Biggest SEC bust this season?

[Coach34]

Tennessee getting some love but they have to replace basically their entire OL and DLs
OM getting some love but they are coached by a Jim Baker type Evangelist and have depth issues
A&M without Johnny Manziel even though they have pulled 2 huge recruiting classes?
Bama and Saban finally cracking a little?
Does Miles finally drop back to 7-5?
Florida has high expectations- does Boom blow the dream job and get fired?

Im going Tennessee. I see 6-6 as their ceiling

[DudyDawg]

I go auburn. I think they'll have a good year (8-4 ish), but their fans are so crazy they'll be expecting a natty or SECW crown.

On the bigger stage (national bust) I go with A&M. Be surprised to see them in a bowl

[Tbonewannabe]

Auburn, they were like 4 fluke plays away from losses. The ball doesn't always bounce your way.

[Coach34]

The thing with Auburn is that they are going to be a better overall football team this year than last

[TexasDawg]

I wouldn't call Tennessee a potential bust, I don't think any reasonable person expects them to be too good. I'm going with A&M. With all of that fire power last year they still went 8-4. I think they'll struggle.

[starkvegasdawg]

A&M and it isn't even close. Even with Mike Evans and all their other high picks they showed last season without Manziel they were an average football team. The frist half Rice had them against the ropes. All they did this off season is lose all those high draft picks plus JFF and lose some defensive starters off of a defense that already couldn't stop my daughter's second grade class. Ask TSUN how little good a highly ranked recruiting class does you. Very rare is the true freshman that can come in and compete in the SEC at a high level. A&M struggles for bowl eligibility this season.

[1bigdawg]

For Tennessee 6-6 would be a banner year. Their West opponents are Alabama and @ Ole Miss and they play Oklahoma so 3 non-conference wins is probably their top and they open with those new linemen with Utah State which is no slouch either.

I see LSU as 9-3 at best, but probably 8-4 with losses to Alabama and @ Auburn and then two of four from MSU, @ Auburn, @ Florida or Wisconsin. And A&M may be playing for bowl game at home the last game of the season.

I wish I could say TSUN, but believe they end up 8-3 going into the Egg Bowl to finish 8-4.

A&M has troubles and will be the biggest disappointment. Their defense was horrible and they lost some good players on that side of the ball. Their offense lost three first round draft picks. Worse, their schedule is horrible. They are virtually assured of losing their conference road games to USCe, MSU, Alabama and Auburn so to get bowl eligible they have to win two of their home games against Arkansas (W), Ole Miss (W?), Mizzou (L?) and LSU (L).

[FISHDAWG]

gotta go OM here ... with all the love they are recvg who are the offensive play makers other than Treadwell ?

[PMDawg]

Bama loses 3 regular season games.

[shoeless joe]

I gotta go rebels as well. They are getting hype but I just don't see Hugh staying ahead of SEC D coordinators. They are gonna be fairly good (7 wins) but not as good as some will lead us to believe.

[codeDawg]

Tennessee: I think they will be a lower tier team and I haven't seen much hype for them to bust
OM: I think they will be as advertised, but not as good as us
A&M: I don't think many are expecting much from A&M. Expect a competitive team that has trouble getting over the hump with the young new QB.
Bama: Bama gonna Bama. This is a rebuilding year, but their schedule is a cakewalk.

I say:
Florida and / or LSU

Florida: Some coaches just can't get it done on one side of the ball. New OC or not, they have been so bad offensively I don't see them rebounding the way the rest of the country expects.

LSU: Absolutely decimated by the draft. I could see them dropping the Wisconsin game, our game, Bama, Auburn, and maybe even UM. They are lucky to have Bama, us, and UM at home. That might be the only thing that saves them. This just isn't their year and it isn't Miles' fault.

[Johnson85]

I don't think UT has been hyped enough to be a bust.

OM has some hype and is a couple of injuries away from imploding, but I think most people are pretty reasonably expecting 7 or 8 wins from them.

If people are expecting A&M to replace JFF with incoming recruits, I think they will be a bust.

Auburn's luck won't last, but they will be better so I would still expect 9 wins from them, which I can't call a bust. Similar story with Bama and LSU. They both could be down and win 9 games.

LSU is the only team in the West I see where everybody assumes they'll be good but they could have a big time drop. I don't expect, but with all the early losses to the draft and a questionable qb situation, I could see them 'imploding' and going 2-4 in the West.

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Auburn, OM or MSU.

[BulldogBear]

I go auburn. I think they'll have a good year (8-4 ish), but their fans are so crazy they'll be expecting a natty or SECW crown.

On the bigger stage (national bust) I go with A&M. Be surprised to see them in a bowl

THIS. All of this, especially the bold parts.

[defiantdog]

Auburn, OM or MSU.

There's the pessimistic MSU attitude we're used to having. I would say Florida because they have a new offensive system and I don't think they'll be playing much as a team.

[Schultzy]

Alabama, they were only "good" last year and lost a bunch of experience, especially at qb, OL and db.

[CadaverDawg]

Auburn. Their fans are expecting a National Championship......they will win 8.

Book it

[Coach34]

Auburn. Their fans are expecting a National Championship......they will win 8.

Book it

Auburn will be a better football team in 2014 than they were in 2013. BUT:

Instead of playing State, OM, Bammer, and Jawja at home- they play them on the road. They play SC at home. That's 5 tough ****ing games for them. Plus, they go to Kansas St who gets the week off to get ready for them.

