Why they’ll be good:
Maty Mauk, ladies & gentlemen
A pass rush that will be equally as productive despite losing Kony Ealy & Michael Sam. Markus Golden and Shane Ray got plenty of playing time last season and helped to keep Sam & Ealy fresh. They’re primed for breakout seasons. Their defensive interior will be strong as well.
Why they’ll be bad:
Depth – while last season, they were able to show what they could do with a fully loaded holster, they’re very talented up top this season in certain spots, but not as talented past the 1-deep as they were last year. Injuries could make this season look like their 2012 inaugural SEC campaign.
Schedule prediction
vs. South Dakota St. – W
@ Toledo – W
vs. UCF – W
vs. Indiana – W
@ South Carolina – L
vs. Georgia – L
@ Florida – W
vs. Vandy – W
vs. Kentucky – W
vs. TAMU – L
@ Tennessee – L
vs. Arkansas - W
Summary –
Replacing a long time starter at QB and several All-Americans on defense would the offseason story under normal circumstances. But the Tigers’ offseason started with Co-SEC defensive player of the year, Michael Sam, announcing to the world that he was openly homosexual. And for the next couple of months, it was all anyone wanted to talk about. Then, former 5-star WR Doriel Green-Beckham was dismissed from the team after repeated team violations. His departure (along with the loss of 2 senior WRs) puts an amazing amount of pressure on Bud Sasser and Jimmie Hunt to turn into reliable targets for Mauk. They got torched in the secondary last year with seniors EJ Gaines and Randy Ponder, now they replace them both with greenhorns. It may not get better. They will have a SOLID starting defensive front 4. Beyond that, it’s shaky. They get a favorable first part of their schedule and will probably get through unscathed (Toledo is solid, but won’t win…UCF is not the same team as last year, although it’ll be a tough out) before taking consecutive losses to South Carolina & Georgia. I have them beating Florida. And this one could go both ways. I picked them to beat Florida because they catch the Gators between 3 rivalry games. Florida plays (in the span of 5 weeks): @ Tennessee, vs LSU, vs Mizzou, BYE, Cocktail Party. I think Mizzou can catch them in a vulnerable emotional state and sneak up on them. And that’ll be the highlight of their season. I have them finishing with an 8-4 record, but that’s best case scenario since I can’t predict injuries. If they lose one or more players at the top of the rotation, it could go downhill fast.
Your thoughts?
Maty Mauk, ladies & gentlemen
A pass rush that will be equally as productive despite losing Kony Ealy & Michael Sam. Markus Golden and Shane Ray got plenty of playing time last season and helped to keep Sam & Ealy fresh. They’re primed for breakout seasons. Their defensive interior will be strong as well.
Why they’ll be bad:
Depth – while last season, they were able to show what they could do with a fully loaded holster, they’re very talented up top this season in certain spots, but not as talented past the 1-deep as they were last year. Injuries could make this season look like their 2012 inaugural SEC campaign.
Schedule prediction
vs. South Dakota St. – W
@ Toledo – W
vs. UCF – W
vs. Indiana – W
@ South Carolina – L
vs. Georgia – L
@ Florida – W
vs. Vandy – W
vs. Kentucky – W
vs. TAMU – L
@ Tennessee – L
vs. Arkansas - W
Summary –
Replacing a long time starter at QB and several All-Americans on defense would the offseason story under normal circumstances. But the Tigers’ offseason started with Co-SEC defensive player of the year, Michael Sam, announcing to the world that he was openly homosexual. And for the next couple of months, it was all anyone wanted to talk about. Then, former 5-star WR Doriel Green-Beckham was dismissed from the team after repeated team violations. His departure (along with the loss of 2 senior WRs) puts an amazing amount of pressure on Bud Sasser and Jimmie Hunt to turn into reliable targets for Mauk. They got torched in the secondary last year with seniors EJ Gaines and Randy Ponder, now they replace them both with greenhorns. It may not get better. They will have a SOLID starting defensive front 4. Beyond that, it’s shaky. They get a favorable first part of their schedule and will probably get through unscathed (Toledo is solid, but won’t win…UCF is not the same team as last year, although it’ll be a tough out) before taking consecutive losses to South Carolina & Georgia. I have them beating Florida. And this one could go both ways. I picked them to beat Florida because they catch the Gators between 3 rivalry games. Florida plays (in the span of 5 weeks): @ Tennessee, vs LSU, vs Mizzou, BYE, Cocktail Party. I think Mizzou can catch them in a vulnerable emotional state and sneak up on them. And that’ll be the highlight of their season. I have them finishing with an 8-4 record, but that’s best case scenario since I can’t predict injuries. If they lose one or more players at the top of the rotation, it could go downhill fast.
Your thoughts?