SEC Notebook

[WorkHorse]

Arkansas Contracts with Texas Tech.....

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long is giving longtime Razorback fans a taste of history. He's also giving new coach Bret Bielema added recruiting opportunities in the state of Texas. Arkansas and Texas Tech announced that they had finalized a home-and-home series for 2014 (Lubbock) and 2015 (Fayetteville). Just a few weeks ago the Hogs announced a home-and-home series with TCU for 2016 and 2017. In 2020, the Razorbacks are scheduled to play Texas. Toss in the annual Texas A&M clash in Arlington and the Long Star State is fast becoming Arkansas' home away from home. That's good news for a program located in a state that produces very little highend football talent. It's also good news for old-timers who miss the Hogs old Southwest Conference rivals.

[WorkHorse]

Florida Needs 'Improved' Offense.....

The Florida Gators managed to put together an 11-2 season last year, despite its offensive shortcomings. Last season the Gators were 103rd nationally in total offense, 114th in passing and 76th in scoring. The defensive-oriented Muschamp has a second-year offensive coordinator, Brent Pease, and a second-year starting quarterback in Jeff Driskel. He's hopeful the continuity will pay dividends this fall. Driskel was an overall success in his first season as Florida's starter, mainly because he avoided turnovers. The 6-4, 236-pounder threw only five interceptions in 245 attempts. However, he wasn't a reliable playmaker. Driskel threw just 12 touchdown passes and averaged a paltry 137.2 passing yards per game. He did provide a spark to the ground game, running for 413 yards and four scores. Driskel is now the unquestioned leader of the offense and keeping him healthy is a concern. He has missed games the last two seasons because of injuries and with the transfer of backup Jacoby Brissett to North Carolina State, there are no enviable options behind Driskel. With an upgraded offensive line and a solid running game, I look for Florida to be much improved moving the football especially 'IF' a receiver or two provides some playmaking skills.

[WorkHorse]

SEC Recruiting Update - Early Commitment List
(from Rivals)

Rank.....Team.................Total..... .5Star.......4Star.......3Star......Othe r
1..........Tennessee............14...... ...0.............5.............9........ ...0
6..........Texas A&M............10.........0............. 7.............3...........0
8..........LSU.......................9.. .......0.............6..............3... .......0
10........Alabama.................8..... ....0.............6.............2....... ....0
12........Kentucky................9..... ....0.............3..............6...... .....0
13........Ole Miss................10.........0........ ....4..............6...........0
15........Auburn...................9.... ......0............3..............6..... ......0
16........Florida...................8... .......0............4..............4.... .......0
27........Vanderbilt..............8..... .....0............3...............5..... .....0
28........Georgia..................5.... ......1............2..............2..... ......0
35........Arkansas................4..... .....0............2..............2...... .....0
37........Missouri.................10... ......0...........0...............5..... ......5
42........S. Carolina..............4..........0...... .....2...............2...........1
48........Miss State..............6..........0......... ...1...............1..........4

[WorkHorse]

Some Top Newcomers

Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Auburn
Auburn needed a big back in Malzahn's offense and junior college transfer C.A. Payne fits the bill. The powerfully built Payne had a game high 18 carries for 117 yards and a score in the spring game. He also added two catches for 47 yards. His running style is being compared to former Tiger running back Rudi Johnson. Payne should be a very capable runner in short yardage and goal-line situations...something the Tigers needed.

OJ Howard, TE, Alabama
Five-star prospect from Prattville, Alabama, who joined the team in January as an early enrollee. He plays a position of need as Alabama lost both starters form 2012. Howard's specific position was not determined during spring, but he will either play tightend or H-back. He's listed at 6-6, 240 pounds in spring but is expected to get even bigger before the season starts. Look for Howard to contribute early and become a future star for the Tide.

Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Ole Miss
The No. 1 prospect in the country, Nkemdiche is a 6-5, 260 pound monster defensive end from Loganville, Georgia. Already physically strong enough to play every down, Nkemdiche could even be used as a three-technique defensive tackle on passing downs. His older brother Denzel, is a starting linebacker for the Rebels. Ole Miss coaches penciled Nkemdiche down as a starter the day he signed his letter of intent. Future All-American for the Rebs.

Brandon Williams, RB, Texas A&M
Former five-star recruit originally signed with Oklahoma in 2011 and averaged nearly five yards per carry while playing in eight games as a true freshman. Williams is originally from Brookshire, Texas, decided to transfer to A&M to be closer to his daughter. He sat out 2012 after the transfer. He is a very explosive running back who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds and has excellent hands as a receiver out of the backfield. Williams was one of the stars of spring drills and should be a nice addition for the Aggies.

[suicidekings]

The more I look at Texas A&M's roster coming into this season, the more convinced I am that they're going to be the top team in the SEC in 2013. To lose a player like Luke Joekel and barely miss a step in their OL is unheard of. Brandon Williams backing up Ben Malena will make the loss of Christine Michael quite bearable. Their biggest question mark is who is going to replace Ryan Swope.

Unfortunately, the hype is so big behind Manziel that the betting value they had last year is largely gone. I do like that the media is focusing so heavily on their defense. Their front seven might be somewhat weaker & less experienced, but their secondary is elite.

[suicidekings]

Also, have you ever looked at mrsec.com? I found it a couple of weeks ago, and it's been a staple for me since then. A great spot to browse quick headlines for SEC related stories.

[daneblazer]

SEC Coaches Vote 13 to 1 .......

The raging debate about SEC football's future scheduling continued during the second day of the conference's annual Spring Meetings with the league's coaches reaching a "13-1" majority in favor of an eight-game format Wednesday, though the future of permanent cross-division opponents remains in question. Alabama's Nick Saban was the only coach who voted for a nine game conference schedule. Several coaches support an eight-game schedule with two rotating cross-division games while others prefer the current 6-1-1 model with a fixed cross-division rival. Florida coach Will Muschamp and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said they believe a nine-game schedule is inevitable with a 6-1-2 model providing fairness for playing everybody in the divisions and keeping traditional rivalry games such as Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee.

