Coach Me Up
Several SEC
teams changed coordinators, adopting new styles or systems on offense and
defense. Meanwhile, in years of no head-coaching turnover, the biggest
trend is the success of the newer coaches who take significant jumps in Year
Two. In 2006, Les Miles won 11 games at LSU, and Urban Meyer won his first
national title with Florida. Mark Richt won 10 games in 2017 with Miami, and
last year Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley and Texas's Tom Herman took the top two
spots in the Big 12 while Matt Rhule led Baylor to a bowl victory. This seems
like good news for the fan bases at Texas A&M (Jimbo Fisher), Tennessee
(Jeremy Pruitt), Arkansas (Chad Morris), Mississippi State (Joe Moorhead) and
Florida (Mullen) entering year two for their coaches. Stay tuned.
Fast Facts
The Crimson
Tide is the only FBS school to make it to all five College Football playoffs
... Only one time since 2007 has Alabama or Auburn failed to win the SEC West
division (LSU in 2011) ... Georgia will face five FBS foes (all SEC) in 2019
that will be playing with a week of rest. Alabama, Tennessee, and
Texas A&M are next with 4 such opponents
Note: Team
write-ups are excerpts from the 2019 PLAYBOOK Football Preview Guide magazine
on sale at newsstands nationwide. The numbers following each team name
represent the amount of returning starters on offense and defense, along with
the number of returning linemen, with an asterisk (*) designating a returning
quarterback. The RPR represents each team's overall, offensive and defensive
rankings in overall returning production experience.
2019 SEC EAST
DIVISION PREVIEW
FLORIDA
Off - *5/1 Def - 8/3
RPR: 26/27/43
TEAM THEME: MAN ON A
MISSION
Florida's
six-victory improvement under first-year head coach Dan Mullen in its "mission
season" last year was among the best in the FBS, and Mullen's 10 victories were
more than what Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier won in their first season at
Gainesville. Through it all, the Gators' 7th-ranked offense finally ranked
inside the Top 10 in the SEC for the first time since 2009, no thanks to the
unsteady play of QB Feleipe Franks, who ranked 10th in the SEC in passing. With
only one starting OL back in 2019, Mullen will have his hands full matching
last year's production - especially with all six games away from the Swamp
coming against bowl teams.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: Dan Mullen's teams have won the stats in 20 of their 26
games the past two seasons.
PLAY ON: at Missouri
(11/16)
GEORGIA Off
- *6/4 Def - 7/2 RPR - 69 /99/36
TEAM THEME: QUE UP
THE DAWGS
The Bulldogs
started 11 freshmen or sophomores in 2018, and head coach Kirby Smart added a
second-straight top-two recruiting class. Through it all, four juniors left
early for the NFL Draft, while five-star QB recruit Jacob Eason has transferred
out to Washington. Despite the offseason turmoil, QB Jake Fromm returns after
having made 28 starts in a row, winning 23 of those games. With only 4 true
road games for the second straight season, the Dawgs must deal with no less
than 10 foes that were in bowl games last year, including their final 7
contests of the season. Nonetheless, Georgia returns 20 players who made starts
as underclassmen last season. And the five 5* recruits they landed this year
are the most in college football. Color them dangerous, again.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: The Bulldogs have scored 31 or more points in 20 of their
last 24 victories under Kirby Smart.
PLAY AGAINST: at
Tennessee (10/5)
KENTUCKY
Off - *4/2 Def - 4/2 RPR:
114/64/127
TEAM THEME: GUT
CHECK
The schedule
maker was certainly kind to Kentucky this season, sending them out on the road
only 4 times in 2019. That should aid the Cats' chances this season given the
fact this team was gutted by player losses. It will be extremely difficult
replacing the more than 2,000 rushing and 2,000 passing yards the Wildcats have
tallied each of the past three seasons (they had accomplished this only two
other times in school history). Replacing RB Benny Snell will be problematic,
too, as he is the only player in UK history to rush for 1,000 yards three
straight seasons. Fortunately for HC Mark Stoops, QB Terry "Touchdown" Wilson
returns after passing for 1,889 and rushing for 547 yards last year.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Last
season marked the first time since 1958 that both Kentucky and Duke each
appeared in the same AP Top 25 poll.
PLAY AGAINST: vs.
Florida (9/14)
MISSOURI
Off - 7/3 Def - 6/2
RPR: 81/94/57
TEAM THEME: FROM ONE
TIGER TO ANOTHER
The loss of QB
Drew Lock, the SEC's second all-time passer, leaves large shoes to fill but
former starting Clemson QB Kelly Bryant transfers in nicely. Bryant completed
65.8% of his passes with Clemson. With three starting OL and three of the top
four WR's back, a Tigers' offense that has averaged 35 points and nearly 500
yards per game under head coach Barry Odom looks to be in good hands in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Mizzou defense has improved 91 YPG from their first season to
last behind Odom. With five straight home games from September thru
mid-October, the mojo figures to continue all year, especially with Missouri
banned from bowling this season for academic fraud by the NCAA.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: The Tigers are 40-9 SU and 31-14 ATS the last six years in
games they manage to outgain their opponent.
