SEC Catch-all Thread

[SurlyGator 833]

Somebody's a little defensive!  Don't worry, I'm sure UGA will outrank Florida in the Big Swinging Dicks contest again next year.

 

*LightenUpFrancis*

[Texas Wahoo 3,377]

17 hours ago, mdmost said:

Georgia gets a bye after they play us, not before...which is nice.

2024 Georgia Football Schedule

• 08/31 – Clemson (in Atlanta)
• 09/07 – Tennessee Tech
• 09/14 – at Kentucky*
• 09/21 – OFF
• 09/28 – at Alabama*
• 10/05 – Auburn*
• 10/12 – Mississippi State*
• 10/19 – at Texas*
• 10/26 – OFF
• 11/02 – Florida* (in Jacksonville)
• 11/09 – at Ole Miss*
• 11/16 – Tennessee*
• 11/23 – UMass
• 11/30 – Georgia Tech

It looks like they have a bye before and after playing us...

[bolverk 29,095]

 

[thunderlounge 7,642]

[G650 13,334]

Welcome to dealing with Georgia fans

[MirrOlure 14,478]

Where are these schedules coming from?

Official schedule release is Wednesday 12/13

https://www.secsports.com/article/39014416/2024-sec-football-slate-reveals-new-look-espn-secn

[bolverk 29,095]

3 minutes ago, MirrOlure said:

Where are these schedules coming from?

Official schedule release is Wednesday 12/13

https://www.secsports.com/article/39014416/2024-sec-football-slate-reveals-new-look-espn-secn

Some of the dates have already been released.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38993837/alabama-vs-georgia-sept-28-highlights-2024-sec-schedule

[mdmost 42,485]

Leaks from athletic offices, I guess. 

[LTtxfan 48,727]

 

[gatormarc 904]

I don't think most of the portal players for Florida is a surprise. I'd read they expected 15-20 in the portal to make room for incoming transfers/recruits.

The two that are standing out in my mind is our DE Princely who most figured was going to go pro after this season and looks to be making sure he has every possibly option of he doesn't hear what he wants to hear from the NFL and our RB Etienne where there were rumblings before the season started that he was upset with splitting time with our primary RB. It doesn't look good from an PR standpoint at all if Etienne leaves especially because the schools talking to him are all contenders and he'll have a chance to shine and it'll look worse from a critics standpoint than its affect on team performance (RB position is one of the least of our concerns).

Biggest issue with UF is if some of these highly touted recruits that they are making room for bail on us in the next week.

[TXUT 103]

4 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

A&M did it! They’re in the top 3rd of the SEC at something. 

[TKthunder2 4,959]

[G650 13,334]

We're number 1!

[LateAughtsHorn 588]

1 hour ago, TKthunder2 said:

Bama and Georgia aren't surprising due to success. Texas is responsible for covid AND the Titanic, so to be expected. But what did Tennessee do to anybody? 

[G650 13,334]

1 minute ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

Bama and Georgia aren't surprising due to success. Texas is responsible for covid AND the Titanic, so to be expected. But what did Tennessee do to anybody? 

 

Do you even tennessee bro.

[Underdog 28,229]

Or Rocky Top? 

[TrashMaster G 17,297]

5 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

[Valmy77 12,808]

I am skeptical they really hate us that much. Like I sort of doubt LSU is circling us on the calendar and cannot wait to get revenge on Texas for not offering like every damn team in the Big 12 did.

[LonghornBreeder 550]

LSU has us circled on the calendar because of AC-gate.

[troph 24,028]

3 hours ago, Valmy77 said:

I am skeptical they really hate us that much. Like I sort of doubt LSU is circling us on the calendar and cannot wait to get revenge on Texas for not offering like every damn team in the Big 12 did.

I dunno I think we are loved or hated not much in between. 

[troph 24,028]

How much coverage will we have for minor men’s and the women’s sports? I assume the same as LHN? What about the hometown pregame and post game coverage? Basically what of LHN survives and what dies? 

[mdmost 42,485]

Pre and post games are gone. SEC Network has a Saturday evening show that goes through the football games. SEC Network will handle most of the non-football sports. ESPN+ will hold some of it. When I check my ESPN app right now, GA Southern vs Tennessee is on SEC Network. Multiple women's games are on SEC+. Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn are all on there. Gymnastics are on there. Lots of low level men's basketball games. If you have a cable or satellite package, you should get these extra SEC Network channels. If not, you can watch them on the ESPN app. SEC Network also does things like a bowl season preview show and a weekly SEC wrap up show. I also see things coming up like a Mizzou MBB press conference so maybe they'll still carry Sark's press conferences in the fall. 

