Mr. CFB: 10 Story Lines I'm Watching At SEC Media Days
Nashville--For the first time the SEC's football Media Days will be held somewhere other than Birmingham and Atlanta. But regardless of the venue there will be no shorrtage of hot story lines when over 1,000 members of the media converge on the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Nashville on Monday..
There is so much going on. For example:
This will be the SEC's last Media Days without Texas and Oklahoma, who begin play in 2024.
The SEC has had divisonal play (East vs. West) since the conferrence expanded to 12 teams in 1992. Next year the SEC will have 16 teams with no divisions. The top two teams at the end of the regular season advance to the SEC championship.
This will also be the last season of the four-team College Football Playoff. This time next year we'll be talking about a 12-team playoff and debating how many SEC teams will take u those dozen slots.
The story lines/questions are limitless. Let's start with these 10:
1--Can Georgia become the first team since Minnesota in 1936 to win three straight national championships? There is no question that the talent level and the relaltively soft schedule favor the Bulldogs. But they have to do it with a quarterback not named Stetson Bennett and a new OC (Mike Bobo).. The trip to Tennessee an Nov. 18 could be for the SEC East.
2--Since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007, the Crimson Tide has never gone three straigt seasons without a national championship. Saban, who lost two games on the last play of the game in 2022, has his team in full revenge mode. Alabama has had elite play quarterback for quite a while. But Heisman Trophy winner Byrce Young is gone. Is Jalen Milroe the answer? Saban brought in Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buckner after spring practice.
3--Can LSU win the West again? It sure looks like it if Jayden Daniels takes his game up another notch. And it doesn't hurt to return a defense that gave up only 22.5 ppg last season. But remember that LSU plays at Alabama on Nov. 4. That's got a shot of beging something special.
4--Will the Grand Experiment work? Bobby Petrino has had quite a checkered career but you have to admit the guy can call ball plays. He will do that at Texas A&M for Jimbo Fisher. Quarterback Conner Wiegman should take a step forward working with Petrino. Stay tuned.
5--If Florida starts 1-2 is Billy Napier in trouble? I don't think so. But the Gators open at Utah, which will challenge for another Pac-12 title and then host Tennessee on Sept. 16. The Gators have to play Kentucky in Lexington, South Carolina in Columbia, and LSU in Baton Rouge. Florida also has to play at Florida State against a team that may win the ACC.
6--Can Spencer Rattler pick up where the left off? Rattler, whose career had been up and down, was hot down the stretch, leading the Gamecocks to a pair of Top 10 wins over Tennessee and Clemson. He looked like the guy who was the No. 1 recruit in the countr when he signed with Oklahoma. Rattler threw for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns in his fianl three games.
7--Joe Milton has a cannon for an arm. But can he make all the throws that Josh Heupel needs him to make? That remains to be seen if Milton can be as versatile and creative as Hendon Hooker. We also want to see if the highly-recruited freshman, 6-5 Nico Imaleava from Long Beach, Calif, is going to have an early impact.
8--If you're looking for a darkhorse, try Kentucky. The Wildcats scored only 20.4 points per game last season but that should change. Coach Mark Stoops went out and got Devon Leary, who had a big season at N.C. State in 2021. Stoops also convinced Liam Cohen to return to Lexington as offensive coordinator. Cohen, you'll recall, was OC whem Will Levis had a big season in 2021. Kentucky should start 4-0 and willl then host Florida in Lexington.
9--What's Mississippi State going to look like? The Bulldogs had a clear identity playing the Air Raid offense of the late Mike Leach. But Leach died of a heart attach defense coordinator Zach Arnett was moved to head coach. Arnett has a quarterback in Will Rogers who threw for almost 4,000 yards last season. But look for Arnett to slow things down. It's going to be interest.
10--We just don't know about Auburn. It looks like Hugh Freeze's first team at Auburn might be picked to finish last in the SEC West when the voting is announced on Friday. Once he gets his quarterback set, Freeze usually does well. But questions about that position remain. Robbie Ashford was No. 1 on paper after spring ball. But after the spring Freeze added another quarterback, Payton Thorne from Michigan State, who threw for 2,678 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season.
Stay tuned. It's going to be an interesting week.