Saban and Alabama have no built in OOC rival like Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. They also don't have a neutral game scheduled every year. It's not that the SEC isn't afraid of a tougher schedule...though to date the system hasn't given anyone reason to schedule a bunch of tough games.

The problem no one seems to be talking about is the amount of money home games bring in not only to the school but to the local economy. The school sells millions of dollars in tickets, concessions, parking and the local hotels, restaurants, spirit shops, and so on make bank on game day weekends too. It's like a 3 day black Friday. You start throwing in an extra conference road game to the schedule every other year and you will see these home and home's like UGA/Clemson, UT/Oregon, Alabama/Penn State, Florida/Miami rarely if at all. It's not as easy as just picking up an extra conference game. It will be more of a headache for certain schools in the SEC...but mostly pretty easy for Saban & Alabama since their rivals are in the SEC and won't have to make any accommodations to their schedule.

[WorkHorse]

Well said Daneblazer. Eventually the SEC will go to a 9 game conference slate but not before 2016. How the playoff teams are selected (strength of schedules) will play a role in any decision to change. You are right about the home games bringing in tons of money for the schools and communities...playing seven and in some cases eight games at home is a cash bonanza.
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SEC Quick Hits

* Vanderbilt won nine games for the first time since 1915, an admirable achievement. But a word of caution: Only one of those wins came against a team with a winning record.

* LSU's Les Miles has had six 10-win seasons in eight years; the Tigers had seven in school history before that stretch.

* South Carolina has back-to-back 11-win seasons. Before Steve Spurrier's arrival, the Gamecocks had one 10-win season.

* Tennessee has lost 34 games since the start of the 2008 season, the most in a four year stretch in school history. And the Vols have had three straight seven-loss seasons, another record for futility.

* After ESPN televised Southern Cal's Pro Day live and not South Carolina's, Steve Spurrier pointed out that the East Coast's USC won 11 games, won a bowl game and finished in the Top 10, while the West Coast's USC went 7-6, lost in a bowl game and was unranked.

* Arkansas coach Bret Bielema bragged to a group of boosters that he had a better Big Ten record at Wisconsin than Nick Saban had at Michigan State. Of course, Saban doesn't spend a lot of time making levity and the joke might be on Arkansas when it plays at Alabama on October 19. Take Bama in this one.

* Texas A&M attracted 45,212 fans to watch Johnny Manziel and company in the annual spring game, 30,000 more than last year.

* Auburn attracted a record 83,401 to Gus Malzahn's first spring as head coach. That's 40,000 more than last year. Excitement is high down on the Plains.

* Kentucky had more than 50,000 for new coach Mark Stoops first spring game after having 4,500 the year before. The Wildcats largest regular season crowd last year was 43,174 for the opener against Western Kentucky. Excitement is high in the basketball state.

* The SEC has won seven consecutive national championships and eight of the past eleven since the league expanded in 1992. Since the BCS was formed in 1998, the SEC has won nine national titles. No other conference has more than two. Before the SEC expanded in 1992, the league had gone 11 years without a national title.
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[WorkHorse]

SEC Running Backs

Despite losing four 1,000-yard rushers, the SEC is once again loaded at running back. Nobody has a better pair than Georgia, led by SEC-leading returning rusher Todd Gurley (1,385 yards) and Keith Marshall. Alabama's explosive T.J. Yeldon gained 1,108 yards (6.3 ypc) despite being a backup to Eddie Lacy last year. The Tide also has Kenyan Drake, Jalston Fowler and 6-3, 250 pound freshman Derrick Henry. LSU lost two to the pros early, yet Jeremy Hill (suspended) powered his way for 755 yards and Alfred Blue coming off an injury, might be better. Kenny Hilliard is also talented. Ben Malena (808 yards) is one of a full stable of Texas A&M backs, including transfers from Oregon and Oklahoma. Mississippi State's LaDarius Perkins is one of four 1,000-yard tailbacks returning to the league. Auburn's Tre Mason just made it to four digits, with 1,002 yards, averaging 5.9 per carry. He might be more productive in a new spread system. Jeff Scott had 846 yards for Ole Miss. Florida's Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor aim to replace 1,000-yard rusher Mike Gillislee. South Carolina's Mike Davis has 1,000-yard potential as he tries to fill Marcus Lattimore's shoes. Missouri hopes Henry Josey (1,168 yards in 2011) has recovered from a serious knee injury.

[WorkHorse]

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs have won 29 games (8-5 last year) in four years under coach Dan Mullen, earning bowl berths each of the last three seasons. That's a big step forward for this program, but there is a hunger for much more. The Bulldogs just moved into a $25 million football-only facility, which could be viewed as symbolic of their effort to join the SEC's elite. To do that, both the offensive and defensive lines must play at a much higher lever, because the SEC will always expose weaknesses in the trenches. As it was last year, the back end of MSU's schedule is loaded, with games against South Carolina, Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss. That closing stretch will define the Dogs season and show just how far the program has come under Mullen.

Mississippi State ended its 2012 season in disappointing fashion, yet hopes a talent infusion could help put it over the top in 2013. There is a lot of young talent on the roster, but much of it lacks SEC experience. How its young players fare could determine where the Bulldogs finishes in the difficult SEC West division.

[WorkHorse]

Phil Steele's Preseason All-American Team

Phil Steele has announced his 2013 preseason All-American teams and the SEC is well represented either on the first, second, third or fourth teams. Alabama led the way with 8 selections followed by Ohio State (5), Stanford (5), Florida State (5), Southern Cal (4), Oregon (4) and Kansas State (4). As far as conferences go all ten were represented along with Independents. The SEC led the way with 27 players followed by the Pac-12 (20), ACC (19), Big 12 (16), Big 10 (15), AAC (5), MAC (5), Independents (5), MWC (3), CUSA (3) and Sun Belt (2).

The SEC is well represented on the first and second teams. Here's players Steele selected for his first two teams.

