Today we focus on the division whose champion has played in seven of the last eight BCS title games, the SEC West. Will someone be able to sneak in and wrest the crown from Auburn?
2014 SEC West Preview
Alabama Crimson Tide
Head coach Nick Saban is running a quarterback competition, and is reportedly in no rush to name a starter. Florida State transfer Jacob Coker is eligible to play, and is battling senior Blake Sims for the job. Whoever wins the job will have plenty of talent surrounding him. Running back T.J. Yeldon is back, as is his backfield mate Kenyan Drake. Starting wideouts Amari Cooper and Christion Jones are back as well, as is DeAndrew White, who saw the field a fair amount last season. The only significant questions on offense revolve around the offensive line, where only two of last year’s starters are back.
Just three starters have returned from the 2013 defense, but massive end A’Shawn Robinson is back as well; Robinson led the team in sacks last year with 5.5 as a true freshman. The biggest loss for the Tide will definitely be Butkus Award winner C.J. Mosley from the linebacking corps. Senior Trey DePriest, the only returning starter at that position, will lead a unit that’s lacking a bit in experience. The backfield has the most question marks, with junior Landon Collins the sole starter coming back, but with the depth that Nick Saban assembles, ‘Bama will have capable players back there. It’s just a question of who will emerge.
Special teams could be interesting, with a new kicker and a new punter. Christion Jones is a capable return man.
Prediction: I like Auburn in the Iron Bowl this year. I also think there’s a chance they could lose at LSU; those games are always a crapshoot, especially in Baton Rouge. I’m going to go 11-1.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Head coach Bret Bielema’s first year at Arkansas didn’t go the way the Hog faithful had hoped. Quarterback Brandon Allen will need to be much more consistent in his second year in the system, and he’ll probably need to stay healthy for the Razorbacks to get back to respectability; both of his backups are freshmen. None of the five returning starters on offense are wideouts, although one of them is sophomore tight end Hunter Henry, who led the team in receiving last season. Senior receiver Demetrius Wilson returns as well, after missing the 2013 season with an injury. As for the backfield, last year’s leading rushers, junior Jonathan Williams and sophomore Alex Collins, both return. Collins became Arkansas’ second freshman ever to top 1,000 yards last season. Three players return on the offensive line as well.
For the fourth time in as many seasons, Arkansas has a new defensive coordinator. Combine that with just four returning starters, and this unit could be dicey early on. (Did I mention that they open on the road at Auburn?) Senior end Trey Flowers will lead a young and green front seven, and it’s anticipated that the linebacking group will be better this season with another year of experience under their belts. The backfield features a fair amount of depth and two returning senior starters.
Punter Sam Irwin-Hill is, like former LSU punter Brad Wing, both Australian and ambidextrous. He was one of the better punters in the nation last season. Freshman Cole Hedlund will be the kicker.
Prediction: Arkansas has a ways to go before they’re competitive in the SEC West again, never mind the SEC as a whole. 4-8.
Auburn Tigers
Quarterback Nick Marshall is one of seven returning starters on the Auburn offense*. Junior receiver Sammie Coates returns as well, and the depth coach Gus Malzahn has stockpiled at that position is Nick Saban-esque. Leading rusher Tre Mason has moved on, but his backups from last season, Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant, rushed for over 600 yards each last season, and they both return. Two highly-regarded freshman backs could challenge them for carries as well. Four members of the offensive line are back, but fullback Jay Prosch graduated and will be missed.
Often overlooked due to their success last season is the fact that Auburn gave up over 400 yards per game. If they want to repeat as SEC West champs, cutting a hundred yards or so off that number might be a good idea. Losing defensive end Dee Ford and cornerback Chris “Kick Six” Davis won’t help in that department, and neither will the fact that end Carl Lawson had ACL surgery in early May. The timetable for Lawson’s return is unclear, but the best-case scenario still involves him miss a significant chunk of the season. Finally, while the details are hazy, defensive back Robenson Therezie is dealing with some kind of eligibility issue; one has to assume there’s a chance he could miss games. On the bright side for the Tigers, this is the first time in recent memory that Auburn has had the same defensive coordinator two years in a row, and Year Two under Ellis Johnson will likely look more cohesive than Year One.
New faces abound on special teams, as the kicker, punter, and key punt returner from 2013 have all departed.
Prediction: The defensive turnover is a bit concerning, but overall the team is in good shape to make a run at a repeat. I think they’ll drop a game somewhere, possibly at Georgia or possibly against LSU at home, but I do think they win the division and the SEC. 11-1.
*Questions surround Marshall after his July citation for less than an ounce of marijuana and a violation of window-tint laws. Sophomore Jeremy Johnson is expected to start the season opener, although Malzahn has not confirmed this; Malzahn has not said when Marshall will return to the lineup.
LSU Tigers
The season starts amid questions in Baton Rouge, where last year’s quarterback, leading rusher, and top three receivers have departed for the NFL. Freshman Brandon Harris and sophomore Anthony Jennings continue to battle for the starting quarterback job, while senior Quantavius Leslie leads a young receiving corps with very little experience. Senior running back Terrence Magee saw some carries last year; he’ll have to hold off top recruit Leonard Fournette in the backfield. Up front, four of last year’s starting linemen return, as does senior fullback Connor Neighbors.
