SnoTap College Football Preview: SEC East

Talking college football again here on Sports News on Tap with previews of all the big dogs and some fun stuff thrown in there as well. Naturally, the picks and posts will be coming during and after Week 1.  

The SEC is the best conference in college football and it is not even close. It is weird to hear people up in Wisconsin kind of talk down about it. I do not know if it is a jealous boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but they seem to not like the SEC as much as they should or care about it. Yes, this weirdly bums me out.  

The SEC East also has the competive balance at the top with South Carolina, Florida and Georgia plus Vanderbilt is not that shabby either. The first three all have an opportunity to take a swing at Alabama in December.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
DE Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina) - The Freak as people are calling him right now and the nickname is the most accurate name in the game. He will disrupt offenses and dominate out there. I am not really expecting him to be a disappointment this year. I have no idea how some of the average offensive linemen will handle him this year.

RB Todd Gurley/Keith Marshall (Georgia) - These two are not really the 'Thunder & Lightning' of college football because they are both similar sizes, but easily, the best running back duo in the nation. Both are sophomores. Gurley had over 1,300 yards last season while Marshall had 700. Georgia becomes a National Championship contender with these two players because they are able to wear out all sorts of defenses plus Aaron Murray who is not bad either.

WR Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt) -  Matthews is probably one of the most slept on players in college football. I realize we say that a lot, but Matthews gets forgotten at Vanderbilt. He will be a first round pick for certain and Matthews can either be a possession or deep threat receiver. The Commodores receiver had over 1,300 yards with a 14 yards per catch and eight touchdowns. Even though he has a new quarterback, Matthews should be a great player in the SEC.

QB Jeff Driskel (Florida) - The question is what we are getting from Driskel this season?  He struggled last week to say the least. Driskel is a duel threat quarterback, but he did not really show much last season. He had promising games against Tennessee and South Carolina last season, but he was never really that consistent plus Tennessee's defense is about as easy as 2 + 1. Driskel is an interesting player to watch moving forward. He has a chance to be really good honestly, I truly believe he could be better than people give him credit for right now.

LB A.J. Jefferson (Tennessee) - He had a massive season last year with some major tackle games against Mississippi State and Georgia where had more than 15 total tackles. Judging by his numbers, Jefferson seems like the garbage man cleaning up everyone's dirty work plus doing a little more of his own. Jefferson will be a successful player again this year for the Vols.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH
Saturday September 7th - South Carolina at Georgia - A lot like Alabama-Texas A&M, the top SEC East game is in the first couple weeks of the season.  These are probably the two best teams in the SEC East and they will play to practically begin the year. South Carolina has won the last three times these two have met including a classic in Athens in 2011.   

Saturday October 12th- Florida at LSU - Even though these two teams are in different conferences, it is an annual game. I feel like both have made comments they would like to see some variety in their crossover games and playing one of the best each year is tough.  You can see why the SEC pairs these two teams together as they always seem to play pretty good ones. Only a couple times have we see either Florida or LSU blow out the opposition.    

Saturday October 19th - Georgia at Vanderbilt - .Not the most glamorous game, but there is a definite chance for an upset. Georgia is a good team, but they can slip up here in Nashville. They welcomed Florida to Nashville last year and lost by 14, but they did well there for the most part last year. We will ignore Georgia beat them by 45 last week.

Saturday November 2nd - Georgia vs. Florida (Played in Jacksonville, FL) -  It is pretty awful they cannot call it 'The World's Largest Cocktail Party' for political correctness sake, but if we are going to go that route, just call it the Florida-Georgia Line Bowl' include a band performance too..IMAGINE THE PROMOTIONS. As always, this should be a great game between two of the better teams in the country. Georgia has won the last two games although Florida won 10 of the last 12 prior to the Bulldogs consecutive wins. Georgia and Florida's defense should both be in check by this time.

Saturday November 16th - Florida at South Carolina - This has become a rivalry with Steve Spurrier even though he has not coached in Florida in the last decade. South Carolina seems to play really well at home in the last couple of years. There is an outside this could decide the SEC East if both of these teams end up getting by Georgia.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Will Georgia's defense hold? - The Bulldogs only bring back three defensive starters from last year's team. They were probably the second best team in the nation and their defense was very good. Their first two games are against Clemson and South Carolina, the Tigers are very damn good offense and the Gamecocks are not that shabby either.  There is a realistic chance they could start off 0-2 due to their new defense.

Down year for the Gators? - Another team worth worrying about this year. They started off only bringing back eight starters and then they have had multiple players go down with season-ending injuries during training camp. If Driskel continues his inconsistent struggles, the Gators might be much worse than people believed them to be this year. No doubt, they are still a bowl team, but I would be stunned if they are in a BCS bowl this year. Too many holes to fill right now.

South Carolina back to Atlanta? - It seems like the Gamecocks have all the pieces to return to the SEC Championship for the first time since 2010. South Carolina has the best defensive player in the nation and they have enough on offense to get it done. They do have to travel to Georgia early, but that's the biggest roadblock in their schedule. No LSU, no Alabama, no Texas A&M as their crossovers, South Carolina might be a lurker for an unbeaten year in the SEC and maybe overall even with Clemson looming.

James Franklin's last year in Nashville? - I think Franklin might be gone if Texas and USC end up opening up. He has done a terrific job building Vanderbilt into a place where kids can go and be successful in football. No one has been able to do that, and it appears like he could be in for a huge payday.

Gary Pinkel, the hottest seat in football? - It appears like the end for Pinkel. Missouri will not be very good this season and after two down years in the SEC, Pinkel really cannot keep his job. They need to make some Manziel-like waves in the SEC sooner rather than later.  

PROJECTED FINISH
1.) South Carolina
2.) Georgia
3.) Florida
4.) Vanderbilt
5.) Tennessee
6.)Missouri
7.) Kentucky

Gamecocks are dangerous. Remember I told you that. I love Georgia, but I do not see them taking over the Cocks this year.

Charlie.