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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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College Football 2008: SEC Preview By Ron Jumper Finally, it is time to talk about the megaconference: the SEC. There is no better conference, don’t even try to argue. I understand, and fully recognize, that the Big 12 is much better now than just a few years ago, but don’t get silly. For example, don’t be a complete idiot like ESPNU’s Mike Gottfried. He claims the Big 12 has 5 national championship contenders and the SEC only has 2. He went with Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Texas Tech, and Kansas with only Georgia and Florida in the SEC. Well, if Kansas has a shot at the title, then I’m pretty sure the defending national champion LSU does. Not to mention Auburn and Tennessee. Heck, Alabama and South Carolina would probably beat Kansas on a neutral field. So if you’re scoring at home, I got 7 teams in the SEC just as good as the Big 12’s alleged Fab Five, as opposed to Gottfried’s moronic 2. Anyways, now that I have that off my chest, let us continue. -Is Georgia really as good as everyone thinks? -Can Tim Tebow lead Florida to wins and not just stockpile numbers? -How much can we expect from LSU? -Will Auburn be flying high now that they have installed the spread? -Who is the sleeper everyone seems to forget about? -How much can we expect from Arkansas? 1. Is Georgia really as good as everyone thinks? Nope, don’t even think about it. They can’t even keep all their guys on the field, whether it be from injuries or suspensions. I know, I know, Mathew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno are nasty. However, they have issues on the offensive line, lack big time playmakers, and don’t have the future NFL talent you are accustomed to with Georgia. Oh yeah, and their schedule is insane. Look at just these road games: @South Carolina, @Arizona State, @LSU, @Auburn, and Florida on a neutral field. Something else to consider is that, since they already have so many guys suspended and injured, it could get really thin by the end of the season. Right now, they are the healthiest they are going to be. More guys will go down as the season progresses. That is just life in the SEC. 2. Can Tim Tebow lead Florida to wins and not just stockpile numbers? Without question. This season, they will implement a more traditional running game with actual running backs getting the football. Granted, Tebow will still make big plays when necessary but he won’t take the pounding on a weekly basis that he took last season. That being said, I think it gives the offense more flexibility and it will keep the defense on their toes. Expect Florida to be able to put up a lot of points. On the other side of the ball, this defense wasn’t very good last year. However, they were so young with far too many freshman and sophomores playing significant roles. Now, those guys are becoming veterans and will much more accustomed to the SEC grind. Linebacker Brandon Spikes is someone I’m very high on. DE Carlos Dunlap is poised to be one of the hottest draft prospects in the 2010 or 2011 classes. The secondary is still really young, but CB Joe Haden, CB Wondy Pierre-Louis, and FS Major Wright are returning starters, despite their youth. Looking at the schedule, the big game is @Tennessee on September 20th. I’ll talk about the Vols here shortly, but that is the game that could very well decide the SEC East. Then, they get LSU at home and Georgia on a neutral field. A tough schedule? Without question. As hard as Georgia’s? Not a chance. I expect Florida to scrape by Georgia and Tennessee in the SEC East. 3. How much can we expect from LSU? The defense will have to carry this team to the promise land and it is more than capable. The quarterback situation is a mess and they don’t have many starters back but, be honest with yourself, are you really going to say they don’t have big time talent pretty much everywhere? Look on that defensive line, you have Kirston Pittman, Tyson Jackson, and Ricky Jean-Francois, all of whom will be playing on Sundays. Darry Beckwith is a top-notch SEC linebacker. They have a nice stable of running backs. The receivers are great again with Brandon Lafell and Demetrius Byrd. The only question is whether or not the QB can keep from screwing up, no matter who it is. The non-conference schedule is cake but they go to Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina. I see a solid 9-3 or 10-2 season for the Tigers. 4. Will Auburn be flying high now that they have installed the spread? Possibly, but that doesn’t mean they still won’t be really good. They still have a great defense lead by DT Sen’Derrick Marks with seven starters back. They have depth at running back with Ben Tate and Brad Lester. All five starters on the offensive line are back. If Chris Todd and Kodi Burns can make big plays in the passing game, that is just gravy on top. The best thing going for Auburn this season is how the schedule fell. They get LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia at home, which is a big bonus. Look for the Tigers to go neck and neck with LSU to decide the West. 5. Who is the sleeper everyone seems to forget about? It could be South Carolina. It could even be Alabama. However, I’m going with Tennessee. I just don’t see what’s not to love. Crompton is a mobile QB that can make plays. Arian Foster is one of the best backs in the country. They have big time wideouts in Lucas Taylor, Josh Briscoe, and Austin Rodgers. The entire offensive line is back. Eric Berry and Rico McCoy lead a very talented defense. This team is ready to rock and roll. If they can hold down the fort at home against Florida early, they could start gaining momentum towards an SEC title run. Yes, I said it. You read correctly. 6. How much can we expect from Arkansas? This team could go a number of different ways. However, the problem is that most of those ways are bad. They could be terrible, awful, bad, below average, or average. The early schedule scares me with @Texas, Alabama, Florida, @Auburn all in a row. If they can pull off a home win over Bama, then they could be a very respectable 7-5. However, if they lose all 4 of those games in a row, the season could really unravel. Another interesting tidbit is that they have Ole Miss and Tulsa back to back. That doesn’t seem interesting to some of you I’m sure. However, when you remember Houston Nutt is now at Ole Miss and former OC Gus Malzahn is at Tulsa, those become very emotional games. The problem is that they are emotional games back-to-back. Besides worrying about getting up for consecutive games, what about overlooking Kentucky the week before or having a letdown @South Carolina the week after? This is a tough schedule regardless, but it is laid out in a catastrophic order for Hog fans. Hopefully, Petrino is the savior for Arkansas and they will survie because they do have more promising than just about anyone in the SEC for the future. They really did bring in an unbelievable class of freshman this season. Regardless of this season, the future is bright. August 28, 2008 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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