SEC
You Favorite SEC Team Is What Tom Petty Song?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I can vividly remember the first time I heard “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”. I was in 8th grade, sitting in the back of an activity bus with a group of friends, on a field trip to see a play of “To Kill A Mockingbird”.
As we were approaching our destination, one of my buddies lent me his Walkman so I could listen to a song I didn’t know, from a group I had never heard before. I was hooked, immediately.
At some point over the following days I bought Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits album, starting a one sided love affair that is still going strong, 25 years after that initial listen.
In honor of the late musician, here is my take on each SEC team’s season so far, in Tom’s own words.
SEC To Dominate NFL Draft
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I put about as much stock in mock drafts as I do in preseason rankings. They’re great to talk about and they do happen to give you at least a sense of what may take place on draft night, but there are way too many variables that could alter the outcome.
ACC Is Better Than SEC
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start by saying I picked North Carolina to cut down the nets this past Monday night and I have the SSE article from a couple of weeks ago to prove it.
I have been mulling this article over on my mind for a few weeks now. Folks that know me know that I am a die-hard SEC supporter and I make no bones about it.
So, take notice when I type this this next sentence. The ACC is better right now than the SEC. Yes, I said it. Now that I have that out of the way here is why.
SEC Odds
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While spring practice is going on all over the college football world, The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas released their odds to reach the Southeastern Conference championship game.
It is really a mystery as to how they handicap a league even before an entire recruiting class, however Vegas wasn’t built on winners so it often pays to heed their prognostications.
SEC Tournament Preview
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the most anticipated weekends of the college basketball season has arrived, and that is the conference tournament weekend.
The stakes are high for everyone as every conference’s automatic national tournament bid is on the line. So, a team can have a poor regular season, get hot for one weekend, and will be invited to the Big Dance.
Locally, most eyes will be on the Southeastern Conference tournament being played in Nashville. Let’s take a look at who are the favorites to cut down the nets, who may be a dark horse, and who has no chance to win the tourney.
SEC basketball practically starts and ends with the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky has 47 conference titles; for comparison’s sake combine the next eight teams to have won the most conference titles and the total is…are you ready? 47.
Coach Calipari appears to have this year’s crop of freshmen peaking at the right time. The Cats are led by shooting guard Malik Monk and big man Bam Adebayo. However, keep an eye on sophomore Isaiah Briscoe, Briscoe seems to be the glue that keep the team together and focused on the floor.
If there is a team that can take down the Wildcats, it very well could be the Florida Gators. The Gators have had a bit of a resurgence under second year coach Mike White.
Coach White has maximized his roster, and gotten strong seasons from KeVaughn Allen and Charleston graduate transfer Canyon Barry, son of former NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
What may hurt Florida will be the loss of John Egbunu to injury. The Gators have had a dozen or so games to adjust to life without the big man, and may be the only team with enough firepower to knock off the Cats.
Surprisingly, the Vanderbilt Commodores are in the category of favorites heading into conference tournament play. The ‘Dores’ record is not stellar, but it is the strength of schedule that is virtually assuring them of a national tournament invite.
Vandy, under first year head coach, Bryce Drew, has really hit their stride, winning five of their last six. Led by sharp shooting big man, Luke Kornet, look for Vanderbilt to have the second most fan support given that they are playing in their home city of Nashville, but no school will be represented more than Kentucky.
Looking to play spoiler this weekend will be the Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia coach Mark Fox had multiple reports that Georgia was inquiring with other coaches about their interest in the basketball job in Athens.
Apparently, the reports were erroneous or at least premature, as the UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity quickly dispelled any rumors.
On the court, the Bulldogs will be getting one of the best big men in the conference back from injury in Yante Maten. If JJ Frazier can continue his hot play, and Maten can provide scoring down low, the Dawgs may be able to play their way back into the national tournament.
Teams that don’t have much of a chance this weekend, despite solid records, Arkansas and South Carolina.
First, Arkansas, the Razorbacks have a shiny record of 23-8, but it is fool’s gold. The Hogs best win is over Mount Saint Marys; a really good team but not elite.
South Carolina, under Frank Martin are following an eerily similar pattern to last season. The Gamecocks have started out looking like a lock, but just completely fall apart down the stretch.
The Cocks are a really scrappy bunch, play tough defense, and even have likely conference player of the year in Sindarius Thornwell, but it won’t be enough to bring home the SEC title.
When it is all said and done, look for the Kentucky Wildcats to bring yet another trophy home to the Blue Grass state. It’s just what they do.
