2013 SEC Preview

For the last seven years, the Southeastern Conference has produced the BCS National Champion, and in doing so has produced a massive following consisting of conference faithful, band wagon fans, and-possibly more so than either of the prior-a long list of fans who have come to hate the conference.

Love it or hate it, one can't argue with the SEC's dominance year in and year out. Each season, armchair quarterbacks and experts alike discuss whether the conference will produce another National Champion; and if so, which team it will be. For now, we'll look at the conference and try to determine each team's position by season's end. Of course, this is just one guy's projection and is open to interpretation or criticism, so feel free to argue any of these. Enjoy, and keep in mind this projection was compiled with respect to the casual fan.

East Division

1. Georgia Bulldogs-After an 11-2 run in 2012 and wrapping up as East Division champions, Georgia looks to continue dominating in the upcoming season. With much of its offense intact, particularly quarterback Aaron Murray and the running back tandem of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, the Dogs should have no trouble matching their output of 38 points per game from the previous season. Key conference games: South Carolina, LSU, Florida

2. South Carolina Gamecocks-The Old Ball Coach looks to keep the Gamecocks in contention in the East after an impressive 2012 campaign, with their only losses coming to Florida and LSU. South Carolina's defense will continue to strengthen throughout the season as sophomore defensive end Jadaveon Clowney looks to extend his path of destruction over opposing offenses, while quarterback Connor Shaw should settle in comfortably under center for another season. Key conference games: Georgia, Florida

3. Florida Gators-After an 11-1 season in which the Gators lone loss came at the hands of Georgia in a game many said the Gators lost themselves more than the Bulldogs won, coach Will Muschamp looks to keep his team in the mix on Eastern side of the conference. Quarterback Jeff Driskel looked shaky at times last season but should be more comfortable this season as the focal point of the offense, provided someone steps up at any of the skill positions to help. The defense will be young but has a chance to improve the pass rush and keep the line stacked against the run. Key conference games: LSU, Georgia, South Carolina

4. Vanderbilt Commodores-With 13 starters returning from an 8-4 team last season, the Commodores hope to continue on their gradual trend of improvement from one season to the next. Receiver Jordan Matthews will likely be quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels' go-to guy as Samuels settles in under center. Vanderbilt should at least match their 2012 performance and just might shock someone along the way. Key conference games: South Carolina, Florida, Georgia

5. Tennessee Volunteers-One of a few surprising coaching hires in the conference came at Tennessee with the announcement of Butch Jones taking the helm. Jones will look to tighten up his defensive line and hopefully give up significantly less than the 35.6 points per game the Volunteers conceded last season. Luckily for him, he has 12 returning starters; unfortunately none return to skill positions. Key conference games: Missouri, Vanderbilt, Kentucky

6. Kentucky Wildcats-The Wildcats have already made a few splashes before the season even begins, beginning with hiring new head coach Mark Stoops. Bringing in Stoops immediately paid off as Kentucky shocked everyone with a surprisingly good recruiting class so far. After a miserable 2-10 season, the Wildcats hope to move forward and continue surprising the country in 2013. Expect Kentucky to improve beyond 2012, but the recruiting class isn't likely to put Kentucky into any serious discussions for at least another year. Key conference games: Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina

7. Missouri Tigers-2012 probably didn't go anything like Coach Gary Pinkel expected in the Tigers' first season in the SEC. Missouri, once an offensive power in the Big 12, will continue to rebuild the program to compete against stronger defenses. Quarterback James Franklin returns for another season to lead the Tigers, along with 12 other starters, but the Tigers have a long way to go yet. Key conference games: Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

West Division

1. Alabama Crimson Tide-Finishing the regular season 12-0 and wrapping up another conference title in 2012, the Tide look to be on course to finish at the top of the SEC once again. With running back TJ Yeldon in the backfield with signal caller AJ McCarron and receiver Amari Cooper on the end among a whopping 14 starters, Alabama will reload again while almost everyone else seems to be rebuilding. With an easier schedule this season, the stars should be aligned for Bama to run the table all the way to Atlanta and avenge their lone loss to Texas A&M along the way. Key conference games: Texas A&M, LSU


2. Texas A&M Aggies-This is definitely a placement open for discussion. I struggled with the Aggies' placement in the West this season following an amazing 10-2 innaugural season in the conference last year. Coach Kevin Sumlin managed to keep his team intact for the most part with 11 returning starters including quarterback Johnny Manziel. The question is whether the Aggies can duplicate or improve upon their 2012 season with Manziel under the microscope for his every move. The pieces are present for another good run, the problem may lie in the chemistry of the team. Key conference games: Alabama, LSU, Arkansas

