Divisions gonna be gone after over 30 years... (SEC Preview thread 2023)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

South Carolina

Preview segment: The South Carolina Gamecocks

Last season: They lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. They got handled by Georgia and Florida. And despite that, 2022 STILL cam out wonderfully for South Carolina. I mean in the month of November, Spencer Rattler ruined the playoff dreams of TWO of their biggest rivals: Tennessee and Clemson. And they got a big uptick in recruiting because of it!

Bad news: Let's hope some of those new players can help out right away, because the Gamecocks has 3 major areas of concern. They are running-back (they have 4 guys there, but none of them inspire confidence), linebacker (key players suffered injuries last year), and the D-line (will they FINALLY shore up the run defense?!).

Good news: QB Spencer Rattler returned to Columbia for his senior year in order to improve his NFL Draft stock. Smart. And he'll have the top WR in the SEC (Antwane Wells Jr.) to throw to. The secondary is also young, but it features two proud young safeties.

2023 X-factor: New offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains- Marcus Satterfield has left to go to Nebraska, so in comes Dowell. He has fit in with Shane Beamer's system well during the spring, but can he put it together during the season?

Key games:
9/2 vs. North Carolina [from Charlotte] (So we have a QB duel between Spencer Rattler and Drake Maye... that ABC will put on primetime on September 2nd. ABC is a smart network.)
9/23 vs. Mississippi State (This game is sandwiched in-between the Georgia and Tennessee games. Georgia is loaded again. Tennessee is angry at SC for last year's loss. So this game with Miss. State is a "must-win" for the Gamecocks.)
10/14 vs. Florida (South Carolina has a bye week to prep for their latest fight with the Gators. So I'm expecting SC to win this one.)
11/25 vs. Clemson (The November slate is a LOT easier than it was last year. And sure, Clemson will be wanting revenge on the Gamecocks, but at least this year SC will be hosting the Tigers.)

Bottom line: This is another one of my mom's favorite teams, so she'll be waiting to see how far coach Shane Beamer will take the team in 2023. But if I was her, I'd hope that the team can patch up those weak spots of theirs, because the early schedule is brutal. If South Carolina finishes in the AP Top 25 this year, they would have EARNED it.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Mississippi

The last preview segment for the SEC: The Ole Miss Rebels

Last season: A bit of a disappointment. Yes, Ole Miss started out 7-0. But come on! That easy early schedule they had? It was way too easy; EVERYONE in Oxford expected the team to start 7-0. It was gonna be the last 5 games that would tell the tale of the 2022 season.
That last part started out OK; they beat Texas A&M and gave Alabama a scare. But then, POOF! Ole Miss dropped their last 3 games including the Texas Bowl, and now everyone is wondering what the Rebels will do in 2023.

Good news: There might be 3 quarterbacks in the room right now, but at least Jaxson Dart made great strides forward during the spring; maybe the QB competition will be a good thing. Running the ball will be no problem for the Rebels; Quinshon Judkins wowed everyone during his freshmen year.

Bad news: Stopping the run will be a major focal point for Ole Miss during the year; let's hope that the new defensive coordinator (Pete Golding from Alabama) gets it going quick. Ole Miss replenished their wide-receiver group through the transfer portal, but who will step up and be a top target?

Key games:
9/9 @ Tulane (This is very interesting... Ole Miss will go to visit a former teammate from the olden days of the SEC. And Tulane is coming off a Cotton Bowl win a season ago.)
9/23 @ Alabama (Uh oh! Ole Miss's conference opener is at Alabama? The same school that Lane Kiffin almost stunned last year?)
9/30 vs. LSU (And Ole Miss has to face LSU immediately afterwards?! One thing's for sure, the Rebels are not gonna get the free ride they got at the beginning of 2022.)
11/11 @ Georgia (The good news is, Ole Miss defeated Georgia the last time they met. The bad news is, Georgia football is MUCH healthier than it was in 2016.)
11/23 @ Mississippi State (Even the "Egg Bowl" could be scary for the Rebels this year. Why? One, Miss. State defeated them last year in Oxford. And two, it could be really emotional in Starkville for this game.)

Bottom line: Ole Miss is hoping that they can have an overall better season than they had a year ago. In terms of team personnel, they can do that; the problems they have are minor in nature. But that schedule is easily the biggest hang-up; Lane Kiffin and crew must go to Tuscaloosa. They'll face rival LSU right afterwards. Auburn wants revenge on them. Ditto for Texas A&M. The "Egg Bowl" will be an emotional roller-coaster. And for good measure, let's throw in a trip to Georgia!
I see Ole Miss winning at least 8 games in 2023. If they get 9 wins or more, Lane Kiffin will have my everlasting respect.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

SEC Predictions

And now for the moment that SEC fans have been waiting for on this thread. No, it's not my SEC predictions. It's them yelling at me about my SEC predictions. So let's get to it!

SEC East:
1. Georgia (Conference champs, maybe playoff)
2. Tennessee
3. South Carolina
4. Florida
5. Kentucky
6. Missouri
7. Vanderbilt

SEC West:
1. Alabama ("New Year's Six" bowl, maybe playoff)
2. LSU ("New Year's Six" bowl, maybe playoff)
3. Ole Miss
4. Texas A&M
5. Auburn
6. Arkansas
7. Mississippi State

Take a good long look at these divisions, guys, because this may be the last time you ever see them. ...Anyway, my PAC-12 preview thread will begin tomorrow!

 

[Gohogs14]

Arkansas

Preview segment: The Arkansas Razorbacks

Last season: Okay, so they won a thriller over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl. But overall, 2022 was a disappointing year for Arkansas as they went 3-5 in the SEC and 6-6 in the regular season. I blame that shitty defense of theirs!

Good news: So we're getting one more year of K.J. Jefferson as the Razorbacks' top QB. The running game looks to be on solid ground, and depth at defensive-end looks good.

Bad news: Much like Tennessee, Arkansas' biggest worry is in their secondary; it got gashed over and over and OVER again last year, and it didn't look that much better during spring ball. Arkansas also lost their top 4 receivers from last year's team, so which one of the new guys will step up?

Key games:
9/23 @ LSU (Despite their defense doing their best job of the season, Arkansas STILL lost to LSU last year! The Razorbacks should be 3-0 entering this HUGE SEC opener.)
9/30 vs. Texas A&M [from Arlington] (You know, had they gotten a few more breaks, Arkansas would have beaten A&M last year.)
10/21 vs. Mississippi State (After hard trips to Ole Miss and Alabama, hosting Miss. State will be a welcome sight for the Razorbacks.)
11/25 vs. Missouri (You know... Ever since Missouri told Arkansas "Hey! Let's be rivals!", the Tigers have beaten them 7 out of the last 9 years. Hopefully, the Razorbacks will reverse this trend.)

Bottom line: Hmmm... This will be a tough team to forecast. True, K.J. Jefferson is back for one more year and the coaching staff sounds confident. But Arkansas only returns 9 total starters from last year, and the defense might drag them down again. The Razorbacks might be doomed to a middle-of-the-road finish in the SEC once again.

It's going to be important that the new transfers in Arkansas' secondary live up to their billing. Getting two starters from Baylor and a 5* from Georgia should be an upgrade on paper (really no where else to go but up).

I will say it seems like Ole Miss is getting the benefit of the doubt more than Arkansas despite similar situations. Both return their QB and RB but Jefferson > Dart and neither defense was any good last year. I guess Kiffin being a sexier name will do that with preseason predictions.