College Football
Just Pretending?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We have only played a few games in the 2023 college football season but I’m still left with questions.
Who are the real national title contenders? Let’s take a look at the top four teams and see what’s going on.
#1 Georgia: The Bulldogs have won two consecutive national championships and were undefeated last season. They have been ranked as the top team this year despite losing several key players from those teams.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett graduated and he’s on the LA Rams roster. The players drafted in the first round were defensive tackle Jalen Carter, tackle Broderick Jones and linebacker Nolan Smith.
Junior Carson Beck is the new QB this season and we have not learned much from the first three games. They opened SEC play against South Carolina at home. They went into halftime trailing the Gamecocks 14-3. The ‘other USC’ lost their season opener to North Carolina so they are not an elite team.
The Bulldogs shut them out in the second half and won, 24-14. The next game is against UAB so that will be an easy win. I want to see how they play against better competition but they do not play a ranked opponent until October 28, which is No. 25 Florida.
#2 Michigan: The Wolverines had an undefeated regular season in 2022 and went to the College Football Playoff. Michigan has played East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green so these are basically glorified preseason games.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the returning starter so they do have continuity at the most important position on the field. The next games are against bad teams, Rutgers and Nebraska. They don’t face a ranked team until No. 7 Penn State on November 11.
#3 Texas: The Longhorns made a big jump in the polls after they beat No. 3 Alabama 34-24 on the road.
Now we should put an asterisk next to this because it does not hold the same weight as it would have over the last decade. The Crimson Tide are struggling at quarterback and Jalen Milroe was benched after that game. Alabama struggled at USF, so I think the quality of this win will be diminished as the season progresses.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers cut the mullet in the offseason and put himself in the Heisman Trophy race after the Bama game.
Texas responded by sleepwalking the first three quarters at home against Wyoming. They started the fourth quarter tied at 10. They ended up winning 31-10.
They only have one more ranked team on the remaining schedule and that’s No. 16 Oklahoma. I think they might be the hardest team to evaluate because the Big 12 has expanded and they don’t have many good teams to play.
#4 Florida State: Going into last week I thought this was the best team in the nation. They started the season with a blowout win over No. 5 LSU, 45-24. The Tigers have played well after that so it’s a good win.
Senior quarterback Jordan Travis is a returning starter and he might be a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. He’s thrown 8 touchdowns with only 1 interception, so he takes care of the football.
The Seminoles struggled and barely beat Boston College, 31-29. The next opponent is Clemson but they have lost seven straight meetings.
FSU does have three more ranked opponents on their schedule; No. 18 Duke, No. 20 Miami and No. 25 Florida.
I’m looking forward to November so we can truly see who the real contenders are.
Tiers
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After a couple of weeks into the 2023 season. There are signs that the SEC may be down in football in 2023. There will be plenty of time to reverse that perception, but as of today here are my SEC Tier rankings so far for 2023.
TIER ONE:
1 – Georgia: Georgia is the gold standard in the SEC currently. Two cupcakes disposed of so far with SEC opener this week against South Carolina. If UGA drops a couple of games will the SEC even be represented in the College Football Playoff this season?
2 – LSU: The loss to FSU was awful, but who else goes into this spot right now? LSU is talented and should regroup in time for the Alabama game to be for the SEC West title.
Can Brian Kelly get it done in Baton Rouge? LSU’s history says yes, but Brian Kelly’s history says no. We’ll see soon.
3 – Alabama: Physically whipped on the fronts by Texas who may end up being great, but warning signs are there if you are an Alabama fan.
Don’t close the door on Nick Saban. This is still a very talented and proud football program which makes them dangerous for the rest of this season.
TIER TWO:
4 — Texas A&M: The loss to Miami puts Jimbo on the hot seat. No reason this talented roster should stink the way they do.
A&M has a $77 million dollar quandary on their hands. If Jimbo is fired, they must pay that huge buy-out. Alabama comes to College Station this fall.
