aulax1 0 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 SEC West 1. LSU (10-1, 7-1 in SEC) Offense: Every offensive starter, whatever the depth chart turns out to be, will be on an NFL roster, or at least be in NFL camp. Not only that, every second teamer, whatever the depth chart turns out to be, will likely be on an NFL roster, or at least be in an NFL camp. Thats how loaded the LSU offense is with talent. Now it all has to come together and produce more than the 28.67 points and 396 yards per game it chalked up last year. With few exceptions, this was an inconsistent attack hurt most by average quarterback production. Now theres a three man race between JaMarcus Russell, Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux for the right to direct all the stars. If one of those three isnt sharp, the offense will be one of the nations most disappointing considering all the elite players it boasts. If one of the quarterbacks shines with a huge season, it could be on to Pasadena. Defense: The nations third-ranked defense only loses four starters, but theyre big ones (DE Marcus Spears, LB Lionel Turner, CBs Corey Webster and Travis Daniels). The corners will be fine thanks to Colorado transfer Sammy Joseph, while the pass rush will take care of itself with all four starting linemen able to get into the backfield. The linebacking corps isnt flashy, but its solid. Led by former Nebraska and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, dont expect any sort of drop-off from the Nick Saban era. 2. Auburn (9-2, 6-2 in SEC) Offense: This should be an interesting year for the Auburn offense. All the talk will be about the loss of QB Jason Campbell and running backs Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, but theres enough talent coming back to expect another good year. This wasnt always the most explosive attack last year, and that could change with one of the nations best receiving corps and a backfield full of home-run hitting speed. The line will be fine with All-America talent at the tackles. So it all comes down to the quarterbacks. If Brandon Cox is ready to handle the pressure, the offense will be fine. If he struggles, the attack wont be pretty. Defense: All eyes will be on new defensive coordinator David Gibbs and if he can keep Auburn number one in the nation in scoring defense and in the top five in total D. As a former secondary coach for the Denver Broncos, Gibbs will be a big help to the defensive backs; the one area that needs a bit of help after losing Carlos Rogers and Junior Rosegreen. The front seven will be tremendous with a frighteningly good front four and an emerging linebacking corps. This will be an aggressive defense thatll crank out around 40 sacks helped most by ends Stanley McClover and Quentin Groves. 3. Alabama (8-3, 5-3 in SEC) Offense: The Bama offense was humming on all cylinders early on last year before the injuries struck. Starting QB Brodie Croyle and starting RB Ray Hudson were lost for the season with knee injuries forcing the team had to scramble. Behind a great offensive line and the running of Ken Darby, the Tide offense became a pure running attack and was successful, but not explosive. Now there are concerns with the ground game as Darby is trying to get over an injury problem with a hernia and three redshirt freshmen are getting the starting call on the line. Croyle is back along with a receiving corps waiting to break out. If the line comes through and Darby is ready to roll, everything will be fine. Defense: Nine starters return to a defense that finished last season number two in the nation in total defense and seventh in scoring allowing 15.75 points and 245.5 yards per game. Only injury can prevent a repeat as the D gets even better with Wallace Gilberry taking over a full-time role at defensive end and the linebacking corps reshuffling to be even more productive. The secondary doesnt have any All-Americans, but itll be in the team photo of the nations best. The only thing missing is depth in the back seven. 4. Arkansas (6-5, 4-4 in SEC) Offense: The offense was better than originally expected thanks to the running game and the steady leadership of QB Matt Jones. Now Jones is off being a receivertight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but theres enough returning experience to hope for even more from an attack that averaged close to thirty points per game. The receiving corps, led by 6-6 Marcus Monk, should make the new quarterback shine early. Robert Johnson has the inside line on the starting gig, but Alex Mortensen and Cole Barthel will still have a shot this fall. The ground game will be devastating with DeArrius Howard and Peyton Hillis operating behind one of the SECs best lines. Defense: Sensing a change was needed to the nations 76th ranked defense, Arkansas lured defensive coordinator Reggie Herring away from NC State and its number one defense. If nothing else, this will be an athletic, fired up defense switching to a 4-3 with several young, talent prospects being given big chances. Receiver Anthony Brown is expected to be the teams most dangerous pass rushing end, a slew of true freshmen will serve as reserve linebackers, and there isnt a lights-out corner. Even so, expect an overall improvement along with plenty of movement on the depth chart before the opener. 