After months of wait we are finally here....game week. Last week for silly preseason predictions and homer fans getting to think that the team that couldn't make one of the hundred bowls is going to win a title. Next up, reality checks for half of the college football teams and their fan bases.
Here's a breakdown of what each team stands to learn on the first week of the season:
Alabama - Probably the most high profile game for the SEC in week one. Clemson is the favorite and based on talent and experience should win the game....but then again, we've said that about Clemson seemingly many times and they've always found ways to fall short of expectations. It is hard for me to believe that Clemson has never even gotten to the ACC title game. The Tide comes in with new faces in the fold with a big recruiting class that has fans buzzing. Julio Jones looks to be the real deal and I'd expect at least a couple of contributors from the defensive side. Remember though, even if you took the top 50 recruits in the nation and watched them this season, only a moderate percentage would make an impact right away. Here' s the real questions for Bama - Can the defense be decent against the run with virtually no experience in the front 7? Is John Parker Wilson a guy that can get you 9 or 10 wins? Clemson will be a good initial test for that defense and slowing down the like of Spiller, Davis and the very effective Cullen Harper would likely bring riots of joy in the state of Alabama. Wilson needs to move past the tendency to throw bad picks in bad spots and not get rattled and start throwing balls 8 rows deep when the opponent is rushing 2 and dropping 9. Color me skeptical till I see him do it. For now I'm thinking Bama fans will be sounding like Denny Green on Sunday...."He was who we thought he was". Very few QB's change that drastically, and Wilson has been a guy that is gutsy, tough and has a good arm....but he's also gotten rattled, antsy and looked horrible when the pocket has collapsed on him over the years. This time of year fans tend to remember the good games(Tennessee) and not the horrible ones(LaMo, MissState and mediocre Iron Bowls) before being reminded why they were cussing the kid less than a year ago.
Arkansas - With Western Illinois we will learn very little about how good this team will be. At least Arky fans will get a legit look at what the style of the offense will look like. Casey Dick will probably look good and rack up yards, but I'll wait another week or two before buying it.
Auburn - Mission - don't fall victim to the LaMo trap like your in state rival did. Truthfully this one shouldn't be a contest and we won't learn a ton about the Tigers here. Interesting things to watch will be the QB rotation that Auburn uses and what the young DB's look like in coverage. Is it really a true QB rotation or is it a special package for one of them in the likes of the Leak/Tebow situation? Auburn needs it's young DB's to at least look serviceable in the first two games and also needs to avoid injury in that area.
Florida - Last year ended with UF fans screaming about the lack of players in the secondary. Michigan completely exposed the Gators in that area and Chad Henne absolutely tore them apart. Hawaii is probably not a real threat to beat the talented Gators, but they are the perfect team to test that weakness. Hawaii may not have June Jones or Colt Brennan anymore, but they will look to put the ball in the air a ton. The off season was suppose to be a time to develop the younger players and have them solid by kickoff....until injuries started to decimate the defensive backfield. Major Wright is an absolute stud and an intimidator at the safety spot, but guys like Joe Haden and the off thrown at Wondy Pierre-Louis will have to step up for UF to reach it's lofty goals. Playing in a division with guys like Richt and Spurrier is tough on a team with problems at DB.
Georgia - The only thing we can learn from the nations #1 team playing Georgia Southern is whether or not they can go another week without an arrest. UGA also has some top tier freshmen like A.J. Green that we will get to see in a game like this.
Kentucky - Replacing it's best offensive players and playing an in state rival trying to rebound from a devastating season....interesting first game for the Cats. This game will truly reflect what we can expect from Rich Brooks team this year. Kentucky is not likely to reach the levels it did a year ago, but would like to remain a team that other SEC foes actually fear instead of being a game that most just chalk up in the W column. Kentucky fans should have a real idea of what is in store for them after this one.
LSU - While Appy State isn't likely to pull the same stunt on a BCS team twice, they will give the Tigers a good look at a version of the spread offense that they will see from others this season. Because LSU is so good on both lines, I'm not real sure we will get a good read on the new QB in Hatch or Lee or on the Tigers defensive backfield. The thing to look for is if Hatch or Lee struggle making good reads or hitting open WR's. That will probably not hurt them against Appy State as they can likely to to the power running game to bail them out, but it will give SEC defenses something to salivate over.
Mississippi - I can't wait to see Jevon Snead at QB for the Rebs. Houston Nutt has never had an effective passer that I can recall and would have been greatly dangerous if he ever had. Memphis is a game the Rebs have to win and if Snead is struggling, expect Nutt to go his traditional route of power running game and trick plays. The Ole Miss offense has been behind the game for years.....will we learn anything in the opener that leads us to believe that has changed.
Mississippi State - Was last year lucky? Week one won't tell us a lot. MSU hasn't made a habit of blowing out teams like La Tech and I wouldn't expect they do anything to change that. I'll be watching Wesley Carrol and the passing game because I have no doubt that Croom will have a good running game and a solid, tough defense. If Carrol can be better than hitting a few play action passes here and there, State can repeat last years record. If not I'm afraid the bounces won't go their way and they may be back to sitting at home during the bowl season.
South Carolina - Is Tommy Beecher the guy that Spurrier has been waiting on? The only thing missing from his squad has been the spot that is most important position in a Spurrier offense. This one will get lots of attention since the Gamecocks play on Thursday night in front of every guy that has been dying for college football for 9 months. Lots of pressure on Beecher and really, no USCe QB has had a full good game since the Evil Genius arrived there.
Tennessee - New offensive look, new QB and the darkhorse in the SEC East. I've liked what I've seen from Crompton's limited snaps and think that the Vols might actually be better with Erik Ainge gone. The former staff seemed to just put the ball in his hands when it was unnecessary. Look for more Arian Foster and a better balance on downs like 2nd and 6 where the Vols typically seemed to lean on Ainge to throw the ball too often when the running game was working well. I'm interested to see how the game is called from the new OC. SEC opponents should be watching to see if the Vols will have a truly new look or not.
Vandy - ummmm, sorry but who cares. The Dores aren't going to do anything against Miami (OH) that catches the eye of SEC opponents.
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