[troph 24,028]

27 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Pre and post games are gone. SEC Network has a Saturday evening show that goes through the football games. SEC Network will handle most of the non-football sports. ESPN+ will hold some of it. When I check my ESPN app right now, GA Southern vs Tennessee is on SEC Network. Multiple women's games are on SEC+. Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn are all on there. Gymnastics are on there. Lots of low level men's basketball games. If you have a cable or satellite package, you should get these extra SEC Network channels. If not, you can watch them on the ESPN app. SEC Network also does things like a bowl season preview show and a weekly SEC wrap up show. I also see things coming up like a Mizzou MBB press conference so maybe they'll still carry Sark's press conferences in the fall. 

Thanks, can UT stream other content like a tier 4 if you will?

[Valmy77 12,808]

4 hours ago, LonghornBreeder said:

LSU has us circled on the calendar because of AC-gate.

Even after we used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the HVAC records from the game and proved it false?

Some people just refuse to see evidence.

[LonghornBreeder 550]

That's amazing! I didn't know that. Was it a Surly poster that pulled the FOIA records?

[YGIFS 19,445]

33 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

Even after we used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the HVAC records from the game and proved it false?

Some people just refuse to see evidence.

What you;'re failing to see with your fake news and bias is there is such a thing as alternative VACs...

[Valmy77 12,808]

22 minutes ago, LonghornBreeder said:

That's amazing! I didn't know that. Was it a Surly poster that pulled the FOIA records?

Yes. You can read about it in this thread from 2019: 

Devolves into HVAC data spreadsheet talk at some point

Edited December 13, 2023 by Valmy77

[Sandbagging Steve 982]

9 hours ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

Bama and Georgia aren't surprising due to success. Texas is responsible for covid AND the Titanic, so to be expected. But what did Tennessee do to anybody? 

Tennessee has the same abbreviation as the bogeyman, you stupid sip.

[Wiler77 1,542]

Fairly expected that the most hated teams are also the most successful. Notable exception--Aggy, who somehow pulls off being hated while also completely mediocre and not a real threat in the league in any sport.

LSU also bucks the trend by being a historically successful team but only average level of hate.

[Valmy77 12,808]

Just now, Wiler77 said:

Fairly expected that the most hated teams are also the most successful. Notable exception--Aggy, who somehow pulls off being hated while also completely mediocre and not a real threat in the league in any sport.

LSU also bucks the trend by being a historically successful team but only average level of hate.

Yeah. That seems disrespectful.

Fortunately I hate LSU a ton so hopefully I can make up for that.

[mdmost 42,485]

 

[John80 121]

Tennessee has been mostly mediocre for 20 years but they have a terrible fanbase. They were throwing everything onto the field at the end of a home football game against Ole Miss not too long ago. Georgia has always had a good football program but I don't think they are hated in the SEC with the exception of their rivals Florida and Auburn. I have always enjoyed my visits to Georgia games but it might be different if you're a Florida or Auburn fan.

[G650 13,334]

25 minutes ago, John80 said:

Georgia has always had a good football program but I don't think they are hated in the SEC with the exception of their rivals Florida and Auburn.

Lolwut.

[orange dream 1,227]

[locodos 5,256]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:25 PM, LateAughtsHorn said:

Bama and Georgia aren't surprising due to success. Texas is responsible for covid AND the Titanic, so to be expected. But what did Tennessee do to anybody? 

Piss bags or perhaps chanting the names of your freshly murdered students...  IDK

[locodos 5,256]

22 minutes ago, G650 said:

Lolwut.

It's all a big friendly club! Filled with mutual respect and handies!

Dude, It's gonna be hilarious around here watching expectations meet reality.

[thunderlounge 7,642]

13 minutes ago, orange dream said:

 

I'm embracing something for sure.

[The Dog 43,482]

People getting pissy. After announcing Texas-Georgia and OU-Florida on MNF this announcement of Bama-Georgia is breaking people's brains:

https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/sec-schedule-nfl-treatment.html

[TrashMaster G 17,297]

1 hour ago, The Dog said:

People getting pissy. After announcing Texas-Georgia and OU-Florida on MNF this announcement of Bama-Georgia is breaking people's brains:

https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/sec-schedule-nfl-treatment.html

[Valmy77 12,808]

2 hours ago, locodos said:

chanting the names of your freshly murdered students

Wait...what?