5 – Tennessee: Is Joe Milton really that guy? A struggle with Austin Peay raised questions about the Vols as they head to Gainesville, which has been a house of horrors for Tennessee for a long time. Vols have lost 9 straight there and have not won there since 2003.
6- Ole Miss: Big Road win at Tulane, and Alabama coming up soon will tell us all we need to know about Ole Miss.
Ole Miss has an experienced OL and a solid run game with Lane calling the plays. Division play is ending after 2023 in the SEC. Ole Miss has never represented the West in Atlanta for the SEC title game. Now or never Rebs.
TIER THREE:
7 – Missouri: I like this defense. A team you don’t want to sleep on.
8 – Arkansas: Are you buying the Razorback hype? I’m not this team is about to get exposed in SEC play.
9 – Auburn: This is the lowest you’ll see this team in the power rankings right now. Moving forward Hugh Freeze will have Auburn in the elite status in 2024 and beyond.
10 – Kentucky: N.C. State transfer Devin Leary is all the hype at quarterback. They are effective at what they do, which is to bore the hell out of you.
TIER FOUR:
11 – South Carolina: Expectations exceed talent and depth. 9 sacks surrendered against UNC is a huge warning sign going into SEC play.
12 – Mississippi State: This team has a lot of unknowns, which is why they land here in their traditional spot in rankings like these. Historic bottom feeder.
13 – Florida: Gators have a schedule that can get a coach fired. Florida has fired a lot of coaches lately.
Billy Napier can recruit Florida out of this, but he needs time.
Statement game against Tennessee this weekend. The Utah game was bad. This team looks talented on defense.
14 – Vanderbilt: Vandy’s destiny is here. It is their birthright. Hopefully one day they can climb out of here.
House Of Horrors
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Neither team is in the top 10. In fact, only one of them is ranked. There are no Heisman favorites playing. But make no mistake, Saturday’s Florida Gators-Tennessee Vols game at the Swamp is big. Always expect a sellout crowd.
Tennessee looks to win back-to-back games over Florida in the rivalry for the first time since 2003-2004 and to win in The Swamp for the first time since 2003.
The Vols are coming off an exciting 38-33 win over the Gators at Neyland Stadium a season ago, a victory that sparked the 11-win campaign.
Josh Heupel’s bunch looked out of sorts against Austin Peay last week, thus getting back on track and having proper communication is key as this matchup will be the first true road game of the season for the Big Orange.
It’s a massive game for both parties involved. The contest will be the ‘tempo setter’ for the Vols and the first challenge ahead of a grueling SEC schedule.
For the Gators, this is a critical rivalry game with Billy Napier, this is the biggest game in his coaching career. Both squads are trying to find themselves early in the season, but the game slows down for no one.
Florida is eager to make a statement under Napier. They want to show that they’re going to take a step forward in Napier’s second season. Beating Tennessee, especially after losing to the Vols last season, would certainly send a message that Florida is moving in the right direction under Napier.
For Tennessee, the Florida game is the first real obstacle in their quest for a SEC East division title. With Georgia looking like a good bet to run the table until their late November matchup with the Vols, Tennessee knows that a loss to Florida on Saturday in the Swamp will make winning an SEC East title significantly tougher, if not impossible.
Through two games, this typically high flying Tennessee offense—or more specifically the passing game element of that offense—hasn’t been racking up the explosive plays like fans are accustomed to seeing.
Heupel understands that there’s frustration about Tennessee’s performance on Saturday in a game that most expected would be well in hand by halftime.
The Vols are running the ball great at the moment, averaging 6.1 yards per carry on the season. The aforementioned SEC-worst 6.67 yards per passing attempt is holding the offense back.
Tennessee is converting just 32% on third down, which ranks 13th in the SEC. That’s also a concern but the Vols haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of defenses in the first two weeks.
Florida has potential to surprise people this season but could struggle to reach bowl eligibility.
I side more so with the latter. I am not a believer in Graham Mertz and don’t see Florida having a good pass rush.