3. Arkansas Razorbacks-Yes, I believe Arkansas rebounds nicely this season. With the hiring of coach Bret Bielema, the Razorbacks are in prime position to shake up the West. His smashmouth style of play in the trenches and high powered offense and defense actually should fit in well within the conference. With a modest 11 starters returning, Bielema will have to replace several key positions, but should have no trouble improving on the Hogs' 4-8 season from a year ago. There will likely be growing pains the first few weeks, but Arkansas should rebound nicely and finish above .500 on the season. Key conference games: Texas A&M, Alabama

4. LSU Tigers-With 10 starters returning this season, coach Les Miles may have to refrain from his Mad Hatter ways and keep it simple. The Tigers finished 10-2 on the regular season in 2012, with some close calls in games that should have been a breeze for a team of LSU's caliber. Normally a stingy defense, the Tigers gave up alot of points, which could have foreshadowed the season to come in 2013. With so many key positions vacant, Miles faces an uphill battle in a rare rebuilding year. Pressure will be high on returning quarterback Zach Mettenberger and running back Jeremy Hill to carry the team. LSU should finish the season with a respectable record, but will likely be below expectations for a team that spent the last several years near the top of the conference. Key conference games: Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas

5. Auburn Tigers-The Gus Bus has returned to the Plains. The 2012 season had barely ended when Auburn announced they were moving on from coach Gene Chizik, and soon after, the announcement was made that former Auburn offensive coordinator and then-Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn had been hired. Malzahn will have 15 starters returning, but the question so far has been concerning quarterback. As yet, Malzahn has not named his starter at the position, which leaves many to wonder if the team will be able to adjust and run the hyper-speed offense Malzahn cherishes. After an abysmal 3-9 season in 2012, the Tigers really have nowhere to go but up, and should finish with a much more respectable record this year. Key conference games: Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, Alabama

6. Ole Miss Rebels-15 starters return this season as coach Hugh Freeze looks to continue moving up the ranks with his high tempo offense. The Rebels finished 6-6 last season and hope to improve, especially with dual threat quarterback Bo Wallace, running back Jeff Scott and wide receiver Donte Moncrief returning. Ole Miss has a chance to play spoiler to several teams with high aspirations in the conference, particularly LSU, after losing a heartbreaker to them at the end of the season 41-35. Key conference games: LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs-Head coach Dan Mullen may be running out of time to get the Bulldogs into title contention within the conference. After leaving Florida's offensive coordinator position under coach Urban Meyer, Mississippi State had high hopes for what Mullen could accomplish but his seat is most likely warming up. The Bulldogs started out 7-0 last season before running into a wall and finishing 8-4. Mullen has been consistent, but unfortunately that consistency rarely has the Bulldogs near the top of the pecking order in the West. Hail State has quarterback Tyler Russell and running back LaDarius Perkins returning among the 11 veterans on the team, but they probably need to have a great season before whispers begin about Mullen's job security. Key conference games: Ole Miss, LSU, Arkansas

The SEC is one of the most unpredictable conferences in the nation, and is next to impossible to predict from one week to the next, let alone an entire season. So take this preview with a grain of salt. But, above everything else, enjoy the upcoming season and remember we'll be here for the long haul to cover it for you.

- Kevin Hicks
@kevinhicks77
kevin.projectcfb@gmail.com

First Ever Project CFB Top Ten

We here at Project CFB have worked together to create the official Project CFB preseason top ten list. This is a list which is made up of several lists (more specifically a top ten list from each of us), averaged out to make one final preseason top ten.

In the coming days, we will reveal all ten teams in our top ten, starting obviously with #10 and working our way down to our preseason #1.

Today however, we will discuss a few of the teams who almost made the top ten. It was a close list. Here are our honorable mentions.

Michigan Wolverines

Led by junior quarterback Devin Gardner, the Wolverines will have its first season sans Denard Robinson as the starting quarterback since 2009.

Gardner is an accurate quarterback, who can also make plays with his feet. As long as veteran wide receivers Jeremy Gallon and Drew Dileo can step up and help Gardner out, Michigan's offense, which will finally be playing Al Borges' kind of football, could be amazing.

Of course Michigan's star linebacker Jake Ryan injured his ACL in the spring. The Wolverines will look for other defensive players, like Blake Countess, Courtney Avery and Desmond Morgan to step up and make the plays while Ryan is out.

Michigan has a couple tough road games this season, taking on the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing, as well as Penn State at Beaver Stadium. However they do have the luxury of playing Notre Dame, Nebraska and hated rival Ohio State at the Big House.

Florida Gators

Last year Florida's defense allowed only seven plays of 30 yards or more. Their defense will look to continue dominating in arguably the toughest conference in college football, while their offense gets things done on the other side of the ball.

Junior quarterback Jeff Driskel looks to lead the Gators to another pretty successful year of college football. Las season they went 11-2 (7-1 in SEC play), and they'd like nothing less then to make it to the SEC Championship Game, and come out victorious.

