Way-Too-Early 2011 SEC East Predictions
by Gamecock Man on Jan 7, 2011 4:52 PM EST
in South Carolina Gamecocks Football
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PrintDiscuss. I'll grant that the first four are largely a crapshoot.
Dare we believe that Carolina might win the East twice in a row after it was seemingly so far from its grasp for so long? It very well might. The Gamecocks won the East rather convincingly in 2010, soundly beating the traditional Big Three. With none of those programs projecting to improve dramatically and Carolina returning a fair portion of its talent, most prognosticators will pick us to win again in 2011. Improvement in the secondary and on special teams would help our cause and could even turn this team into a national contender.
An extremely young team in 2010, the Vols look to improve next year. They lose a few important players, particularly stand-out WR Denarius Moore, but the number of underclassmen who will grow into their roles should more than compensate for those losses. Don't forget that for all its problems, this team could have very easily gone 8-5 this year if not for the insanity in the LSU and UNC games. Look for for Tyler Bray and Da'Rick Rogers to become one of the conference's most notable QB-WR combos. I know Rogers's behavior has turned some fans off, but he's a phenomenal player.
The Dawgs lose some talent at WR and on the defensive front, but look for them to improve both offensively and defensively with a more seasoned Aaron Murray and another year under Todd Grantham. They may also land potentially program-changing RB Isiah Crowell, who I would think would step in and replace the underperforming backs Georgia played last season. This team has been a major underachiever for the past two years and the law of averages would suggest they'll catch some breaks next year. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they suddenly morphed into a top-15 team, but I'll refrain from making that prediction for the time being considering what happened in 2010.
The Gators will likely field another great defense under new head coach Will Muschamp, but offense may be another story. Charlie Weis will have the challenge of implementing a new system, and that will take time. By 2012, though, I look for the Gators to return to national prominence.
The 'Cats will likely improve on defense in 2011, but whether that will be enough to offset the loss of Mike Hartline, Derrick Locke, Chris Matthews, and possibly Randall Cobb remains to be seen. I think Kentucky may have missed a good chance to have something of a breakthrough year with their underwhelming play in the second half of 2010. That said, they could still cause some trouble next year.
I have trouble imagining Vandy improving significantly in 2011, but we'll see.
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I'd put my money...
on Aaron Murray and Mark Richt over Tyler Bray and Derek Dooley. But that’s just me.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Jan 7, 2011 8:27 PM EST reply actions
That's a fair call. But I've been extremely impressed with Bray and the Vols offense.
If they can put a better defense together next year, they’ll improve exponentially. To me, they’re a team on an upward track, while UGA is a team that’s struggling to get back on the other side of the hump. UGA seems to have some problems that transcend their talent base, and you have to continue to worry about that with them.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
I imagine Florida will take it.
They had a completely incompetent offense this past season. Their starting quarterback was in the red with his touchdown to interception ratio, partly due to really poor play calling, and their center crippled their offense for a significant portion of the season. They still were one game away from taking the division. If all that stuff had happened to us, we’d have been an irrelevant team. Florida is coming in with a fresh coach, who I assume will take one of their several great quarterbacks and institute a valid system. I think they can only go up, and even a little up means they win the division.
If our secondary some how gets back to it’s 2009 form, then maybe we can give them a run for their money. Without seeing the teams play, I’d still find it hard to pick Carolina as the favorite in a head to head match up, though.
stuff 'bout stuff.
I think UGA
should be in at #2 with UT at #3 but UF could be a sleeper if they get their house in order like you said.
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I recognize all the talent Florida has, but I think they're going to struggle offensively next year due to the change in approach.
All their guys have been running the spread option for years, and and now they’re moving to pro-style. That’s going to take time to implement, even if it might be better for Brantley from the get-go (if Brantley is their guy—I think they may go with incoming freshman Driscoll). I’m probably underestimating them, because heaven knows they’re loaded. But I just think it’s going to take a year for them to get back to the top of their game.
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