SEC Week 1 Discussion

gps_3

Head of Alabama Department of Decision-Making
Figured it was time to get this started. I'll post the games and lines later when I can find an easily C&P format. Some real interesting games for sure. I'm pretty narrowly focused on Alabama in the news department, so if anyone has pertinent news and notes, please post them. Looking forward to it fellas
 
Figured it was time to get this started. I'll post the games and lines later when I can find an easily C&P format. Some real interesting games for sure. I'm pretty narrowly focused on Alabama in the news department, so if anyone has pertinent news and notes, please post them. Looking forward to it fellas
Georgia under in game 1 is a consistent winner with Kirby.
 
Didn't see an injury thread, but RB1 for Alabama Jam Miller is out until probably at least week 5 against UGA. He was by all reports having a great camp, but based on prior results I can't say for sure that this is a critical loss, at least not for the first 3 games. I've always wanted him to be awesome, we just haven't seen it yet. A lot of that probably had to do with Milroe at QB, but until I see it, I won't count on it. Outside of that, Alabama seems to be pretty healthy, though a few predicted/returning starters are still being held back at practice, notably DL James Smith, CB Domani Jackson, ILB Deontae Lawson, and OL Jaedon Roberts
 
Didn't see an injury thread, but RB1 for Alabama Jam Miller is out until probably at least week 5 against UGA. He was by all reports having a great camp, but based on prior results I can't say for sure that this is a critical loss, at least not for the first 3 games. I've always wanted him to be awesome, we just haven't seen it yet. A lot of that probably had to do with Milroe at QB, but until I see it, I won't count on it. Outside of that, Alabama seems to be pretty healthy, though a few predicted/returning starters are still being held back at practice, notably DL James Smith, CB Domani Jackson, ILB Deontae Lawson, and OL Jaedon Roberts
Appreciate this.

I wanted to start an injury thread but I just got behind.

I'll have my version (Big Ten Thread) hopefully this Saturday. I've been working on a rough draft.
 
Mike Shula OC for South Carolina? Forgive my tardy reaction. Haven't heard that name since, I can't remember when and it probably wasn't good last time I did. Surely this is a downgrade to lose the guy who App State hired away and promote Shula?
 
SEC announces the league will play 9 conference games AND will have to play a team from ACC/B1G/Big12/ND starting in 2026. Prayers for the big 10 sycophants for losing their second favorite criticism of the SEC
 
If nothing changes otherwise, Alabama is playing 11 P4 games a season for the foreseeable future. I’m sure there are others too
 
Wonder how much mercy they'll show. Marshall has to be really bad this year after losing the coach and pretty much the whole team from last year, right?
I like UGA to cover, which makes the under pretty unworkable.
 
SEC announces the league will play 9 conference games AND will have to play a team from ACC/B1G/Big12/ND starting in 2026. Prayers for the big 10 sycophants for losing their second favorite criticism of the SEC
Way more interested in the 3 permanents. That’s going to be interesting.
 
SEC announces the league will play 9 conference games AND will have to play a team from ACC/B1G/Big12/ND starting in 2026. Prayers for the big 10 sycophants for losing their second favorite criticism of the SEC
Well, it's needed.

Trash that "bye" week for 2/3 of the league in November as well.


Details.

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It's really imbalance for all. I know you are talking about the permanent rivals with some being better teams than others. But it's a 16 team league. Even at 9 conference games that means every team will not play 6 other teams from their own league. SEC plays only 60% of the league each year. Big Ten is even worse (they play 52.9% of their conference opponents). The leagues have chosen the imbalance, it is mandatory for everyone because of the structure.
 