[locodos 5,256]

1 hour ago, Valmy77 said:

Wait...what?

 

The Gainesville Ripper, You know the serial killer that inspired the movie Scream?  Gruesome murders, staged scenes with parts of the bodies, nightmare fuel.

Spoiler

"Rolling covered both of the young women’s mouths with duct tape before he bound their hands. He forced one young woman to perform oral sex on him before he raped, stabbed and killed her. He returned to Sonja’s dead body and raped her again. Rolling went so far as to cut off the girl’s nipples and to keep one as a grisly trophy of his actions.

The next day, Rolling killed Christa Hoyt in much the same fashion. He broke into her residence and after he raped her, he removed her nipples and placed them beside her. Rolling cut off her head and sat her upright on the edge of her bed. The Gainesville Ripper put her head on a bookshelf.

By now, news of the murders had spread across the University. Authorities put out as much information as they could to try to catch the suspect, and students slept in groups and took every precaution they could think of. Despite this, the Gainesville Ripper killed one more time.

On Aug. 27, Rolling attacked Tracey Paules and Manuel Taboada, both 23. He killed Tobada while he slept. Then he killed Tracey. Authorities feel Rolling did not manage to mutilate these bodies because he may have been in danger of getting caught, or was otherwise interrupted.

These murders all occurred less than 2 miles from each other around the University of Florida."

I wasn't at the game (in Knoxville), but I heard this directly from multiple different friends.  A lot of talk about it around campus too

anyways, if you thought things are all chummy in the SEC, think again. There is some truth to the "it just means more" but not in a Disney/espn type of way.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by locodos

[The Dog 43,482]

tl;dw:

1. SEC isn't a team but a collection of teams

2. Texas and OU's rosters are much better than most of the SEC, so they will be just fine.

[msucolt45 3,978]

Very good take by J Pate. SEC SEC SEC my ass, as they’ve had 3-4 “top heavy” teams, just as we’ve played over the past decade in the B12, minus the “cupcake week” the SEC has experienced in November.

All of that should change in ‘25, as the SEC “should” be forced to a 9-game conference schedule. No more week off, playing an FCS school in November where 50% of the country experiences a loss by playing a conference foe.

Hook’em!!!

[LTtxfan 48,727]

SEC Legend

 

[LTtxfan 48,727]

Texas Football Isn't "BACK": Why The Longhorns Are In For A RUDE Awakening In Year One Of Life In The SEC

By Lucas Hill

“Texas is back folks!”, “We’re baaaack!”

The screams of Sam Ehlinger and Joe Tessitore still ring through the air in Austin, Texas, thinking that Longhorns fans are finally going to be getting a consistent winner when they make the move to the SEC.

They’re in for a very rude awakening. I hear you all in Austin, “We got Isaiah Bond, Quinn Ewers for Heisman, and an elite offensive line, of course we'll be back!” Nope. You're in for a long 2024 season.

Where's your star tight end to replace Ja’Tavion Sanders? Is CJ Baxter really the guy? After Michigan, you don't play an actual top 25 defense until Georgia in October. How are you going to improve in your secondary that got scorched most of the season? How will Collin Simmons perform in year one with no Bo Davis?

I don't see Texas even coming close to ten wins. Eight at best. The only reason Longhorn Nation is excited for this upcoming season is because they have one of, if not the worst schedule in the SEC. THERE'S NO REAL CHALLENGE FOR THEM EXCEPT AT MICHIGAN AND AT HOME VS GEORGIA!

The last two games are going to determine whether or not I'm right or wrong about this team. Until then, Texas isn't back until they can prove it in 2024. 

 

[thunderlounge 7,642]

[BigHorn'13 3,346]

12 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Texas Football Isn't "BACK": Why The Longhorns Are In For A RUDE Awakening In Year One Of Life In The SEC

By Lucas Hill

“Texas is back folks!”, “We’re baaaack!”

The screams of Sam Ehlinger and Joe Tessitore still ring through the air in Austin, Texas, thinking that Longhorns fans are finally going to be getting a consistent winner when they make the move to the SEC.

They’re in for a very rude awakening. I hear you all in Austin, “We got Isaiah Bond, Quinn Ewers for Heisman, and an elite offensive line, of course we'll be back!” Nope. You're in for a long 2024 season.

Where's your star tight end to replace Ja’Tavion Sanders? Is CJ Baxter really the guy? After Michigan, you don't play an actual top 25 defense until Georgia in October. How are you going to improve in your secondary that got scorched most of the season? How will Collin Simmons perform in year one with no Bo Davis?

