SnoTap College Football Preview: SEC West

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.  

It is weird to look at the SEC West because they have the last three National Championship winners, but they might not be as balanced as the SEC East, but then maybe it is, the SEC is just completely good, let's move on.  

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) - He is obviously the player to watch maybe in all of college football given what happened to him. The game against Alabama is so huge for him. Personally, I will not be affected if Manziel struggles, but holy shit will ESPN, FOX, CBS and others blow it out of proportion. Manziel will probably not win a Heisman, but the Aggies will still be successful.

RB T.J. Yeldon (Alabama) -  Everyone says Yeldon is the next great running backs in all of college football. Not just the next Mark Ingram or Trent Richardson, but maybe the next Adrian Peterson. SnoTap writer Kramer pounded this drum during Yeldon's first year of college football. He will be up for Heisman considerations this year, and being he is a junior, he will be drafted in the top ten next season. Yeldon will be a monster for whomever drafts him.

RB Jeremy Hill (LSU) -  He probably should not be playing  for awhile as LSU running back was charged in the offseason with battery during a bar fight in April.  But the LSU team voted for Hill and they showed their support. While some might make a ground level assumption they did it to ensure their offense would stay rolling, I think many of them did to show their trust and support for him. If Hill screws up again, he is letting down his teammates, not his coach.

WR Donte Moncrief (Ole Miss) - He had a big year last season as the Rebels start to make the climb to being an SEC power player.  Moncrief had 10 touchdowns last season and nearly 1,000 yards as a receiver. He also averaged about 14 yards a catch meaning he would be picking up some big gains throughout the year and averaged around 75 yards per game. He gets Bo Wallace back as his quarterback and having three returning receivers plus top prospect Laquon Treadwell, Moncrief might be getting some more balls.

LB C.J. Mosley (Alabama) - Another member of the football Van Wilder team. He has been here for what seems like forever, but he is a hell of a linebacker. Mosley will be the quarterback of the Alabama defense, and expect him to make a full impact for the Tide. Not surprisingly, Mosley can do it all as a linebacker.    

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH
Saturday September 14th - Alabama at Texas A&M - Probably the biggest game of the year and it is in the third week of the season. Kevin Sumlin had a blueprint to beat Alabama on the road and now welcome them to Kyle Field in probably the biggest game in Aggies' history (Maybe strong but it feels that way). Nick Saban does not want to lose again to this team, and I assume he does not loss consecutive games to the same team. If Manziel wins this game for the Aggies, is it the biggest 'shut the f--- up' moment in sports for 2013?

Saturday November 9th - LSU at Alabama - One of the biggest rivalries in college football in the past five years. They always play classics and last year did not disappoint.  Alabama should have lost that football game in Death Valley, but they somehow found a way to escape in the final moments. LSU beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2011, and while this team is not at the 2011 levels, they could do it as well. Zach Mettenberger looked great against the Tide last season.

Saturday November 16th - Georgia at Auburn -  The Bulldogs are expected to be pretty good this season. Auburn, we will get to in a second, but they could really make their case for being back in the SEC mix if they could beat the Dawgs. Sure beating Alabama would be great, but Georgia would not be a chopped liver win.

Saturday November 23th - Texas A&M at LSU -   Let's remember LSU beat Texas A&M in a ridiculous 11 am game in College Station and Manziel was not really a thought in people's mind. The LSU defense dominated and befuddled Manziel throughout the game. The Tigers welcome the new SEC school to Death Valley, a place where things can be very unforgiving.

Thursday November 28th- Ole Miss at Mississippi State - Another year where the Egg Bowl should be entertaining as hell. The Rebels' loaded freshman class should be completely involved with the team and State should not be that bad. Odds are both will be fighting for bowl position.  

FIVE QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Alabama continuing to build a UCLA-like dynasty? - Without question. Alabama going to the National Championship is lazy, but it is the pick to make until proven wrong, a theory I have stood by for quite some time. The Tide bring back so many great players next season

What's going to happen with Johnny Manziel? - I honestly do not know. I personally feel like Manziel should not be criticized for his actions this offseason, but we all know that already. I am not sure if he will get suspended or just play out this season and then head pro.  Odds he gets suspended at some point this season is probably 35 percent.

