2013 Outlook - Tennessee

It has been over a decade since the Vols were part of the National Title discussion.  This year will not mark their return to prominence, however, it could be another step in the right direction.

JR QB Tyler Bray with his cannon of an arm will be behind center this year, and he could emerge as one of the top selection in the 2014 NFL draft if he continues to develop. He has two of the most spectacular targets in the nation to throw to in JRs DaRick Rodgers and Justin Hunter.  Behind the USC tandem, this is the best WR combo in the whole country.  The o-line is very experienced, and although none of the players stand out as superb, they are all better than serviceable, and the unit should do very well.  My only question mark is from the running game.

Defensively, this team is young, and hungry.  The most talent resides in the linebacking unit behind SR Herman Lathers.  He has the experience, but the guys to watch are SO OLBs Curt Meggitt and AJ Johnson.  I think each of these guys, who started last year as true freshmen, are on the brink of becoming the best OLB tandem in the nation.  One more year of game play under their belts, and the NFl will come calling for both.  The defensive front is going to be improved over last year's group, mainly in part to the addition of JUCO transfer DE Darrington Sentimore.  The former Alabama commit will bring a pass rush presence and that will help a young secondary.

The Vols, are not there yet, but they are on their way back.  If all of the talented underclassmen continue to develop and return to school next year, 2014 could be the year that Tennessee fans have been waiting for.

2013 Outlook - South Carolina

For all of those folks who have been saying that this will be South Carolina's year, I am unfortunately going to have to disagree.  I see too many question marks, especially on the offense for them to make a run for the one of the top spots in the nation.

JR QB Connor Shaw comes back as the unquestioned leader, and this alone should help him improve.  Unfortunately, there is still a significant gap between Shaw and the top QBs in the conference, and I have concerns about him playing at a high level all year long.  I am also underwhelmed by the receivers on this team, and except for SR C TJ Johnson, this is a very inexperienced o-line out front.  The lone bright spot on this offense is all-world RB, JR Marcus Lattimore.  Lattimore is a do-it-all kind of back and if he stays healthy, he should be in the Heisman discussion all season long.

The defense is another story entirely.  Despite losing two studs up front (Melvin Ingram and Travian Robertson), this defensive line should be amongst the best in the country.  SR DE Devin Taylor will be excellent off one edge and the prodigy SO Jadeveon Clowney coming of the other will be flat out scary.  I expect this to be the year that Clowney emerges as one of the very best pass rushing threats in the whole land.  The linebackers will be good, but I am not expecting a huge improvement over last year.  The secondary however, will likely take a step back from the unit last year.  Although 2 starters return, the loss of CB Stephon Gilmore will be very difficult to replace.  The outstanding pressure that the front should bring though may help the secondary find their way in 2013.

South Carolina has a difficult schedule to contend with, especially playing Georgia, LSU, and Florida in back-to-back-to-back weeks in October.  For South Carolina to be a factor, they are going to have to dig deep and pull out at least one win in that gauntlet.

2013 Outlook - Georgia

Entering his 12th year at the helm of the Bulldogs, Mark Richt has quite possibly the most talented roster he has ever assembled.  There are studs on both sides of the ball, and this is a team that will be right in the mix for the SEC East all season long.

The offense, as we know, starts with the QB, and the Bulldogs have one of the two best in the conference.  Aaron Murray is a very talented signal caller, and last season he set the record for a Georgia QB, tossing 35 TDs.  If he can reduce the 14 picks that went along side that, he could make the jump to the NFL after his JR season.  If SO RB Isaiah Crowell stays healthy, he could be the best back at UGA since Moreno turned pro.  The receiving corp should be a strength of this team, and I think with Murray throwing to both Tavarres King and Marlon Brown, the Bulldogs could be the pest passing team in the SEC.  Neither King nor Brown have AJ Green type talent, but both could be 3rd or 4th round considerations next draft.  The only weakness on this Georgia offense is up front.  Although I really like what JR OG Chris Burnette brings to the table, I have concern about the lack of experience from the rest of the unit. Losing both Cordy Glenn and Ben Jones will hurt, but if this line can hold it together, the Bulldogs will score a lot of points.

