Why Your Favorite SEC Team Will and Won't Make a Playoff Run

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY SportsDale Zanine-USA TODAY SportsDale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Part 2 of this series features the conference that everyone expects to make the playoff (they have not missed on yet in the three year history). Everyone knows that Alabama is the front runner, but that thinking is founded on reputation and assumptions. Yes, those assumptions are usually right, but this might be the year that they're wrong. After going through this list, it's hard to imagine a playoff without an SEC team. But maybe the depth of this conference will finally result in multiple losses for every team.

PREVIOUSLY: SUN BELT

ALABAMA

WILL: *yawns* Do I really need to convince you it will happen?

WON’T: Ok, here’s where it gets interesting. This year’s team appears to return the least amount of talent in Nick Saban’s tenure at the school. The defense needs to find replacements in the front seven for multiple studs, and the offense is led by a relatively unproven quarterback. But let’s be honest, it’s really hard to believe that Saban won’t fix those holes quickly. All dynasties come to an end though, right?

LSU

WILL: Les Miles time at LSU was bound to end, and it just came sooner than most wanted. Like Stanford, LSU may benefit from having a superstar leave the team. Now that Leonard Fournette is gone, new coach Ed Orgeron can focus on producing an offense that features multiple weapons. Under his watch last year, the Tigers featured an up-tempo attack that resulted in more points. Derrius Guice is a stud, and will contend for the best back in the nation. Don’t kid yourself, it’s still LSU. They still are loaded with talent everywhere and can make a serious run.

WON’T: It remains to be seen if Orgeron can help LSU take the next step. LSU hasn’t beaten Alabama since 2011, and all roads go through the Tide. The Tigers still haven’t found a quarterback either, and Guice and the defense can’t carry the team forever. Simply put, the offense needs to evolve sooner rather than later, and the talent coming to campus needs to be utilized better.

TEXAS A&M

WILL: Christian Kirk is as dynamic as they come, and should be a big feature in the offense. Kevin Sumlin continues to bring talent to College Station, and the Aggies won’t drop off just because they lost multiple NFL draft picks. Running backs Trayveon Williams and Keith Ford also return to give the Aggies a solid ground attack, and the defense returns seven starters.

WON’T: Quarterback is anything but settled, and Johnny Manziel isn’t coming back. Kevin Sumlin may have the hottest seat in the SEC, and fans are getting restless. Three straight 8-5 seasons will do that. Honestly, I’m worried about their trip in Week 1 to LA, because Sumlin may not be invited back to campus if they lose that game. The pressure plus the number or replacements needed on both sides of the ball don’t add up well for him.

VANDERBILT

WILL: Derek Mason is rebuilding a program that fell off after James Franklin left for Penn State. After a 6-7 season in 2016, Mason now has the Commodores setting bigger goals for this year. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur, son of Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat, has a year under his belt and should improve. Running back Ralph Webb is back again and is Vanderbilt’s all-time leading rusher already. Mason is a defensive guy, so bringing back seven starters can only mean good things.

WON’T: A week one loss to South Carolina hurt last season (13-10). There is a four week stretch in the schedule that could be rough (Kansas State, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia), and that could halt any momentum the Commodores may have after the first two games.

TENNESSEE

WILL: Tell me if you’ve heard this before: “Tennessee had another loaded recruiting class, and they have the pieces to compete for the conference!”

WON’T: Yeah, we’ll believe it when we see it. This year’s ceiling: 8-4. The "Champions of Life" motto should be swapped for "Just wait until next year!"

FLORIDA

WILL: Jim McElwain doesn’t get nearly enough credit. He’s brought his team to the SEC Championship Game the last two years, but that accomplishment gets ignored. The good news is now his recruits should be competing for playing time and starting jobs, so we will see how good his teams can be. While the defense reloads, the offense should have plenty of talent. Receiver Antonio Callaway could be one of the best in the nation, but he needs to play. Notre Dame transfer Malike Zaire is a huge addition at quarterback.

WON’T: Off-field issues have plagued Callaway’s career, and the Gators offense struggled without him. McElwain needs to hope Callaway can play and that his offense gets better than last year. He's already suspended for the first two games, and Game 1 is against Michigan. Even though they made the conference championship game the last two years, they never stood a chance.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

WILL: There have been talks that quarterback Nick Fitzgerald could be better than Dak Prescott. Yes, you read that right, better than arguably the best quarterback in the history of the school. To have two talented players back-to-back is a luxury that coach Dan Mullen doesn’t mind, and it should mean good things heading into 2017.

WON’T: We didn’t just forget that you almost lost to Miami. No, not that Miami. Miami of Ohio. For a conference that’s supposed to be the best, none of their teams should be struggling with the MAC.