Big year for LSU's offense, maybe? - Yes the LSU offense is never talked about. We talk about how Les Miles always seems to have great defenses and an offense who does enough half-assed things to win football games. But they have Hill and Mettenberger, a player I believe is sort of overlooked with all the other SEC quarterbacks, the Tigers could have some going this year.

Bounce back year for Auburn? - The Tigers took a turn for the worst as they really tanked after winning the 2010 National Championship. They bring back Gus Mahlzan to be the head coach and I feel like he will start building this team back to prominence. I liked him there and believe his offensive style can carry this team.  

Would Nick Saban leave in 2014? - Um maybe. I think it is no secret Saban might want to try the NFL again because he is not the type of person to deal with failure. Dallas Cowboys might be without a head coach and Jerry Jones has more money than God, people rumored it last offseason and I would not be surprised if it is rumored again.

PROJECTED FINISH
1.) Alabama
2.) Texas A&M
3.) LSU
4.) Auburn
5.) Ole Miss
6.)Mississippi State
7.) Arkansas

The weird thing is all of these teams could be bowl teams. Alabama will win the SEC West again, but I expect Auburn to surprise some folks this year.  

Charlie.  

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SnoTap 12-Pack: College Football Players to Watch

At least for the next two days, the SnoTap 12-Pack will be a thing. I have no idea if it will continue weekly, monthly or whenever I feel like it. I also understand there are so, so many good players left off this list, I would love to hear your list on Twitter or in the comments section. 

12.) Marqise Lee, Wide Receiver, USC, Junior - One of the most electrifying receivers in college football. Lee will definitely put up some big numbers when it comes to grabbing all ball thrown to him looking like no Pac-12 opposing secondary can stop him. Lee had seven games where he had 10 or more catches and only had five games where he did not have 100 yards of receiving. He always has breakaway speed making him a threat for the deep ball. Now, he does need a quarterback to throw him the ball.

11.) Duke Johnson, Running Back, Miami, Sophomore - This man is an absolute beast in the making. He might not be familiar with casual college football fans, but he definitely could be the next in the long linage of Miami running backs. Johnson is an absolute threat to score every single time he touches the football and cuts like the sharpest knife in the drawer. Johnson is one of the reasons why there will be articles from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others on why 'The U is back.'

10.) Taylor Lewan, Offensive Lineman, Michigan, Senior - Many people would not put a lineman in their 12 players to watch, but most people do not watch the position. I did more so when I still played to learn more about the position, but now and again, I will watch the lineman versus the play happening. Lewan will be the player to watch this year as he might be a top five pick in the NFL Draft next year.  He also has a finger mustache tattoo which is a just a fantastic side note.  

SnoTap 12-Pack Wisconsin Special 
Melvin Gordon, Running Back, Wisconsin, Sophomore - While he will not even start this year for the Badgers, he has to be the most exciting player coming back to the roster right?  Gordon has SEC speed and can catch the ball out of the backfield making him a versatile player. James White is not a bruising back by any means, but Gordon and him could be a thunder/lightening duo on the year wearing down opposing teams. Not outrageous to think Gordon might have Heisman consideration in years to come.

9.) Anthony Barr, Linebacker, UCLA 


Other than the bad man in Columbia, South Carolina, there is not a player in college football who will inflict more pain than Barr.  He is a machine in Jim Mora's 3-4 defense and projected to be a top pick in next year's draft.  Barr is more famously known for his punishing hit on former USC quarterback Matt Barkley, but he is so much more than just one single hit. Barr has fantastic closing speed and can truly get off the ball. He is one of two linebackers (Kyle Van Noy says hello) to really keep a close eye on all Fall.  