First Team Offense:
QB - Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M
RB - T.J. Yelton - Alabama
WR - Amari Cooper - Alabama
OT - Jake Matthews - Texas A&M

Second Team Offense:
RB - Todd Gurley - Georgia
RB - Jordan Matthews - Vanderbilt
TE - Author Lynch - Georgia
C - Gabe Ikard - Mississippi State
OT - Cyrus Kouandjio - Alabama
OT - Antonio Richardson - Tennessee

First Team Defense:
DE - Jadeveon Clowney - South Carolina
LB - CJ Mosley - Alabama
S - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - Alabama

Second Team Defense:
DT - Anthony Johnson - LSU
LB - Adrian Hubbard - Alabama

First Team Special Teams:
P - Kyle Christy - Florida
PR - Marcus Murphy - Missouri

Second Team Special Teams:
None

* The SEC is a conference known for defense...Steele has indicated he likes the SEC offenses as well with 10 players listed on his first or second teams.

[WorkHorse]

Coaching Changes

The SEC has created some amazing success stories, but for every win in league play, there is a loss. Too many of those latter things and a program has to make a change. Four teams made changes at the head coaching position, but the SEC also made massive, and key, changes at the coordinator positions. In addition to the coaching turnover at Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Auburn, three other programs have new offensive coordinators: Missouri (Josh Henson), LSU (Cam Cameron) and Texas A&M (John Spavital), and two have new defensive coordinators. Florida (D.J. Durkin) and Mississippi State (Geoff Collins). If you've been following that math, that leaves only five schools that have the same set of coordinators as last season: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.
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New Head Coaches

Gus Malzahn - Auburn
Malzahn is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the game. He was the offensive coordinator at Auburn from 2009-11 and helped the Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2010. In his only season as a college head coach, he led Arkansas State to the Sun Belt title with a 7-1 record and overall mark of 9-3. Malzahn has provided much need excitment on the Plains with over 80,000 turning out for the spring game.

Bret Bielema - Arkansas
Bielema had a nice record in his seven seasons as the head coach at Wisconsin. He went 68-24 overall and 37-19 in the Big Ten and only had a losing conference record once. Give Bielema credit for winning on a consistent basis in the Big Ten without elite talent throughout the roster, but it's very, very difficult to survive in the SEC unless you are bringing in top-15 recruiting classes. Bielema has proven to be an outstanding head coach, but there have been plenty of quality coaches who have lost a lot of games in the SEC.

Butch Jones - Tennessee
Jones has enjoyed success at two schools, with a 27-13 record in three seasons at Central Michigan and a 23-14 record in three seasons at Cincinnati. He had a winning record in five of his six years as a head coach and has either won or shared a division/conference title in four of six seasons. He has inherited a losing program and will be ask to rebuild the Vols to the winning of old. Coach Jones has his hands full and Vol faithful shouldn't expect miracles the first couple of years.

Mark Stoops - Kentucky
Even though Stoops has never been a head coach at any level, he was as qualified as any coordinator in the nation to take the next step and become a head coach. He immediately upgraded the recruiting at Kentucky and has injected needed energy into a program that had slipped to the very bottom of the SEC. He still needs to prove he can get the job done on Saturdays, but Stoops appears to be the right guy at the right time for the Wildcats.

[WorkHorse]

SEC Opener (August 29) Thursday Night (ESPN)

NORTH CAROLINA @ SOUTH CAROLINA

North Carolina: The Tar Heels went 8-4 in Larry Fedora's first season in Chapel Hill and should improve on that win total in 2013. Unlike last season, North Carolina is now eligible to compete for an ACC Title. Other than this game and a road trip to Virginia Tech on October 5, there's a chance UNC could end up being favored in every other game this year.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks will be the pick of many to represent the East Division in the SEC title game. They are off to back-to-back 11-2 seasons and have perhaps the best player in the country in DE Jadeveon Clowney. One major break South Carolina gets this year is that they avoid Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU during the regular season.

* This is a Thursday night national TV game and with South Carolina at home on opening night, expect the money to come in on the Gamecocks. There could be some good value with the dog, especially if the number reaches double digits. The line opened at SC -8.5. Oh, by the way, Spurrier travels to play the Georgia Bulldogs in the next game..Sept. 7th. Might be worth some consideration when capping this game........

[WorkHorse]

Missouri Offense

Opposing coaches on Missouri adjusting to the SEC: "They're changing their offense. I think they figured out last year they needed to. The speed and physical nature of the front sevens in the SEC was different from what they were used to on a week in, week out basis. I think they were a little shocked by some of the teams they played early like Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. Somewhere, they realized what they were doing wasn't going to work in this league, but it was too late to change, too hard to change."

Missouri's offensive staff got a makeover in the offseason. Offensive line coach Josh Henson took over the coordinator duties. Andy Hill shifted from receivers to quarterbacks and former Kentucky assistant Pat Washington joined the staff to coach receivers. For Hill, entering his 18th consecutive season on the staff, he consulted with several colleagues during the offseason to learn about coaching quarterbacks. Just a thought but why didn't Gary Pinkel go out and fine a coach with proven success who already knew how to coach quarterbacks. James Franklin was terrible last year and for the Tigers to improve on their 5-7 record, he must play better. Pinkel has been at Missouri for 12 years and has had some success, however, another losing season and he is going to be in trouble. My guess is he will be in trouble. I think they will have a hard time being bowl eligible this year.