I don't see Texas even coming close to ten wins. Eight at best. The only reason Longhorn Nation is excited for this upcoming season is because they have one of, if not the worst schedule in the SEC. THERE'S NO REAL CHALLENGE FOR THEM EXCEPT AT MICHIGAN AND AT HOME VS GEORGIA!

The last two games are going to determine whether or not I'm right or wrong about this team. Until then, Texas isn't back until they can prove it in 2024. 

 

Holy fuck I'm not looking forward to these redneck fucktards occupying the same air space my kids breath. But I'll take this one, gents...

1. I don't know of a single Texas fan that wasn't of the mindset that we were truly back unless we won a championship. So GTFOH with the soundbites of a commentator, and ridiculing a teenager who was high off just having beat your infallible Bulldogs. 

2. Blah blah blah who the fuck doesn't have questions about how personnel will perform on their favorite team?

How will the secondary improve? Don't know but we've upgraded and have an entire offseason to figure out out. How will Simmons fare without Davis? He's a freshman that wasn't going to be depended on to start. 

3. Fuck the rest of the diatribe but it's on brand that the author thinks only 1 sec team will be a challenge for us. That's what the rest of the college football world thinks about your overrated conference, as well. 

 

[baboso 6,037]

On 12/13/2023 at 11:58 AM, John80 said:

Tennessee has been mostly mediocre for 20 years but they have a terrible fanbase. They were throwing everything onto the field at the end of a home football game against Ole Miss not too long ago. Georgia has always had a good football program but I don't think they are hated in the SEC with the exception of their rivals Florida and Auburn. I have always enjoyed my visits to Georgia games but it might be different if you're a Florida or Auburn fan.

Mark Richt, Jim Donnan, and Ray Goff say Hi!

[LTtxfan 48,727]

Saturday Down South...

First and 10: Power ranking the SEC head coaches in 2024        Matt Hayes | 8 hours ago

Quote

A ranking of the SEC’s 16 head coaches, moving into the highly-anticipated 2024 season:

Championship elite

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia

The now: I’m still not convinced Georgia wasn’t 1 of the 4 best teams in 2023, and wouldn’t have beaten Michigan (or anyone else) in the Playoff.

At the very least, Saban cost Smart 1 national title (2017) and a shot at winning another (2023). No one recruits better than Smart, no one develops players better. No one is a better big game coach.

The future: The new schedule — no matter how it shakes out down the road — will be more challenging for Georgia than the previous stroll through the East Division.

The only remaining question: how long can Smart grind, season after season, before needing a new challenge — or walking away from the stress of it all?

2. Brian Kelly, LSU

The now: Kelly knew he had a special offense before the 2023 season, when he proclaimed QB Jayden Daniels could be the best player in college football.

The problem: He (and his defensive staff) still haven’t figured out how to get key stops in big games. That stalled a championship run in Year 2, which ended with another 10-win season.

Good at most places, but not why Kelly left Notre Dame.

The future: Those rare quarterbacks don’t come around often (and Kelly deserves huge credit for Daniels’ development). Now what?

The defense must be rebuilt, QB Garrett Nussmeier has potential and this team looks a lot like Kelly’s Notre Dame teams: Playoff worthy, but 1 or 2 pieces short of making a championship run.

One step away

3. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

The now: The lack of appreciation for what Kiffin has accomplished at Ole Miss is stunning. Double-digit wins in 2 of the past 3 seasons — including a program-best 11 wins in 2023 — is remarkable.

It’s Ole Miss, people; not an SEC blue-blood. No one recruits and reaches transfer portal players like Kiffin.

The future: 2 questions linger: How far can Kiffin take Ole Miss by turning over the roster every season, and how long can Ole Miss keep him in Oxford?

Stop thinking of Kiffin as the 1-and-done Tennessee coach, or the guy who followed The Guy at USC, or Saban’s offensive coordinator and play-caller. He’s so much more than that.

He’s not the same coach, not the same man. He has become a CEO coach — he doesn’t run the offense, Charlie Weis Jr., does — and he’s now the best parts of mentors Pete Carroll and Saban.

The only thing left is to do the unthinkable at Ole Miss.

4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas

The now: Sark went and did it: He officially has Texas “back.” This, of course, can mean only national championship or bust.

And what exactly is wrong with that? Especially with all the inherent advantages at Texas.

The future: He’s building a monster at a program framed to support it.