8.) Braxton Miller, Quarterback, Ohio State, Junior - When the rumors started about Urban Meyer going to Ohio State, I told my old roommate Seth that 'Braxton Miller might be a Heisman by his junior year.' Miller will definitely have that chance this year. This is his second year in Urban Meyer's system which tends to be the golden ticket...  Alex Smith threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns along with 600 yards of rushing in year 2 in Meyer's system leading them to an undefeated record. Tim Tebow had over 2,800 yards passing and almost 900 yards rushing to go along with 55 total touchdowns; Tebow won the Heisman and a National Championship. It should be expected that Miller will be excellent.

7.) Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon, Sophomore - In my opinion, he is the most underrated player in all of college football. People love to talk about Manziel, Miller, Boyd but somehow Mariotta gets forgotten. Why is that?  In part, he is on the west coast and players not in Los Angeles tend to get a little less love than your SEC/B1G players even though Oregon is an extremely public team, some of their games are on when people are sleeping or attempting to get black out drunk. The other might be the system. I am telling you Mariotta is far from a system quarterback and he will be a contender to be one of the best quarterbacks all year.

6.) T.J. Yeldon, Running Back, Alabama, Sophomore - Want the next Adrian Peterson? This might be your answer. We have talked about Johnson and Gordon plus countless other great ones but Yeldon might be the best running back of the year when it is all said and done. Yeldon has the rare combination of size and speed that is unmatched by most in college football. After being in the shadows of Eddie Lacy, he will be ready to shine this season. We all saw a glimpse of Yeldon's potential late last season when he broke out for over 150 yards against Georgia and followed it up with another 100 yard performance against a tough Notre Dame run defense.

 5.) Louis Nix, Defensive Tackle, Notre Dame, Senior - There are some players I am happy to see stay in school because I get to watch them dominate for another year. Louis Nix is one of those players. He is the definition of a space eater but he also has feet like a ballerina. The size and speed Nix brings to the table is a sight to see on a weekly basis. Nix can make plays to disrupt both the pass and the rush as well as clear pathways for linebackers.  Much of Manti Te'o's success in stopping the run and getting through on blitzes is due to Nix and Stephon Tuitt.

4.) Tajh Boyd, Quarterback, Clemson, Senior - Maybe I am alone on an island, but I feel like he could be a hell of an NFL quarterback. I hope we have gotten past 'Well he's too short for the position' because Russell Wilson would love to have a word with you. Clemson is known for their car crash finishes to their season, and Boyd is the type of player that could change things. In the last two years, Boyd's yardage is near 4,000 yards with 35+ touchdowns and last year he increased his running yardage from 200 to 500 yards. What he will do for his final encore could be truly special.  

3.) Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback, Louisville, Junior - I can still remember watching Louisville-Cincinnati with the Bellevue boys on a Friday night. I kept telling them about the potential Bridgewater possessed; many had not heard of him yet as he was a virtual unknown to casual fans in late October.  I told them I believe he will be a top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and could make Louisville a National Championship contender. I have no idea why I started so high on Bridgewater, but I love everything about his game. Every single positive adjective used to describe a quarterback can be used for Bridgewater.

2.) Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End, South Carolina, Junior - Hate to keep going down memory road, but I still recall seeing Clowney commit to college. I worked out early that morning and wondered 'Is this kid really worth the hype?' My self-asked question would be answered quickly and swiftly in the first year Clowney played at South Carolina. He is a beast, freak, and any other word to describe someone whom seems like a superhero in football pads. For his short career, he has 21 sacks, eight forced fumbles, 35.5 tackles for losses and probably many more assists for South Carolina linebackers. He is must-see TV every week.

1.) Johnny Manziel, Quarterback Texas A&M, Sophomore


 He is the number one and maybe not for the reason stated above. Right now, Manziel is the most-talked about college athlete and probably top three most talked about athlete in all sports. If Dirk Notwitzki read ESPN's Wright Thompson's piece on Manziel, he would be shutting it down and going home, it's that good.  Manziel will drive the ratings of the Alabama-Texas A&M to astronomical numbers for the second game of the season.  None of this currently has to do with football, but truthfully, he is one of the most fun players to watch in college football. Let's hope there is no sophomore slump.

Charlie.  

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