Pinkel has a chance to open the season with some wins while facing Murray State, Toledo, Indiana and Arkansas State...but then must face eight straight SEC opponents including Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

[WorkHorse]

Receivers

Alabama's Amari Cooper burst onto the scene as a freshman catching 59 passes for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. One SEC coach compared him to a young Jerry Rice. Kenny Bell, Kevin Norwood, DeAndrew White, Chris Black and Christion Jones give Alabama the SEC's best collection of wideouts. LSU has two gifted receivers in Jarvis Landry (56 catches) and Odell Beckham (43). Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews (94 catches) and Chris Boyd (50) have the most returning catches for a duo in the SEC. Georgia's Malcolm Mitchell, committed to playing offense now, is an outstanding talent and Michael Bennett is dependable for moving the chains. Marcus Lucas led Missouri with 46 catches and he's joined by fastrising Dorial Green-Beckham, the nation's No. 1 recruit in 2012, who had 28 catches last season, and Damian Washington with 25 receptions. Mike Farmer led Texas A&M in receptions (82) as a freshman. Ole Miss' Donte Moncrief (66 for 979) is one of the SEC's Premier playmakers. He was one of three SEC receivers with at least 10 touchdown catches. South Carolina is led by two-sport star Bruce Ellington, who also plays on the basketball team. The SEC is well represented with pass catchers this season.

[WorkHorse]

Georgia and Quarterback

Guess we will all learn a lot about both the first month of the season. Aaron Murray and friends will play three top-10 teams before October. The Dawgs open August 31 at Clemson, then home against South Carolina September 7, and home again on September 28 against LSU. Those three teams were 32-7 during 2012. If Murray can guide the team through those early slugfest without a loss...then look out for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Murray, barring injury, will finish as Georgia's record holder in every major passing category. He needs just 154 completions and 1,438 yards to break David Greene's records of 849 and 11,528. Murray finished last season with a passing efficiency rating of 174.82, second best in the country. His 61.5 career completion percentage holds a sizeable lead over Eric Zeier's career mark of 59.8.

Murray 2012 Stats:

Games: 14
Completions: 249
Attempts: 386
Yards: 3,893
Touchdowns: 36
Interceptions: 10
Percentage: 64.5

Georgia may very well turn out to be the best team in the East Division. The defense lost some players but they also have a lot of good players returning...in other words...don't sell this defense short. With Murray and 9 other starters back, including a group of talented receivers, not to mention two talented running backs, scoring points shouldn't be a problem. Yep, that first month will tell us if this is a championship team or just another good Georgia team.

[daneblazer]

This is a pretty good article in the AJC detailing the impact home games have on local city economies. This will no doubt be a factor in determining whether or not to go to a 9 game schedule.

Just my opinion, if the SEC goes to a 9 game schedule you can kiss the home & home's like UGA/Clemson, Alabama/Penn St, Tennessee/Oregon goodbye. There's even a chance UGA/Ga Tech & UF/FSU would go away like Texas/A&M and Missouri/Kansas have.

http://blogs.ajc.com/junkyard-blawg/2013/05/24/ugas-mcgarity-concerned-with-how-football-schedule-impacts-athens/

Home football games mean a lot to Athens. Business of College Sports, a website that evaluates the legal and business aspects of collegiate sports, found that, for the 2011 season, each UGA home game brought in about $2.95 million to the surrounding community.
It even makes a difference what time kickoff is and the who the opponent is. With a noon game, people tend to arrive just in time for the game and head home right afterward, meaning they don’t patronize local businesses as much. With a 3:30 p.m or later kickoff, Athens merchants and restaurateurs not only get lots of pregame business, but more fans are likely to spend the night.

[WorkHorse]

Thanks Daneblazer...you have provided some good posts for this SEC thread. We appreciate you partner and your interest in football my friend.

Another guy our gang would like to solute is Urbanwildlife. I don't know who the guy is because he never posts in the threads but is great at offering support for others who present good information. Thanks Urban, posters like you are who make a forum and give encouragement to others. Not excessive with his approvals but when warranted....I've learned from him and tried to follow his lead.

Card game coming up so need some luck tonight....................



Good solid football men here at SBR....thanks and glad to be apart of the SBR experience.

[daneblazer]

http://georgia.scout.com/2/1298927.html

Not that anyone should be surprised… and I don’t mean that specifically towards State. An SEC West school cheating is like a coed drinking too much on Saturdays in the fall – it happens every year. The SEC West is out of control; everyone knows it, but no one will say it out loud. Take a look at the major infraction cases and penalties handed out over the last ten years in the SEC West. Every school in the division has been on probation except Auburn and Ole Miss (for the purposes of this exercise we will leave out Texas A&M).
I repeat: Every school in the SEC West has been on probation in the last ten years except Auburn and Ole Miss.
That’s Cam Newton’s Auburn and Ole Miss – the program whose head coach tweeted: “If you have facts about a violation, send it to compliance@olemiss.edu. If not, please do not slander these young men or insult their family”
Rule #1 in the SEC – don’t ever give out the compliance department’s e-mail address.
The funny thing is that if half of what I hear is true about recruiting in the West – brand new iPods thrown into garbage bags and left by the dumpster in plain sight of prospects visiting; institutions paying those who transport prospects hundreds of dollars to get players back and forth on non-official visits; $100 handshakes; free cleats, shirts and other gear; duffle bags of cash; cars; straight up paying players – then the NCAA compliance department would have a field day in the central time zone.
Which sounds really nice, but the problem is that there are no real consequences for cheating in college football – at least the benefits vastly outweigh the penalties.
In many ways, Mississippi State’s current situation is no different than the pattern found to be the case in other SEC West programs (or any program) during a run up to probation. State had a football renaissance while the Bulldogs were recruiting Will Redmond. The program went from losing to winning and found its way into college football’s rankings at the end of the season for the first time in a long time.
All the while at least one player, Redmond, was being given a great deal on a car, cash and told that if he didn’t visit Georgia he would be given $6,000.
That’s just what could be proven.
So much slips through the recruiting cracks that it must be impossible for a hard-working compliance officer to catch everything. Think about the compliance offices in the SEC that are not as, let’s say, “eager” to oversee their multi-million dollar coaching staffs.
This is a major problem in the SEC – particularly in the SEC West. Things are so out of control in the recruiting game. This is a time in the SEC no one will soon forget – not just because of the unprecedented success of the league on the field, but of the unprecedented success in cheating, too.

