With college football starting , it is time for more previews. In this article, I will preview the SEC West. If you are looking for a specific team, they are listed in alphabetical order.

Alabama

Last Season

As expected, Alabama steamrolled their first two opponents that were a bit weaker with wins by 37 and 50 points. After going down 7-0 in their SEC opener at Ole Miss, they scored 62 unanswered points to win 62-7. A win at Texas A&M continued the win streak. The Crimson Tide finally ended their streak of scoring 45 or more points as they beat Missouri by a measly 39-10 margin in their seventh game. A game with then fourth ranked LSU generated a lot of hype, but also was a blowout for the Crimson Tide as they won 29-0. Their scoring dipped but they moved up to 10-0 with 24-0 win over Mississippi State. FCS foe The Citadel kept things interesting for a bit as the game was tied at halftime, (this is still crazy to type out) but Alabama eventually pulled away and won (and fans have never been more petrified during a 33 point win before or since that day). A win in the Iron Bowl over Auburn set up an SEC Championship game matchup with Georgia. The Crimson Tide fell behind but powered through to win 35-28 and secured the top seed in the playoff and had a date with Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Alabama jumped on the Sooners early and held on to win 45-34. Unfortunately, their season ended with a blowout 44-16 loss against Clemson in the National Championship game. This team looked quite dominant until that point. The loss was the largest margin of defeat a Nick Saban coached Alabama team had ever had.

Offense

At quarterback, Alabama returns the nation’s most prolific passer in Tua Tagovailoa. In his first season starting, Tagovailoa completed 69% of his passes while throwing for 3,966 yards. What is especially impressive is that he threw for 11 yards per attempt, had a touchdown to interception ratio of 43/6, and set an FBS record for highest passer rating in a season. The statistical phenomenon that was Tagovailoa’s 2018 campaign is also not a smokescreen. He is a tremendously talented quarterback that can look nearly unbeatable when he has the talent around him that Alabama has. I expect Tagovailoa to continue to wreak havoc on opposing defenses in 2019. The Crimson Tide mostly rotated carries between three running backs last season and lose two of them. Damien Harris was a great power back who led the team in rushing yards last season and will be missed. Josh Jacobs will also be gone after putting up a solid season running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield. Jacobs led the team in rushing touchdowns. The one player who does return is Najee Harris. After being the consensus number one player in the class of 2017, Harris will finally be able to be the main back in Alabama’s always loaded backfield. Harris led the team in yards per carry and was second in rushing yards last season. Alabama was hoping to get some contributions from Trey Sanders, a true freshman who was a five-star recruit and top running back prospect in the country, but he went down with a season ending injury in fall camp. This will result in a bit less depth than they would like. The backup running back role will likely fall to Brian Robinson and Jerome Ford. Alabama also returns every key contributor at receiver from last season. Jerry Jeudy took home the Biletnikoff Award (too receiver) last season as he had 1,315 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. DeVonta Smith has made some very important catches for the Crimson Tide and will be back starting at one of the other spots. Henry Ruggs emerged as a major threat last season and had 741 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Jaylen Waddle also became a main fixture in the offense at receiver during his true freshman season and will continue to do so this season as he finished with 848 receiving yards. All four of the receivers I mentioned have tremendous talent and could be number one receivers at many different programs. I would not be surprised if all four of them heard their names called in the first round of the NFL Draft at some point. At tight end, Alabama loses Irv Smith who I believe was an underrated player on last season’s team. Smith had 710 receiving yards and was good in run blocking. His presumed replacement, Kedrick James, also transferred to SMU. The new starter will likely be Miller Forristall. On the offensive line, Alabama loses three starters. Tackle Jonah Williams was possibly the best lineman in all of college football last season while center Ross Pierschbacher and guard Lester Cotton were very good players too. Jedrick Willis and Alex Leatherwood return after starting last season. Leatherwood is shifting from guard to tackle and both players will be very good.

Defense

At defensive tackle, Alabama loses a very good player in Quinnen Williams. Williams was a one man wrecking crew who had seven sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hurries all while being double or even triple teamed at times. Williams also won the Outland Award (top interior lineman) and was the third overall pick in the last NFL Draft. The task of replacing him will not be easy. That task also will likely fall to a true freshman. DJ Dale is reportedly the guy to take the spot. Dale was a four-star recruit who enrolled at Alabama in the spring and has had some positive buzz around him. Former backup Phildarian Mathis and true freshman Ishmael Sopsher will also play some. Isaiah Buggs is gone at defensive end. Buggs led the team in sacks last season. LaBryan Ray was a backup last season and should take the spot. The lone returning starter on the defensive front is defensive end Raekwon Davis. Davis is a very strong player for his position and is also very technically sound. He has a lot of upside, and should be a breakout player this season. Defensive end Antonio Alfano was a top five high school prospect this past season and might be a bit too talented to leave off the field even as a true freshman. At outside linebacker, the Crimson Tide lose Christian Miller. Miller tied for the lead in quarterback hurries on the team and was drafted this past spring. In his spot will be Terrell Lewis who played in the rotation, but had to take a medical redshirt last season. Lewis’s linebacker position might not always be used on the defense, but he should be a solid starter when on the field. Anfernee Jennings returns for what will be his third season starting at jack linebacker. Jennings had 14 tackles for loss last season despite nursing injuries at times. Jennings is a big physical outside linebacker who will be a tough guy to handle for opposing offenses. At middle linebacker, Mack Wilson is gone. Wilson was a key player on the defense this past season. Josh McMillon looked to fill in the spot but is out with a knee injury for the foreseeable future. In Wilson’s spot will now likely be true freshman Christian Harris or Markail Benton who played a backup role in his freshman season in 2018. Dylan Moses led the team in tackles last season and returns as the middle linebacker. Moses was an extremely highly touted recruit and has done well in Tuscaloosa. Moses has tremendous athletic ability as well as great instincts for his position. He is one of the best linebackers to play for Alabama in recent memory. At the star position which is similar to nickel back, Alabama returns Shyheim Carter who was a starter last season. Carter had 10 pass deflections in 2018. Saivion Smith was a starter at cornerback last season and will be gone. Smith led the team in interceptions in 2018. In his spot will be taken by Trevon Diggs (brother of Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefan Diggs) who started some before going down with an injury in 2018. Patrick Surtain started at cornerback as a true freshman last season and is back again. Josh Jobe saw some action as a true freshman last season and should see more time this season. At safety, Deionte Thompson will be gone after finishing second on the team in tackles. Jared Mayden will take Thompson’s spot at strong safety. Xavier McKinney returns at free safety after finishing third on the team in tackles last season and tying for first in pass deflections. Joseph Bulovas is back at kicker after a bit of an inconsistent season in 2018. Alabama has had trouble at kicker and Bulovas is looking to buck that trend. Skyler DeLong will take sole possession of the punter job after splitting it with Mike Bernier who is now gone.

