SEC Round-Up: Predictions for the 2018 Season

After months of speculation, the 2018 college football season has finally arrived with a full schedule this weekend. Southeastern Conference games began with Texas A&M's 59-7 win on Thursday night and run through Sunday night with LSU facing Miami in Arlington. With the season upon us, here are some last-minute predictions for the SEC campaign.

West Division Winner: Alabama

There are questions about their defense, primarily in the secondary which is completely overhauled. The offense could be significantly better than last year’s unit, especially if quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shows he’s really as good as he was in the second half of the national championship game.

East Division Winner: Georgia

Like Alabama, the Bulldogs have some big shoes to fill on defense. Like Alabama, they’ve recruited so well those shoes are expected to be adequately filled. Offensively, Georgia will be a machine.

SEC Champion: Alabama

The Tide might be vulnerable early in the season but figures to jell by November. However, the early schedule is relatively light. Alabama tends to get better as the season progresses. Expect another classic clash between Alabama and Georgia in Atlanta.

Lindsay Caudle, TexAgs

Lack of a solid offensive line could prove to be a difficult hurdle for Auburn.

Could be disappointing: Auburn

The Tigers open the season ranked 10th, so there are great expectations on The Plains. However, the schedule is a grind with an opening game against Washington and road trips to Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama. The defense looks to be nasty, but the offensive line has four new starters and there is no proven running back.

A pleasant surprise: Texas A&M

The Aggies are picked fourth in the West Division, but don’t be shocked if A&M finishes higher. September clashes with Clemson and Alabama are no doubt daunting. However, coach Jimbo Fisher’s teams typically improve as the season goes on, and they looked pretty darned good rolling over lowly Northwestern State Thursday night. A three-game road stretch to South Carolina, Mississippi State and Auburn looks treacherous, but A&M should be settling in to Fisher’s and Defensive Coordinator Mike Elko’s new systems by then. A strong second half of the season could propel A&M to eight, nine and maybe even ten wins.

Best Heisman hopeful: Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

A quarterback of a national championship contender always has a shot, so Alabama’s Tagovailoa and Georgia’s Jake Fromm (pictured above) certainly have to be considered. Alabama running back Damien Harris might have even better shots than them. A&M’s explosive running back Trayveon Williams could also get into the picture, and his 240 yards in just over two quarters in the opener should open some eyes. However, the best bet could be South Carolina wide receiver/kick returner Deebo Samuel, an electrifying threat who had six touchdowns through fewer than three games last season before an injury sidelined him. If he remains healthy, he’ll make a number of spectacular plays.

Best defensive player: Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State

As usual, there is no shortage of defensive stars in the SEC. The conference is absolutely loaded with defensive linemen. The best may be Mississippi State’s Jeffery Simmons, who last season constantly beat double-team blocks to notch 57 tackles and 11 stops for loss. Now a junior, he figures to be even better.

Most important player:  Joe Burrow, LSU

When Burrow transferred from Ohio State to play quarterback at LSU he was called a “game changer” by Tigers coach Ed Orgeron. Since then, two other LSU quarterbacks transferred leaving the Tigers wafer thin at that position. For the first time in years, LSU doesn’t appear to have a running back to build its offense around. If Burrow doesn’t live up to Orgeron’s hype, the LSU offense could collapse.

Coach under the most pressure: Ed Orgeron, LSU

Patience has never been a virtue at LSU where Les Miles was fired after consecutive eight and nine win seasons. Whaddya know, Ed Orgeron posted eight wins in his first abbreviated season and nine wins last year. There are telltale signs that the Tigers might struggle this year, too. He may not yet be on the proverbial “hot seat,” but he could be on it quickly. LSU faces Miami and Auburn in the first three weeks and a gauntlet in October and early November.

Who’s hot: The SEC

Of course, two SEC teams — Alabama and Georgia — played for the national championship last season. The SEC opens this season with three teams, No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Auburn, ranked in the AP Top 10. Two more, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 25 LSU, are ranked among the Top 25. No conference has more teams ranked in the Top 10 or Top 25.

Who’s not: Tennessee

The Volunteers lost seven of their final eight games and closed the 2017 season with consecutive losses to Missouri, LSU and Vanderbilt. UT allowed an average of 40 points in those three losses. The likelihood that Tennessee ends that losing streak against West Virginia isn’t very strong. West Virginia averaged 34.5 points last season to rank 22nd in the nation in scoring. The last time West Virginia quarterback Will Grier faced Tennessee he threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns for Florida in a 28-27 victory in 2015.

Keep an eye on: Benny Snell, Kentucky

Kentucky running back Benny Snell absolutely abuses lackluster run defenses. Last season Snell averaged 151.6 rushing yards against opponents ranked 63rd or worse in the nation in run defense. Snell is facing Central Michigan, which last season allowed an average of 185.2 yards to rank 88th in the nation.

The pressure is on: Ole Miss defense

The Rebels' defense isn’t expected to be much better than last season’s unit that allowed 34.6 points per game. Ole Miss opens against typically high-scoring Texas Tech. Therefore, conventional wisdom suggests the offense must be ultra-productive for any chance to win. On a positive note: Ole Miss has a strong passing game behind quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and receivers A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf. Meanwhile, Texas Tech’s pass defense last season allowed almost 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Best matchup: No. 6 Washington and No. 9 Auburn

This is also the highest-rated matchup of the week. More specifically, the matchup between the Huskies offense and Tigers defense is especially intriguing. Washington quarterback Jake Browning is extremely efficient (19 TDs, 5 interceptions last season) and running back Myles Gaskin (1,380 rushing yards) is a big-play threat. Auburn fielded one of the nation’s top defensive units in 2017 and could be even better this season with seven starters returning.

This week’s schedule:

Thursday: Texas A&M 59, Northwestern State 7

Saturday: Alabama vs. Louisville at Orlando; Eastern Illinois at Arkansas; Auburn vs. Washington at Atlanta; Charleston Southern at Florida; Austin Peay at Georgia; Central Michigan at Kentucky; Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech at Houston; Stephen F. Austin at Mississippi State; UT-Martin at Missouri; Coastal Carolina at South Carolina, Tennessee vs. West Virginia at Charlotte; Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt.

Sunday: LSU vs. Miami at Arlington