Bishop Media Sports Network
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.
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show w Jeff Herron August 29
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.
Fear The Spear
By: Garrison Ryfun
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Excitement is in the air in Tallahassee, Florida.
For the first time since 2017, Florida State is ranked in the preseason top ten.
Everything seems to be coming together for the Seminoles to have the breakout season they want to have in 2023.
It helps that Florida State has 87% of its production returning, #1 in the country according to ESPN.
It also helps that FSU brought in some highly coveted transfers to plug in holes, the #6 Transfer class in the country according to 247Sports.
How does this Florida State team perform in 2023? Let’s take a closer look at each phase of the game.
Offense: This should be the strength of this team that is returning starters like Jordan Travis, Johnny Wilson, and Trey Benson.
Last season Jordan Travis went 226/353 (64%) for 3214 yards 24 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. One of the biggest improvements season over season that I have ever seen at quarterback.
Trey Benson and Johnny Wilson both had breakout seasons after transferring to FSU.
Trey Benson, transferring in from Oregon, carried the ball 154 times for 990 yards and 9 TDs. Johnny Wilson, standing at 6’7″ 237lbs, had 43 catches for 897 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Both had adversity to overcome. Benson had a bad knee injury while at Oregon and Johnny Wilson had major drop issues while at Arizona State. Benson and Wilson, who defenses had issues stopping last year, are now going to be paired alongside even more weapons in 2023.
Enter Jaheim Bell, Keon Coleman, and Winston Wright.
Jaheim Bell, from Valdosta, transfers in from South Carolina and brings elite athleticism and tons of versatility to the FSU offense. Bell not only played tight end at South Carolina, but he was also deployed at running back last season after some injuries piled up.
Keon Coleman, transferring from Michigan State, had 58 catches for 798 yards and 7 touchdowns. Standing at 6’4, Coleman provides another long target for Jordan Travis to throw to and has really turned heads this fall camp.
Winston Wright is more your prototypical slot receiver, who sadly broke his leg last offseason in a car accident that was not his fault. Will he be back to his pre-injury self in 2023? If so, defenses will have a tough time guarding.
The offensive line should be the deepest it has been since 2013/2014 for Florida State, with at least eight guys still battling for starting spots right now: Jeremiah Byers, Bless Harris, Robert Scott, Maurice Smith, D’Mitri Emmanuel, Casey Roddick, Keiondre Jones, and Darius Washington. Some combo of those names will be the starting five.
I expect Florida State to have a top five offense when it is all said and done.
Defense: The defensive line will be the most talented group on this defense. The starting four of Jared Verse, Fabien Lovett, Braden Fiske, and Patrick Payton will give nightmares to opposing quarterbacks.
Jared Verse may be the best recruiting job Mike Norvell did in 2022, getting a guy who would have been drafted to come back and continue his development speaks volumes for this program.
The linebacker tandem of Tatum Bethune and Kalen Deloach is the most solid set of starters FSU has had in a long time, though the depth behind them is almost nonexistent.
DJ Lundy will be the next man up at the linebacker position and is also the starting fullback when FSU uses one on offense.
The defensive back room, now coached by Patrick Surtain, has not been publicly solidified starter-wise, but there are plenty of impressive options that FSU has to choose from. At cornerback, one starter will likely be All-ACC selection Fentrell Cypress who transferred in from Virginia.
Others fighting for spots at the other corner spot and nickel position are Renardo Green, Azareye’h Thomas, Jarrian Jones, and Greedy Vance Jr.
At the safety position returning starter Akeem Dent comes back while Shyheim Brown and Kevin Knowles battle for playing time at the other safety spot, and they will both likely play a lot this season.
I expect this defense to once again improve year over year under defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.
Special Teams: After struggling with kicking the last few years, FSU has a kicking competition going between Ryan Fitzgerald, from Colquitt County, and transfer Tyler Keltner. If the Seminoles want to win big this year they need a consistent kicker.
Punter Alex Mastromanno returns for his final season averaging 42.7 yards per punt in his career.
Conclusion: I am projecting FSU to go 11-1, with a loss to Clemson, in the new division-less ACC putting up big numbers on offense and setting up a pivotal ACC Championship game this December.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch August 25
On The Plains
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, let’s get right to the Grits…….The Auburn Tigers stunk it up last year.
Only a 13-10 win over a woefully underachieving Texas A&M team kept them out of the cellar of the SEC West.
They came limping into the 2022 season after a bowl loss the previous December to HOUSTON…..yes HOUSTON.
Head coach Bryan Harsin needed to make it happen. It didn’t and he was soon long gone. The powers that be in the loveliest village on the plain have routinely had issues getting the coaching staff act together.
And that includes the fat cat alumni, who, while well intentioned, contributed to the coaching carousel that has been Auburn football lately. The record proves it.
