JessN: TideFans.com/NARCAS SEC predictions and national top 25

Alabama and Georgia both go 13-0?

Based on his pick Alabama over Georgia it should be Bama 13-0 and Georgia 12-1.

I like the pick to be 14-0 and raising the crystal again!!!

Pretty potent stuff there coming from Jess who isn't the resident Bama homer many might expect.

So you're saying if you thought last year's SEC title game was good, wait til this year's?

Back to back SEC and back to back to back national titles!!

This is the first time I can remember JessN predicting Bama 13-0. Makes me even more excited about the upcoming season.

If it plays out that way it is going to be very difficult to beat UGA in the champ game. By that time their defense would have obviously gelled and their offense should be incredibly potent. That combined with the bad taste in their mouth from last year would make for an incredibly challenging game. We would essentially be the in the same position as UF in 2009 and UGA would be us.

NationalTitles15 said:

This is the first time I can remember JessN predicting Bama 13-0. Makes me even more excited about the upcoming season.

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And usually he's right!

RollTide1224 said:

If it plays out that way it is going to be very difficult to beat UGA in the champ game. By that time their defense would have obviously gelled and their offense should be incredibly potent. That combined with the bad taste in their mouth from last year would make for an incredibly challenging game. We would essentially be the in the same position as UF in 2009 and UGA would be us.

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Possible but not likely. Saban and the veteran cast we have returning will not allow complacency to creep in should we make it back to Atlanta. (And I think we will) The coaching staff will remind us all how close UGA came to pulling that one out and use it as motivation. Urban Meyer and co. went into that 2009 game with a sense of entitlement. Bad mistake.

RTR!!!

RollTide1224 said:

If it plays out that way it is going to be very difficult to beat UGA in the champ game. By that time their defense would have obviously gelled and their offense should be incredibly potent. That combined with the bad taste in their mouth from last year would make for an incredibly challenging game. We would essentially be the in the same position as UF in 2009 and UGA would be us.

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No doubt UGA will have revenge on their side, but go back and watch how poorly we played in that game...especially through the first 1 1/2 quarters. We didn't score until late in the second quarter and our first 5 possessions of the game yielded nothing but punts and turnovers. Add to that the breakdown when they scored a td on a blocked punt and we essentially allowed the Dawgs to make that game much closer than it should have been. To their credit they didn't give up and played some surprising big boy football. However, if we have our normal start and get a quick lead I really wonder if the game would have gone down to the final wire like it did.

IMO, I don't think georgia will win the east. Everyone is hyping them up, but is forgetting about south carolina and florida. I think georgia loses in the cocktail match and the south carolina game. Wont they have 3-4 guys out due to suspensions for the south carlolina game, like they normally do? They will also lose at Clemson and against lsu, but those 2 wont matter in the east race. After all, this is a Richt team. JMO, we shall see.

I believe FL will win the east this year. Last year they reminded me so much of the '08 AL team. Played real well, often above their ability, as they were "buying into the system". This team is built on D. After the Sugar Bowl loss, everybody is talking about UGA and USC. Don't forget FL only lost lost one close game to UGA (regular season) last year. they will be better. Not sure UGA will be better.

TIDE24 said:

I believe FL will win the east this year. Last year they reminded me so much of the '08 AL team. Played real well, often above their ability, as they were "buying into the system". This team is built on D. After the Sugar Bowl loss, everybody is talking about UGA and USC. Don't forget FL only lost lost one close game to UGA (regular season) last year. they will be better. Not sure UGA will be better.

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Not sure I agree about Florida. I think the verdict is still out on Muschamp as a HC. Agree that they played above their heads in some games, but they also were not a very good football team for much of the year. QB play will be key for them.

BTW, I'm not sold on UGA to win it either, but I'm just going with the discussion in this thread.

NationalTitles15 said:

This is the first time I can remember JessN predicting Bama 13-0. Makes me even more excited about the upcoming season.