SOUTH CAROLINA

WILL: Will Muschamp’s current situation is much better than the one he was in at Florida. He’s experienced significantly less pressure, and has turned the Gamecocks around. Life in Columbia has been rough post-Steve Spurrier, but Muschamp has fans excited for the future. Muschamp’s defense will be stout once again, but the offense is what will determine their success. Quarterback Jake Bentley’s performance in the Birmingham Bowl has fans excited about his future.

WON’T: South Carolina scored just 14 points or less seven times last season. While defense will help keep them in games, the offense needs to score more than that. Their non-conference schedule is more difficult as well, with game against NC State and Louisiana Tech added, and Clemson ending the year. No Alabama, LSU, or Auburn, but it’s still an SEC schedule.

KENTUCKY

WILL: Unlike his basketball co-worker John Calipari, Mark Stoops’ recruits don’t flock to campus for his team. But that doesn't stop him from having success. It appears that 2017 may be a breakthrough year, and 17 starters return. The defense is led by two-year starting cornerbacks Chris Westry and Derrick Baity plus safety Mike Edwards, and the offense has plenty of talent as well. Quarterback Stephen Johnson should be the starter, and he will get a lot of relief from Benny Snell Jr at running back while he gets comfortable.

WON’T: Also unlike Calipari’s hoops team, the football Wildcats have not experienced much success. Kentucky has not won 10 games in a season since 1977, and it’s unlikely that will change this year with the state of the SEC.

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Bush-USA TODAY SportsMatt Bush-USA TODAY SportsMatt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

OLE MISS

WILL: Let’s not kid ourselves, this program is a disaster right now. Quarterback Shea Patterson (above) should be fun to watch, maybe.

WON’T: Hugh Freeze took his teams nickname too seriously, and his rebellious ways got him caught. Now the program is in disarray and you start to wonder if he ever got any of his recruits legitimately (most likely not).

GEORGIA

WILL: Kirby Smart finally got his feet wet as a head coach, and got right to work getting recruits to come to campus. Now, many believe this is the year the Bulldogs get back on the map. Ten, yes ten, starters return on defense, and that can only mean good things under the defensive-minded Smart. Quarterback Jacob Eason is now in his second year, running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel decided to return for one more season, and all three will be a handful.

WON’T: Things got to be fairly predictable in Mark Richt’s final years in Athens, and the split was good for both. Now the question remains if the Bulldogs can shake that trend. The East is still the weaker division compared to the West, so just winning the division isn’t enough. Will Eason take a big step as a sophomore? He showed flashes his freshman year, but he also showed that he was a freshman. The offenses’ success hinges on his progression.

MISSOURI

WILL: Doesn’t it seem like forever ago when the Tigers made it to the SEC championship game? It’s crazy to think that was in 2014. No one saw Missouri’s 2013 & 2014 runs coming, and not many would see a run in 2017 either. It really comes down to conference play as the Tigers non-conference slate should result in four wins.

WON’T: Missouri’s early run in the conference is over, and now they have to figure out to way to beat SEC competition without a surprise factor. Two seasons resulting in 23 wins were followed with two seasons with a combined nine, and a playoff run won’t magically appear.

AUBURN

WILL: Jarrett Stidham may not have a full season under his belt, but those ten games gave fans a lot to get excited about. Auburn’s been one quarterback away from being a national contender the last couple years, and now they have one. Stidham adds a passing game to an offense that relied heavily on Kamryn Pettway and Kerrion Johnson. His pairing with Gus Malzahn’s offense could be the best marriage in college football, and the results may be scary.

WON’T: Stidham’s experience was as a freshman and it was in 2015. You have to wonder if there’s rust on his game and if he can actually live up to the hype. Auburn’s had trouble with quarterbacks struggling after being hyped up all offseason, so Stidham needs to shake that trend. Week 2 at Clemson will tell the nation a lot about this team.

ARKANSAS

WILL: Bret Bielema finally found a way to get an offense to compliment his defense, and the Razorbacks put up points at a blistering pace last season (for their standards at least). Another huge offensive line should be the backbone again this year and, if nothing else, will look really good getting off the bus. Austin Allen is one of the underappreciated quarterbacks int he conference.

WON’T: A new quarterback isn't an issue, but Bielema needs to find a new running back after Rawleigh Williams III retired. Even with that stability, the Razorbacks were wildly inconsistent from week to week. Here’s a four week stretch from 2016: Win 34-30 over #12 Ole Miss, Loss 56-3 to #21 Auburn, Win 31-10 over #11 Florida, Loss 38-10 to #24 LSU. My head hurts trying to explain that.