Coaching Staff

There is not much to say that has not been said about Nick Saban. He has won six national championships in his career and five in the last ten seasons at Alabama. Saban continues to build great teams and bring in great talent. I believe Saban is the best college football coach of all time. Steve Sarkisian will be the new offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide after last year’s offensive coordinator, Mike Locksley, took the head coaching job at Maryland. Sarkisian is an offensive guru as he has been the head coach at Washington and USC and was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons the last two seasons. After defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi took the defensive line coach position for the Cleveland Browns, the former co-defensive coordinator Pete Golding will take the sole title of defensive coordinator.

Final Prediction

As we go into this season, I think it is the first time in quite a while that Alabama does not look like the top dog of the college football world in the eyes of most fans. With the rise of Clemson, Alabama seems to have fallen behind in the eyes of most. That being said, I think Alabama will remind people how strong their team and program is this season. They have a stellar quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and have paired him with the best group of receivers in the country. There are question marks at running back, but I trust the Crimson Tide’s ability to reload. On defense, there is still quite a bit of talent that is going to be extremely well coached. I expect Alabama to go 12-0 in the regular season and win the National Championship.

Arkansas

Last Season

Arkansas started off the season with a blowout win over FCS foe Eastern Illinois. The Razorbacks took a big step back the next week as they lost to Colorado State and were blown out by North Texas. While they kept it close with Texas A&M and Ole Miss, they were still in the midst of a six game losing streak. The streak was snapped with a win over Tulsa, but resumed when Arkansas lost their next game against Vanderbilt. They kept it close with LSU, which was nice but they then got blown out by Mississippi State and Missouri to close out the season with a 2-10 record.

Offense

After some pretty rough play at the position, Arkansas fans should not be too broken up about losing the two quarterbacks who saw the most time last season. Arkansas attacked the quarterback issue by bringing in two graduate transfers in to compete for the job. Ben Hicks played for Morris at SMU where he was a three-year starter. Hicks did well when he played for Morris but struggled more this past season. Nick Starkel transferred to Fayetteville after he failed to win the starting job at Texas A&M last season. Starkel won the starting job in 2017 before he broke his ankle in the season opener and could not return to form. Starkel has two years of eligibility left while Hicks has just one. I think Hicks will end up starting due to his familiarity with Morris’s system but I am really not sure who I think is better. At running back, Rakeem Boyd returns as the starter. Boyd worked his way up the depth chart as the season went along and ended up leading the team in rushing yards and yards per carry. Boyd will be a nice piece to have back. Devwah Whaley will be in the role of backup. At receiver, the Razorbacks lose LaMichael Pettway. Pettway led the team in receiving yards last season and his loss hurts even more since he chose to graduate transfer to North Carolina. Mike Woods finished third on the team in receiving yards last season and will start at one of the receiver spots. The other two positions could very well go to two true freshmen. Treylon Burks and Trey Knox have been doing quite well in their time in Fayetteville and both could end up starting at receiver. They each were four-star recruits. Deon Stewart should find his way into the rotation if he does not start as should Jordan Jones. True freshmen Shamar Nash and TQ Jackson could also see the field. CJ O’Grady is back at tight end after finishing second on the team in receiving yards and tying for first in catches. True freshman Hudson Henry (brother of former Razorbacks and current LA Charges tight end Hunter Henry) might be too good to leave off the field. On the offensive line, Arkansas returns just two starters. Guard Hjalte Froholdt was possibly the best player on the team in 2018. Froholdt, a native of Denmark, was a three year starter and a fourth round draft pick. Tackle Colton Jackson will be the best player on the unit while center Ty Clary will be solid.