High school recruiting is as good now as the Golden Age of Mack Brown, and Sarkisian is also landing key impact players from the transfer portal.

He and Kiffin have had parallel coaching tracks. Sarkisian is a different coach than he was at USC and Washington, a different man.

Stop thinking of him as the guy who flamed out at USC, and look more at the guy who has Texas primed for something big. He’s set up to win a national title with the Longhorns — something that has happened once in the past 53 years.

5. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

The now: What else could Alabama have asked for in replacing Saban?

When you land a guy who is 104-12 — including 25-3 as a Power 5 coach — you’ve done something right. In his 2nd year at Washington, DeBoer led the Huskies to the national title game.

In Saban’s 2nd season as a major Division I head coach, he led Michigan State to a 6-6 record and a spot in the Sun Bowl.

The future: It’s all about player procurement. Saban was a terrific coach; the greatest of all time at any level of football.

But he’d be the first to say players win games. It’s just that simple.

If DeBoer can recruit near the same level of Saban (and his ever-changing staffs) over the past 17 years, he has a chance to win big, too.

We’ve already seen what DeBoer can do at Washington — with recruiting classes ranked in the mid-20s. What happens if he starts landing Top 5 recruiting classes?

Maintaining

6. Hugh Freeze, Auburn

The now: It’s not that he has won everywhere (he has), or that he does his best work in big games.

He consistently, year after year, does the most important thing in the game: develops high-level quarterbacks. Which is what made 2023 all the more perplexing.

He has won big with Bo Wallace, Chad Kelly and Malik Willis. All castoffs from other programs, all played at a high level under Freeze. He’ll figure it out at Auburn, too.

The future: It typically takes a year for Freeze to develop his structure offensively, and for a quarterback to emerge.

Maybe there’s one on the roster now (Hank Brown?), or maybe Freeze lands one in the spring portal. When he does, it will take off at Auburn.

7. Josh Heupel, Tennessee

The now: The regression this season was as much about the quarterback as it was the lack of elite talent on the perimeter.

Not everyone is Hendon Hooker. But Heupel’s Blur Ball offense is no gimmick, and it will give SEC defenses problems for as long as he’s in Knoxville.

The future: The sport revolves around the quarterback, and Heupel has quickly made Tennessee the place for the position.

It started with 5-star Nico Iamaleava (2024 starter), and includes 5-star George MacIntyre (2025 recruiting class).

Heupel is stacking elite players at the most important position, setting up his offense for success for years to come. Now it’s about getting in the tournament — and forcing others to deal with it.

8. Brent Venables, Oklahoma

The now: After a disastrous first season in 2022, OU wasn’t wasn’t that far from the Playoff in 2023. The Sooners lost 2 games (both on the road) in the regular season by a combined 8 points, and lost the bowl game after star QB Dillon Gabriel opted out.

Venables didn’t panic after Year 1 (when he easily could have) and stayed true to his buildout. Get 1 of those 2 late road losses, and you’re playing Texas again in the Big 12 Championship Game with a spot in the Playoff on the line.

The future: Recruiting has been elite, and the fan base is completely bought in after the rebound in 2023.

Can the Venables defenses of the Clemson years develop in the SEC and give OU a different mentality in a new league that demands it?

9. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

The now: This is what happens when you’re not bigger than the game, and not consumed with who you are and what you’re about: a rare season unfolds.

Drinkwitz gave up control of the offense and focused on team — and suddenly, everything changed at Missouri. A brilliant move of self-reflection and growth.

The future: He’s likable and gregarious and he has a little riverboat gambler to him. Players love him.

His aw shucks personality fits perfectly at Missouri, but belies a smart football mind. The heavy lift is far from over. Now it’s time to deal with Playoff expectations — with a loaded roster.

10. Mike Elko, Texas A&M

The now: It’s hard to argue the success at Duke. Not just the wins and losses, but the recruiting and development on both sides of the ball.

QB Riley Leonard (Notre Dame), RB Jordan Waters (NC State), CB Brandon Jonson (Oregon), Edge RJ Oben (Notre Dame) and DT Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech) all left Duke for bigger programs after Elko took the Texas A&M job.

The future: If Elko can do at Texas A&M what he accomplished at Duke with recruiting and development, this will quickly become a Playoff team.

He has all the advantages he didn’t have at Duke (geographic recruiting footprint, financial support), but not the same patience — and he’s not playing in the same league.

11. Mark Stoops, Kentucky

The now: There’s no doubt 2023 was a significant disappointment. Kentucky had its best team in years, and an experienced transfer QB (Devin Leary) — and lost 6 of 8 to finish the season.