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I'm pretty sure that he predicted us to go undefeated back in 2000 - and I believe that is the last time he's done so. :eek2:

derek4tide said:

IMO, I don't think georgia will win the east. Everyone is hyping them up, but is forgetting about south carolina and florida. I think georgia loses in the cocktail match and the south carolina game. Wont they have 3-4 guys out due to suspensions for the south carlolina game, like they normally do? They will also lose at Clemson and against lsu, but those 2 wont matter in the east race. After all, this is a Richt team. JMO, we shall see.

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There's almost no way Georgia loses four games, barring some pandemic of injuries and/or suspensions to top players - especially to Clemson. Georgia's offense is going to be something to be reckoned with this year and they'll be able to easily outscore Clemson. They'll most likely be able to outscore LSU without too much trouble.

The Florida and South Carolina games will be interesting, though. Both the Gators' and Gamecocks' defenses will be able to limit Georgia's offense somewhat; those games will come down to how many points the respective offenses will be able to put up on Georgia's defense, which should take a step back this year.

TIDE24 said:

I believe FL will win the east this year. Last year they reminded me so much of the '08 AL team. Played real well, often above their ability, as they were "buying into the system". This team is built on D. After the Sugar Bowl loss, everybody is talking about UGA and USC. Don't forget FL only lost lost one close game to UGA (regular season) last year. they will be better. Not sure UGA will be better.

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I've got the winner of the Florida vs South Carolina game with a 50% chance of representing the East in Atlanta. I've got Georgia with a 20% chance of winning the East outright. And I've got a 30% chance of there being a three-way tie in the East with Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina at the top - each with 1 SEC loss, since none of them play Bama or Texas A&M from the West - having tie-breakers determine the SEC East Champion.


Assuming Bama does go undefeated and wins the SECCG - we could very well have Alabama ranked #1; Ohio State ranked #2; and those three teams from the SEC East along with Texas A&M from the SEC West scattered from #3 to #10 in the BCS Standings heading into the Bowls.

TIDE24 said:

I believe FL will win the east this year. Last year they reminded me so much of the '08 AL team. Played real well, often above their ability, as they were "buying into the system". This team is built on D. After the Sugar Bowl loss, everybody is talking about UGA and USC. Don't forget FL only lost lost one close game to UGA (regular season) last year. they will be better. Not sure UGA will be better.

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Unless Driskell really takes a major step forward, I tend to doubt that is the case. Florida certainly had some big wins last year -- LSU, A&M, FSU, and South Carolina -- but they had several outright stinkers as well, with the loss to Louisville and close calls against Bowling Green, ULL, and Missouri. That was very much a bi-polar team, and it's hard for me to really place those expectations upon them until they show some more consistency, which I tend to doubt they will do until they get better offensive play.

The schedule certainly won't do them any favors either. They get both LSU and South Carolina on the road, and while non-conference games against Miami and FSU obviously don't factor into the conference standings, both games expect to be real fights and certainly won't make life any easier for them as they transition into conference play and later, possibly, the SECCG.

BamaMoon said:

No doubt UGA will have revenge on their side, but go back and watch how poorly we played in that game...especially through the first 1 1/2 quarters. We didn't score until late in the second quarter and our first 5 possessions of the game yielded nothing but punts and turnovers. Add to that the breakdown when they scored a td on a blocked punt and we essentially allowed the Dawgs to make that game much closer than it should have been. To their credit they didn't give up and played some surprising big boy football. However, if we have our normal start and get a quick lead I really wonder if the game would have gone down to the final wire like it did.

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Exactly! I was thinking the exact same thing when I read that post as well as if Bama runs for 350 yards against most any team it is going to be a blow out unless Bama gives away a bunch! And that night they did! Its a long season and anything can happen like say McCarron going down but the same can be said for Georgia or any team for that matter. But as preseason predictions goes I think Jess is on target as close as anyone could be at this point in time. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

BamaMoon said:

Not sure I agree about Florida. I think the verdict is still out on Muschamp as a HC. Agree that they played above their heads in some games, but they also were not a very good football team for much of the year. QB play will be key for them.

BTW, I'm not sold on UGA to win it either, but I'm just going with the discussion in this thread.

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Personally, I see Florida as the only team in the East likely to significantly improve on both sides of the ball from last season. You're absolutely right, though, that their season will depend upon their Quarterback play.

