By Brad Bradford
It seems like it’s been a decade since the SEC last won the National Championship. The Big 10 (with 18 teams) has bragging rights since they won the last two: Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State last year. The SEC has had time to lick its wounds, recruit and rebound.
Today’s college football looks nothing like it did less than 10 years ago. In the “old days,” players signed scholarships that paid for room, board, books, tuition and fees. There was loyalty to the college and transferring to another school meant sitting out. Not today. NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) has turned the game into the “highest bidder wins.” Many of the top college athletes are being paid (legally) millions of dollars. The new transfer rules allow basic free agency among players. Tampering and poaching players used to be a cardinal sin. Now, it’s part of the game.
This creates a double-edged sword for coaches and fans since a new roster can be created almost overnight. The coach’s excuse of “getting my recruited players in place,” went out with leather helmets and no water at practice. It’s estimated that more than 60% of the quarterbacks this year will be transfers. Some of the players have attended 3 or 4 different schools looking for more playing time or more
NIL money.
AUBURN NOTES: Pat Dye and Shug Jordan would roll over in their graves if they had to hear the answer to this trivia question: Name the SEC school who has had four consecutive losing seasons. The answer is NOT Vanderbilt. It’s Auburn. The last winning season was 2020, Gus Malzahn’s last year.
Auburn fans are getting impatient, especially when Coach Hugh Freeze has a 2-year overall record of 11-14. He inherited a mess from Bryan Harsin and his poor recruiting effort. Freeze has been recruiting at a level that Tiger fans expect. Can this be the breakthrough year? Most analysts think so.
ALABAMA NOTES: Kalen DeBoer had a huge pair of coaching shoes to fill last year when Nick Saban retired. The Tide started out like gangbusters, jumping all the way to number 1 after defeating Georgia. That’s when the “rat poison” was served. Getting beat is one thing. Getting beaten by Vandy is something quite different.
Bama seemed out of sync for much of the year. Losing to Tennessee and being manhandled by an average Oklahoma team took the shine off the LSU and Auburn wins. Is DeBoer the leader to get the Tide back on top? Optimism is high since in his second year at Washington, they played for the national championship.
SEC TOP 4 PREVIEW: When the league was divided in East and West divisions, annually you could pencil in Alabama and Georgia to meet in Atlanta for the championship. That has changed. The “Manning Mania” at Texas makes the Longhorns the popular pick to win the league. Question by Steve Spurrier: if Arch Manning is so great, why was he a backup to Quinn Ewers who was a 7th round draft pick? Too much hype?
As long as Georgia has Kirby Smart at the helm, the Dogs will always be in the hunt. Replacing Carson Beck who left for Miami and greener ($) pastures will be a challenge. LSU is loaded this year and has one of the top quarterbacks in the league, Garrett Nussmeier, returning. For Alabama, the defense will be nasty and the wide receiver room led by All-American Ryan Williams will be the difference. Settling on a quarterback early will be important.
Most believe the champion will come from one of these 4: Texas, Georgia, LSU or Alabama.
AUBURN PREDICTION: The Tigers have a favorable schedule as they play Georgia and Alabama at home. It’s imperative to get off to a good start at Baylor on Friday night. They catch a break by playing Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The tossup will be at Texas A&M.
Coach Hugh Freeze is considered an offensive wizard when he has his quarterback. This year, he brought in Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold to throw to Cam Coleman, a speedster. The offense must improve from its 71st ranking last year. If Auburn beats Baylor, they could start off 5-0 headed into their off week before Georgia. Prediction: 8-4.
ALABAMA PREDICTION: The Tide plays both Georgia and Auburn on the road but catch Tennessee and LSU at home. The opening game at Florida State will be tricky with Gus Malzahn as the new offensive coordinator at FSU. Their trap game will be at South Carolina since offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, has developed quarterback LaNorris Sellers into a Heisman contender.
Who will replace Jalen Milroe at quarterback? Ty Simpson is the leader right now but Austin Mack and 5-star recruit, Keelon Russell, will be pressing during fall camp. The two hidden keys: No player transferred out in the spring and reuniting offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb with DeBoer is huge. Prediction: 10-2.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: Big 10: Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon. ACC: Clemson and Louisville. Big 12: Kansas State. SEC: Texas, Georgia, LSU and Alabama. Group of 5: Boise State. At large: Notre Dame.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Texas 38- Clemson 28.
And the SEC wins again.
