BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
SEC football likely to hold surprises
As far as the college football world is concerned, summer is almost over.
It ends Monday morning about 11, when Mike Slive welcomes the heathen media — radio, television, Internet and print — to the 2014 SEC Football Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover's Galleria Mall.
Conference coaches will play nice. They'll answer questions, crack a few jokes and tell everyone they really appreciate the job the media does. Then they'll go back to their respective campuses, close practice, limit player access and go about the business of trying to win enough games to keep their fans, boosters and administrators happy.
South Carolina's Steve Spurrier will be entertaining, and he'll get his shots in. LSU's Les Miles will be Les Miles. And we'll meet new Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason.
As usual, a variety of topics — some interesting and some not so interesting — will be discussed ad nauseum. Finally, a good time will be had by all at this year's event, expanded to four days.
Here's a look at some of what likely will be the hot topics at Media Days:
1. Who ya got, Alabama or Auburn?
The consensus around the country is that one of these teams from the SEC West will find its way into the new four-team playoff. But which one? Alabama, with its stockpile of four- and five-star recruits, is always among the favorites to play for a national title. It took Gus Malzahn exactly one season to put Auburn in the national championship game. Both are primed and ready to challenge each other for supremacy. Both also have question marks entering the season.
At Alabama, it's all about the quarterback race. Blake Sims is the incumbent. He backed up AJ McCarron last season and has the most, albeit limited, playing time. However, many people expect Florida State transfer Jacob Coker, who was Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston's backup, to win the job. Alabama will miss the leadership of McCarron and linebacker C.J. Mosley. There's also that two-game season-ending losing streak in very un-Nick Saban-like fashion to deal with.
On the plus side of the ledger, Alabama's running game with stalwart T.J. Yeldon and the emergence of Derrick Henry should be excellent. Amari Cooper is one of the most dynamic receivers in the nation. The schedule is favorable as well. Alabama has to play at Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU, but have Mississippi State, Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M coming to Tuscaloosa.
Auburn seems to be on top of the world despite its heartbreak in the championship game against Florida State. Quarterback Nick Marshall was good in his first season, and coaches have raved about his progress in the offseason. He's even being touted as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. If it's possible, the Tigers could even be more dangerous on offense in the second season of Malzahn's hurry-up, no-huddle offense.
But then Marshall had a hiccup Friday with a citation in Georgia for having less than an ounce of marijuana in his possession. That will be a major source of questions for Malzahn and Marshall, who is scheduled to attend media days.
Although Auburn's running game should be strong once again — four Tigers rushed for more than 500 yards a year ago — replacing Tre Mason, who was the heart and soul of the offense will be difficult. Also, the ball seemed to bounce Auburn's way in nearly every close game. The schedule — at Georgia, at Alabama, at Kansas State, at Ole Miss and at Mississippi State, plus home games against South Carolina, LSU and Texas A&M — is as tough a gauntlet as anybody has in the country. There's also the season opener at home against Arkansas.
2. If not the Tide or the Tigers, then who?
3. Who's at quarterback this year?
4. New face of the SEC?
5. Other stuff
#2-#5 from the Tuscaloosa News
As far as the college football world is concerned, summer is almost over.
It ends Monday morning about 11, when Mike Slive welcomes the heathen media — radio, television, Internet and print — to the 2014 SEC Football Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover's Galleria Mall.
Conference coaches will play nice. They'll answer questions, crack a few jokes and tell everyone they really appreciate the job the media does. Then they'll go back to their respective campuses, close practice, limit player access and go about the business of trying to win enough games to keep their fans, boosters and administrators happy.
South Carolina's Steve Spurrier will be entertaining, and he'll get his shots in. LSU's Les Miles will be Les Miles. And we'll meet new Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason.
As usual, a variety of topics — some interesting and some not so interesting — will be discussed ad nauseum. Finally, a good time will be had by all at this year's event, expanded to four days.
Here's a look at some of what likely will be the hot topics at Media Days:
1. Who ya got, Alabama or Auburn?
The consensus around the country is that one of these teams from the SEC West will find its way into the new four-team playoff. But which one? Alabama, with its stockpile of four- and five-star recruits, is always among the favorites to play for a national title. It took Gus Malzahn exactly one season to put Auburn in the national championship game. Both are primed and ready to challenge each other for supremacy. Both also have question marks entering the season.
At Alabama, it's all about the quarterback race. Blake Sims is the incumbent. He backed up AJ McCarron last season and has the most, albeit limited, playing time. However, many people expect Florida State transfer Jacob Coker, who was Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston's backup, to win the job. Alabama will miss the leadership of McCarron and linebacker C.J. Mosley. There's also that two-game season-ending losing streak in very un-Nick Saban-like fashion to deal with.
On the plus side of the ledger, Alabama's running game with stalwart T.J. Yeldon and the emergence of Derrick Henry should be excellent. Amari Cooper is one of the most dynamic receivers in the nation. The schedule is favorable as well. Alabama has to play at Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU, but have Mississippi State, Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M coming to Tuscaloosa.
Auburn seems to be on top of the world despite its heartbreak in the championship game against Florida State. Quarterback Nick Marshall was good in his first season, and coaches have raved about his progress in the offseason. He's even being touted as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. If it's possible, the Tigers could even be more dangerous on offense in the second season of Malzahn's hurry-up, no-huddle offense.
But then Marshall had a hiccup Friday with a citation in Georgia for having less than an ounce of marijuana in his possession. That will be a major source of questions for Malzahn and Marshall, who is scheduled to attend media days.
Although Auburn's running game should be strong once again — four Tigers rushed for more than 500 yards a year ago — replacing Tre Mason, who was the heart and soul of the offense will be difficult. Also, the ball seemed to bounce Auburn's way in nearly every close game. The schedule — at Georgia, at Alabama, at Kansas State, at Ole Miss and at Mississippi State, plus home games against South Carolina, LSU and Texas A&M — is as tough a gauntlet as anybody has in the country. There's also the season opener at home against Arkansas.
2. If not the Tide or the Tigers, then who?
3. Who's at quarterback this year?
4. New face of the SEC?
5. Other stuff
#2-#5 from the Tuscaloosa News
