2014 SEC Preview

 

 

Big turnover at the QB position in the SEC this season with Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina all losing their starters from 2013. It will be interesting to see how these teams’ offensive numbers are affected.

A few thoughts:

*          Junior and senior quarterbacks continue to dominate the SEC Title game.  Last year was no exception as Auburn was led by junior QB Nick Marshall while Missouri had senior James Franklin under center. 

*          Here is a breakdown of the 26 starting quarterbacks that have led their teams to the SEC Title game since 2001.

Class	#	Record
Senior	9	6-3
Junior	11	6-5
Sophomore	6	1-5
Freshman	0	0-0

*          I beat this dead horse every year, but the odds are heavily stacked against teams with underclass QB’s.  To put this in perspective, while Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel both won Heisman Trophies as underclassmen, neither won the division in those Heisman seasons.

*          So it is no surprise that I’m giving the LSU Tigers little or no chance to win the division.  But to show you what I know, I picked Auburn and Missouri to both finish 6^th in their respective divisions last season.  We all know how that worked out.

*          Using these criteria, who has a legit shot to get to Atlanta?

Auburn and Ole Miss will have seniors at the QB position and solid offensive lines.  Auburn returns four starters from an offensive line with a combined 113 starts that led the nation in rushing last season.  Alabama is breaking in some new guys on the line but you know they will be plenty talented.  The Tide will also be breaking in a new junior QB transfer from Florida State, Jacob Coker.  Ole Miss just is not on the same level as others in the division, but they could be a spoiler.

From the East, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia all have senior QB’s.  Florida’s Jeff Driskel returns for his fourth season after receiving a medical redshirt in 2013.  But this may be Steve Spurrier’s best chance to conquer the East.  The Gamecocks get Georgia, Texas A&M, Missouri and Tennessee at home while travelling to Auburn and Florida.  USC has loaded up on talent with consistent Top 20 classes since Spurrier’s arrival.  The Gators are a bit of a wildcard this year.  On paper they are one of the most talented teams in the country, but Muschamp is only 22-16 in three seasons.  To highlight just how poor Florida was last season, their three conference wins came over teams with a combined conference record of 2-22.