The receiver’s youth won’t help Mertz, and shaky offensive line play will prevent Florida’s run game from reaching its potential. With that, the Swamp will impact The Vols offense. That should go without saying.
Gainesville is a house of horrors for Tennessee, no question about it. And if there is one must-win game for the Gators in 2023, it’s Tennessee.
With the game being in week three, Florida needs to set the tone for the rest of their season.
Florida 27 Tennessee 24
Bobo Not A Clown
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Listed below is the best definition I could find of what a fair-weather fan is.
Fair Weather Fan: A fan of a sports team who only shows support when the team is doing well. Right now, the University of Georgia football program has more than its share of those who qualify for that title.
If you read anything UGA related on social media during the UGA/UT Martin game last weekend you would have thought UGA was getting blown out.
The main target was UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Apparently, the unemployed offensive coordinators on Facebook took out their frustrations on Bobo when UGA got off to a slow start last Saturday.
Once UGA picked up the offensive pace with 559 yards of total offense for the day, which included 400 yards through the air that did not seem to slow down the social media experts.
It didn’t matter that the UGA offense put up 41 points with Carson Beck starting his first game at QB or the fact that UGA’s top two running backs Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton were limited due to injury.
Milton had limited carries and Edwards did not play. UT Martin stacked the box to take away the run, which resulted in UGA throwing the ball more.
Despite UT Martin loading up to stop the run UGA still managed 159 rushing yards. The UGA offense ended the day with 9 chunk plays with over 20 yards. By the way experts that is a fantastic stat.
Mike Bobo at UGA:
2001–2006: Georgia (QB)
2007–2014: Georgia (OC/QB)
2022: Georgia Analyst Offense
2023: Georgia OC
Bobo developed successful quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, DJ Shockley, Aaron Murray, and David Greene at UGA.
Aaron Murray still holds SEC passing records in for career yards and TD’s. In 2012, Bobo was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top college football assistant coach.
Misconception #1: Mike Bobo was fired as offensive coordinator from the University of Georgia. That is a false statement. Mike Bobo was hired as Head Football coach for Colorado State University after the 2014 football season.
Mark Richt was fired by UGA after the 2015 football season. During the 2015 football season Brian Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator for UGA. During Bobo’s last year as OC UGA averaged 41.3 points per game. During Schottenheimer’s only year as OC in 2015 UGA averaged 26.3 points per game.
Misconception #2: The notion that Mike Bobo’s offense caused UGA to lose games during the Richt years. Look at 2014 when UGA lost to a bad 7-5 Florida team in Jacksonville.
UGA gave up 418 yards rushing to Florida. UGA lost 38-35 to South Carolina in 2014 and did not turn the ball over a single time that day. Prior to Kirby arriving the defense let UGA down countless times in big games.
It all boils down to this the ‘fair weathered bunch’ associate Mike Bobo with the failure to consistently win big games during the Mark Richt era at UGA.
What they need to understand is that Kirby Smart is running things now and they need to trust in Kirby and realize that offense was never a problem during the Richt years with Mike Bobo as OC.
I leave you with this question: Could the social media Offensive Coordinators name 5 starters for the 2023 Georgia Bulldogs?
If things are rolling, you’ll see the fair weathered bunch in Jacksonville, Atlanta (SEC Championship), and college football playoff sites if UGA is winning big.
Let the Dawgs slip to 8-4 and you’ll only see the die-hard Dawg fans in Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville for a Bowl game with no luster.
All programs have a fair weathered wine and cheese variety of fans that roll with you when things are good.
However, there is plenty of room on the red and black train. Everyone is welcome with one disclaimer. Please know what the hell you are talking about when you critique a proven offensive coordinator that can sneeze out more football knowledge than you the fair-weather fan can fathom.
In Kirby We Trust!
Loud War Chant
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On the heels of the Seminoles’ 45-24 drubbing of No. 5 LSU on Sunday night, it’s time for my 3-2-1, where I offer up three observations and one prediction about Florida State football.
Three things I learned.
1 — This team’s chemistry might be even stronger than 2022:
You didn’t have to be a scout to like Florida State’s roster entering the 2023 season.
