Just starting into the card, and as I mentioned, the SEC schedule is garbage with 5 games against FCS schools. Hopefully the playoff will mean less of these games and more non-conference games against at least the Sun Belt, though UK might not appreciate that. A few thoughts from the SEC games I saw:
Vandy v Ole Miss was a great game, and the 4th quarter showed why they both struggle to get out of the 7-10 range in the SEC. Ole Miss is going to score points this year, and I expect them to beat a team they shouldn't, someone like LSU, Texas, or even Bama. Assuming everyone stays healthy, the Texas A&M game could be a toss up or even have OM favored. Vandy is not going to beat anyone on athleticism, but they are well coached enough to play hard in every game and will sneak up on some teams. From looking at schedules, I think I remember them getting some teams in favorable situations
I watched the 2nd half of LSU and they looked pretty close to what I expected. Mettenberger made some good throws and decisions, the defense looked fast and athletic, and the RBs ran hard. I have to think the lack of experience will hurt them at some point this season, but make no mistake, this is a team with a legit chance to win the SEC.
SCAR looked good from what I could tell watching in the bar. Jumped up early and took the foot off the pedal which is understandable with UGA on deck, and also the weather delay. Don't get the Clowney criticisms. That's how he always played. He can't knock a helmet off every tackle. Offense had some nice drives, but on some occasions it appeared the UNC defense was as responsible as the SC offense.
What happened in the UGA game was not unexpected. They lost too much on defense, and the defense they had last year was prone to giving up big numbers against competent offenses. Murray and Richt continue to make Murray and Richt mistakes. Also, how important is a competent special teams unit in a game like that? Todd Gurley is awesome by the way. Best back in America IMO. Terrible about Mitchell as well. They were counting on him to stretch the field this season. Murray will still put up big numbers, but likely against inferior defenses
Didn't watch the Auburn game, but my inlaws were watching on the iPad while we watched the UGA game so I caught a few plays here and there. My biggest takeaway is that, despite what the Auburn folks want you to believe, Nick Marshall is not Cam Newton 2.0. He's not Tyrod Taylor 2.0. He's more Brent Schaeffer than anyone at this point. The good news for him and Aub fans is that Gus' offense fits that type of player just fine. Now on defense, their LBs are brutal. There is some young talent on the DL and in the backfield certainly, but they will struggle a lot this season and won't get much help from the LBs. I expect a safety to lead the team in tackles. By a lot.
As for Bama, we all saw the same thing. The OL looks like it not only took a step backward from last year, but that it was replaced by one fewer player than needed. The best I can explain it (Bama fan opinion FWIW) was a combination of a few things, mainly stemming from there being 3 first time starters: communication and trust issues, nerves, and general inexperience. I think AJ lost faith after a couple of drives and his play showed that for the rest of the game. The offense as a whole played uninspired and I believe there was a lack of focus, probably reading all the praise and maybe an eye toward College Station. Also think Va Tech defense is above average. Bud Foster is a great DC and he dialed up a great plan, and our OL got whipped. I say all of that to say that I'm not writing off this group yet. All of those issues can be fixed. And I think they will play well against aTm and LSU, but I worry about their focus when teams like Ole Miss come to town. Defense looked great, but Logan Thomas is the worst 4 year starting QB in NCAA history. Christion Jones was a man on returns, but he runs backwards too much for me to completely trust him. If Bama can't iron out some of these issues during the bye, they won't win the West, much less the BCS
Texas A&M is what we think they are. A team with a great offensive system that will be good with anyone playing QB, but can be great with Manziel. Defense was terrible, but they were missing 6 starters I think. Still no reason to let Rice run all over you. Manziel definitely did everything he could to keep his detractors happy by acting like he did. I assume he'll continue to play great, but I feel like it might affect his teammates more than himself. That said, I think Manziel will cost his team a game with his attitude before the season is over.
Those were the only games I watched, still going through box scores. Will have thoughts on this week's games later.