Hopefully, a seasoned and revitalized Hugh Freeze can give the Tigers stability. Hugh needs time to get things into place. The Auburn family need to think progress, progress, and progress. Tiny steps in the right direction every day. It can be done. Let’s look at the first baby steps.
The roster at the end of the 2022 season was subpar to SEC standards and it showed.
Sure, Auburn had some very good players but overall the gap between the Alabamas, Georgias, and LSUs was widening.
In steps Hugh Freeze, who is no stranger to the ins and outs of SEC recruiting and the transfer portal, was able to bring in a top 20 rated recruiting class and maybe just as important a top 10 rated transfer portal group. The man means business and it showed immediately. Baby steps, baby step.
Next, Freeze brought in Phillip Montgomery to OC the offense and Ron Roberts as the DC but KEPT Cadillac Williams as Associate Head coach and running backs coach.
Cadillac served as the interim head coach at the end of 2022 and he is loved on the Plains. Keeping him was key. No one loves their school more than the Cadillac and the Auburn fan base knows it. He rallied the team and the town when they were at the lowest point last season.
Freeze knows how to turn a program into a winner. He’s done it before and can surely do it at Auburn. Give him a couple of years and he will close the gap with the big boys. He’s that good of a coach. Just keep your nose clean Coach and the sky is the limit.
So, let’s look at what’s happening in the ‘here and now’ with this group of Tigers starting with the offense.
Auburn brings back 2 starters from an offense that ranked near the bottom of the SEC with a 24.8 PPG.
One of those starters is Robby Ashford, who may or may not start under center against Massachusetts.
He was 123-250 for 1613 YDS and 7 TDS and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 710 YDS and 7 TDS. Compare those statistics with most of the SEC QBS and its easy to understand a 5-7 record.
My money is on Payton Thorne, the former starter at Michigan State who transferred in. He gives the Tigers a true arm back there and while he’s not the RPO threat that Ashford is. He doesn’t need to be with the Auburn running back room in good shape.
That running back room is led by Jarquez Hunter who averaged 6.5 YPC last year. Looks like a play action duo with Thorne and Hunter to me.
And when the Auburn QB, whoever it is, pulls that ball out and wants to spin it, he will have some veteran wideouts to throw to in Camden Brown, Ja’Varrius Johnson, and Koy Moore.
Then line up portal TE Rivaldo Fairweather and hey, we got something here! This offense has all the tools with the skill positions to be much better this year.
The offensive line will be revamped and should be better. Kam Stutts returns at RG and veteran O-linemen Dillon Wade, Avery Jones, and Gunner Britton came over in that great portal class and should make this line SEC solid.
On the defensive side the Tigers have a ton of returning starters including Marcus Harris, Jayson Jones Jr., Cam Riley, Nehemiah Pritchett, D J James, Zion Puckett, Donovan Kaufman, and former Frederica Academy standout Jaylin Simpson.
The defensive line for the Tigers should be solid. And transfers Justin Rogers, Lawrence Johnson, and Mosiah Nasili-Kite should either start or add needed depth.
The backers need to help Riley out a little more. He was the one stud in the lineup for Auburn. He gets portal help and veteran assistance from 5 or 6 more backers. Once again Hugh Freeze stepped in and got the Tigers either starters or depth here.
The defensive backs should be one of the better units in the league. All 5 of the DBs have started at one time or the other. Pritchett and DJ James return at the corners while Kelonte Scott and Donovan Kaufman return at the STAR. Throw in Zion Puckett and St. Simon’s Jaylin Simpson at the safeties and it’s on.
This unit should play much better this year. With the returning starters and incoming talent there is no reason for the Tigers to give up 29.5 PPG. Ron Roberts has got some great pieces to the puzzle. He just got to put it together.
Special teams are just that at Jordan-Hare. They are always solid and this year should be no different. Alex McPherson was ranked as the best high school kicker in the country in 2021. His older brother is doing the kicking for the Bengals……..Cincinnati not LSU. Oscar Chapman returns to punt and had a 43.8 average last year.
And remember one more portal addition to the team in Brian Battle. The transfer is an electric return man.
The schedule is daunting as usual. Texas A&M, LSU, and Arkansas on the road. Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, at home.
And 0hhhh I almost forgot, the year-ender with Bama.
This is a transitional year for Auburn. Will they give Hugh Freeze the time needed to right the ship? I hope so. A great year would be 8 wins and a nice bowl.
It’s doable if some things fall into place. Do that and watch the recruiting and portal go nuclear for Hugh and the boys next year.
The guy is a good coach and has what it takes to bring back the Tigers. But it will take time and baby steps, baby steps.
WAR DAMN EAGLE!
Frederica Academy Knights Coach’s Show w Brandon Derrick August 23
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Garrett Grady August 23