8-4 could easily happen for them

[Five-tool Poster]

Auburn will be a better football team in 2014 than they were in 2013. BUT:

Instead of playing State, OM, Bammer, and Jawja at home- they play them on the road. They play SC at home. That's 5 tough ****ing games for them. Plus, they go to Kansas St who gets the week off to get ready for them.

8-4 could easily happen for them

They just lost a stud offensive lineman and are hopeful Carl Lawson will be back at the end of the season.

Those are huge hits.

[Dawgcentral]

At this point in time I'd have to say Georgia. Way too many arrests and drama over there.

[Coach34]

They just lost a stud offensive lineman and are hopeful Dee Ford will be back at the end of the season.

Those are huge hits.

They return 4 starters on the OL and Ford will be back by the 2nd or 3rd game supposedly

[TexasDawg]

They return 4 starters on the OL and Ford will be back by the 2nd or 3rd game supposedly

I don't think the NCAA will allow him to leave the Chiefs to play for Auburn

[Reason2succeed]

LSU.After we beat them they will probably tank the entire season.

[EAVdog]

Jacob Coker, therefore Alabama. Potential shit show meltdown with Kiffin leaving before the season is even over.

[Coach34]

I don't think the NCAA will allow him to leave the Chiefs to play for Auburn

Haaaa....I was thinking about Lawson

[Five-tool Poster]

They return 4 starters on the OL and Ford will be back by the 2nd or 3rd game supposedly

They don't return 4 starters anymore on the oline

Lawson won't be back by the 2nd or 3rd game. He had surgery on his torn ACL in May.

[Dawg61]

Tennessee, their fans are going to go into full on meltdown mode after they get upset by either Utah State or Arkansas State (maybe both) lose to Oklahoma and then lose to Bama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Mizzou, Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky. Tennessee is staring 4-8 or 3-9 straight in the face and none of them realize it yet. They have no OL or DL starters returning and their QBs SUCK. Going to get ugggly in Knoxville this year.

[Pollodawg]

LSU. You don't replace what they lost on offense and just keep trucking, let alone get better. Fournette is a future stud, but he can't do it all alone. Who will lead that team when the need a score to tie it up or win and the endzone is 90 yards away with 1:30 left. Whose going to lead them down the field? You can do alright with defense. You can win games with D. But sooner or later, you will not win the big ones without at least a decent QB, and I am not sure the Tigahs have that.

[Political Hack]

Auburn, OM or MSU.

unfortunately this is probably correct. I think it's Auburn, but at least one of these 3 are going to be disappointed with their season. no way around it.

[ScottH]

Auburn, OM or MSU.

I agree those are the most logical candidates.

Vandy (if Vandy can count in the survey) - My gut tells me James Franklin took the magic to PSU. Not that the Stanford system won't work just not with Franklin's leftovers in the SEC.


For some reason, I think Tennessee will surprise some folks.

[DudyDawg]

Don't see how Tennessee can be an answer. No one is expecting anything from them. A bust is someone with high expectations who doesn't meet them. They don't have the hype to bust, other than maybe some dumb UT fans

[Political Hack]

I expected to see Auburn and LSU. Everyone's had a year to study Nicky Marshall and stop that high school crap. They won 3 games in the final 15 seconds of the game last year on miracle plays or otherwise would've been a five loss team. They trade UT for South Carolina in the east and Washington (a 1 score game) for K-State. The schedule is much much more difficult, everyone is aware that they're a threat, Saban won't lose to them this season, play us at Davis Wade, and lost significant talents in Mason, Ford, Robinson and half of their crappy starting defense.

[thf24]

I expected to see Auburn and LSU. Everyone's had a year to study Nicky Marshall and stop that high school crap. They won 3 games in the final 15 seconds of the game last year on miracle plays or otherwise would've been a five loss team. They trade UT for South Carolina in the east and Washington (a 1 score game) for K-State. The schedule is much much more difficult, everyone is aware that they're a threat, Saban won't lose to them this season, play us at Davis Wade, and lost significant talents in Mason, Ford, Robinson and half of their crappy starting defense.

I agree with a lot of that. I think there's a chance they get "figured out," but given Malzahn's resume I think it's more likely he finds a way to keep it going. I absolutely agree that while they may be better overall, they lost some key pieces that will offset that team improvement on the field.

[Coach34]

Don't see how Tennessee can be an answer. No one is expecting anything from them. A bust is someone with high expectations who doesn't meet them. They don't have the hype to bust, other than maybe some dumb UT fans

i included them because some people think they might be able to win 7 or 8 games. Hell we got people here talking about them beating OM in Oxford. OM is going to roll their ass.

[blacklistedbully]

Relative to expectations, I think TSUN is a real candidate. I agree with others that Freeze's offense has been figured out by SEC DC's. Freeze probably hopes to counter this with more down-field threats now that CBS's arm is better. But I think there is a damn good chance that "better arm" will lead back to a CBS prone to INT's, as it did the last time he could throw down-field. I also think the loss of Moncrief is going to be really big for them.

Also as has been said, their lack of depth on the O-line is likely to bite them in the ass. They're one injury away from a losing record, IMO. That's a tough place to be in the SEC. If either Boise State or Hud & ULL can knock them off within the first 3 games, they could come apart at the seams with those fragile, over-inflated egos they have over there.

[HoopsDawg]

South Carolina b/c a lot of people have predicted them to win the SEC East. They have a lot of returning players but they lost their 4 best imo of: Conner Shaw, Clowney, Quarles, and Ellington. I think Dylan Thompson is going to take a beating in the pocket and he is not a running threat.