Sophomore running back Matt Jones will look to lend Driskel a helping hand, as well as junior Loucheiz Purifoy who plays wide receiver as well as cornerback.

Florida faces the Miami Hurricanes, LSU and South Carolina in away games while they take on teams like the Georgia Bulldogs and the FSU Seminoles in the Swamp.

LSU Tigers

Another SEC team, the Les Miles led LSU Tigers are led by senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger threw for 2,609 yards last season, as well as 12 touchdowns. However he did toss up seven interceptions.

LSU's new offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron is known to be a strong tutor for quarterbacks. Mettenberger looks to only get better under Cameron's tutelage.

Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr will look to step up and help make Mettenberger's job a little easier.

LSU's defense unfortunately will see a lot of new faces, however the defensive squad stepping up could h r more potential than the group that just left.

LSU faces of against TCU this year, as well as SEC opponents Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M.

All three of these teams could very well find their way into the top ten this season, however they just missed the cu in our first ever preseason top ten.

Make sure to check back tomorrow for the unveiling of our #10 ranked preseason team!

- Matt Lytle
@mattlytle
matt.projectcfb@gmail.com

Jackson's Top Five SEC Running Backs

1. TJ Yeldon, ALA

2. Todd Gurley, UGA

3. Jeremy Hill, LSU

4. Keith Marshall, UGA

5. LaDarius Perkins, MSU

This is a very young group of running backs. Four of the five are sophomores. And although this is a list that is only showing the top running backs for the SEC, I firmly believe that we will see a few of these names being consider for best running back this year, and possibly the Heisman.

TJ Yeldon impressed me day one. The way that he ran over Michigan last season was impressive. Some chalked it up to a poor defensive showing from the Wolverines, but TJ proved it wasn't a fluke by rushing for over 1,000 yards last season and 12 touchdowns.

Todd Gurley is the first of two Georgia running backs on this list. Both are sophomores, and both are rather impressive. Gurley rushed for over 1,300 yards last season, and punched the ball into the endzone 17 times.

LSU's Jeremy Hill breaks up the Georgia duo in the number three spot. Hill carried the ball last season 142 times for 755 yards and 12 touchdowns. He will look to do a lot more than that in 2013.

Our second Georgia Bulldog on the list comes in at number four. His name is Keith Marshall. Marshall didn't quite put up the stats that Todd Gurley did, but he still impressed with 759 yards on the ground as well as eight touchdowns. He had quite a battle with Todd Gurley, but I don't see why Georgia coach Mark Richt wouldn't use both quite often. Having this dynamic duo would definitely be something to take advantage of.

The oldest of the five comes it at number five. Mississippi State's LaDarius Perkins rushed the ball a little over 200 times totally 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. Perkins will look repeat a 1,000 season and hopefully put his Bulldogs in contention for an SEC Title.

We all know that the SEC is loaded with talent, and this list alone shows that they are stacked with talent just at the running back position. These guys will be very hard to stop. And the kicker is, many of them will be playing across from one another on many Saturdays this fall!

- Jackson McNamara

@jacksonmcnamara

jackson.projectcfb@gmail.com

Scout.com's Top Ten Recruiting Schools so Far...

It's only spring. It has only just begun to get warm outside. But our minds here are always turned to the great sport of college football. Here are the Top Ten Recruiting Schools according to Scout.com:

1. Texas A&M Aggies
2. Texas Longhorns
3. LSU Tigers
4. Florida Gators
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7. Miami Hurricanes
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Florida State Seminoles
10. USC Trojans

A few SEC teams up there in the rankings, which is something that would be expected, but I'm a little surprised to not see Alabama make the list, although the Crimson Tide is ranked 11th.

The team that I'm most interested in seeing that ranks in the Top Ten is the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols have had a few tough years to say the least. It'll be interesting to see if these new recruits can climb them up the ladder in the SEC.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#7 LSU Tigers at Arkansas Razorbacks Preview

Although LSU looks to be the odds on favorite to win this game, it's dangerous. I've always been a firm believer in, those teams that you're playing that you should beat soundly, have nothing to lose, therefore, they're more dangerous to you than an undefeated team.

Am I saying that Arkansas is going to upset the LSU Tigers this Saturday at Razorback Stadium? Not necessarily, but feel that if LSU comes into this game over confident, thinking it's a gimme game, thinking because Arkansas is ranked 4-7 that it's going to be easy, they could possibly be in trouble.

Arkansas hasn't had a great year. One of it's worst in quite a while. When John L. Smith took over as head coach of the Razorbacks, people weren't sure what to think. Now we can only assume that this is his one and only year as head coach there.

LSU QB Zack Mettenberger has thrown for 2,272 yards this season.