[BigdaddyQH]

The more I look at Texas A&M's roster coming into this season, the more convinced I am that they're going to be the top team in the SEC in 2013. To lose a player like Luke Joekel and barely miss a step in their OL is unheard of. Brandon Williams backing up Ben Malena will make the loss of Christine Michael quite bearable. Their biggest question mark is who is going to replace Ryan Swope.

Unfortunately, the hype is so big behind Manziel that the betting value they had last year is largely gone. I do like that the media is focusing so heavily on their defense. Their front seven might be somewhat weaker & less experienced, but their secondary is elite.

You can get A&M at home +6 against 'Bama at the Nugget now.

[WorkHorse]

Danny Sheridan Odds

I have been following Sheridan for many, many years. He is a longtime handicapper/linesmaker who has provided daily odds for USAToday since 1982. Danny has always had a good handle on the SEC...especially football. Here's a list of some of his preseason odds regarding SEC teams.

Odds To Win SEC:
Alabama 1:2
Georgia 3:1
South Carolina 3:1
Texas A&M 6:1
LSU 6:1
Florida 8:1
Ole Miss 45:1
Tennessee 45:1
Arkansas 50:1
Miss State 50:1
Missouri 60:1
Auburn 75:1
Vanderbilt 100:1
Kentucky 200:1

Alabama Game Odds:
-17 Virginia Tech (Atlanta)
-6 @Texas A&M
-17 Ole Miss
-41 Colorado State
-52 Georgia State
-30 @Kentucky
-29 Arkansas
-27 Tennessee
-11 LSU
-23 @Miss State
-60 Chattanooga
-24 @Auburn

National Title Odds:
Alabama 3:1
Oregon 6:1
Ohio State 8:1
LSU 12:1
Texas A&M 12:1
Georgia 20:1
South Carolina 20:1
Florida 25:1
Florida State 25:1
Stanford 25:1
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[WorkHorse]

SEC Recruiting Update
(thru June 15th)

School........Commits......5star.....4st ar......3star.....2star.....1star
Kentucky.........16............0........ ..5............10.........0..........1
Tennessee.......15............0......... .6............9..........0...........0
Texas A&M.......13...........0..........8..... .......5...........0..........0
Ole Miss..........14............0.........4. ............7..........1...........2
Alabama..........10............0........ .6.............3..........1..........0
LSU.................10............0..... ....6............3..........1........... 0
Florida.............10...........0...... ....5............4...........1.......... 0
Auburn.............9.............0...... ...4.............5..........0..........0
Georgia............9.............1...... ...4.............2..........1..........1
Vanderbilt........8.............0....... ...3.............5.........0...........0
Missouri..........11............0....... ...0.............6.........2...........3
Miss State........8............0..........1.. ............2.........4...........1
S. Carolina.......5.............0.......... 3.............1..........1..........0
Arkansas..........4............0........ ..2..............2.........0..........0

Ranking each program according to the average number of points per player.

School..................Commits...Ave/pts
Texas A&M................13..........3.61
Alabama...................10..........3. 50
LSU..........................10......... .3.50
Arkansas...................4...........3 .50
Auburn......................9........... 3.44
S. Carolina................5...........3.40
Tennessee...............15...........3.4 0
Vanderbilt................8............3 .37
Georgia....................9............ 3.33
Florida....................10........... 3.20
Kentucky.................16...........3. 18
Ole Miss..................14..........2.92
Miss State...............,8...........2.38
Missouri..................11...........2 .27

*Texas A&M taking advantage of Manziel and 11-2 season last year.
*Missouri will become a doormat in the SEC if they don't improve their recruiting.
*Tennessee's Butch Jones has hit the field running with 15 recruits (all 4 and 3 star).
*If you see a 2star rated recruit for Alabama, it's usually a kicker.
*Kentucky and Stoops may have the best potential class ever for the Cats.
*Very surprised at the slow start for Bielema at Arkansas.
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[daneblazer]

Pretty crazy when you see Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Vandy among the top of the recruiting rankings. It was really only a matter of time before Tennessee becomes formidable again.

[WorkHorse]

Tennessee

The Vols will be breaking in a new quarterback this season. Whether Justin Worley or Nathan Peterson wins the starting job, a difficult job will be made easier by an experienced offensive line. Senior tackle Ja'Wuan James (6-6, 325) has started 37 games. Junior tackle Antonio Richardson (6-6, 332) is being mentioned as a possible early-out to the NFL. Senior guard Zack Fulton (6-5, 325) has started 28 games and senior center James Stone (6-3, 300) 27. Senior guard Alex Bullard (6-2, 303) served as a backup last season, but started 11 games in 2011. Junior guard Marcus Jackson (6-2, 310), who played backup last season, will compete with Bullard for a starting position. A lot of experience at positions where experience means so much.
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Kentucky

New coach Mark Stoops has a very good foundation to work with along his defensive line, and adding JUCO transfer Za'Darius Smith to the rotation makes that unit even stronger. Smith was a monster in the weight room before spring practice and was just as good once he got out on the field. The 6-6, 260 pound defensive end should enhance what looks to already be a pretty solid pass rush for the Wildcats this fall.
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Arkansas

The biggest hurdle facing the Hogs during 2013 is the schedule. Arkansas plays at Alabama, at Florida, at LSU, at Ole Miss and get South Carolina and Texas A&M at home. All this with a new coaching staff and new quarterback. This is a program that needs some confidence early after everything the players went through last year. Opening up with La-Lafayette, Samford, Southern Miss and Rutgers could help some before all hell breaks loose. The Razorbacks need to win at least three of the openers because they're not going to beat Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina and Texas A&M. Welcome to the SEC Bret Bielema.
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[WorkHorse]

For What It's Worth

You're Only As Good As Your Information
Because the foundation for handicapping is putting as many edges in your favor as possible, it's important to seek good, reliable information. In this age of the internet and electronic communication, there is a world of winning information out there waiting to be discovered. The more you learn, the better your chances of success.

Winning Teams Finds Ways To Win; Losing Teams Find Ways To Lose
By concentrating on winning teams, in the right situations, you increase your chances of winning. That's because winning teams don't beat themselves (turnovers, penalties, etc.). On the flip side, losing teams are losers because they make more mistakes at crucial times in a game. Look to 'play on' winning teams as underdogs, and to 'play against' losing teams as favorites.

Statistics Don't Lie
Statistics report strengths and weaknesses in teams. Some teams may win games with poor stats but it is only a matter of time before their poor performance on the playing field catches up with their win-loss record. By finding one team's strength, and identifyiny another team's weaknesses, you can get a feel for hidden advantages.

Letdowns and Lookaheads
Football teams are human, and because they are they play with emotion. When one team comes off a huge effort, they can easily have a letdown the next game. Conversely, if they have a huge look ahead game up next (a primary rival, revenge from a humiliating loss, etc.) they often times aren't as fully focused as they should be. For example: South Carolina host North Carolina opening week, then travels to Georgia the following week in what could be their biggest game of the season.

[chunk]

Good post here. I especially agree with paragraphs 1 and 2. Disagree somewhat with 3.

[WorkHorse]

Question For Missouri

Can quarterback James Franklin help save Gary Pinkel's job? Judging by fan/booster chatter, Pinkel's seat is getting pretty dang warm. Possibly warmer than any other seat in the Southeastern Conference. Maybe a little bit rash considering how much success he's brought to Mizzou football, but "next level" talk is simply a fact of life for every coach. In this case, Pinkel will be best served if his dual threat quarterback Franklin can return to 2011 form and that includes staying healthy. The irony is that Pinkel, whether he'll admit it or not, actually tossed Franklin under the bus last year for not taking a pain-killer shot before the Tigers' game at Arizona State. Now Pinkel needs his veteran quarterback to have his back. Coaches on hot seats don't like turning things over to unproven signal callers.

Pinkel has 15 starters back and a 2013 schedule that's probably not as difficult as last year. At least the Tigers don't have to play defending national champion Alabama. In SEC play, Mizzou's three biggest challenges are at home against Florida, South Carolina and Texas A&M. They will make their first ever trips to Vanderbilt and Georgia. The September non-conference schedule will be critical for Pinkel as far as any bowl hopes.

Murray State, Toledo, @ Indiana, Arkansas State, @ Vanderbilt, @ Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, @ Kentucky, @ Ole Miss, Texas A&M

[Fredvic247]

You look at their schedule and you think, with a lil luck, they can get to 8-9 wins....what can't happen is you go to Indiana and get beat and you have to hold serve at home.

Gonna be tough to beat Fla and South Carolina in back to back weeks, but Ive seen stranger things happen.

Got to beat Vanderbilt on the road, which isn't so easy any more....

Honestly, I think the loss of Sheldon Richardson really hurts this Tiger defense. Losing Zavier Gooden (who was drafted) and Will Ebner at linebacker doesn't help either.

ON offense, I think you get a healthy Franklin returning from a bad 2012 season. Plenty of skill talent to get the ball too with Doriel Green-Beckham and L'Damian Washington at receiver.

Mizzou should have two of the top tailbacks in the SEC that no one knows about in Marcus Murphy, who is a punt return demon and Henry Josey also returns from injury.

Road trip at Indiana September 21 looks to me to be a game that could tell the season for Mizzou. Also noted, you can't overlook Toledo rolling in the second week of the season.

Going on the road and getting a win early could spring board you with some momentum.

I will say this, they do avoid Bama, but this schedule isn't easy.

Toledo, Arkansas State and at Indiana....ya know, thats not scheduling patsies out of conference.

[Fredvic247]

Tennessee

The Vols will be breaking in a new quarterback this season. Whether Justin Worley or Nathan Peterson wins the starting job, a difficult job will be made easier by an experienced offensive line. Senior tackle Ja'Wuan James (6-6, 325) has started 37 games. Junior tackle Antonio Richardson (6-6, 332) is being mentioned as a possible early-out to the NFL. Senior guard Zack Fulton (6-5, 325) has started 28 games and senior center James Stone (6-3, 300) 27. Senior guard Alex Bullard (6-2, 303) served as a backup last season, but started 11 games in 2011. Junior guard Marcus Jackson (6-2, 310), who played backup last season, will compete with Bullard for a starting position. A lot of experience at positions where experience means so much.
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Kentucky

New coach Mark Stoops has a very good foundation to work with along his defensive line, and adding JUCO transfer Za'Darius Smith to the rotation makes that unit even stronger. Smith was a monster in the weight room before spring practice and was just as good once he got out on the field. The 6-6, 260 pound defensive end should enhance what looks to already be a pretty solid pass rush for the Wildcats this fall.
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Arkansas

The biggest hurdle facing the Hogs during 2013 is the schedule. Arkansas plays at Alabama, at Florida, at LSU, at Ole Miss and get South Carolina and Texas A&M at home. All this with a new coaching staff and new quarterback. This is a program that needs some confidence early after everything the players went through last year. Opening up with La-Lafayette, Samford, Southern Miss and Rutgers could help some before all hell breaks loose. The Razorbacks need to win at least three of the openers because they're not going to beat Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina and Texas A&M. Welcome to the SEC Bret Bielema.
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A solid play could be to take under on Arkansas' win total, I have no clue what it is, but buddy, they may be bad, real bad.

[WorkHorse]

Alabama

Following spring practice, Saban discussed his team. "I really do feel that we have a lot of the components to develop as a team. I don't think we are where we need to be. I think too many people are too comfortable with their position, and that, to me, does not lend itself to great competition or being a great competitor."

"There are always five or six plays in a season that are going to define how that season comes out, and you never know when those plays are going to come up. So your preparation, your ability to play with consistency, and your ability to pay attention to detail and get the little things right are things that you don't inherit. You have to earn, believe, and trust in the preparation."

"We need to become a disciplined team that has the mental and physical toughness to dominate the competition every play in the game for 60 minutes. It's very simple. It's about people buying in, making a commitment to demanding the standard every day, and we've made progress this spring, but it's a work in progress and we have to continue to make progress throughout the summer and fall camp if we're going to be the kind of team we're capable of being."
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Alabama Penalties

Penalties are the downfall for many teams...sign of being undisciplined. At Alabama under Saban, penalties have not been a major concern. The discipline of practice (in which there are always officials watching for violations) transfers to the playing field. Last year Alabama was sixth in the nation and first in the SEC in fewest number of penalties, and seventh nationally, first in the conference in fewest yards penalized. If Alabama doesn't beat themselves, it makes if difficult for its opponents.
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Alabama 2013 Schedule

Date............Opponent..............Si te.......................Series Record
8/31............Virginia Tech..........Atlanta................... 11-1
9/07............Open Date
9/14............Texas A&M.............College Station........3-2
9/21............Colorado State........Tuscaloosa..............0-0
9/28............Ole Miss.................Tuscaloosa......... .....50-8-2
10/5............Georgia State..........Tuscaloosa..............1-0 (scrimmage game)
10/12..........Kentucky.................Lex ington................35-2-1
10/19..........Arkansas.................Tus caloosa..............13-8
10/26..........Tennessee...............Tusc aloosa..............48-38-7
11/2............Open Date
11/9............LSU........................ Tuscaloosa...............47-25-5
11/16..........Miss State................Starkville......... ........75-18-3
11/23..........Chattanooga............Tusca loosa...............11-0 (scrimmage game)
11/30..........Auburn....................Au burn.....................42-34-1
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Schedule Set For Another Run To The Title

One might take from looking at the 2013 schedule that Alabama got lucky with the schedule. Bama is being picked to win the SEC Western Division again and the top two contenders are expected to be Texas A&M and LSU. In an 'extraordinary' event, the Tide will have an open date before going to College Station on September 14 and before hosting LSU on November 9. To be sure, neither the Aggies nor the Tigers are likely to be worn out. Texas A&M has a scrimmage with Sam Houston State the week before Bama comes to town and LSU has a game against Furman on October 26 before traveling to Tuscaloosa November 3 followed by an open date on November 9.
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[WorkHorse]

Kentucky Recruiting

Hide the kids Lucy, Kentucky has the nation's No. 2 recruiting class according to Rivals. The Wildcats have 18 commitments for the 2014 class, eight of whom are from the state of Ohio. Mark Stoops has changed the way Kentucky is viewed on the recruiting trail since he was hired as head coach in November. Less than three months after Stoops was hired, he signed the nation's No. 29 class for 2013, Kentucky's best since Rivals started calculating team rankings in 2002. It's unlikely Stoops will finish with the No. 1 class or close to it on signing day. But the Wildcats are on pace to easily sign their highest-rated class in the history of the program.

Rivals top-10 at this point: (1) Texas (2) Kentucky (3) Tennessee (4) Texas A&M (5) Alabama (6) Notre Dame (7) Florida State (8) Clemson (9) Miami (10) Ohio State

Other SEC top-25: (12) Georgia (13) Ole Miss (15) Florida (16) LSU (23) Auburn
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Before and After

When capping a game, it is my belief one should always consider who a team just played and who they will play next. Letdowns and look-aheads are common during the long grind of a football season. Here's some SEC before and after against the spread trends.

LSU: 7-1 ATS after Auburn (Georgia, rd, 9/28)...1-5 ATS before Florida (MSU, rd, 10/5)
Auburn: 1-5 ATS before Mississippi State (Arkansas St., hm, 9/7)
Georgia: 7-1 ATS as favorite before Kentucky (Auburn, rd, 11/16)...0-5 ATS after Auburn (Kentucky, hm, 11/23)
Kentucky: 1-5 ATS before Florida (Louisville, hm, 9/14)
Ole Miss: 5-0 ATS before Alabama (Texas, rd, 9/14)...6-1 ATS after open date (Alabama, rd, 9/28)
Vanderbilt: 1-9 ATS before Georgia (Missouri, hm, 10/5)
Texas A&M: 5-0 ATS after SMU (Arkansas, rd, 9/28)
Tennessee: 1-5 ATS before Auburn (Missouri, rd, 11/2)
Missouri: 1-4 ATS after open date as dogs (Ole Miss, rd, 11/23)
Florida: 11-2 ATS home off non-conference (Tennessee, hm, 9/21)
Arkansas: 1-7 ATS before Alabama (South Carolina, hm, 10/12)
Alabama: 2-8 ATS on road vs team .500 or better off open date (Auburn, rd, 11/30)
Miss State: 4-1 ATS before Alabama (Texas A&M, rd, 11/9)
S. Carolina: Visitor 14-2 ATS in Tenn series (Tennessee, rd, 10/19)
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Ranking SEC Backfields

I like to read as many local college hometown newspapers as possible...especially during the season. Often times you will gain some insites on a team not found other places. The Gainesville Sun, (Florida) recently rated the backfields for all SEC teams. Here's how they see it from top to bottom.

(1) Georgia (2) Texas A&M (3) Alabama (4) LSU (5) Florida (6) South Carolina (7) Missouri (8) Mississippi State (9) Tennessee (10) Arkansas (11) Kentucky (12) Auburn
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[WorkHorse]

Best Linebacker In SEC

Many folks who follow the SEC believe Alabama's C.J. Mosley is the best linebacker in the conference. I agree! The senior has been an outstanding contributor since arriving at Bama for the 2010 season, when he played in all 13 games as a true freshman and ranked third on the team in tackles with 67 and first in pass break-ups with 10. Mosley has played in 38 games and started 20 in his Bama career. He was a consensus All-American and Butkus Award finalist in 2012 (nation's best LB). He turned in a team-leading 107 tackles (48 more than the runner-up) with eight tackles for loss, four sacks, and two interceptions, returning one against Michigan for a touchdown. Mosley has career totals of 211 tackles, five interceptions, and 14 passes broken up. He has returned a school record-tying three interceptions for touchdowns. C.J. Mosley is the total package!
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Best Coach In SEC

I doubt many would argue against Nick Saban being the best head coach in the SEC. Saban had a very successful run at LSU from 2000-2004 going 48-16 and winning one national championship. What he has accomplished at Alabama is simply amazing. Saban has won 84% of his games with the Tide compiling a 68-13 record while winning three national championships.