The Seminoles were bringing back the vast majority of their production from a 10-3 team, and they brought in a slew of talented, experienced transfers to add to the mix.
At wide receiver, tight end, cornerback and on the O and D lines, Florida State landed several of the very best players in the transfer portal. You saw many of them shine Sunday night against LSU — everyone from Keon Coleman, Jaheim Bell and Jeremiah Byers to Braden Fiske, Fentrell Cypress and Gilber Edmond.
Physically, I think most of us expected the Seminoles to be a better football team this fall than last.
While it was only one game, and there undoubtedly will be more difficult moments down the road, there were a ton of great signs of the togetherness and commitment these players have for each other.
From the defense delivering two huge fourth-down stops in the first half, to the offense sticking together until things began to click late in the second quarter.
Jordan Travis displayed remarkable leadership after a couple of costly early mistakes and drops.
We don’t know if it will always be like this. Heck, emotions and circumstances derail college football teams all the time. I thought it was fair to wonder how this team might be affected by lengthy expectations with a changing roster and the complications that come with money.
To the contrary, I think this team might have even more positive energy and leadership than the program did in 2022. And that is saying something.
2 – Second-quarter drive spoke volumes:
As poorly as Florida State’s offense was performing for most of the first two quarters Sunday night, there was a real chance FSU ended in too big of a hole at halftime to climb out from.
They were trailing 14-7 midway through the second quarter. The offense had just finished their last four drives with three punts and an interception. There was another near-interception in there that could have been disastrous — deep in FSU territory.
When the Seminoles got possession at their own 25-yard line with 6:02 remaining in the first half, I felt like they were teetering on disaster.
If the offense didn’t find the end zone on that drive, Florida State likely would have been trailing by two scores at halftime, and LSU would have had a ton of momentum, a world of confidence, and a winning chance.
The second half the Seminoles took control of the game. But those early fourth-down stops — and that big answer by Travis in the second quarter — are what made their win possible.
3 – Player development was on full display:
The transfers will get most of the attention, and rightfully so.
Former Michigan State star Keon Coleman caught three touchdown passes. Former South Carolina star Jaheim Bell scored two touchdowns of his own. Transfers played well in their FSU debut.
But several “program players” — guys who have been at FSU for their entire careers — came through at important moments and showed just how far they have come during their time in Tallahassee. Here are a few who stood out Sunday:
Linebacker DJ Lundy came through with a huge fourth-down sack of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels to thwart one scoring opportunity, and he was in on another tackle for loss.
Lundy now looks like a completely different player than when he was forced into early action back in 2020 and 2021.
This defense will give Florida State every opportunity to achieve any goal this season, and Jordan Travis & the offense is explosive. I am calling it now FSU 13-0.
Fans, time to buy your playoff tickets.
Gator Kickoff Preview
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Florida Gators open their 2023 season Thursday at Utah, the second matchup of their home-and-home series with the back-to-back Pac 12 champions.
UF upset the No.7 Utes last year in The Swamp, 29-26, as Billy Napier became the school’s first coach to defeat a ranked team in his debut.
Here are three key matchups in this year’s game between the Utah offense and Florida’s defense:
New UF defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is going to bring the house against Cam Rising. One of Armstrong’s trademarks as the Southern Miss DC was getting after the quarterback.
Rising tore his ACL on Jan. 1 in the team’s Rose Bowl loss to Penn State and he didn’t participate in 11-on-11 drills during fall camp. He’s still expected to play and listed him as the starter on its Week 1 depth chart.
The Utes allowed just 15.0 sacks last season, which ranked No. 20 nationally. They return three offensive line starters and a fourth player who made two starts in 2022.
Rising also threw for 216 yards at Florida last season, with tight end Brent Kuithe accounting for almost half of them.
Kuithe suffered a torn ACL last season on Sept. 24 against Arizona State. He was limited in fall camp but should be greenlit for the opener.
The Gators must do a better job defending Kuithe on Thursday, luckily they have a few more coverage options to throw at him this time around.
