn't a terrible team last season, but much like last season, I don't see them beating any power 5 teams that aren't in shambles. Final score: Arkansas 52-17
Southeast Missouri State @ Missouri- Missouri sure is a funny team ain't they? Who else wrote them off last season after losing to Indiana at home? Who else wrote them off again when UGA shut them out at home? You have to hand it to them, when everyone else said they were done, they didn't lose another game until they faced Bama in the SEC championship. I have a lot of respect for Gary Pinkel as a coach, and I have no doubt that they will be a competitive team again this season. They return a 100 yard rusher in Russell Hansbrough, and they're always solid on defense. Their biggest question is the play of Matty Mauk. At times he has looked great, many other times he has been terrible. If he can iron out some kinks and become just a solid QB, Missouri has the potential to be a dangerous team. I didn't even know there was a college called South East Missouri State, much less one that fielded a football team. Final score: Missouri 35-0
Bowling Green @ Tennessee- Much like Arkansas, Tennessee is getting a lot of hype for a team that's coming off a 7-6 performance last season, they're even ranked in the AP preseason top 25 for the first time in a long time. I do think we'll see an improved Tennessee team, and playing in the weaker of the two divisions, I think we'll see a bigger improvement than Arkansas in the win/loss column. They have a talented group of receivers, a solid running game, a promising QB and a lot of upperclassmen starting on defense. They'll get some tests to prove their improvement later on, but this game isn't one of them. Final Score Tennessee 43-14
Louisiana Lafayette @ Kentucky- I'm not saying Kentucky is going to be a player in the East, or that they'll even make a bowl game, but I am saying that this isn't a team that the other teams in the East should take lightly or look past. Even last season they took Florida to triple OT, hung 40 on Louisville in a 4 point loss and gave South Carolina and Mississippi State all they wanted. Patrick Towles impressed me several times last season. He's probably not gonna sneak up and win the Heisman, but Jim Bunning's grandson should improve a bit, but he will need a lot better protection, because as highly as I think of the kid, he doesn't have the ability to win the game on his own, and they still have that famous, Kentucky Porous Defense. UL-L is the better of the two UL schools, but I'm just not gonna favor them to beat too many power 5 teams on the road. Final Score- Kentucky 46-24
McNeese State @ LSU- I've got to believe that LSU will be an improved team over the last couple of seasons. They haven't been terrible, but they haven't been the LSU quality teams we're using to seeing, and I'm thinking Les Miles will be looking to make a statement this season. LSU will always have a solid running game, but they have eventually got to get a big play making QB. I haven't had the chance to see Brandon Harris play yet, but he's got to be better than the last several guys that's been ran through doesn't he? At any rate, LSU's defense has been their staple over the last decade, and after a few bumps early in the season, they started coming around towards the end of the year, and that was a very young defense that improved over the season and I look for them to take another step forward this season. A lot of people claim they have the easiest path to win the SEC West, which might be true, but I wouldn't call them favorites just yet. Looking forward to seeing what this team has this season. I don't think they'll be like Nebraska and need a hail mary run to beat McNeese State. Final score LSU 35-14
New Mexico State @ Florida- Florida has been a bit of a mess the last few years. The Will Muschamp era ultimately ended in disaster, and they'll be breaking in a new coach this season on a team with a lot more questions than answers. Florida hasn't had a QB since Tebow, and they have a very young offensive line. Treon Harris has the ability to run, but his passing game could use some work, but their defense should be good enough to win them some games and get them in a bowl. New Mexico State was one of the worst FBS teams in the country last season. Hopefully for Florida, this game doesn't get stormed out. Final Score- Florida 42-0
Mississippi State @ Southern Miss- Mississippi State was a team that turned a lot of head last season. They started the year out like a house on fire and spent several weeks ranked number 1. But they stumbled when it mattered the most and lost 3 of their last 4 including the bowl loss to Georgia Tech. They are returning last year's Heisman candidate in Dak Prescott, and I think they have enough power on offense to be competitive, every one of their starters is an upperclassman, same goes for their defense. My biggest problem with them is that the good teams started figuring out their option attack late in the season last year, and I think the same will hold true this season. They will beat or have a shootout with teams with weaker defense, but will ultimately lose to teams with a disciplined defense. That's probably why a 10 win team from last year with every starter on both sides of the ball being either a junior or senior starts this season unranked. Southern Miss was pretty piss poor last season and I expect much of the same this season. Final Score Mississippi State 56-0