Declared 1st off season thread - Way too early top 25 2016

Lots of starters potentially to replace and road games at UT, Ole Miss, LSU, and Arky sounds a little daunting right now.

I'd put us in the top 5 but not at no 2.

Right tackle must be addressed. Kiffin must hang around and one of the young guns must live up to the hype. We could be special again, at the very least a team who could beat anybody on a given day. Consistency with the young guys will be key, especially later in the season.


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We'll need some injury luck again. It's amazing to think our top 3 wideouts missed no time after Robert Foster went down - and we needed every snap from them given the injuries and inexperience behind them.

We also have UGA and Auburn at home, Southern Cal in Dallas to start the season. Not many gimmes on the schedule next year outside the three cupcakes.


Edit: WRONG! We didn't get a home&home with Georgia but instead a home game against Kentucky...that eases it up: Kentucky, TAMU, MSU, and Auburn at home. Get most of our big games on the road.

Worried about losing Tucker, but if you keep Kiffin you should contend again. LSU will be loaded. They will be a threat, as will complacency.

All I know is I'm not going to discredit our team ever again before the season starts. I had us losing two or three this year. I'm happy to be wrong.

rgw said:

We also have UGA and Auburn at home, Southern Cal in Dallas to start the season. Not many gimmes on the schedule next year outside the three cupcakes.


Edit: WRONG! We didn't get a home&home with Georgia but instead a home game against Kentucky...that eases it up: Kentucky, TAMU, MSU, and Auburn at home. Get most of our big games on the road.

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Why don't we pick up UGA at home?

deliveryman35 said:

Why don't we pick up UGA at home?

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They remain in ICU.

deliveryman35 said:

Why don't we pick up UGA at home?

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we don't play them until 2020 i think. one of the quirks of scheduling with the expansion i think

Jessica4Bama said:

All I know is I'm not going to discredit our team ever again before the season starts. I had us losing two or three this year. I'm happy to be wrong.

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Have to admit I did too. Thought we were about a 9-3 team. There are indeed certain things in life that it`s both good and pleasurable about which to be wrong!

The UGA scenario is exactly why we need a 9-game schedule. We hadn't play them at home since 2007, haven't played them in the regular season since 2008, and they snipe a home game with us and we get nothing in return. The scheduling in the SEC makes no dang sense and it never will until they add a 9th conference game.

Great thing about the CFP is we know that Alabama can lose one game and still make the final 4 - under most scenarios..

I'd expect Clemson to be #1 getting about 50% of the 1st place votes. Bama & FSU get about 35% of the remaining 1st's and Baylor and LSU round out the top 5.

So much is still unknown that I would have no clue how to put together a top 25. I think we will have the tools to be a really good team next year, but one of the things that made this team so great was the buy in to The Process. I would expect Ole Miss to be a very tough game again next season. Tennessee will be a very tough game again and it's in Knoxville this time. LSU is in Baton Rouge and they are going to be foaming at the mouth to end their losing streak to us. USC is a wildcard, IMO. Arkansas will be another tough game and they will also be bent on ending their losing streak to us. Mississippi State, Auburn, Kentucky, Texas A&M will all be in some state of flux and should be wins. I look at it like this, teams are in not in schedule order:

USC in Dallas: toss up. They will be talented.
Ole Miss in Oxford: toss up. But we certainly have motivation, and they are losing a lot.
Tennessee in Knoxville: toss up. They have tons of motivation, they will be improved, but we will still have the overall talent edge.
LSU in Baton Rouge: toss up. Tons of motivation for them, tons of talent. It will be a battle as always down there.
Arkansas in Fayetteville: toss up. Again, another road game against a tough opponent. Losing their QB is going to hurt them, though.

Auburn in Tuscaloosa: should win. Yes, rivalry. But they aren't a good program right now, regressed in their coaching staff, and the game is at home.
Kentucky in Tuscaloosa: blowout win. That program regressed badly this year, and they lost their QB.
Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa: should win. A program that has lost a ton.
Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa: should win. A program in disarray.

Rest of the schedule is mid majors/cupcakes. That's 5 really tough games, and 4 games that we should win, and the tough part is all the tough ones are away from home. Depending on how many underclassmen go Pro, how well the QB position shapes out, and how we do with injuries, I see it as 7-5 absolute worst case and probably 11-1 best case.

I am ready to go to work. Way too early, then recruiting, then Spring game, then Magazines and serious pre season polls ..... then Kick Off.

returning starters: USC 9-5. LSU 9-9. Tennessee 9-8 There are the three concerns I have because of the returning starters, though we don't know who is leaving early just yet, so maybe more will go.

Redwood Forrest said:

I am ready to go to work. Way too early, then recruiting, then Spring game, then Magazines and serious pre season polls ..... then Kick Off.

returning starters: USC 9-5. LSU 9-9. Tennessee 9-8 There are the three concerns I have because of the returning starters, though we don't know who is leaving early just yet, so maybe more will go.

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Two teams prime for big seasons. Then again, I thought that about Lousyana State in 2015. I also thought we would lose at least twice in a rebuilding cycle. I'm clearly a prediction genius. :wink: