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A Very Early Look. SEC West
Hands down, the best division in football, as long as they stary away from playing USC. (Had to throw that in). Half of the SEC West teams have won NC's in the last 4 years. This promises to be an extremely close race, with possibly 4 teams being involved to some degree.
1. Alabama. The Tide lose a ton of skill players on offense. Richardson can replace Ingram, but QB McCarron had better be able to do the job. Alabama's strength will be in it's defense that returns 9 starters. Marcel Dareus leaves early, but the defense should be one of the best in the NCAA. The schedule features trips to Penn State, Florida, Mississippi State, and Auburn. While' Bama is my pick to win the SEC West, it is unlikely they will escape that mine field unscathed.
2. LSU. LSU returns their QB controversy, and adds on to it, by having UGA transfer Mettenberger join the circus at the QB position. LSU MUST settle on one QB. The line returns 4 starters. The defense, which has been the strength of LSU, returns 7 starters, but loses CB Peterson early. The schedule is not kind, with a game against Oregon at Jerryworld starting things off, and games at Mississippi State, West Virginia, and Alabama, adding to a tough schedule. LSU must find a solution to their QB situation, or they may finish lower than this.
3. Mississippi State. To sum it up in two words for this team, WATCH OUT. Dan Mullen did a brilliant joblast season, winning 9 games. This season 7 starters return on an offense that ran hot and cold last season. The defense returns 7 starters, but will need work at the LB position. The schedule is not real easy, with games at Auburn, Georgia, and Arkansas, but they play Alabama and LSU at home. State is the type of team that can upset anyones apple cart. With a little more consistancy, this team could be a player in the SEC West race.
4. Arkansas. Ryan Mallett leaves early, and his loss will be huge for the Razorback offense. Seven starters do return, but someone must relance the QB. Their defense also returns 7 starters, but needs work in the secondary. Arkansas had a solid season last year, but their defense gave up too many points. That is going to have to improve. A three week run at Alabama, vs Texas A&M at Jerryworld, and home against Auburn should tell us wherer this team is going in 2011. They also play LSU on the road.
5. Auburn. This team was the "dirty" team in the SEC last season and everyone knows it. On offense, QB Newton, along with his payoff, and 7 others, including most of the line, are gone. On defense, DT Fairley, the dirtiest player in the NCAA, leaves along with 7 other players including the entire line. Both kickers also depart. The schedule is a disaster waiting to happen, with away games at Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, and Georgia. Add on home games vs Miss. State, Florida, and Alabama, and Auburn may be lucky to win 6 games this season. The entire SEC is waiting for them. They may finish dead last. The mighty will take a mighty fall. This team is fade material.
6. Mississippi. This team managed only 4 wins last season after two consecutive 9 win seasons. Their problems were wide spread. This season OleMiss returns 8 starters on a team that ran hot and cold on offense last year. THe defense gets hit very hard by graduation, losing 8 starters. That might be a good think as the defense was not very reliable last season. Their schedule sees most of their tough competition going to Oxford. Ole Miss is going to have to get consistancy out of their offense, and play decent defense to escape the SEC West cellar.
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Originally Posted by valaub04
