College Football 2018 Conference Previews -- SEC

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

OVERVIEW

Alabama's Nick Saban (Gridiron Now)

Nearly half of the SEC teams enter 2018 with new football coaches, but the discussion is still about the one at the top, and the one chasing him.

King Nick Saban and Alabama won yet another national championship, though not without some frantic late heroics, over the man who wants to be king, Georgia's Kirby Smart. Those two are recruiting lights out, and look like they could be at the top of their respective divisions for the foreseeable future. Other programs paid handsomely and are taking a shot at upsetting the apple cart, but it remains to be seen whether the two benchmark programs can be stopped.

Saban's Crimson Tide lost a bunch of talent to the NFL, as usual, yet has the replacments on hand to barely miss a beat -- as usual. There is some mystery at quarterback as neither veteran Jalen Hurts nor title game savior Tua Tagovailoa won the job in the spring. Saban wasn't tipping his hand over the summer, though fans seem to be solidly behind Tua. The usual Bama strengths will be on display -- a mammoth offensive line, a powerful multi-pronged run game (led by Damien Harris) and a defense that has all-world talent seemingly everywhere. Even the rebuild secondary isn't causing a ton of worry in Tuscaloosa. One of the new coaches is Mississippi State boss Joe Moorhead, who comes to Starkville after serving as Penn State's offensive coordinator. His innovative, quick tempo offense seems tailor-made for Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who should be fully recovered from an ankle injury by the start of the season. MSU has a ton of defensive talent and could surprise nationally. Auburn has been up and down under Gus Malzahn, winning 10 games after three seasons of single-digit victories. Jarrett Stidham is back to light up SEC defenses, and the Tigers defensive line will make yards and points hard to come by. Texas A&M went out and got its man in ex-Florida State boss Jimbo Fisher, but he may have a tough first year as there are offensive questions, notably at quarterback and receiver. Sophomore wideout Jhamon Ausbon could be a big-time weapon. LSU has the same old coach in Ed Orgeron but got an upgrade at quarterback when Joe Burrow came in as a graduate transfer from Ohio State. The offense is young, but the defense has talent and should be able to reach its potential with linebacker Devin White and cornerback Greedy Williams showing the way.

Smart has Georgia poised for a repeat in the East, and even after losing backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel and all-world linebacker Roquan Smith, there isn't much of a dropoff. Jake Fromm returns at quarterback, and will hand off early and often to D'Andre Swift and a boatland of talented backups. The defense might take a small step back as it rebuilds the linebacker corps, but Tyler Clark is an anchor up front. Florida has a new-yet-old coach in Dan Mullen, who comes over from Mississippi State. His first order of business will be to find a quarterback -- the spring solved nothing, though many felt unheralded Kyle Trask had a lead over incumbent Feleipe Franks and hotshot freshman Emory Jones. There is a lot of talent at the skill positions and a veteran offensive line. The defense returns nearly everyone and is especially good up front and in the secondary. South Carolina hopes that the return of stellar wideout Deebo Samuel gives a jolt to an offense that averaged just 24 points per game a year ago. The running game is unproven but has potential, and the defense has experience and playmaking ability, forcing 36 turnovers. Missouri surprised a year after winning just four games, and returns Drew Lock, one of the best passers in the country. He has a veteran receiving corps but may feel growing pains as new coordinator Derek Dooley takes over. Dooley will incorporate snaps from under center so there could be a learning curve. The defense could be surprisingly good, with linebackers Terez Hall and Cale Garrett.

RISING: Mississippi State
FALLING: Ole Miss
BOWL TEAMS (8): Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU

SEC PROJECTED STANDINGS
EAST

1 Georgia (12-1, 8-0)

2 Florida (8-4, 5-3)

3 South Carolina (8-4, 5-3)

4 Missouri (7-5, 3-5)

5 Kentucky (5-7, 2-6)

6 Tennessee (5-7, 2-6)

7 Vanderbilt (4-8, 1-7) 
WEST

1 Alabama (13-0, 8-0)
2 Mississippi State (10-2, 6-2)
3 Auburn (9-3, 6-2)
4 Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4)
5 LSU (6-6, 3-5)
6 Ole Miss (5-7, 1-7)
7 Arkansas (5-7, 1-7) 
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

Alabama over Georgia

ALL-SEC TEAM

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Jarrett Stidham/Auburn
RB Damien Harris/Alabama

RB D'Andre Swift/Georgia

WR AJ Brown/Ole Miss

WR Deebo Samuel/South Carolina

WR DK Metcalf/Ole Miss

TE  Albert Okwuegbunam/Missouri

OT Jonah Williams/Alabama

OT Greg Little/Ole Miss

OG Hjalte Froholdt/Arkansas

OG Ben Cleveland/Georgia

 C   Ross Pierschbacher/Alabama 
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE Raekwon Davis/Alabama

DE Montez Sweat/Mississippi State

DT Jeffery Simmons/Mississippi State

DT Terry Beckner/Missouri

LB Devin White/LSU

LB Mack Wilson/Alabama

LB David Reese/Florida

LB Tyrel Dodson/Texas A&M

CB Greedy Williams/LSU

CB DeAndre Baker/Georgia

 S  Mark McLaurin/Mississippi State

 S  Mike Edwards/Kentucky
 FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K Rodrigo Blankenship/Georgia
 P Corey Fatony/Missouri
KR Deebo Samuel/South Carolina
PR Mecole Hardman/Georgia

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Drew Lock/Missouri

RB Benny Snell/Kentucky

RB Aeris Williams/Mississippi State

WR Bryan Edwards/South Carolina

WR Emmanuel Hall/Missouri

WR Ryan Davis/Auburn

TE  CJ Conrad/Kentucky

OT Andrew Thomas/Georgia

OT Martez Ivey/Florida

OG Zack Bailey/South Carolina

OG Bunchy Stallings/Kentucky

 C   Lamont Gaillard/Georgia 
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DE Josh Allen/Kentucky

DE Isaiah Buggs/Alabama

DT Tyler Clark/Georgia

DT Derrick Brown/Auburn

LB De'Jon Harris/Arkansas

LB D'Andre Walker/Georgia

LB Deshaun Davis/Auburn

LB Terez Hall/Missouri

CB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson/Florida

CB CJ Henderson/Florida

 S  Grant Delpit/LSU

 S  JR Reed/Georgia 
SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K Daniel LaCamera/Texas A&M
 P  Tommy Townsend/Florida
KR De'Vion Warren/Arkansas
PR Richaud Floyd/Missouri

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jarrett Stidham/Auburn
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Devin White/LSU
COACH OF THE YEAR: Joe Moorhead/Mississippi State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: CB Saivion Smith/Alabama