I wonder how far in advance the conference will set the schedule. If they do it too far in advance, they run the risk of making it harder on the top half of the league and jeopardizing playoff spots

I don't think it's a coincidence that this is announced right after the CFP announces a new way to measure SOS. This has obviously been in the works for a while, all it took was for ESPN to agree to pay more money and the CFP to at least pretend SOS matters to them. I'm skeptical on the CFP though. As much as we know that schedule imbalance is a thing, it is near impossible for a human being to put a team with 3 losses ahead of a team with 1 or 2 losses in nearly all cases. Hopefully this moves everyone in the P4 to having schedules that are more closely aligned. 9 conference games (or maybe 10), and then at least 1 P4 in the non-con. I'm cool with the FCS and G5 games because of what it means to those schools financially. I'm pretty ambivalent about those November FCS games and at this point just like it because it drives the B1G crowd insane
 
lol. You knew 2 of the 3 before it even happened. Stop.

Also, it should be this way for Bama.
Buddy, my formative years were the late 90s and early 2000s. Despite the last 17 years, my PTSD from 2000-2006 is still strong
 
Auburn is a pretty good college town, but the stadium is really bad

Outside of the Horns, Alabama is my favorite CFB team but I didn't really care to see this game in Bryant-Denny. I wanted to see them play the game at Auburn in an adverse and hostile setting. I'll defer to you on the stadium itself but I've watched enough of the Iron Bowl telecasts from Jordan Hare and it seems like a helluva environment, least for that game.
 
Outside of the Horns, Alabama is my favorite CFB team but I didn't really care to see this game in Bryant-Denny. I wanted to see them play the game at Auburn in an adverse and hostile setting. I'll defer to you on the stadium itself but I've watched enough of the Iron Bowl telecasts from Jordan Hare and it seems like a helluva environment, least for that game.
Plains.
 
Outside of the Horns, Alabama is my favorite CFB team but I didn't really care to see this game in Bryant-Denny. I wanted to see them play the game at Auburn in an adverse and hostile setting. I'll defer to you on the stadium itself but I've watched enough of the Iron Bowl telecasts from Jordan Hare and it seems like a helluva environment, least for that game.
There's no doubt that the crowd will be into it. It's low key one of the louder stadiums in the country. It's also a well known crazy place and you have a 50/50 chance of seeing something wild on the field. I'm interested to see how DeBoer does there. Saban's teams for whatever reason played really tight there year after year.

I hear a lot of people talking about the talent on AU this year, and maybe it's just the Bammer in me, but I'm not seeing it with AU when it comes to being a top 15 talent team. For sure they are more talented than they have been in the last few years, not hard, but top 15 seems a stretch. WR are really good. They have a really good DE. But everything else seems pretty average to me, and I don't think Freeze is a very good coach. I'm sure these words won't come back to bite me haha
 
Vandy and Ole Miss for sure, that’s been years in the making. People from Tennessee probably make up 40% of Ole Miss
 
(Kentucky notes)

former Ag Zach Calzada named QB1 today for Kentucky over Cutter Boley who made a strong push late in camp. Boley is the future, but Calzada will get first shot since he's getting paid the $. Incarnate Word looked atrocious in their opener without the 2024 Southland Conf POY in Calzada.

Kentucky went to the portal and beefed up the o-line and running game. We were able to snag a talented duo in Seth McGowen (Oklahoma, NMSU) and Dante Dowdell (Nebraska). McGowen took advantage of his 2nd chance at NMSU after getting booted from OU and proved he can be a workhorse pass/catch guy - by all accounts possesses a great work ethic and well respected by his peers. We've been lacking culture guys like this lately. Dowdell is one of the best short yardage backs in the country after rushing for 12 TDs for the Corn in 2024. The third back in the rotation will be high rising RS freshman Josh Patterson who showed flashes last season (20 carries for 111 yards (5.6 ypc).