National Championship Preview – Alabama vs Clemson
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In my 2016 Clemson preview I predicted the Clemson Tigers to go 15-0 and win the National Championship. I said this would be the best Clemson team I have ever seen. I still stand by that. I messed up and did not see the Pitt loss late in the season so the Tigers stand at 13-1 after a 31-0 thrashing of another overrated Big 10 playoff team called the Ohio State Buckeyes; who the national media anointed as the championship game opponent for Alabama.
Why is Clemson an elite program right now? It starts with Deshaun Watson who should have won the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman has lost its luster to me anyway so no big deal if you watched the Heisman winner against LSU in his bowl game.
The Clemson offense is the best in all of college football. Watson is the trigger man who torched an awesome Alabama defense in the title game just one year ago. And coming off a torching of a highly touted OSU defense.
Watson is primed again to have a big night against an Alabama defense that has an awesome front seven but to me not as good in the back of that defense as they were in 2015.
Then you have the gold standard of college football and they are the Alabama Crimson Tide with Nick Saban, who is the best coach in all of football. Yes, I said all of football.
Jalen Hurts has taken the country by storm in 2015 and Bo Scarborough looks like another future NFL running back. That defense has 50 sacks and I love the way Reuben Foster attacks a ball carrier.
Alabama played around with Washington even with Lane Kiffin calling a silly offensive game plan. Kiffin finally got on Saban’s last nerve and was relieved of his duties after that game. Now Steve Sarkisian is front and center and if the Tide gets beat you can probably expect the media to toss Sark under the proverbial bus.
I expect this game to turn into another shootout like last year. Jonathan Allen and the Tide defense is a special unit, but when you look at the fire power on Clemson’s offense you see Watson, Gallman, and Williams who missed the championship game last year you wonder if a NFL defense could stop this offense.
I think both teams come out and light each other up all night long on offense. The storylines leading up the game will be:
Nick Saban and his quest to tie Bear Bryant with six national titles in the poll era. The sudden Lane Kiffin departure. Can Watson lead Clemson to the title? The great Clemson Offense vs the great Alabama Defense. The media discussing whether the playoff selection format needs to be tweaked.
I may get hammered for saying this being the SEC loyalist that I am, but I think from top to bottom the ACC has been the best conference in America this year.
Outside of Alabama the SEC has been down. Alabama hung 54 on Florida in the SEC Title game, Auburn and UGA with 5 defeats, Tennessee the preseason media darling with 4 losses, LSU fired Les Miles and went 8-4.
Alabama is Alabama but is the SEC as good as it has been?
I think Clemson wins this football game 38-35. Alabama’s old nemesis rears its ugly head and that is field goal kicking as the Tide misses one from about 40 yards to send it to overtime.
Clemson is your 2016 National Champion, and Deshaun Watson goes down as the greatest player in Clemson football history regardless of the outcome.
SEC Bowling
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For anyone who is not a fan of SEC football, this year has been pretty satisfying.
People have been coming from all over the place to pile on the misfortunes of college football’s most prominent league. That doesn’t mean the SEC won’t have a chance to get the last laugh though, and shut up all those critics with a successful bowl season. The question is whether or not they’ll be able to do it.
Miami, OH. vs. Mississippi State: Why are the Bulldogs even allowed to play in this game? I mean, technically I know why they’re playing, but has there ever been a more defining moment for “everybody gets a trophy” than MSU making a bowl game. They’re probably the better team, but out of sheer principle I can’t pick them to win. Bowl Record Prediction: 0-1.
NC State vs. Vanderbilt: Living in North Carolina you become familiar with NC State’s ability to be their own worst enemy, because for some reason they just aren’t allowed to have nice things. I think Vanderbilt is much better than their record shows, especially with the way they’ve been playing of late. Also, I think the Commodores are just the better team. BRP: 1-1.
Texas A&M vs. Kansas State: A month ago I would’ve gone with A&M and not thought twice about it. Now, not so much. To be honest, I haven’t really paid much attention to Kansas State this year, but I trust Bill Snyder more than Kevin Sumlin. BRP: 1-2.
Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech: I’m going with Virginia Tech on this one, but I feel about comfortable with that as I do anytime I choose a new Chinese restaurant to visit. BRP: 1-3.
Georgia vs. TCU: This game will closer than what I assume most people probably think. It’s been a rough year for the Athens faithful, but a win here will help salvage a rather unforgettable season. BRP: 2-3.
Nebraska vs. Tennessee: This is more or less a de facto home game for the Vols. They’d better hope it treats them like that since 3 of their 4 losses this year were on the road. I don’t know which Vols team will show up, but I’m going to guess the one that does will be good enough to win. BRP: 3-3.