Defense

At defensive tackle, Armon Watts was a a tough player to lose. Watts broke out in 2018 as he finished fifth on the team in tackles, a rarity for a defensive tackle, and was a sixth round draft pick. Randy Ramsey is also gone at defensive end after starting last season. The interior defensive line should still look strong. McTelvin Agim, a former five-star recruit, led the team in tackles for loss in 2018 and could be one of the best players on the team this season. TJ Smith is back at nose guard after starting for multiple seasons. Smith will also be a nice guy to have back. There also is plenty of young players with potential at defensive tackle and nose guard. At defensive end, the Razorbacks turn to Dorian Gerald, a backup last season, at one of the two spots. At the other, it will go to either blue chip true freshman Mataio Soli or former backup Gabe Richardson. At linebacker, the Razorbacks lose Dre Greenlaw, who finished third on the team in tackles despite missing time with injury. They do return De’Jon Harris who will be the best player on this defense and a leader on the team. Harris led the team with 118 tackles last season as well as nine tackles for loss while making second team all-SEC. Bumper Pool has an interesting name, but he also had a solid freshman season and will start at outside linebacker. Hayden Henry will start at the other outside linebacker position that will exist in some packages but not all of them. D’Vone McClure will also be someone to watch for. At cornerback, the Razorbacks lose Ryan Pulley. Pulley led the team in interceptions and pass deflections last season and looked like the clear number one cornerback. Stepping into his spot will be Montaric Brown. Brown started three games in 2018. Jarques McClellon did pretty well in his freshman campaign but will have to step it up again this season as a starter. The new starter at nickel back to replace Kevin Richardson and Greenlaw will be up for grabs, but it will probably go to another blue chip true freshman in Jalen Catalon. Santos Ramirez was second on the team in tackles at free safety and will be gone. The likely replacement will be Joseph Foucha who is a very good athlete and big hitter, but still needs to refine his skills more. Kamren Curl started at strong safety last season and returns after having a very good spring camp. Connor Limpert is back at kicker after a decent showing in 2018. Reid Bauer is back at punter but averaged just 38.9 yards per punt last season.

Coaching Staff

Chad Morris is entering his second season as head coach. While year one did not go well, things were set up for failure for him. Morris has been considered one of the best young coaches in the country since he saw success as Clemson’s offensive coordinator and SMU’s head coach. Morris also hopes to have a bit of a recruiting pipeline in Texas as he was the head coach of five different high schools in Texas between 1994 and 2009. Joe Craddock has worked for Morris for most of his coaching career and returns as offensive coordinator. John Chavis is in his second year as defensive coordinator. Chavis was the defensive coordinator for Tennessee for 14 seasons between 1995-2008 and took home a National Championship in 1998. Chavis has since bounced around multiple SEC schools.

Final Prediction

Arkansas had a pretty rough go of it in 2018. The cupboard was left pretty bare for Chad Morris and it showed this season. The team struggled to find their footing and suffered the first 10 loss season in Arkansas history. While they have a ways to go, I think this program can be turned around by Morris. Arkansas was still playing hard throughout the season, which is something you can not always say for 2-10 team. The team seems to have bought into Morris and the culture he is trying to build. They also benefit from a very easy non-conference schedule this season. I expect Arkansas to improve but still go 5-7. I do think making a bowl game is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Auburn

Last Season

Auburn started off 2018 with a bang when they had a neutral site victory over Washington in a close game. Their great season crashed down when they lost to LSU and again when they lost to Mississippi State and Tennessee, falling to 4-3 on the season. Wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M were nice, but they could not beat or come close to beating rivals Georgia and Alabama, finishing the regular season a disappointing 7-5. Auburn did make themselves feel a bit better when they destroyed Purdue 63-14 in the Music City Bowl.

Offense

While Jarrett Stidham was not quite as impressive this past season as he was in 2017, he still will be a tough player to replace. Stidham dealt well with a struggling offensive line and was able to throw for 2,764 yards and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 18/6. To find Stidham’s replacement at quarterback, Auburn had a camp long quarterback battle between five-star true freshman Bo Nix and redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood. Both had upside as Nix was younger but Gatewood has size and amazing arm talent. They also can both run with the ball well. This past week, Nix was announced as the winner. Nix was the top ranked dual threat prospect in the country this past season, won Alabama Mr. Football, and set an Alabama state record for passing yards in a career. He has the talent, but I worry a bit about a true freshman being thrown into the spotlight, especially with their big game against Oregon as the season opener. JaTarvious Whitlow returns at running back after leading the team in rushing yards and touchdowns last season. Whitlow did well in his redshirt freshman season and should only improve with a better offensive line blocking for him. Kam Martin and Shaun Shivers should also get their fair share of carries again. Whitlow is a bit more of a power runner while Martin and Shivers are more speed based. At receiver, Auburn loses their best targets from last season in Darius Slayton and Ryan Davis. Slayton led the team with 670 receiving yards while Davis had an impressive 69 catches. Seth Williams was third on the team in receiving yards last season as a true freshman and will be the number one receiver on this team as he did well in camp. Eli Stove started some in 2016 and 2017 but took a medical redshirt last season. Anthony Schwartz, a silver medalist in the 100 meters for the U20 track world championships has gained the moniker of fastest man in college football and will be the other starter. Sal Cannella, Marquis McClain, Will Hastings, and graduate transfer Zach Farrar will be very nice players to have for depth on the unit and will be some people to look out for. Just because the two best receivers from 2018 are gone does not mean this is a bad unit. There ate many players that compliment each other well and should be effective. The Tigers lose their starting tight end from last season in Chandler Cox. In his spot will be Arizona State transfer Jay Jay Wilson. Auburn returns all five starters on the offensive line from last season. The best two players on the unit will be guard Marquel Harrell and tackle Prince Tega Wangoho.