Six starters return from the 2013 defense. Junior Danielle Hunter and senior Jermauria Rascoe are the sole returning starters in the front seven, and Athlon Sports lists several freshmen and sophomores on their two-deep. Defensive coordinator John Chavis, one of the best in the business, had some linebackers swap spots in the offseason; junior Kwon Alexander, probably the best linebacker the Tigers have, is switching from the strong side to the weak side. Of course it’s their defensive backfield that LSU is known for, and it’s always fun to see who the next big-name DB will be in Baton Rouge. For my money, the Jalens (junior cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Jalen Collins) and senior safety Ronald Martin are guys to keep an eye on, along with sophomore cornerback Tre’Davious White.
Aussie punter Jamie Keehn could stand to get a bit stronger and a bit more consistent. Colby Delahoussaye is a reliable kicker. Someone will have to step up and replace Odell Beckham Jr. in the return game.
Prediction: You know Chavis and Les Miles will find a way to be successful on defense. The youth on offense, especially under center, is a red flag. Three games on the schedule stand out as ones the Tigers could lose: the neutral-site opener against Wisconsin, a road game at Auburn, and Alabama at home. I’m not saying those will be the three games they lose- college football is rarely that predictable- but I am picking LSU to go 9-3.
Ole Miss
Senior quarterback Bo Wallace is the longest-tenured starting quarterback in the SEC. (Is it just me, or does it seem like he’s been there for about seven years now?) Leading receiver Donte Moncrief departed for the NFL, but sophomore Laquon Treadwell was named the SEC’s top freshman last season and has potential to fill Moncrief’s shoes nicely. On the ground, now-juniors Jaylon Walton and I’Tavius Mathers return after combining for nine TDs and over 1,000 yards a year ago. Up front, keep an eye on left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who’ s drawing a lot of attention despite being just a sophomore. Tunsil started last year as a freshman, something you don’t see on the offensive line that often. He’s joined by another returning starter, Justin Bell, as well as senior Aaron Morris, who tore his ACL early last season.
Nine starters are back on defense for the Rebels, and they have transfer students coming in from Florida International and Southern Miss who could contribute as well. Former number one recruit Robert Nkemdiche, a defensive end in high school, is expected to start at defensive tackle this season. Nkemdiche, now a sophomore, played well inside after moving there in the latter stages of 2013. All four starting defensive backs have returned, and the depth in the backfield is noteworthy. Starting safety Cody Prewitt, a senior, had six interceptions last season.
The special teams are experiencing some turnover, with a new kicker and two players battling for the punting spot.
Prediction: As long as Wallace stays healthy, I think this team could surprise some people. I’m going to be conservative and say 8-4, but one more win wouldn’t shock me.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Junior quarterback Dak Prescott has racked up some lofty rushing statistics during his time in Starkville, despite not being a full-time starter until now. If the Bulldogs want to continue their improvement under head coach Dan Mullen, now in his sixth season at the helm, Prescott needs to take a step forward with regards to his passing this season. Having senior wideouts Jameon Lewis and Robert Johnson back will help, and there are several inexperienced but promising running backs on the roster as well. The offensive line has undergone a bit of an overhaul, with two players departing from last year’s team.
Eight starters return on the defense, and the front four will feature three seniors. Last year’s run defense was good, but the Bulldogs recorded just 16 sacks in the regular season. They’ve got two of the three starting linebackers back, including now-junior Bernardrick McKinney, who led the team in tackles last year with 71. As a freshman in 2012, McKinney had 102 tackles and will look to finish the 2014 season closer to that number. In the backfield, there’s a lot of experience and depth at cornerback, less so at safety.
The Bulldogs attempted 21 field goals last season and made 10. That’s obviously not good enough. Last year’s kicker moves to punter, and a new kicker will handle field goal duties.
Prediction: Mississippi State has a brutal divisional schedule, with road games at Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss, plus Auburn at home. They do escape SEC East powers South Carolina and Georgia, though. 8 wins isn’t out of the question, but I’m more comfortable forecasting a 7-5 finish.
Texas A&M Aggies
The quarterback competition at A&M ended over the weekend, as sophomore Kenny Hill was named the starter over freshman Kyle Allen. He’ll replace the first-ever freshman to win the Heisman Trophy and 2014 first-round NFL draft pick Johnny Manziel. (No pressure, kid). Leading receiver Mike Evans is gone, but another 6’5″ receiver is ready to take his place in Ricky Seals-Jones- and it has to be a good sign that there’s a receiver on the depth chart named Speedy Noil. There are two experienced running backs available, and they’ll have four of last year’s starting offensive linemen blocking for them.
There are some questions on the defense, as starting nose tackle Isaiah Golden and linebacker Darian Claiborne were both dismissed from the team in the off-season. Golden’s replacement could be a freshman, as the Aggies landed some highly-regarded defensive line prospects. There are multiple players, albeit young ones, available to replace Claiborne as well. Several starting upperclassmen return in the defensive backfield, but only senior Deshazor Everett is a true standout.
Special teams were solid for the Aggies last season, and the main players on those units have returned.
Prediction: This is going to be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Aggies. In addition, they face Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina all on the road. A 6-6 record would be respectable this season, as A&M works its way back into the playoff discussion in the next year or two.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Auburn
2. Alabama
3. LSU
4. Ole Miss
5. Mississippi State
6. Texas A&M
7. Arkansas
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