PLAY ON: vs.
South Carolina (9/21)
SOUTH
CAROLINA Off - *7/3 Def - 7/3
RPR: 45/51/64
TEAM THEME: TIME IS
NOT ON MY SIDE
While 7 wins
and a bowl game is often considered a successful season, we were disappointed
in South Carolina's effort last season. For openers, seventy-percent of USC's
roster in 2017 was composed of underclassmen, meaning immediate improvement was
in the offing. The offense held up its end of the deal, but a usually stout defense
did not. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact the Gamecocks ranked dead
last in the nation in Time of Possession in 2018: the more the offense is on
the sidelines, the more the defense is on the field. That's a major correction
that will need to be dealt with this year. Good luck with that. That and the
fact that Carolina will take on the saltiest schedule of all FBS teams in 2019
with this year's foes owning a collective .679 win percentage last
season.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: South Carolina will be tackling 9 bowlers in its final 10
games of the campaign this season.
PLAY AGAINST: vs.
Vanderbilt (11/2)
TENNESSEE
Off - *10/4 Def - 7/0
RPR: 2/2/25
TEAM THEME: ROCKY
FLOP NO MORE
Tennessee's
failure to produce during its 4-win season in 2017 was like waiting 20 minutes
in the rain for a black Toyota Camry at the airport. You hoped it would pull
up... but it never did. Now it's time for the Volunteers to deliver the
goods under second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Showing improvement on both
sides of the ball last year in Pruitt's rookie season, Rocky Top brings back
one of the most experienced teams in the FBS in 2019. With no less than six SEC
games on this year's slate ripe with revenge from last season, look for a
smoother ride this campaign from JP and the Vols, provided of course they can
overcome a nasty 1-13 SU and 2-12 ATS mark in SEC games against foes coming off
a win.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: All eight SEC games this season are against foes that played
in a bowl game last season.
PLAY ON: vs.
Vanderbilt (11/30)
VANDERBILT
Off - 7/2 Def - 5/2 RPR: 91/38/119
TEAM THEME: PEST
CONTROL CALLING
One might
think that with two bowl appearances in the last three years that head coach
Derek Mason's job is as safe as a bug in a rug. But unless he can do better
than 8-32 in conference games, with nary a winning season overall, he's on a
Terminix watch list. To stave off an impending spray-down, Mason will need to
keep his offense engaged, especially after the Commodores scored more points
than they allowed last season for the first time in his tenure. And for the
first time in four years, there will be a quarterback competition with five
scholarship QBs competing for the starting spot. Remember, Vandy has recorded
24 losing seasons in the last 27 years.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: The Commodores are 0-18 SU and 2-16 ATS in Game Six of the
season the last 18 years.
PASS
SEC WEST
DIVISION PREVIEW -
ALABAMA
Off - *6/2 Def - 6/1
RBR: 63/54/80
TEAM THEME: 15
MILLION REASONS WHY
According to
USA TODAY, the Tide will pay its 10 assistants $7.541 million for the 2019
season, an increase of $1.4 million over what Alabama paid its assistants last
season. Ironically the lead elephant, Nick Saban, will earn more than all of
his assistants combined. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will make $1.55
million this season. Pete Golding, who was promoted to defensive coordinator,
will be paid $1.1 million. And the 4-and-5-star athletes... they receive
scholarships, just like the collegiate football factory's business plan calls
for. Leading the charge for Bama is top Heisman Trophy candidate QB Tua
Tagovailoa, who is so talented he forced former SEC Offensive Player of the
Year Jalen Hurts to leave for Oklahoma. He's just another reason the Tide
stands 47-1 SU in its last 48 regular season games.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: Alabama is 2-4 SU and 0-6 ATS in its final game of the
season the last six years.
PLAY AGAINST: as a
favorite vs. LSU (11/9)
ARKANSAS
Off - 6/2 Def - 6/2 RBR: 73/63/79
TEAM THEME: HANGING
CHAD
Some say that
after its first 10-loss season in school history, the Arkansas faithful were
ready to wring Chad Morris's neck. To that, we say phooey. Along with DC John
Chavis from LSU, he brought a modified spread playbook with him. Let's see what
happens when Ben Hicks, his quarterback at SMU, transfers in this year. Hicks'
51 TD passes in two years with the Mustangs should be the missing elixir. Three
4-star wide receiver recruits (among the 25 three-and four-star recruits they
hauled in this offseason) won't hurt, either. With 7 of the last 8 games coming
against bowl teams, look for Arky to get out of the gate in quick fashion.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: The Hogs have played UNDER their season win total in five of
the last six seasons.
PLAY ON: vs.