OC Bush Hamdan arrived late in his first season, dealt with an array of injuries in '24 and suffered through poor o-line play. This year we are the healthiest we've been at the start of a season since I can remember and am anticipating a big jump in the offense with his recruits. Talented bookend wideouts Barion Brown gone to LSU and Dane Key left for Nebraska but Hamdan was able to reel in one of his former recruits in 6-4 WR JJ Hester from Mizzou/OU, WR Kendrick Law comes in from Bama, and sure handed vet slot Troy Stellato from Clemson. WR Hardley Gilmore is back after a short stint at Nebraska and has put together a highlight reel in camp - looking like a breakout guy… as well as Jamori Maclin who came in strong at end of last season after having a 1k yard 11 TD season at UNT. UK will have a similar offense to Mizzou, Boise and App St. Most our secondary is back and our D line is massive with depth. Linebacker play will be a big ? mark. Our kicker has a huge leg.

Stoops seems to get the best out of his guys in the underdog role and this season he's backed in a corner and fighting for his life. This team appears built on his two patented cornerstones: the run game and the secondary. No way I'm laying the 7.5 or 8 Sat against this talented Toledo team, but things aren't as bleak as the UK football casuals are talking in Lex. Looking to grab the points in week 2 at home vs Ole Miss as we return the entire secondary that shut them down on the road last season.
 
(Kentucky notes)

former Ag Zach Calzada named QB1 today for Kentucky over Cutter Boley who made a strong push late in camp. Boley is the future, but Calzada will get first shot since he's getting paid the $. Incarnate Word looked atrocious in their opener without the 2024 Southland Conf POY in Calzada.

Kentucky went to the portal and beefed up the o-line and running game. We were able to snag a talented duo in Seth McGowen (Oklahoma, NMSU) and Dante Dowdell (Nebraska). McGowen took advantage of his 2nd chance at NMSU after getting booted from OU and proved he can be a workhorse pass/catch guy - by all accounts possesses a great work ethic and well respected by his peers. We've been lacking culture guys like this lately. Dowdell is one of the best short yardage backs in the country after rushing for 12 TDs for the Corn in 2024. The third back in the rotation will be high rising RS freshman Josh Patterson who showed flashes last season (20 carries for 111 yards (5.6 ypc).

OC Bush Hamdan arrived late in his first season, dealt with an array of injuries in '24 and suffered through poor o-line play. This year we are the healthiest we've been at the start of a season since I can remember and am anticipating a big jump in the offense with his recruits. Talented wideouts Barion Brown gone to LSU and Dane Key left for Nebraska but Hamdan was able to reel in one of his former recruits in 6-4 WR JJ Hester from Mizzou/OU, WR Kendrick Law comes in from Bama, and sure handed vet slot Troy Stellato from Clemson. WR Hardley Gilmore is back after a short stint at Nebraska and has put together a highlight reel in camp - looking like a breakout guy. UK will have a similar offense to Mizzou, Boise and App St. Most our secondary is back and our D line is massive with depth. Linebacker play will be a big ? mark. Our kicker has a huge leg.

Stoops seems to get the best out of his guys in the underdog role and this season he's backed in a corner and fighting for his life. This team appears built on his two patented cornerstones: the run game and the secondary. No way I'm laying the 7.5 or 8 Sat against this talented Toledo team, but things aren't as bleak as the UK football casuals are talking in Lex. Looking to grab the points in week 2 at home vs Ole Miss as we return the entire secondary that shut them down on the road last season.
Thanks @Grind_4_Mine !!
 
I haven't seen anything definitive, but it's sounding like AU will be without transfer WR Eric Singleton for the Baylor game. Even if he plays, he's unlikely to be 100%
 
Based on De Boer's comments today, I wouldn't expect RG Jaedon Roberts to play against FSU. He started last year, but was being pushed pretty hard this offseason by Geno Vandemark, who played a ton last year. I'm not sure there will be a huge dropoff, but not ideal. On defense, starting DT Tim Keenan got dinged up yesterday and De Boer says he's unlikely to be a "full go" on Saturday. I'm not sure what that means, but Keenan is a big part of the optimism on defense for Alabama. Neither injury sounds like it will be long term (Roberts is working through concussion protocol), so they may just be playing it safe early on.