LSU vs. Louisville: I’ll be flipping back and forth between watching the game when Louisville’s Off./LSU’s Def. are on the field and watching the new season of Fuller House when their counterparts are playing. Heisman winning QB’s seem to struggle after winning and LSU players love playing for Orgeron. I want the Cardinals to win, but I’m going with LSU. I hope I’m wrong. BRP: 4-3
Auburn vs. Oklahoma: I have a feeling this one isn’t going to be all that close. Auburn has been much better than I thought they’d be when the season started and I have a lot of respect for what that coaching staff has done, but Oklahoma is too talented to lose…. Wait, you mean Bob Stoops is still the Sooners coach? Nevermind, I’ll take the Tigers. BRP: 5-3.
Alabama vs. Washington: Alabama wins this one going away (BRP: 6-3), with a similar result in the National Championship game. BRP: 7-3.
If the SEC is able to finish their bowl games with a 7-3 record, it would difficult to be too critical of the conference and their season as a whole, especially if Alabama wins it all.
Unfortunately for SEC fans, considering how my predictions have gone this year, I wouldn’t count on any of it happening.
Future of College Football Playoff
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re in year three of the College Football Playoffs and the four teams were announced to play for the National Title. I don’t have a problem with the teams that were picked but it made me stop and think about the selection process.
Some analysts point to Washington (12-1) and say a team with two loses like Penn State or Michigan is more deserving because they played a tougher non-conference schedule. I disagree but I think things should be more uniformed across college football to leave everyone with an equal playing field.
The first major change should require all Power 5 conferences to play an equal amount of conference games. For instance, the Pac 12, Big Ten and Big 12 all play nine conference games. Two leagues with fourteen members, the ACC and SEC play eight conference games. It was proposed two years ago that the SEC might add an additional conference game and it was overwhelmingly shot down.
“This has been a thoughtful and deliberative process that has resulted in maintaining the current format and adds a provision that will bolster our collective annual non-conference schedule,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. “Critical to maintaining this format is the non-conference opponent factor which gives us the added strength-of-schedule we were seeking while allowing continued scheduling flexibility for institutional preferences, and acknowledges that many of our institutions already play these opponents.”
That’s a very interesting comment because what actually happens is a lot of teams backload their schedule with a cupcake opponent. Half of the league did that in the second to last week of the season. Several played FCS opponents: Alabama played Chattanooga, Auburn played Alabama A&M, South Carolina played Western Carolina and Kentucky played Austin Peay. Some played weak FBS opponents, for instance Georgia played Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas A&M played Texas-San Antonio. These are all basically glorified scrimmages before the season finale.
I also think since there are only four playoff spots we should rethink having five major conferences since they don’t all play by the same rules. I think the Big 12 should not be considered a Power conference anymore. They are the only conference that does not play a conference championship game since the league has had less than the required twelve teams after the 2010 season.
I think they enjoy not having to play the conference championship game for a couple of reasons. The first thing is since they only have ten teams they divide revenue amongst those universities. If they add members that will decrease the amount of money each school receives.
It’s also easier for a team to play one less game and stay in the hunt for a national championship. They have had a few teams in contention for the national title until they lost the Big 12 championship. In 1996 No. 3 Nebraska (10-1) lost to Texas. In 1998 No. 2 Kansas State (11-0) lost to Texas A&M and in 2003 No. 1 Oklahoma (12-0) got blown out by Kansas State.
I think they have been taking the easy way out by not expanding and they should be punished for that. Maybe the American Athletic Conference should become a Power 5 conference to replace them.
Is Alabama Good For SEC?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When my wife and I moved to Brunswick a little over 13 years ago, I assume that like most people new to town, we drove right by Willie’s Weenie Wagon, snickered at the name, and didn’t think anything more about it.
Needless to say, we quickly learned from the error of our ways, and weekly visits to Willie’s became the norm. We moved away from Glynn Co. 10 years ago, yet anytime we vacation in Florida we always tend to plan our driving schedule around eating at Willie’s.
The only drawback I’ve encountered with this strategy is that because I’m such a big fan of the pork chop sandwich, it almost renders the rest of the menu obsolete, since it’s the only thing I order. Unless I’m in the mood for a pork chop sandwich, I don’t go to Willie’s.
I know this is an odd segue into my story, but I mention this because over the past few weeks I’ve started to wonder if Alabama’s success since Nick Saban has actually been a problem for the SEC as a whole?
