College football started on Friday night, with Cal and Hawaii playing in Australia. That was the appetizer. Starting on Thursday, we get the main course. As we prepare for our feast, let’s take a look at the biggest storylines in the SEC as we head into week one of the college football season.
No.10: Was Will Muschamp a good hire for South Carolina?
At Florida, Will Muschamp went 28-21 as the head coach and 17-15 in conference games. Not very impressive but it impressed South Carolina enough to take a shot on him. Steve Spurrier left the cupboard bare, so it’s likely we won’t find the answer to this question during 2016. Keep an eye on whether this team improves throughout the season under Muschamp.
No.9: How will Alabama fare with their third new starting QB in three years?
For the third time in three years, Alabama will be opening the season with a new starting QB. The last two seasons, Alabama was able to put a senior under center. This year will be a different story as the battle is between a junior and two freshmen. Alabama is deep and talented, but is it deep and talented enough to get past inexperience at the QB position?
No.8: What will life without Dak Prescott look like for Mississippi State?
For the last three years, Mississippi State has been Dak Prescott. Prescott is now in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and the Bulldogs must find out about life without him. Like Alabama (as we go to press), the Bulldogs are still deciding on a starting QB. Will the Bulldogs regress without Prescott?
No.7: Is Luke Del Rio the player who can turn around Florida‘s QB troubles?
The Florida QB job has been a hot mess ever since that Tebow guy ran out of eligibility. Florida quarterbacks were once the cream of the crop in college football. Lately, they have been adequate at best and downright awful at worst. Will Grier was impressive last year before he got suspended and then deported to West Virginia. Treon Harris took over, but now he’s exited stage left. Enter Luke Del Rio. Del Rio began his career at Alabama and then headed to Oregon State. He didn’t make his mark at either school. Can he change that at Florida and give them a steady hand at quarterback?
No.6: Is there a team in the SEC West that can overtake Alabama?
Alabama is the cream of the crop in the toughest division in college football. LSU and Ole Miss are nipping at the heels of the Tide. Is this the year that they can overtake Nick Saban and his dynasty?
No.5: Is Tennessee for real?
The great media hype train of 2016 is fully behind Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols are talented and experienced. They are also much deeper than they have been in recent years. Is this the year they finally get back to the top of the SEC East and head to the SEC Championship Game? Most in the college football media say yes, now it’s time to find out.
No.4: What impact will true freshman Jacob Eason have for Georgia?
If you believe the reports, Jacob Eason will be the starting QB for Georgia when they open the season against North Carolina. It sounds like Kirby Smart is ready to hitch his wagon to the highly acclaimed true freshman. Will he struggle at the outset or will he help take the Bulldogs to new heights? The answer to that question probably has a direction correlation to our next question…..
No.3: Is Nick Chubb 100%?
Nick Chubb was one of the best running backs in college football. Then, he got eaten by the Tennessee turf. Chubb is back this year and he’s ahead of schedule with his rehab. He’s been practicing and all reports have him as seeing major action in the Bulldogs opener against the Tar Heels. If Chubb is 100% then the Bulldogs have a chance to do some major damage in the SEC East.
No.2: What will happen with the NCAA’s investigation of Ole Miss/Hugh Freeze?
The NCAA has been knocking on Ole Miss‘s doorstep for a while. Will the “noise” associated with this investigation come to a head at the beginning of the football season or will it continue to linger? There have been rumors of a possible suspension for Freeze and it’s likely that there will be some sanctions against the Rebels. When will the NCAA make their move in this investigation and when they do, how severe will it be?
No.1: Can Gus Malzahn make it through the 2016 season?
The coaching hot seat is always a big storyline in the SEC. This year it’s Gus Malzahn that finds his name at the top of the list. After going 12-2 in his first season, it looked like Malzahn was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. Over the last two years, Malzahn has gone 15-11 overall and 6-10 in the conference. To make matters worse, there has been a lot of turmoil this off-season at Auburn. Auburn’s first game is a matchup with superstar DeShaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers. Can Auburn come out and show that they are here to play in 2016 or will they get thumped by the high-scoring Tigers? We will quickly find out just how hot Malzahn’s seat is in 2016.
