BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC West, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Tide will win the Iron Bowl, says Phil Steele.
The college football prognosticator has three top contenders in the SEC West -- Alabama, LSU and Auburn -- and matchups among those three could be "titanic" in 2015.
"Those are going to be among the best games of the entire football season," said Steele, whose popular preseason magazine hits newsstands July 1.
Will the SEC West champion be determined on the last week of the season? It's possible, said Steele, who believes the Iron Bowl is hard to peg this preseason after he accurately picked Alabama a year ago to win the rivalry game in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama travels to Auburn on Nov. 28.
"I rate the game a toss up," Steele said. "I'm going to give Auburn the slight edge offensively, I'm going to give Alabama the edge defensively."
Steele ranks Alabama fourth in the country and Auburn 14th in his preseason poll, but the Tigers are rated as high as eighth in his power ratings.
"That's really going to be the game -- that, and the LSU games -- are the ones that will determine who wins the West," Steele said.
Steele ranks Alabama's defense as the best in the country. The biggest question is who will win the quarterback job. At Auburn, questions abound with the offense and a new running back, but the defense should be much improved under coordinator Will Muschamp, Steele said.
Steele said he would not be surprised if the winner of the Iron Bowl determines the SEC West champion as it did in 2013.
"LSU could throw a wrench into it because I'm pretty bullish on LSU this year," said Steele, who ranks LSU 10th nationally. "They've got a lot of speed on defense, and a lot of talent on that side of the ball."
Steele's preseason magazine is available online now on iTunes and Google Play.
Continue reading...
The college football prognosticator has three top contenders in the SEC West -- Alabama, LSU and Auburn -- and matchups among those three could be "titanic" in 2015.
"Those are going to be among the best games of the entire football season," said Steele, whose popular preseason magazine hits newsstands July 1.
Will the SEC West champion be determined on the last week of the season? It's possible, said Steele, who believes the Iron Bowl is hard to peg this preseason after he accurately picked Alabama a year ago to win the rivalry game in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama travels to Auburn on Nov. 28.
"I rate the game a toss up," Steele said. "I'm going to give Auburn the slight edge offensively, I'm going to give Alabama the edge defensively."
Steele ranks Alabama fourth in the country and Auburn 14th in his preseason poll, but the Tigers are rated as high as eighth in his power ratings.
"That's really going to be the game -- that, and the LSU games -- are the ones that will determine who wins the West," Steele said.
Steele ranks Alabama's defense as the best in the country. The biggest question is who will win the quarterback job. At Auburn, questions abound with the offense and a new running back, but the defense should be much improved under coordinator Will Muschamp, Steele said.
Steele said he would not be surprised if the winner of the Iron Bowl determines the SEC West champion as it did in 2013.
"LSU could throw a wrench into it because I'm pretty bullish on LSU this year," said Steele, who ranks LSU 10th nationally. "They've got a lot of speed on defense, and a lot of talent on that side of the ball."
Steele's preseason magazine is available online now on iTunes and Google Play.
Continue reading...