Defense

On the defensive front, Auburn has one of the best units in the country. Dontavius Russell is gone after starting a season ago, but every other contributor returns on this deadly unit. Tyrone Truesdel replaces Russell after being a backup last season and is the least experienced player on the unit. He should still be more than fine with Derrick Brown as the other defensive tackle. Brown spurned the NFL Draft and Auburn fans should be thankful. Brown stands 6’5” and 325 pounds and is extremely explosive off the ball. He can also be shifted out to defensive end and used effectively there. There is a good chance Brown hears his name called within the top 10 of this spring’s NFL Draft. Marlon Davidson returns after starting at defensive end last season and could be a breakout player this season. Big Kat Bryant could also see some time at the spot as he excelled in a rotational role. Nick Coe is back at the buck position which is a combination defensive end/outside linebacker. Coe is a very good pass rusher as he led the team with seven sacks and also had 13.5 tackles for loss. Deshaun Davis led Auburn with 116 tackles and 15 tackles for loss last season. and will be a tough player to replace, as will fellow 2018 starter Darrell Williams and rotational player Montavius Atkinson. Owen Pappoe was the highest rated outside linebacker in the last recruiting class and was a five-star recruit. He will start at the rotational position of strong side linebacker. While Auburn often uses a nickel back instead, Pappoe will still see a lot of time on the field with this spot. KJ Britt was a key backup last season and will take over the starting spot at middle linebacker. Zacoby McClain and Chandler Wooten are batting it out for the other starting linebacker position. Christian Tutt will start at the nickel back spot. Jamel Dean will need to be replaced at cornerback. Dean was a solid player that was a third round pick in the NFL Draft this past April. Javaris Davis (who continues Auburn’s ever lasting tradition of having at least one key player with the last name Davis) will be very nice to have back at cornerback. Noah Igbinoghene converted from receiver to cornerback before last season and thrived in his new spot. Igbinoghene led the team with 11 pass deflections in 2018. He and Davis will make up a very strong duo. Daniel Thomas returns after starting at safety last season where he finished second on the team in tackles. Jeremiah Dinson is back at the other safety spot after being a starter last season. Arryn Spross returns at punter after averaging a solid 44 yards per punt last season. Anders Carlson was perfect on extra points last season and returns at kicker. Carlson’s 15/25 total on field goals looks bad but he is 13/16 from inside 50 yards.

Coaching Staff

Gus Malazahn is back for his seventh season as head coach. Malzahn has a 53-22 record at Auburn, but fans are still calling for his head after last season. Malzahn is a solid coach, but his teams need to be more consistent and be able to do well under pressure. Malzahn will call plays again this season. Kenny Dillingham is here for his first season as offensive coordinator after serving the same job at Memphis last season. Former tiger quarterback Kodi Burns is back for his second season as co-offensive coordinator. Kevin Stele is back as defensive coordinator with Travis Williams as his co-defensive coordinator.

Final Prediction

2018 was a pretty disappointing season for Auburn. The Tigers were a preseason top 10 team but suffered five losses and went 0-3 against Georgia, LSU, and Alabama. Auburn could not get over some issues on the offensive line and were bitten by the injury bug a bit. Auburn and Gus Malzahn enter this season under a bit of pressure. Malzahn made the National Championship game during his first season but has not quite had that same magic since. I do not know if he would be fired after another disappointing season, but his seat will be pretty warm at least. This season, Auburn has an improving offensive line, and some talent returning at running back. If Bo Nix can do decent at quarterback, this offense should be fine. Defensively, they should wreak havoc on opponents up front. That being said, they face a brutal schedule in 2019. They have a date with Oregon on opening weekend and make trips to Texas A&M, Florida, and LSU. While they do host Alabama and Georgia, those games will be very tough to win. I expect Auburn to go 8-4. this season but look clearly better than what their record shows.

LSU

Last Season

The Tigers had a surprisingly good start to 2018 as they win 33-17 against a Miami team that many expected them to fall to. A win at Auburn launched LSU into the top 10 of the polls. After they won two more games and were 5-0, they shot up to fifth in the polls. Their time in the top five was short lived as they lost to Florida. The Tigers rebounded well with a 20 point win over second ranked Georgia. A win over Mississippi State put LSU at 7-1 and set up a big game with Alabama coming to Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, the Tigers did not do too well in that game as they lost 29-0. Wins over Arkansas and Rice were good to have but the seven overtime loss to Texas A&M to end the regular season was pretty tough. LSU did bounce back to win the Peach Bowl 40-32 over UCF and ended the season 10-3.

Offense

LSU will get Joe Burrow back at quarterback after he started in 2018. Burrow graduate transferred to Baton Rouge from Ohio State in the summer of 2018 and was a solid player to pick up. Burrow is a pretty good starter but he really steps it up in crunch time. Burrow threw for 2,894 yards and ran for another 399. While he has trouble with accuracy, he can lead the offense to success in clutch situations (even though they lost, he put in a herculean effort against Texas A&M). The Tigers lose their lead running back from last season with the graduation of Nick Brossette who ran for 1,039 yards and 14 touchdowns. Brossette was a good power back for LSU and will be missed. This season is also a bit interesting as the Tigers do not appear to have a true number one back at the start of the season for the first time in awhile. Clyde Edwards-Helaire finished second on the team in rushing yards in 2018 and will return. Edwards-Helaire will be joined by five-star true freshman John Emery and four-star freshman Tyrion Davis-Price. The trio will likely split carries, but could see that change if one player separates themselves. The Tigers return every significant player at receiver from last season. Justin Jefferson led the team in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in 2018 and will return. Ja’Marr Chase will return at one of the other receiver spots. Terrace Marshall was an extremely highly touted recruit coming out of high school and will also start after a strong freshman season. Derrick Dillon and Jonathan Giles will also be key players in the rotation at receiver. At tight end, the Tigers lose a very good player in Foster Moreau. Moreau was a good tight end and respected leader on the team. Because of 6’7” 230 pound frame, LSU believes Stephen Sullivan is a natural fit to tight end and will fill in Moreau’s spot. Sullivan has seen time at receiver and was second on the team in receiving yards last season. On the offensive line, the Tigers lose just one starter. Guard Damien Lewis and center Lloyd Cushenberry will be the two best players on the line. The battle for starter at left guard between Chasen Hines and 6’2” 360 pound blue chip true freshman Kardell Thomas will be interesting. Hines will likely come out on top, but Thomas can be a key player in the future.