The defense for this Bulldogs is even better stocked than the offense.  The front seven here is as good as any front seven in the country.  Big bodied John Jenkins will plug up the middle making it very hard to run against these guys.  It will also allow for the speed off the edges to be very disruptive.  Cornelius Washington moves from linebacker to DE, and Jarvis Jones, who is one of my personal favorites, will come off the edge as an OLB.  This combination will be nightmarish for opposing teams to handle. If you decide to throw on the Dawgs, you still have to deal with SR Sanders Commings at corner, and returning all-american SR Bacarri Rambo at safety.  They will both miss some time at the beginning of the year due to suspension, but when they return, watch out.

Looking over the schedule, the Bulldogs have as easy a schedule as you can ask for playing in the SEC.  They play Mizzou on the road in the early season, but then won't face another stiff challenge until October 6th at South Carolina.  A game against Florida in Jacksonville and then to close the year at home against Tech are the only other stumbling blocks I see.  Georgia most certainly can be a factor this year.

2013 Outlook - Florida

I am projecting the 2013 Florida Gators to improve significantly over their 2012 version.  It has been a long time since a Florida Gators football team won only 7 games, but in their second season under HC Will Muschamp, the Gators should win more games, mostly on the back of one of the outstanding defensive units in the nation.

There is still questions about who will be under center on Sept 1st against Bowling Green.  Both SO QBs, Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett got some game time last year, and both struggled.  This year they have more experience under their belt though, so regardless of who gets the call, the QB play should be a step up from last year's disaster.  At RB the team lost a lot of speed with Rainey heading to the NFL and Demps giving up football to focus on making the US Olympic team.  I am not sold on SR Mike Gillislee being a real threat, so the gators may need one of their younger guys to step it up.  Andre Debose is the team's top wide out, but the biggest weapon on this offense may be TE Jordan Reed.  He is very talented, shows good speed, good hands, and a good head about him.  I think he will be the focal point for this offense in 2013.

As many question marks as there are on the offense, the defense really has a lot to be excited about.  SR DT Omar Hunter,  JR DEs Dominique Easley and Ronald Powell, along with former LB turned DE Lerentee McCray make this one of the top defensive fronts in the whole nation.  Add in playmaking LBs Jonathan Bostic, and Jelani Jenkins and you have a formula for sleepless nights for opposing QBs.  Even this secondary will be quite good.  Marcus Roberson is one of the most exciting young ball players in the country, and along with super safety Matt Elam, this is one skilled, and complete defense.

If the Gators offense can develop some consistency, and manufacture a few points each game, their defense should keep them in most ball games.  They may not yet be ready for National Title consideration, but they are not far off that mark.

2013 Outlook - Ole Miss

Super recruiter Hugh Freeze takes over as the HC for Ole Miss after one year at Arkansas State.  People all around the nation rave about Freeze and think he is going to be a special head coach for a long time.  That bodes very well for the Rebels because it may take a little while for this team to become SEC factors once again.

Along with Hugh Freeze comes new QB, Ark St JR transfer Bo Wallace.  This is valuable because Wallace should already be familiar with the offense and that is important.  The other skill positions are going to be manned by young but talented ball players.  At RB Jeff Scott will be the go to guy.  He started 9 games last year and although he only ran for 529 total yards, he did run at a 4.6 YPC clip, which is not too bad.  The receiving corp is loaded with young talent including SOs Nickolas Brassell and Donte Moncrieff and JR Ja-Mes :Logan.  They also add former QB Randall Mackey to the unit, making this one fast and athletic group.  The o-line has some question marks though.  They loose OT Bobbie Massie from last year's group, which largely under performed, and I am not sure that this year will be much better.

On the defensive side of the ball, the linebackers are solid, but the d-line and secondary have holes.  SO Sederius Bryant is a skilled OLB who is worth watching, and SR Aaron Garbutt is also a good player.  Unfortunately however, there are no players on the line or in the defensive backfield who stand out above the crowd.  This team will need for someone to step up to manufacture a pass rush if the Rebels hope to stay in their games this year.

With games at Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and LSU on the schedule, Freeze and his Ole Miss Rebels have their work cut out for them this year.  If Freeze is as extraordinary a recruiter as he is touted though, the team should begin to improve significantly in another 2-3 years.