In addition to Rising, Florida was also torched by Tavion Thomas on the ground. The former Utah running back rushed 115 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in The Swamp. Not a good look.
It must have been foreshadowing, because The Utes finished with the No. 11 rushing offense in the FBS at 217.6 yards per game, while Florida’s rushing defense ranked 100th nationally.
Utah returns two backs in sophomore Ja ‘Quinden Jackson and junior Micah Bernard, both of whom eclipsed 500 yards rushing last season.
Bernard had 106 carries for 533 yards and four touchdowns, while Jackson rushed 78 times for 531 yards and nine TDs. Jackson has been named Utah’s starting running back in this mean rotation.
The Gators lost four full-time starters from last year’s offensive line and the status of redshirt junior center Kingsley Eguakun is in question.
They may return with all new guys if Eguakun isn’t cleared. Regardless of who starts , it will be key for the Gator Offensive Line to handle the road environment well and assist redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz in getting settled.
The Gators boast one of the best tailback tandems, junior Montrell Johnson Jr and sophomore Trevor Etienne aka TNT.
They will be featured much more in this year’s Utah matchup. It’s going to take a heavy dose of Etienne and Johnson for Florida to win this game.
That will be easier said than done against the Utes and their No. 18 national rank in rushing defense. They allowed only 111.23 yards per game.
Utah ranked No. 1 in the Pac 12 and tied for eighth nationally in sacks last season, registering 41.0 total sacks to average 2.39 per game.
The Gators didn’t give up any sacks last year’s game. If Mertz can handle Utah’s pressures and the O-line protects him, the Gators have a great shot. But this year I don’t think a shot will be enough to take this one home.
Utah 31 Florida 20
Kick It Off
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the college football season kicks off this week.
Let’s take a look at some of the teams from the South.
Florida at 14 Utah: This was a very close game last year that Florida won at home, 29-26. Now the Gators travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utes on Thursday.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson left for the NFL draft and was picked fourth overall. Fifth-year redshirt junior and Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz has been named the starter.
Florida coach Billy Napier is entering his second season but he’s already on the hot seat. Utah is the better team and I expect them to beat the Gators by double digits.
Virginia vs 12 Tennessee: This game is in Nashville at Nissan Stadium, the home of the Tennessee Titans. It’s considered a neutral site game but the Vols will have most of the crowd cheering for them.
QB Hendon Hooker played great last season before suffering a season ending injury. He’s now in the NFL and his former backup, Joe Milton is the starter.
Milton is 6’5, 236 pounds with a very strong arm. He was named the MVP of the 2022 Orange Bowl against Clemson.
The Cavaliers were 3-7 in 2022, which was head coach Tony Elliott’s first season. Tennessee should easily win this game.
Georgia Tech vs Louisville: This is the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday night. Both teams have new head coaches this season. Jeff Brohm was hired to coach the Cardinals in December. He was previously the head coach at Purdue and his record is 36-34.
Brent Key was the interim coach for the Yellow Jackets last season and went 4-4 to become the head coach. I think this will be a close game but I give the edge to Louisville.
21 North Carolina vs South Carolina: The battle of the Carolinas is a neutral site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The Gamecocks have Spencer Rattler in his second season as the QB there. Coming out of high school he was the MVP of the Elite 11.
He was also featured on the show QB1: Beyond the Lights. His career initially looked promising at Oklahoma before things fell apart. Let’s see if he can finally put everything together this season and be an elite quarterback.
Drake Maye is the signal caller for the Tar Heels and he’s projected to be the second quarterback picked in the 2024 draft. Last season he passed for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
I think this game will be decided in the trenches so I give South Carolina the advantage.
5 LSU vs 8 Florida State: This game is at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The Seminoles won this game last season 24-23.
The defense is led by defensive end Jared Verse. He transferred from FCS Albany and in his first season at FSU he had 17 tackles for loss and 9 sacks.