Defense

At defensive tackle, the Tigers lose Ed Alexander who started last season. His spot will go to either Tyler Shelvin or four star freshman Siaki Ika. Breiden Fehoko looks to be a utility defensive lineman and shift over to defensive tackle as well if neither option does well. Rashard Lawrence returns as a starter at defensive end after a solid performance in 2018. The other spot will either go to Fehoko or Glen Logan. Logan has the better numbers of the two, but Fehoko often played defensive tackle and had to take on his fair share of double teams. Either way, both of them will be getting their solid play time. K’Lavon Chaisson returns at outside linebacker after starting last season. Chaisson started as a true freshman in 2017 but went down for the rest of the season in the opener last season. Michael Divinity started at the other outside linebacker position last season and is also back. LSU will have a replace an outstanding inside linebacker in Devin White. White led the team with 123 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hurries. White was a very athletic and physical linebacker who was taken fifth overall in the NFL Draft last spring. In his spot will be Patrick Queen who was some starting experience and has been a rotational player before. Jacob Phillips started at the other inside linebacker spot last season and was second on the team in tackles. Phillips could be a breakout player on defense for the Tigers. Ray Thornton will be a key player in a backup role at linebacker for LSU as well. At cornerback, LSU will be without a first team all-American in Greedy Williams. Williams was a very talented player and was very sound in coverage while rarely seeing balls thrown his way. In Williams’s spot will be five-star true freshman Derek Stingley. Stingley was the third highest rated prospect in the country last season and has impressed during his time in Baton Rouge. Stingley was even called the best cornerback on the roster when he was enrolled early during bowl practice by head coach Ed Orgeron. Kristian Fulton is back after starting last season at cornerback.. Fulton had nine pass deflections last season and I believe he will be a breakout player this season. Kary Vincent will play a key backup role at cornerback for the Tigers. John Battle will be gone after starting at free safety in 2018. In his spot will be JaCoby Stevens who has seen time at the spot. I think Stevens is a very good player and should add to a very good secondary. A big reason why this secondary will be so good is that they have the best defensive back and probably best defensive player in the country in Grant Delpit. In 2018, Delpit finished third on the team in tackles, added 9.5 tackles for loss, tied for first on the team with nine pass deflections, and picked off five passes on the season. Delpit has an amazing all-around skillset at safety that can always be useful. LSU will have to replace a very good kicker in Cole Tracy. Connor Culp will likely take over as he started in 2017 but was moved to the bench when Tracy transferred in last season. Zach Von Rosenberg will return at punter.

Coaching Staff

Ed Orgeron is back for year three as head coach in Baton Rouge. Last season, Orgeron took LSU to 10 wins for the first time since 2013. While many people were not convinced by the hire, I believe Orgeron has done a good job so far. Still, LSU fans want and expect the team to take the next step forward to playoff contention sometime soon. Whether or not Coach O can get that done is unknown. Steve Ensminger is back for his second season as offensive coordinator. LSU again has retained one of the best defensive coordinators in the country in Dave Aranda. This is Aranda’s eighth season with LSU and he has always kept the defense strong.

Final Prediction

LSU surprised some people in 2018 (I mean what kind of moron would have predicted them to go 7-5 because I know it was not me). The Tigers won two unexpected games early and ride the wave to a very good season. While I initially questioned the Ed Orgeron hire, it looks to have been a successful one as of now. This season, LSU looks to build up their passing game, which they have sorely lacked recently. Defensively, they have a ton of star power and a generational talent at safety in Grant Delpit. For LSU, fans just want them to contend with Alabama which they have not recently. While I think that is a ways away, it is not unreachable. This season, I think LSU will go 10-2 and show some improvements.

Mississippi State

Last Season

Mississippi State got off to a hot start in 2018 as they blew out two lesser opponents, but also boasted a 31-10 win Kansas State. Unfortunately, their offense stalled out in their next two games as they scored just seven and six points in losses against Kentucky and Florida respectively. The Florida loss was especially rough since they wanted to beat former head coach Dan Mullen. A win over Auburn was nice, but the Bulldogs fell back to their losing ways against LSU. A win over Texas A&M was nice, and a a loss to Alabama was expected. A 35-3 win in the Egg Bowl over Ole Miss capped off an 8-4 regular season in a good way. The Bulldogs sadly ended the season on a low note as they lost to Iowa in the Outback Bowl to finish 8-5.