I see Georgia taking a step back and South Carolina holding serve, which would make all three teams even more evenly matched than last year. Yes, I know that Georgia got manhandled by South Carolina last year but I think that game was a bit of a fluke. Firstly, it was at South Carolina and the Gamecocks played out of their shoes in that game - especially on defense. We've seen that happen firsthand. Secondly, Georgia's offense basically fell on their face. Yes, the Gamecock defense had a lot to do with that but Georgia wasn't making it too difficult on them. Georgia only mustered 224 yards of total offense - their lowest output of the year - and in the rest of their games Aaron Murray had more than that in all but two: a blowout of Georgia Tech and the sloppy slug-fest against Florida. If Georgia and South Carolina had played 5 games last season, I think Georgia would have won at least 3 of them.

To me, the Georgia vs Florida and South Carolina vs Florida games from last season were the most telling. Florida manhandled South Carolina worse than the Gamecocks did the Bulldogs. Their defense controlled the Gamecocks' offense, created a few turnovers, and their offense didn't turn the ball over. Contrast that with the Florida vs Georgia game; Florida's defense controlled the Georgia offense and created three turnovers but their offense coughed up the ball six (yes, SIX!!!) times - and Georgia barely escaped with a win. If they had played 5 games last season, I'd be very hesitant to put $20 on either team to win three but I'd still go with Georgia if pressed.


The more I think about it, the East is just way too close to call. We'll find out a lot in week two, though, when Georgia faces South Carolina at home. If Georgia wins big and dominates on both sides of the ball then I've got Georgia as a 60/40 favorite to win the East over the Gators. If Georgia wins but it is competitive then I've got those odds reversed. If South Carolina wins, close or not, then I've got even odds on Florida winning the East outright, a three-way tie, or LSU tripping up Florida at home to give the Gamecocks the division.


If any team from the East goes undefeated, I think it's Georgia - and only because they were simply able to outscore both the Gators and Gamecocks. I just can't see either Florida or South Carolina making it through the entire season without dropping a game.


Oh, and I don't see us - assuming we play up to our ability - putting up any less than 35 points on any of the three. :biggrin2:

BigEasyTider said:

Unless Driskell really takes a major step forward, I tend to doubt that is the case. Florida certainly had some big wins last year -- LSU, A&M, FSU, and South Carolina -- but they had several outright stinkers as well, with the loss to Louisville and close calls against Bowling Green, ULL, and Missouri. That was very much a bi-polar team, and it's hard for me to really place those expectations upon them until they show some more consistency, which I tend to doubt they will do until they get better offensive play.

The schedule certainly won't do them any favors either. They get both LSU and South Carolina on the road, and while non-conference games against Miami and FSU obviously don't factor into the conference standings, both games expect to be real fights and certainly won't make life any easier for them as they transition into conference play and later, possibly, the SECCG.

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I agree with you about Driskell, but I think he will do enough to get the job done. It wasn't always pretty, but they won, like our '08 team they were learning how to win under the CWM system. They do not have to beat LSU to get ATL if the beat USC and UGA, which I believe they will do. I don't think I need to remind anybody of the egg we laid in New Orleans against Utah in '08. I could be wrong, but from what I saw out of FL last year, I believe this team is the real deal. As talented as USC is, CSS stumbles along the way, and UGA lost too much on that defense to be back. They will be very good, but...I think FL is going take that game head to head this year.

The Cocktail Party will decide it all for the East. I'm just not sold on USCe, yet. With Swearinger gone, I'm not sure that DL stacks up. Of course, Clowney does but he's only one person.

JBama_in_PCOLA said:

The Cocktail Party will decide it all for the East. I'm just not sold on USCe, yet. With Swearinger gone, I'm not sure that DL stacks up. Of course, Clowney does but he's only one person.

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Swearinger wasn't a DL, so do you just think he was that important to the defense overall? Kelcy Quarles is very good on the DL. Chaz Sutton is another monster at end he was a very good pass rusher out of their 3rd down package last year. Their big losses were at LB where they are replacing all three with essentially unproven backups.

Also USC relied on Ace Sanders a good bit last year in the return game it'll be interesting to see how the loss of him affects them.