I know that sounds like a weird thing to say: having the most dominant team in college football may actually be a hindrance to your conference overall, but just hear me out.
The lifeblood of any collegiate football program is obviously recruiting. It’s much easier to win as an average coach if you are surrounded by talent than it is to be a great coach with little talent around you. Between 2000-2010 there were eight different teams that held the number one recruiting class during that span. In the six recruiting classes since then there has been only one; Alabama.
Nick Saban is on such a roll that at this point he can basically hand pick certainly any defensive player he wants, and probably just about any offense player too, short of the quarterback.
The talent that used to be spread throughout the conference, or to at least three or four different teams each year, is now landing primarily in one area. It’s not a coincidence that the level of talent, and frankly the play, across the conference has been on the decline while the Tide are on track to win their fourth national championship in six years.
Plus, and let’s just be honest with each other here, as long as that list is of things I don’t like about Saban, there isn’t a better coach in the country
It goes without saying that the SEC still has a lot of incoming talent that doesn’t wind up in Tuscaloosa, so please don’t think I’m comparing them to MAC or anything. Every year there are always a few other SEC teams bringing in huge classes, it’s just that the names of those teams change from year to year, and that’s the problem I’m talking about.
When you have one team dominate the talent pool like Alabama has been doing this entire decade, you’re going to see the rest of the conference suffer.
This type of separation usually doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s really only taken shape in the SEC over the past few years, but you can see where it’s trending. If Alabama continues their reign don’t be surprised if the SEC starts to resemble the old ACC (one strong team surrounded by mediocrity).
Oh, by the way, did you know the ACC has a winning record against SEC competition over past three years. I’m just saying…..
Now, who is up for a pork chop sandwich? I’m hungry.
Which Band Does Your SEC Coach Compare To?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been a disaster of a year for the SEC. Instead of piling on and writing about how most of the teams have underachieved, or how Joe Alleva screwed up the Orgeron hire, I want to do something a little more light hearted.
Hopefully bring some overdue joy to what has been an otherwise unwelcoming football season for SEC fans.
ESPN recently released a list of all the college coaches along with their favorite bands. Sure, it’s not hard hitting journalism by any stretch, but if you’ve read anything I’ve written over the past two years (and my affinity for anything pop culture) you had to know I was going to be piggybacking off that article.
So, here’s how it’s going to go. Obviously, I’m just going to focus on the SEC coaches, and instead of talking about what band they chose, I’ll assign a group/artist that I think they are most like. In order not to stray too far, I’ll attempt to stay within the same genre.
In alphabetical order, according to school:
Nick Saban. ESPN: Eagles. JJ: Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin is not only considered one of the greatest bands of all time, but their music was in your face and unapologetic, especially whenever they played live. Sound familiar?
Bret Bielema. ESPN: The Temptations. JJ: The Dramatics. Neither are bad, but both are easily forgotten compared to their peers.
Gus Malzahn. ESPN: The Cars. JJ: Maroon 5. I didn’t think either would still be relevant going into 2017.
Jim McElwain. ESPN: Earth, Wind, and Fire. JJ: Earth, Wind, and Fire. McElwain could master all three and Florida fans still wouldn’t care unless he mastered an SEC Championship too.
Kirby Smart. ESPN: The Rolling Stones. JJ: Slash’s Snakepit. Slash left one of the biggest bands in the world and formed the Snakepit. I don’t need to explain the similarities, right?
Mark Stoops. ESPN: Toby Keith. JJ: Sam Hunt. I don’t listen to Sam Hunt and I don’t watch Kentucky football.
Ed Orgeron. ESPN: Creedence Clearwater Revival. JJ: CCR. There’s nothing wrong with Creedence, but much like Orgeron, I have to believe that people in the bayou think much more highly of them than anywhere else in the country.
Dan Mullen. ESPN: U2. JJ: Dan Wilson. If you listened to music at all in the 90’s you had to have heard Semisonic’s “Closing Time”. Wilson was the lead singer of Semisonic. He’s had some minor hits as a solo artist, and has written songs for other groups (Dixie Chicks), but nothing has been as big as that late 90’s song. 2014 is Dan Mullen’s “Closing Time.”
Barry Odom. ESPN: Blake Shelton. JJ: Jason Aldean. Basically, they look like they could be brothers.
Hugh Freeze. ESPN: Chris Tomlin. JJ: Chris Tomlin. Considering the NCAA sanctions Ole Miss may face, Freeze needs to get as close with God as possible.
Will Muschamp. ESPN: George Strait. JJ: Taylor Swift. I’m juvenile and I think it’s funny.