Colorado State (9/14)
AUBURN
Off - 7/5 Def - 7/3
RBR: 84/95/59
TEAM THEME: KEEP THE
FOOT ON THE BUS, GUS
With Gus
Malzahn resuming play-calling duties last season, the Tigers' 63-14 pummeling
of Purdue in the Music City Bowl carries the momentum forward as they set an
SEC record for most points in a bowl game. However, the loss of QB Jarrett
Stidham to the NFL draft hurts. Word is five-star true freshman Bo Nix, son of
Auburn great QB Patrick Nix, may win the job. Whoever starts for the Tigers will
be the 9th new QB to start the season in the last eleven years. And he'll have
to go up against bowlers in 5 of his first six games of the campaign.
Meanwhile, the defense received a big boost when star junior defensive tackle
Derrick Brown decided to return in 2019. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound force had 45
tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2018. Perhaps he'll help Malzahn carry past a muddled
6-13 SU mark against ranked opponents the last 4 years.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: Over the last three regular-season campaigns, the SU stats
winner is 35-3 in Tigers' games.
PLAY
AGAINST: at Arkansas (10/19)
LSU
Off - *8/4 Def - 8/4 RPR:
15/12/49
TEAM THEME: DO NOT
SWALLOW
Despite a
10-win season in 2018, LSU was highly inconsistent - finishing seventh in the
SEC in scoring, seventh in passing and ninth in total offense. It's an Ed
Orgeron trait. The Mongolian sword-swallower (try deciphering what he says in
post-game interviews) used seven different combinations on the offensive line
last year. And therein lies the problem. The big 'O' will hope the nation's No.
1 guard and No. 1 running back recruits will work in tandem with returning QB
Joe Burrow to iron things out. A testy road slate finds them at Alabama (8
straight losses) and Texas. Let's hope the Tigers' post-game interviews are
short.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: Ed Orgeron is 9-23 SU as a head coach against winning SEC
foes in his career.
PLAY ON: vs.
Texas A&M (11/30)
MISSISSIPPI
Off - 3/2 Def - 10/4 RPR:
116/130/41
TEAM THEME: ALWAYS A
REBEL
After being
forced to replace the most players of any team in the nation from 2017's 2-deep
roster last year, head coach Matt Luke got his Rebels off to a 5-2 start.
However, the season concluded with an ugly 5-game losing skid. Luke's roots run
deep at Ole Miss, spanning three generations, including four years as a
starting center. Despite losing a few stud players to the NFL draft, he'll
benefit this season from back-to-back Top 25 recruiting classes along with
deeply experienced returning production. With no back-to-back road games in the
way - and after avoiding NCAA sanctions that would ban them again from
post-season play - the Rebs look to be bowl-bound in 2019.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: Ole Miss is 28-2 SU and 23-7 ATS as a favorite in lined
games against non-conference foes.
PLAY ON: vs.
Vanderbilt (10/5)
MISSISSIPPI
STATE Off - 7/3 Def - 4/0 RPR: 92/81/90
TEAM THEME: WE WANT
EVEN MO
When former
offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead came over from Penn State to take over the
reins from Dan Mullen last season, it was thought there would be an offensive
fireworks show in Starkville, with the defense taking a back seat. In
Moorhead's previous four years as a head coach at Fordham, he took the Rams
from a 1-10 team to 38 wins behind an innovative offense. Winning 8 games in
his first year behind a scoring defense that finished No. 2 in the land (13.2),
while taking on a rugged SEC schedule was certainly commendable. But a defense
that finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation was not only praiseworthy,
but it was also unforeseen as well. How well QB Keytaon Thompson replaces Nick
Fitzgerald will determine MSU's fate in 2019. That and 5 new assistant coaches
joining the staff in 2019.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: The Bulldog defense has improved 19 points and 196 YPG the
last two seasons.
PLAY ON: vs. LSU
(10/19)
TEXAS
A&M Off - *7/3 Def -
4/1 RPR: 102/71/108
TEAM THEME: NEW
LOOKS GOOD ON YOU
A&M won
nine games for the first time since 2013 in Jimbo Fisher's debut season with
the Aggies despite facing the toughest regular-season schedule in 2019 (foes
97-47 / .674). Meanwhile, A&M inked a Top-5 recruiting class for the second
straight year. Better yet, the Aggies improved on both sides of the ball in
2018 with the offense up 64 YPG and the defense 60 YPG. To top it off, QB
Kellen Mond and his entire receiving corps are back in 2019. Still, another
daunting schedule this season finds them at Clemson in Week Two, and then
back-to-back road games at Georgia and LSU to button up the season. Hang on.
STAT YOU WILL
LIKE: Jimbo Fisher is 28-1 SU and 16-4 ATS against .900 or fewer
non-conference opponents in his career.
PLAY ON: vs.
Auburn (9/21)
For more in Marc Lawrence click here.