As the old cliche goes, there’s a reason they play the games. Otherwise, what are we even doing here? This year, the SEC has what I would consider to be four favorites to make a push at the College Football Playoff. The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs are poised to do battle in Atlanta again. National pundits are saying the LSU Tigers could be a factor in the National Championship conversation, and the Florida Gators are a top 10 program that could make the Bulldogs incredibly uncomfortable in the SEC East. Otherwise, people aren’t really talking about any other teams from the SEC becoming legitimate National Championship contenders. But, in my mind, there are three SEC dark horses who could drastically alter the landscape of the College Football Playoff.
Auburn Tigers
Gus Malzahn has an abyss at quarterback. I mean, seriously – Jarrett Stidham is now on the New England Patriots, and the Tigers have a giant question mark at the position. There’s certainly some talent there, and with Malzahn calling the plays on offense again, they could rectify the offensive woes from a season ago if they can sort out that battle.
In fact, I’m willing to say that their entire season hinges upon that one decision. Otherwise, this Tigers defense should be among the best in the entire country in 2019. They’re good enough to stop the heavy hitters in the SEC West. It’s just a matter of whether or not they can score enough to beat Alabama – if they can, they could make a run at the SEC West title.
Texas A&M Aggies
This Aggie program has been a sleeping giant since Johnny Manziel left town. Now, it certainly looks like Jimbo Fisher has orchestrated a comeback as this program is poised to be a contender in 2019.
Dual threat quarterback Kellen Mond figures to be much improved after another offseason spent with the Aggies. He’s a dynamic play-maker that kept this team competitive against the eventual National Championship winning Clemson Tigers squad a season ago.
The defense is going to be a little inexperienced, but given Fisher’s propensity for recruiting (seriously, this class is going to be good), I wouldn’t worry too much about it. This unit should be plug-and-play. Now, the schedule is absolutely brutal, but a win at the right time could have a major effect on the 2019 SEC standings.
Missouri Tigers
Now, I love what Barry Odom has done with the Missouri Tigers – that bowl ban, though, insures that they won’t be playing in the College Football Playoff come January. But, they’re talented enough to have a say in who does play.
Drew Lock is out, and Kelly Bryant is in at quarterback, which makes this Mizzou offense even more dangerous than it was before. Bryant adds a dynamic to the offense that Lock didn’t, and there’s still plenty of weapons for him to play with. The question, as has been the case the last few seasons, remains on defense, where the Tigers were inconsistent at best a season ago.
Slow starts have plagued this team in recent years, so if they can get off to a better start, they could shake up the SEC East. They throttled the Gators a season ago – with that in mind, is it really out of the question to think they could do the same and keep the Gators out of the playoff race again this year? Could they potentially hang with the Bulldogs given the upgrade at quarterback? I say it’s possible.
2019 SEC SEASON PREVIEWS
Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas Razorbacks
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Missouri Tigers
South Carolina Gamecocks
Texas A&M Aggies
Vanderbilt Commodores
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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