Offense

While he did regress as a passer, Nick Fitzgerald was still a solid starter. Fitzgerald was great at powering through opposing defenses and getting the yardage he needed. While he was a terrific runner, he struggled through the air and the Bulldogs might be ready to move on. They also have brought in a solid player in the graduate transfer market. After losing the job at Penn State, Tommy Stevens headed down to Starkville to play for his old offensive coordinator. Stevens played in spots for Penn State, but has never started a game and has not truly been battle tested against defenses the caliber of higher level SEC programs. Stevens is a solid runner and should improve the passing game this season for Mississippi State as well, even though he does not have great arm talent. Kylin Hill returns as the lead back for the Bulldogs. Hill ran for 734 yards in 2018 on 6.3 yards per carry. He should look to be the main rushing threat on the team this season, a title he has never quite held. Nick Gibson could also provide some support at running back. Mississippi State returns their three leading receivers from last season as well. Osirus Mitchell led the team in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns last season. Mitchell is a bigger receiver as he stands 6’5” and should succeed in catching contested balls this season. Stephen Guidry is another player that will be nice to have back at receiver. Isaiah Zuber graduate transferred from Kansas State after leading their team in receiving yards last season. Zuber, Mitchell, and Guidry will make a strong trio in the starting spots. Deddrick Thomas and junior college transfer JaVonta Payton will also get some looks. The Bulldogs lose their starter at tight end from last season with the graduation of Justin Johnson. Johnson will be replaced by Farrod Green who served a backup role last season. On the offensive line, Mississippi State will have to replace all-American center Elgton Jenkins who was a second round draft pick. Guard Deion Calhoun will also be tough to replace. Darryl Williams is concerting from guard to center and should be the best offensive lineman.

Defense

On the defensive front, Mississippi State loses every single starter from last season. At defensive tackle, Jeffery Simmons was a first round draft pick who finished fourth on the team with 63 tackles, which is quite high for his position. Simmons added 17 tackles for loss and will not be an easy guy for the Bulldogs to replace. Braxton Hoyett also started at defensive tackle and will need to be replaced. Lee Autry and redshirt freshman Fabien Lovett will end up being the two replacements at defensive tackles. Neither of the two provide ample experience. Blue chip true freshman Nathan Pickering could also see time as well. At defensive end, the Bulldogs lose Montez Sweat. Sweat was a freak athlete for his position and also played with tremendous intensity as he racked up 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss on the season. Gerri Green will be gone at defensive end after he was a sixth round draft pick this past spring. Marquiss Spencer will start at one of the spots. Spencer was a key rotational player in 2016 and 2017 but missed all of last season with injury. Chauncey Rivers saw a lot of time as a backup last season and could end up being the team’s best defensive lineman this season. Overall, Simmons and Sweat led a tremendously god unit last season that will be a step below that mark this season. Still, there are some players with potential on the unit. At linebacker, the Bulldogs return both starters from 2018. Willie Gay is coming off of a strong showing last season and looks to build upon it in 2019. Middle linebacker Erroll Thompson is back and could end up being the best player on this defense. Thompson had 87 tackles and nine tackles for loss last season and should only get better this season. While Leo Lewis never quite lived up to the hype that surrounded his arrival in Starkville after he has gotten in trouble off the field and had his Anne come up in cases involving paying players, he can show flashes and be a key backup on this unit or even challenge Gay for a starting role. At cornerback, Mississippi State loses Jamal Peters. Thankfully, they do return Cameron Dantzler. Dantzler led the team in pass deflections last season. The replacement for Peters looks to be Maurice Smitherman. Smitherman has seen time at cornerback for three seasons but this will be his first season starting. At nickel back, Brian Cole returns after starting in 2018 before going down with a season ending injury. Mark McLaurin will need to be replaced at free safety. McLaurin finished third on the team in tackles a season ago. Johnathan Abram is gone after he started season at strong safety before switching to the nickel spot. Abram led the team with 99 tackles and was a hard hitter at safety that no opposing running back should have felt totally comfortable running toward. CJ Morgan will fill in at one of the safety spots after starting some in 2018. Jaquarius Landrews had a strong showing as a backup last season and will get his shot as a starter in 2019. Jace Christman returns at kicker for the Bulldogs. While both punters who were used last year return, it looks as though neither of them did well enough for the coaching staff to feel comfortable giving them the job again. That is why Mississippi State signed South Alabama graduate transfer Corliss Waitman who averaged just under 42 yards per punt last season.

Coaching Staff

Joe Moorhead returns to Starkville for his second season as head coach. Moorhead saw tremendous success as the offensive coordinator at Penn State, but did not make his mark in year one for the Bulldogs. Still, I think he can turn Mississippi State into a solid program. Moorhead will likely end up being offensive coordinator himself and will call plays. Bob Shoop is back for his second season as defensive coordinator. Shoop, who has been at four different FBS programs, did quite well last season and has worked with Moorhead before.

Final Prediction

Year one under Joe Moorhead was solid, but not quite what Mississippi State fans would have hoped with the talent they had. While the defense had insane talent and gave up only 12 touchdowns all season, their offense struggled heavily. Joe Moorhead is an offensive guru and should be able to improve things still. This season, the Bulldogs lose a lot of star power on defense, but still have some solid players. Offensively, they hope to be able to move the ball consistently through the air. I think that their defense should be fine if they can be solid up front, but their offense has some question marks. That being said, I like the talent they have at skill positions I expect Mississippi State to go 8-4 but show improvements as the season goes along.

Ole Miss

Last Season

Ole Miss started off 2018 with a solid win over Texas Tech. When Alabama came to Oxford, it was a different story though as the Rebels lost 62-7. A win over Kent State was nice but a blowout loss to LSU was not. The Rebels beat ULM the next week and beat Arkansas in a tight game to bump their record up to 5-2 on the season. The Rebels lost to Auburn in their next outing and then fell to South Carolina in a shootout. A loss to Texas A&M put their record at 5-5. An overtime loss at Vanderbilt and a blowout loss to rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl our Ole Miss at 5-7 to end the season.