Only four coaches in the modern era of college football have won four or more National Championships. Saban is one of those.

Bear Bryant...Alabama...1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979 (6)
Nick Saban....Alabama...2004 (LSU), 2009, 2011, 2012 (4)
Frank Leahy...Notre Dame...1943, 1946, 1947, 1949 (4)
John McKay...Southern Cal...1962, 1967, 1972, 1974 (4)
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[daneblazer]

....

[WorkHorse]

Job Security

The SEC hasn't been exactly job-security heaven for head football coaches since 2007. Since then Auburn has changed head coaches twice, Arkansas is looking at its third leader, Florida has changed once, Kentucky twice, Ole Miss twice, Mississippi State once, Tennessee four times , and Vanderbilt has made two changes. Only Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina have the same coaches since 2007.
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SEC Like Louisiana Monroe

Since 2007, the Warhawks have played 10 games against SEC teams. During that span, ULM beat Alabama in 2007 (Saban's first year) and Arkansas last season. They took Auburn to overtime last year. With upcoming games with LSU (2014) and Georgia (2015), Louisiana-Monroe is almost like a 15th SEC team.
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Bama's AJ McCarron

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron is first and foremost a winner. He has started 27 games for the Tide and has a record of 25-2 (.926) as a starting quarterback, second in Crimson Tide history for winning percentage and fifth in total wins. He was the Offensive Player of the Game in leading Alabama past LSU in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans, and last year passed for 264 yards and four touchdowns as Bama defeated Notre Dame for the national championship in Miami. In those two national championship games he has completed 43 of 62 passes (69%) for 498 yards and four touchdowns with NO interceptions. Last year, McCarron led the nation in passing efficiency at 175.28 and for his career has a passing efficiency rating of an outstantding 160.29. He has completed 66.7 per cent of his career passes, which is best in Alabama history, and with a season to play holds the Tide's record for touchdown passes with 49, against just 8 interceptions. He ranks third in career completions (460), fourth in yards (5,956), and fifth in attempts (690). He also has the lowest interception percentage, just 1.16 per cent of his passes being picked. Over a span of games in 2011 and 2012 he threw an SEC record of just one interception for every 86.25 pass attempts. Barring injury, he will leave Alabama with most of the school's passing records.
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Alabama Quarterback Depth Chart

#10 AJ McCarron (6-4, 214, Sr)
# 6 Blake Sims (6-0, 202, Jr)
#11 Alex Morris (6-3, 229, RFr)
#18 Cooper Bateman (6-3, 210, Fr)
#15 Parker McLeod (6-3, 195, Fr)
#14 Luke Del Rio (6-2, 205, Fr)
#14 Edward Aldag (6-1, 185, So)
#44 Matt Sandlin (6-3, 207, Jr)

#12 Phillip Ely (6-1, 200, So) transferred after spring practice.
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[WorkHorse]

Over/Unders

The following projections are from Pregame...regular season only (12 games).

Alabama (11) To win the over, the Tide would have to run the table.
Arkansas (5.5) New coach will find the West Division of the SEC tough place to rebuild.
Auburn (6) The pieces are there to win eight games if a quarterback comes through.
Florida (9) Question? Do you trust the offense to win ten games?
Georgia (10) An offense that could be as good as any in the country will have to support a young defense.
Kentucky (4) The Wildcats play nine teams who made bowls last year.
LSU (9) Of the Tigers three toughest games, two (Florida and Texas A&M) are in Death Valley.
Ole Miss (8) There is a lot of momentum in Oxford these days.
Miss State (5) Quarterback Tyler Russell needs a big year to get the Bulldogs to a bowl game.
Missouri (6) The Tigers just don't have enough SEC type talent.
S. Carolina (10) They get Georgia early. They get Clemson at home. They play Arkansas and Mississippi State from the SEC West.
Tennessee (6) Tough schedule with young roster and new quarterback.
Texas A&M (10) There is no way they are going to sneak up on anyone this year.
Vanderbilt (7.5) The recent off-the-field police matters do not help...four players dismissed.
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Vanderbilt

The Commodores have dismissed four football players from the team and kicked them off campus while Nashville police investigate whether a sex crime occured in a campus dormitory. The school's public affairs department announced Friday that four players were suspended from the team. The university issued another release Saturday indicating they're removed from the team and on suspension from the university "effective immediately, pending further investigation and a hearing." School officials say the players can't return to campus "without explicit permission" from the school's office of student conduct and academic integrity. The names of the players were not announced.
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Did You Know

South Carolina ranked 110th of 125 teams nationally with 38 sacks allowed last year. Every offensive line starter returns except center T.J. Johnson who had started every game the past three seasons.
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Best Weekend for TV Viewing

September 14 has a feature matchup with Alabama traveling to Texas A&M, but there are some good rivalry games (Mississippi State/Auburn, Kentucky/Louisville, Vanderbilt/South Carolina) plus a pair of unusual matchups (Ole Miss/Texas and Tennessee/Oregon).

Worst Weekend for TV Viewing

September 21. There are no great games on the docket. Several of the games are only interesting because of the circumstances, not the quality of teams (Arkansas/Rutgers, Missouri/Indiana, Vanderbilt/UMass).
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Early Heisman Odds

From USA Today
Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M (6-1)
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama (8-1)
Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia (8-1)
Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina (12-1)
AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama (15-1)

Bovada
Johnny Manziel (17-4)
AJ McCarron (9-1)
Aaron Murray (12-1)
TJ Yeldon (12-1)
Jadeveon Clowney (14-1)

BetVega
Johnny Manziel (9-2)
AJ McCarron (9-1)
TJ Yeldon (9-1)
Aaron Murray (12-1)
Jadeveon Clowney (14-1)
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