I don't have much opinion on the spread here, I've seen us struggle too many times on the road over the last 5 years to feel very confident. I am warming up to the over. The weather bears watching, but the Malzahn/Castellanos combo could definitely move the ball more than Alabama is comfortable with, and I am very bullish on our offense. The fear is with FSU playing a 3-3-5 scheme, we could see a ton of running and a rolling clock. Same for FSU when they are on offense. Right now I'm leaning toward a 38-24 type win for Alabama, but it's hard to have a firm feel without seeing this team on the field yet. One thing I feel pretty confident in is that the offense will look a lot different than last year
 
Based on De Boer's comments today, I wouldn't expect RG Jaedon Roberts to play against FSU. He started last year, but was being pushed pretty hard this offseason by Geno Vandemark, who played a ton last year. I'm not sure there will be a huge dropoff, but not ideal. On defense, starting DT Tim Keenan got dinged up yesterday and De Boer says he's unlikely to be a "full go" on Saturday. I'm not sure what that means, but Keenan is a big part of the optimism on defense for Alabama. Neither injury sounds like it will be long term (Roberts is working through concussion protocol), so they may just be playing it safe early on.

I don't have much opinion on the spread here, I've seen us struggle too many times on the road over the last 5 years to feel very confident. I am warming up to the over. The weather bears watching, but the Malzahn/Castellanos combo could definitely move the ball more than Alabama is comfortable with, and I am very bullish on our offense. The fear is with FSU playing a 3-3-5 scheme, we could see a ton of running and a rolling clock. Same for FSU when they are on offense. Right now I'm leaning toward a 38-24 type win for Alabama, but it's hard to have a firm feel without seeing this team on the field yet. One thing I feel pretty confident in is that the offense will look a lot different than last year
Appreciate the updates
 
Now. For SEC discussion

Whose really real here?

Texas
Uga
Bama
Lsu
Tamu
Scar

Texas legit talent thru roster
Uga, same
Bama, ive always liked deboer
Lsu....If twinkle is still here. He knows he paid refs off in cola 2024 for a win.
tamu, sure ranking wise and nil income but that dont build teams


Scar

Yes. Nearly 12 yrs have passed and now we have a 1-2yr window

This looks like a real genuine grown ass man team. But end of day schedule actually hooked up with 2 byes...

5-0 heading @lsu

win 1-2 of both home oky bama

Lose sum where road @olemiss or @tamu

Win clem wk 12

10-2 possible miss playoffs
 
Last edited:
Grind

I realize i probably look like i came out some spam algo from burning man

Bottom my heart, makes me happy to see a guy like u keeping this shi5 going. I seen the names.i smiled

Is vegas kyle still around
Yah Kyle is here, retired from football but keeping an eye on things.
 
I've listened to a few "ball-knower" podcasts, and it does seem on paper that the Alabama defense is a really bad matchup for the Gus Malzahn scheme. Much worse than the Saban scheme was. I am now not considering the over and seem unlikely to have any bets on this game at all unless I see something live or halftime that I like.
 
Now. For SEC discussion

Whose really real here?

Texas
Uga
Bama
Lsu
Tamu
Scar

Texas legit talent thru roster
Uga, same
Bama, ive always liked deboer
Lsu....If twinkle is still here. He knows he paid refs off in cola 2024 for a win.
tamu, sure ranking wise and nil income but that dont build teams


Scar

Yes. Nearly 12 yrs have passed and now we have a 1-2yr window

This looks like a real genuine grown ass man team. But end of day schedule actually hooked up with 2 byes...

5-0 heading @lsu

win 1-2 of both home oky bama

Lose sum where road @olemiss or @tamu

Win clem wk 12

10-2 possible miss playoffs
LSU definitely got favors that game. Boy I sure hope it ain’t a day game in BR this year, should be a good one.

Hope all is well bro, good to see you around these parts.
 
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