Offense

Ole Miss loses their starting quarterback from 2018 in Jordan Ta’amu.Ta’amu, a Hawaiian native, threw for 3,918 yards last season while completing 63% of his passes. The new starting quarterback will be redshirt freshman Matt Corral. Corral played in garbage time in four games last season and was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. Corral did do pretty well in his limited time in 2018 and has an absolute cannon for an arm while also being pretty athletic. At running back, Scottie Phillips returns after being lead back last season. In 2018, Phillips ran for 928 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.1 yards per carry. Phillips is a solid all-around runner who would have gone over 1,000 rushing yards if he was not injured toward the end of the season. Isaiah Woullard did well as the secondary back during his freshman season, and should succeed in that role again this season. At receiver, Ole Miss loses the three-headed monster of AJ Brown, DaMarkus Lodge, and DK Metcalf. Metcalf missed the last five games of the season due to injury, but was a big time impact player during his time there due to his combination of size and speed. Brown left Ole Miss as the school’s all-time leading receiver. Brown was a great route runner and had good speed. He will definitely be missed by Ole Miss. Lodge was a very skilled receiver who has always been an amazing complimentary piece to this amazing receiving corps. Elijah Moore will fill in one of the spots after having a solid freshman campaign. Moore will probably be the team’s best receiver as he leads all returning players in receiving yards last season. Braylon Sanders also saw time as a backup last season and should also start at one of the spots. Junior college transfer Donatrio Drummond and redshirt freshman Miles Battle and fighting for the last starting spot. Both should see time. At tight end, the Rebels lose Dawson Knox who was a third round pick in the NFL Draft and a solid player for his role. The new tight end will be Octavious Cooley. On the offensive line, Ole Miss loses three starters including tackle Greg Little who was a very strong player. Tackle Alex Givens will be the best player on this unit.

Defense

While they lose multiple rotational backups, Ole Miss returns every starter on the defensive line from last season. Benito Jones returns at defensive tackle after starting last season. Jones had nine tackles for loss last season. Josiah Coatney and Jones will battle it out for the starting job at defensive tackle. Whoever does not get the starting gig will see a lot of time. Ryder Anderson will start at defensive end after starting last season. The other spot will likely go to Austrian Robinson. Tariqious Tisdale will likely see time at the other spot. Mohamed Sanogo was a rare bright spot on defense as he led the team with 112 tackles last season and returns as the starting inside linebacker. Sanogo will likely be the best defensive player on the team this season. Junior college transfer Lakia Henry could end up cracking the starting lineup at the other inside linebacker as he has been working with the first string defense in fall camp. Jacquez Jones and Willie Hibbler have starting experience and will see some time as well if they do not start. Qaadir Sheppard returns after starting at outside linebacker. Sheppard led the team in tackles for loss last season. Junior college transfer Sam Williams will take the other outside linebacker position. The linebacking corps will be the strength of this defense. Javien Hamilton and Ken Webster were key backups and occasional starters at cornerback and will both be gone. Jaylon Jones will fill in the open spot at cornerback. Myles Hartsfield is entering his fourth season as a starter at cornerback and will be one of the best players on this defense. Hartsfield led the team in pass deflections last season. At safety, the Rebels lose Zedrick Woods. Woods finished finished second on the team in tackles in 2018. Jalen Julius is back at free safety after starting in 2018. The battle for the starting strong safety spot will be between Vernon Dasher and junior college transfer Jonathan Haynes. Luke Logan returns at kicker. At punter, Mac Brown is back after a solid 2018 season. Elijah Moore is back at the main return man.

Coaching Staff

Matt Luke returns for his third season as the head coach in Oxford. Luke was the offensive coordinator for the Rebels for five seasons before being hired as the interim head coach before the 2017 season and then taking the job full time after the season. While he inherited a tough situation, Luke does need to produce at Ole Miss sooner or later. The Rebels made a solid hire at offensive coordinator in former West Virginia, Michigan, and Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez. While he was fired from two different head coaching jobs, I think Rodriguez could do well in his role as offensive coordinator. Former Colorado and San Jose State head coach Mike MacIntyre has been brought in as defensive coordinator. MacIntyre has worked in Oxford before and has done well as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator before.

Final Prediction

Ole Miss loses quite a bit of talent from their offense which was the clear strength of the team. Whine their defense returns some key players, the unit was quite bad last season. The Rebels have not had a winning season since 2015. Ole Miss needs to be able to find a way to at least be a bowl team sometime soon. Matt Luke night not necessarily be on the hit seat, but the expectation for him is improvement. This was evidenced by the fact that Ole Miss made two pretty big coordinator hires. This team has a lot of new faces offensively and a lot of unproven ones on defense. I just do not see how they improve and I think they go 3-9 in a rebuilding season.

Texas A&M

Last Season

Texas A&M had to endure a tough schedule to start last season. While they took care of two lesser opponents, they had to play Alabama and Clemson. While they kept it close with Clemson and lost by just two points, they were blown out by Alabama. The Aggies took care of business against Arkansas and took home an overtime win over a then undefeated Kentucky team. A 26-23 win over South Carolina put them at 5-2 on the season. Unfortunately, the Aggies lost two straight games to Auburn and Mississippi State. They were able to turn it around still as they beat Ole Miss and UAB. Against LSU, Texas A&M played in an instant classic. After scoring to send the game to overtime on the last play, the Aggies came out victorious after seven overtimes. The season also ended on a good note as the Aggies destroyed North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl to finish 9-4.