Redshirt senior QB Jordan Travis had a good 2022 season and he’s expected to take the next step this season.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels transferred in from Arizona State last season. He was pretty good and led the Tigers to an upset win over Alabama.
I think this will be a close game but I’m picking FSU.
Rolling Tide
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Many have argued that Alabama has been replaced by the University of Georgia at the top of the College Football World. Facts are facts, and Georgia has been the National Champion the last two seasons. As a matter of fact, the Bulldogs knocked off the Crimson Tide on their way to winning their first national title.
That still does not diminish what Alabama is; the Crimson Tide are still among the teams to beat and in most years you must beat Alabama to win a National Title.
The Crimson Tide are coming off of a sub-par 2022 season by Alabama standards. That includes a 2-loss season, which had them ranked 5th in the country. Most teams would love to have that season. However, in Tuscaloosa, that doesn’t cut it.
The Crimson Tide’s biggest concern for 2023 is the QB position. Head Coach Nick Saban and his staff have not had a QB issue in over a decade. Bryce Young, Tua, Hurts, Mac Jones, McElroy, John Parker-Wilson, etc…..all names that have given Bama stability at the QB spot in the past.
For now, it looks like Coach Saban will go with Jalen Milroe as his signal caller. It is pretty apparent that Saban does not have a lot of faith in an of the QBs in the roster so you will likely see Ty Simpson and transfer Ty Buchner at some point this season too.
Unlike Georgia’s 2023 schedule, Alabama’s schedule is not a cake walk.
Sept 2 Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders take a trip to Tuscaloosa to serve as tune up for the Crimson Tide and it will be just that. Alabama wins 56-7.
September 9 Texas: The Longhorns will return the trip to Tuscaloosa. This soon is a matchup we will see on a more frequent basis with Texas joining the SEC. This will be a great game. Bama has a better roster. Both teams have questions at QB. Texas will start Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers. Ewers has yet to throw a pass at the collegiate level. Give me Alabama 17-16.
September 16 @ South Florida: The Crimson Tide will be riding high off their tough win over Texas and will struggle on the road against the Bulls. In the end, USF doesn’t have enough playmakers to beat Bama and the Crimson Tide survive an upset scare early. 24-21
September 23 Ole Miss: I don’t ever see a circumstance where Nick Saban will allow himself to lose to a Lane Kiffin coached team, much less at home. Bama is ready for the Rebels and make an example of them. 30-17
September 30 @ Mississippi State: This will be your typical Alabama/Mississippi State game. Alabama big. 42-14
October 7 @ Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher is sitting squarely on the hot seat and needs to win some big games in the conference to maintain his job with the Aggies. This will be close and the Aggies give the Tide a scare. Alabama survives. 27-21.
October 14 Arkansas: Nick Saban pushed his players through a tough week of practice following the upset scare to Texas A&M and Alabama comes out and plays their best game of the year against Arkansas. 56-17.
October 21 Tennessee: Alabama has had this game circled since last season and will be looking for revenge against Volunteers….not just for the loss Tennessee handed Alabama, but for Bama having to hear ‘Rocky Top’ played 250 times. Hendon Hooker is gone for the Vols, but Tennessee’s roster pretty good. Even with a step back at QB for UT, their QB situation is still better than Bama’s. The Vols beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, 31-23.
November 4 LSU: After the loss to UT, this game becomes a must get for the Tide in order to win the SEC West. Unfortunately, for the Alabama faithful they will be handed their second straight loss at home. This loss gives LSU the inside track to Atlanta.
November 11 @Kentucky: The Wildcats are a pretty decent football team and Commonwealth Stadium will be rocking. Kentucky and their fans will see Alabama limping in and smell blood in the water. Too bad for the Wildcats, that Alabama will be looking to make a statement against them. Bama 35-10.
November 18 Chattanooga: The Mocs will come into Bryant-Denney Stadium to serve as a warm up for the Iron Bowl the following week. Alabama 62-21.