That’s back-to-back 7-6 seasons at UK, and both teams underachieved. Stoops raised the bar in Lexington, and now he has to deal with the bear he created.

The future: As strange as it sounds, this is lowest level at Kentucky since 2015 — the early stages of the Stoops buildout.

UK added former 5-star QB (and Georgia backup) Brock Vandagriff, and Stoops again added critical pieces in the portal. Can they assimilate with the current roster — and play to their potential — this time around?

Now or never

12. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

The now: Win or walk. There’s no other way to look at Pittman’s 5th season in 2024.

There’s too much to like about what Pittman means to the state, and how much he loves the program — and has had undeniable pockets of success — to let this thing fail.

The future: What are the Hogs closer to: the 9-4 team in 2021, or the 3-7 team in 2020?

There has been plenty of turnover in the last 2 seasons, including 52 players leaving for the transfer portal. Now Pittman is starting over with a new quarterback (Boise State transfer Taylor Green) and a short leash — and September games at Oklahoma State, Auburn and Texas A&M (Arlington).

13. Shane Beamer, South Carolina

The now: Any way you look at it, there’s some wobble now in Beamer’s buildout.

A rash of injuries on the offensive line didn’t help things, but South Carolina’s regression wasn’t pretty. More unsettling: the Gamecocks continue to lose impact players to the portal (see: Jaheim Bell, Jordan Burch, MarShawn Lloyd, Juice Wells).

The future: A sobering reality: the Gamecocks wasted 1 of 2 seasons with an elite quarterback (Spencer Rattler) who could win in the SEC.

Injuries were clearly a factor — but everyone deals with injuries. That doesn’t give Beamer a pass, and doesn’t mean the he’s still not chasing (like every other South Carolina coach now, and moving forward) the 3 straight 11-win seasons Steve Spurrier produced.

14. Billy Napier, Florida

The now: Florida AD Scott Stricklin points to Napier’s recruiting, but the 2024 class (ranked No. 15 by 247Sports composite) was the program’s worst ranking since Napier’s 1st class in 2022 (No. 18).

That 2022 Napier class, his first with the program, was Florida’s worst since 2015 (No. 21) under Jim McElwain. Then there’s the development and retention. In a word: woof.

The future: A win or walk season includes the most difficult schedule in the nation, and the hope that young players develop quickly and make a significant impact.

A tough ask in a brutal conference.

Napier and Stricklin point to the Arkansas and Missouri games as proof of growth, and that Florida was much closer to improvement than the record indicates. But the Gators lost both games because of coaching decisions — not random bad luck.

15. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State

The now: New coach, new vision, new hope. But understand this: If Zach Arnett had won 6 or 7 games in 2023, he’d still be the coach.

Now Lebby walks into a situation where it’s not so much about a new frontier with the new Playoff, but 2 more fully-loaded programs to navigate in the new SEC.

The future: Can it be different? Can Lebby, whose offense developed from the uber-successful Art Briles/Baylor spread, make it fun and unique like Mike Leach did for 3 years before his passing?

Leach was 19-17, but his teams were competitive and exciting, and won their share of games against ranked teams. It’s was fun, and it was rewarding — even if it didn’t translate to a 10-win season.

16. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

The now: You can’t lose all 8 SEC games by an average of 23 points a game. You just can’t — even at Vanderbilt. You can’t be 2-22 in the SEC over the past 3 seasons.

The future: Bleak. There’s no other way to look at it. It’s not all on Lea, who has had problems keeping players he has developed from the transfer portal. That’s the real gut punch.

It’s a vicious cycle that has led to 3 wins in the past 41 SEC games, over 2 different coaches. It doesn’t matter who’s coaching in Nashville, it’s a heavy, untenable lift.

 

 

 

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/power-ranking-sec-coaches-2024-after-nick-saban-retirement/

 

Edited January 29 by LTtxfan

[bolverk 29,095]

Quote

I don't see Texas even coming close to ten wins. Eight at best. The only reason Longhorn Nation is excited for this upcoming season is because they have one of, if not the worst schedule in the SEC. THERE'S NO REAL CHALLENGE FOR THEM EXCEPT AT MICHIGAN AND AT HOME VS GEORGIA!

If Texas has a 12-game schedule and the team's only real challenges next season are 1) Michigan and 2) Georgia, wouldn't it necessarily follow that the expectation would be ten wins, according to this genius's logic?