Offense

At quarterback, Kellen Mond is back for the Aggies. In 2018, Mond had some very great moments but also struggled some. He did quite well against Clemson, but did not do as well against lesser teams. Mond is a good and can make big throws in big moments, but I think he needs to establish consistency before taking the next step up as a college quarterback. At running back, Texas A&M will be without Trayveon Williams. Williams ran for a school record setting 1,760 yards and 18 touchdowns last season on 6.5 yards per carry. Williams could always be relied upon at all times in Texas A&M’s offense through the last few years and will be a tough guy to replace as the offense ran through him. Jashaun Corbin looks to be the next lead back for Texas A&M. Corbin ran for 362 yards last season and is a solid runner between the tackles. The battle to be the secondary running back is being fought by four different people but I think UCF transfer Cordarrian Richardson will end up coming out on top in it. The Aggies return every key contributor at receiver from last season. Kendrick Rogers has garnered a ton of hype for the NFL after last season. Although he only had 336 receiving yards, Rogers was fighting injuries during the season, made some huge plays against Clemson and LSU, and has a large 6’4” frame that makes him a prime target. Quartney Davis will start at the other receiver spot after finishing second on the team with 585 receiving yards last season. Jhamon Ausbon is another guy that should be a starter and contributor to this deep receiving corps. Camron Buckley and Hezekiah Jones are two guys to also look out for. While Rogers could be one, there are no true stars in this group at the moment but there are plenty of solid players that will be nice to have. The Aggies lose Jace Sternberger at tight end who led the team with 48 catches, 832 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. Sternberger’s spot will not be an easy an easy one to fill. This is especially true since Baylor Cupp, a true freshman who had tremendous hype around him, will miss the season after he suffered an injury in camp. The starter at tight end looks to be Glenn Beal who saw limited action last season. On the offensive line, the Aggies return three starters. Center/guard Erik McCoy will be a tough guy to replace as he was a second round draft pick. Center Ryan McCollum and tackle Carson Green will be the best players on the line.

Defense

On the defensive line, the Aggies lose three starters from last season. Daylon Mack started at defensive tackle and while he never lived up to his five-star rating out of high school, he was still a strong player for the Aggies last season. Mack’s replacement will likely be Bobby Brown who saw time in every game during his true freshman season. The other defensive tackle, Justin Madubuike, is the lone returning starter on the defensive line. Madubuike had 10.5 tackles for loss last season and should be the best player on this defensive line by a good margin. At defensive end, the Aggies lose Kingsley Keke and Landis Durham. Keke and Durham were both all-SEC players on the third and second team respectively. Michael Clemons and Tyree Johnson will take over the two starting spots at defensive end. At linebacker, the Aggies lose Otaro Alaka and Tyrel Dodson. Alaka led the team with 79 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss on the season. Dodson was second on the team in tackles. Anthony Hines will fill in at one of the spots. While Hines does not have a ton of game experience, he was a very highly touted recruit coming out of high school. Buddy Johnson will take the starting spot at middle linebacker. DeShawn Capers-Smith is gone at nickel back after being a starter and the team’s fourth leading tackler. Charles Oliver will take over the position after starting last season at cornerback. With Oliver’s positional switch, Texas A&M will roll out a new starting cornerback. That person looks to either be junior college transfer Elijah Blades or Myles Jones. Jones started four games last season and looks to have the upper hand. Debione Renfro started last season and will return. At safety, Donovan Wilson has moved on to the NFL. Wilson was a strong player for the Aggies who will not be easy to replace. True freshman Demani Richardson is the likely next man up at free safety. Richardson was a four-star recruit out of high school. Derrick Tucker returns as the starter at strong safety. Leon O’Neal and Larry Pryor should also make an impact as backups at safety. Seth Small returns at kicker. The Aggies have Braden Mann back at punter. Mann averaged 51 yards per punt last season and is probably the best punter in the country.

Coaching Staff

Jimbo Fisher is entering his second season in College Station. Fisher has won a National Championship during his time at Florida State, but started to see fans turn on him by the time he left. Fisher was given the big bucks by Texas A&M and it is clear a lot is expected of him. Darrell Dickey is back for his second season as offensive coordinator. Dickey saw quite a bit of success during his tenure as offensive coordinator at Memphis before going to Texas A&M before last season. He was also the head coach of North Texas for nine seasons. Mike Elko is looking like a great hire at defensive coordinator. Elko saw some success in 2018 and did quite well during his time as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Bowling Green.

Final Prediction

Texas A&M had a tough schedule in 2018, but the losses to Auburn and Mississippi State left a bad taste in their mouths. This team brings back some talent offensively, but has some question marks at running back. Defensively, they lose their top five leading tacklers from last season but I think a Mike Elko coached defense has earned the benefit of the doubt. Jimbo Fisher is capable of getting 8-9 wins consistently but he was hired at Texas A&M to be a National Championship contender. I do not think he can do that right now or in the next couple years, but he could make some improvements to the team and set them up for that in the future. Unfortunately for Texas A&M, I just do not see how they can overcome their brutal schedule. The Aggies host Alabama and Auburn, and have to make trips to Clemson and Georgia. I expect Texas A&M to go 7-5 this season and then crush their opponent in whatever bowl game they make.

Here are my Final Standings Predictions

Alabama 12-0 LSU 10-2 Auburn 8-4 Texas A&M 7-5 Mississippi State 8-4 Arkansas 5-7 Ole Miss 3-9

To be notified when I post, follow my Instagram @impassionedsportsnerd. Up next I will preview the Big 10 East.

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