November 25 @ Auburn: Alabama will come into the Iron Bowl with an outside shot of making the College Football Playoff. The Tide will need an impressive win over Auburn to have a shot. They will get just that over first year coach Hugh Freeze and a rebuilding Tiger team that will be no match for their rival. Bama 48-10.
The Tide will once again finish 10-2 and be on the outside of the College Football Playoff looking in. Once again the Tide will fall to UT and LSU. And once again we will see Nick Saban go on National TV and beg the playoff committee to let them in.
Rocky Top
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For a brief, fleeting, shining moment in 2022, the Tennessee Volunteers were on top of the world.
They were undefeated and had big wins over LSU and Alabama. They were the #1 team according to the CFB Championship committee.
Their reign of the top spot in college football lasted less than a week.
All in all, the ’22 season set expectations pretty high for the ’23 season, and it’s probably going to fall short.
Couple that with the NCAA sanctions after the Jeremy Pruitt debacle and it looks like it might be a tough road ahead for the Volunteers.
With Hendon Hooker off to the NFL as part of what I believe will be one of the most underwhelming QB classes of the last 20 years (certain exceptions apply), the QB position for the upcoming campaign is quite possibly the biggest question mark of the season.
Joe Milton gets handed the keys to the offense after handing them off to Hooker due to injury in 2021. He has the physical tools and intangibles, but if the sixth-year signal caller has a hard time firing up the offense, don’t be surprised if there are calls for Nico Iamaleava between non-stop choruses of Rocky Top. The 6-6, 205-pound SoCal product comes as touted as they come.
Backs and receivers should be fine as well. Jaylen Wright is back to try to improve over his 875-yard campaign from last year, and Samson and Small fill out the rotation.
Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton will more than likely be the leading receivers, but I’m rooting for the Key and Peele favorite name on the squad; Squirrel White. How can you not root for a kid with that name?
The problems are going to come from the O-Line and defensive backfield.
Josh Heupel’s staff is moving many of last year’s linemen around, and the secondary lost a lot of talent in the offseason.
Both are problematic and will probably wind up being the reasons why this year’s orange & white winds up underwhelming Rocky Top Nation.
Here’s how I see the week-to-week breaking down.
WEEK 1 – Vs. VIRGINIA (at Nashville) – Heupel’s squad has done well in national spotlight games not held in Athens. Expect similar results against the Cavaliers. Vols start with a W, 28-13.
WEEK 2 – vs. AUSTIN PEAY – At this point of the season, I’m running out of witticisms for cupcake games. Just be confident in UT walloping AP bigly, we’ll say 49-9.
WEEK 3 – @ FLORIDA – Here’s where it gets ugly. Tennessee hasn’t won in The Swamp in 20 years. Make it 21 in a row for the Gators, 24-14.
WEEK 4 – vs. UTSA – See the Austin Peay comment. Another whuppin’ handed out by the orange & white, 45-13.
WEEK 5 – vs. SOUTH CAROLINA – I could see this one going either way to be honest, but I think Beamer Ball takes one in a high-scoring matchup. Vols fall in OT 41-38.
WEEK 6 – vs. TEXAS A&M – I have just as much faith in Beamer Ball as I do mistrust of horse-tranquilizer poster boy Jimbo Fisher. The much heralded breakthrough year for the Aggies takes a setback with a 31-21 Tennessee victory.
WEEK 7 – @ ALABAMA – I REALLY want to pick UT to make it two in a row against Saban here, but I just can’t. Check back with me after the Florida game & I may change my mind. Vols fall 35-17.
WEEK 8 – @ KENTUCKY – This is where the wheels really come off the season. Cats let ‘er rip at home and send Heupel and company back to Knoxville with a 38-13 embarrassment.
WEEK 9 – vs. UCONN – Nothing cures a two game losing streak quite like an AAC matchup. A much needed win for the Vols, 35-10.
WEEK 10 – @ MISSOURI – The midwestern Tigers put up a fight, but UT pulls it out, 24-17.
WEEK 11 – vs. GEORGIA – If I get two out of the four losses wrong and Rocky Top comes into this still in contention for second in the East, this might be a signature win for the Vols. I don’t think I will, though. The back-to-back champs take it easily 42-21.