The key to this game is going to be LSU's junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. This season he has thrown for 2,272 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. If he can shred that Arkansas defense, who has only six interceptions all season long, LSU can easily win this game.

Arkansas' passing game isn't too bad either, passing for over 296 yards on average per game. But LSU's defense is only allowing an average of about 17 points per game.

It's definitely a tough matchup for Arkansas, but like I said, if LSU comes in over confident, and Arkansas takes advantage of that, watch out LSU, because you'll be falling out of the Top Ten.

I have LSU in this one. Winning rather easily.

LSU: 41
Arkansas: 21

- Jackson McNamara

@jacksonmcnamara

#21 Mississippi State Bulldogs at #7 LSU Tigers Preview

An intriguing matchup in the SEC. Mississippi State and LSU have the same overall record, as well as division record. Although division records really don't matter right now, as it seems Alabama has the SEC West all sewn up, but that's a different story.

MSU will be looking for a big game from Tyler Russell.

LSU has played well this year. Only losing two, one to Alabama, and another to Florida (in the Swamp). Mississippi State has played well also, losing their last two games, to Alabama (at Bama) and another to Texas A&M. MSU is going to be looking to end this losing streak, and get back to their winning ways. To do that, they're going to be looking for a big game from their junior quarterback Tyler Russell. Russell is 156/263 for 1,954 yards, 16 TDs, and only 3 interceptions.

One of Russell's biggest targets, is senior wide receiver Chad Bumphis. Bumphis leads the Bulldogs with 34 receptions, 536 yards, and 7 touchdowns. He needs to bring it Saturday night against this Tigers defense, who is only giving up an average of 15 points a game.

Mississippi State also has Ladarius Perkins in the backfield. Perkins has carried the ball 153 times for 804 yards and 8 touchdowns. Perkins is a good running back, but LSU has two very good running backs (who are also very young), in Jeremy Hill who is a freshman and Kenny Hilliard who is a sophomore. Both backs have over 70 carries for over 400 yards rushing, and six touchdowns. It's a duo that Mississippi State is going to have to key on, and stop. If they can't shut LSU's two stud running backs down, the Bulldogs very well could taste defeat for the third time in a row this season inside Tiger Stadium.

LSU's two stud HB's will be looking to run over the Bulldogs.

LSU's offense doesn't stop there. They also have a junior quarterback named Zach Mettenberger, who has thrown for over 1,700 yards and 8 touchdowns, although he has 4 interceptions, one more than Tyler Russell (with half as many touchdowns thrown as Russell). LSU also has a sophomore wide receiver by the name of Odell Beckham who is nearing 500 yards receiving, and has reeled in two touchdowns.

The big keys to this game, is Mississippi State's passing game, LSU's rushing game, and LSU's defense, who is ranked 13 higher in the nation than Mississippi State.

Both defenses are strong. Both offenses are strong. Just in very different ways. I think this one is going to be a very entertaining game folks. Look for Tyler Russell to be a big key in MSU's gameplan. Same goes for LSU's running back duo. I'd hate to have to make a pick in this game. It's going to be a good one in Tiger Stadium. Make sure to tune in to ESPN at 7:00 ET on Saturday night. If not, you could very well miss one of the best games of the year.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #5 LSU Tigers Preview

Not twelve months ago, the whole world saw one SEC team totally dismantle another on the biggest stage in all of college football.

On Saturday, November 3rd, Alabama will try to repeat the results of that historic night while LSU has a chance at redemption. The score was 21-0 as Alabama embarrassed LSU before 78,000+ fans. Having to recruit new talent in many of the same markets, LSU literally cannot afford to lose this game. In the South, SEC football is not just a game, it is a way of life, and should LSU get beat again, Les Miles is going to have a tough sell to the high school kid that is considering both schools. With a record of 7-1, a loss will drop them out of contention for the SEC West and will seal a spot in the SEC Championship game for Alabama. 

The match-ups between these two SEC West rivals have become legendary over the past couple of years. Always featuring two stout defenses, the games never lack drama or good hard-nosed football. The setting will be a tough one for Alabama as they travel to Baton Rouge, which is historically a very tough place to play. Add in just over 92,000 rabid Tiger fans, and it can be a pretty intimidating place to play for any squad...except...Alabama... Led by head coach Nick Saban and his revolving cast of NFL prospects, you can certainly expect that the Crimson Tide will be ready to play. While Alabama lacks the tough wins that they typically have in their holster, they have beaten everyone that has been placed in front of them. With a record of 8-0, don't expect much to be different in this game. While LSU is a tough adversary, the middle of their defense is soft and they lack the ability to compete offensively against the Alabama defense (which hasn't given up more than 14 points since November, 19th, 2011). Don't look for the outcome to be much different in this game as the Tide will roll again, to a tune of 18-7. (LINE Alabama covers -9)

- The Sports Messiah