5. Ole Miss (6-5, 3-5 in SEC) Offense: The offense took a major step back finishing 103rd in the nation in scoring averaging a mere 19.55 points per game. It got worse and worse as the year went on struggling to find any consistency over the second half of the season. Expect things to change as the new coaching staff will utilize the mobility of the quarterbacks a little more to make plays on the run while still using the deep speed of the good receiving corps. The running backs are good, but nothing special running behind a line that has to replace an NFL interior. The tackles will be more than solid. Defense: The old 4-2-5 alignment has been scrapped for a more traditional 4-3. Theres more than enough experience to improve on last years disappointing performance with two good tackles, two playmaking corners and a linebacking corps that could be outstanding led by Patrick Willis in the middle and Kelvin Robinson on the weakside. The biggest addition is head coach Ed Orgeron taking over the defensive coordinator duties. Hell fire this group up and make the defensive line into a potentially dominant force. 6. Mississippi State (2-9, 0-8 in SEC) Offense: The offense had one shocking explosion against Florida last year and that was about it. This was, and is, a very young offense with a year of experience under its belt. The running game was the bread-and-butter thanks to RB Jerious Norwood, and hell be the featured star again working behind a good offensive line. The passing attack is still a concern as QB Omarr Conner has to prove he can be a reliable passer and a receiver has to provide some sort of a target. The top two pass catchers, Will Prosser and Tee Milons, are back, but neither will get the pulse racing. Defense: This was a very, very, young defense last year as defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson experimented with several different position changes and moves to try to find the right fit. What he has now is a good looking young defense thats growing into something that has the potential to be special. The problem is size in the linebacking corps as 234-pound Titus Brown is the only non-safety sized player. Thats fine for speed, but not good against the better power rushing teams. DE Willie Evans would be heralded as an up-and-coming All-American if he played for Tennessee or Florida. The secondary wasnt as good as the stats made it seem last year and could desperately use a lockdown corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bammanmr 0 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Where'd you get this lax? I heard phil steele on the radio here in memphis last friday and his gushing about LSU sounded just like what you've got there. However, he had us tied with bammer at #2, and he focused on the fact that no one knew anything about how good QBBC would or would not be. Interestingly, everyone fails to mention that LSU just lost the best coach they've had since Charlie McClendon and have hired a guy who's really an unproven commodity. That may be an issue for this team, considering they have a QB race going on as well. JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUesquire 1 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 One thing with LSU that most of their fans will admit to is that while the QB performance seemed inconsistent, the real problem was the play calling. There's no question about the talent and I truly think Russell will be the man if they stick with him. The scary thing is if LSU gets an Al Borges type OC to run the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTim 3,457 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Come on folks. Haven't you heard? uat is goin' undefeated in '05! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weaglewagon 1 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 i just found this website and i don't think anyone has posted this...... http://www.southeasternfootball.com/Auburn.html the preview isn't that bad and the guy picks us to go 10-1 & win the west. enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulax1 0 Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 A prediction of 10-1 sounds better to me than 9-2. I think the LSU game is going to be tough, mainly because it is at LSU. Always a tough place to play, and even harder when it is at night. Can't wait for this season to get under way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKCAUB 0 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 i just found this website and i don't think anyone has posted this......http://www.southeasternfootball.com/Auburn.html the preview isn't that bad and the guy picks us to go 10-1 & win the west. enjoy. 170601[/snapback] Excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthLink02 8 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 I heard Steele's interview on Finebaum and man was he high on Alabama. Loved LSU overall but kept saying how under-rated Alabama could be and how they could be undefeated heading into several games late in the year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUesquire 1 Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 He said that last year too...and the year before.... He also said last year's Chokelahoma defense may be the best D in the history of college football. When talking about AU last week on a local sports talk show, he was asked if the loss of Chow at USC would have an effect on the Trojans. His response was, "just look what a difference the new OC made at Auburn last year. Now he's bolted for Texas, so we'll see." Steele is another talking head pushing his rag, uh, mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulax1 0 Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 How can you confuse the OC with the DC. The DC is the one who lef tot go to Texas, and he wasn't new lsat year. People need to do research before they choose to express their opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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