WEEK 12 – vs. VANDERBILT – At least they end the year against Vandy, and Vandy is still Vandy. UT wraps up the season with another W, 35-18.
FINAL PREDICTION: 7-5, 4th place in SEC East.
Threepeat?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
How many Georgia fans remember the 1980 jokes?
Kirby Smart is entering his 8th season as the king of the bulldog nation. With an 81-15 overall record that includes 2-SEC Titles and 2- back-to-back National Titles.
Georgia currently is the premier football program in the country and the consensus preseason number one team in the country.
Years of consistent top 3 recruiting classes are paying off now for the program as UGA has become a major pipeline for the NFL.
Carson Beck has won the starting QB job and looks to have a breakout season. Beck has patiently waited his turn in the transfer portal era, and it should pay off for him.
The offensive line is the best in the country. The WR room is the best the program has ever seen, and then you have TE Brock Bowers who just may be the best player in the country.
The RB room is banged up and must get healthy by the South Carolina game on 9/16.
On defense, two words Kirby Smart. As long as Kirby is running things in Athens then UGA will be elite on defense.
Let’s look at the schedule with my predictions:
Sat, Sep 2 vs UT Martin: UGA a lot and UT Martin a little. 1-0
Sat, Sep 9 vs Ball State: Thanks SEC for canceling the Oklahoma game and making UGA scramble for a replacement. UGA 49-10. 2-0
Sat, Sep 16 vs South Carolina: UGA is the last team to beat UGA in Athens back in 2019. The country will be hyping Carolina in this one, but UGA will look like a national champion contender in this contest and win 35-17 to go to 3-0.
Sat, Sep 23 vs UAB: UGA tunes up for Auburn 42-17 to go to 4-0 on the season.
Sat, Sep 30 @ Auburn: Auburn has rebuilt their roster in 2023 through the transfer portal. I have already seen the pundits attempting to call for an upset here. Hugh Freeze will be a problem for UGA while he is at Auburn. He is already turning Auburn around on the recruiting trail. UGA’s next trip to Auburn in 2025 will be a monster game, but Auburn is not there yet in 2023. UGA wins 31-17 to go to 5-0.
Sat, Oct 7 vs Kentucky: UK has won once in Athens in 45 years, and they play annually. Not happening. UGA 27-14 to go to 6-0.
Sat, Oct 14 @ Vanderbilt: Last two years combined score is UGA 117-0. 7-0 going into the bye week.
Sat, Oct 28* @ Florida: Florida is another school that is in rebuild mode. Billy Napier has a top five recruiting class in the works for 2024. Florida will be a lot better on defense, but offensively the Gators aren’t there yet. UGA goes to 8-0 with a 35-21 win over Florida. I’ll be in Jacksonville for the festivities.
Sat, Nov 4 vs Missouri: I’m putting UGA on upset alert here. Mizzou is sandwiched in a tough back end of the schedule for UGA. I’m worried about this one as Missouri could be a top 3 team in the SEC East. UGA wis 24-20 to go to 9-0.
Sat, Nov 11 vs (22) Ole Miss: Lane coming to Athens will have Kirby’s full attention. UGA wins 42-24 to go to 10-0 on the season.
Sat, Nov 18 @ (12) Tennessee: Ok Tennessee you have been beating your gums all off season about this contest. Joe Milton is the most hyped QB in the country. Vol fans conveniently forget that Milton was the starter two years ago and lost his job to Hendon Hooker. I’m not buying the hype and Tennessee is not better than UGA on both lines of scrimmage. UT has been horrible in the secondary as well. Statement game for UGA as they beat Tennessee 34-20 to go to 11-0.
Sat, Nov 25 @ Georgia Tech: UGA has not lost in Atlanta since 1999 and will not in 2023. UGA wins 45-24. 12-0.
Regular season 12-0 and favored to win SEC and National title for the 3rd consecutive year in the playoff era. Enjoy the mountain top UGA fans.
