C34's 2016 SEC West predictions

[Coach34]

2014- http://www.elitedawgs.com/showthread...highlight=UPig

2015- http://www.elitedawgs.com/showthread...st+predictions

2016 should be an interesting year in the wild, wild, West. Lots of questions abound:

Is this the end for the Gus Bus or Sumlin?
Has Mullen been distracted and allowed the program to fall back some?
Can Saban/Kiffin do it 3 years in a row?
Has OM cheated enough to contend 2 years in a row?
Can Bielema start winning before October gets here?

1. LSU- Miles goes from getting fired, then gets a reprieve from the Governor, to SEC West Champ in 2016. This is the most talented team he has had in his tenure. 6 projected 1st round picks in the April NFL draft. The best TB in the country. A really good WR group. Lots of talent on the OL- but the questions remains- has Brandon Harris continued to progress enough to win big games? LSU will be hell on D- they return their entire DL plus everybody in the Secondary has started. Beckwith returns at LB in the middle. This is the SEC's most talented team in 2016.

2. Bama- this is the SEC's 2nd most talented team in the SEC. Lots of questions at QB and TB- but talent isnt one. It is the 1st time in the Saban era that they havent returned a TB with significant experience. They have the best TE in the SEC in Howard and one of the best WR's in Ridley. Kiffin has done a really good job with their offense- but for some reason wont stay with the run vs OM. Hopefully he has learned his lesson in 2016. Defensively, they lost alot from last year- but they are replacing them with more top talent. And they are coached by Saban. Enough said. Their road schedule in 2016 is pretty rough and could lead to a couple of losses at OM, LSU, UPig, or Tenn. I dont think they go thru that unscathed.

3. Ole Missus- The 3-7 teams in the West are as big of a crapshoot as there has ever been. I'm going with OM simply based on their returning QB and WR's. They have OL issues but Freezus does have his guys get the ball out quick. Should be decent at RB. Defensively, their DE's are very good and they wont be bad at DT. Lots of questions at LB and in the Secondary. Conner returns at safety- great run-stopper but average in coverage. They were 13th in pass D last year in the SEC and probably wont be much better this year. Their stretch of Georgia at home then SEC games at UPig and at LSU will be a critical stretch for them after losing to Fla State and Bama. If they can beat Georgia to get some momentum they should be ok,- a loss to Georgia and they could be headed for a last place SEC West finish. A brutal September could also be a problem for this team that doesnt have alot of depth.

4. Auburn- I'm not counting The Gus Bus out yet. They should be pretty good on the OL and will be damn good on the DL. The Gus Bus is always going to #RTGDF pretty well- and this year wont be any different with Jovon Robinson. QB and new WR's are big question marks for this bunch. May see some freshman WR's getting time early. We'll see what their juco transfer has- Malzahn has had a ton of success with juco's in Cam Newton and Nick Marshall. Dont bet against him here either. Defensively, their DL is loaded. Lawson, Adams, Cowart. They also signed 2 5-star guys for more depth. They lost all 3 starters at LB- so there is concern there. Secondary returns 3/4 and with their DL getting pressure- should improve on their 11th in the SEC Pass D. They have a brutal early schedule- but their big games early are at home to help ease some of their younger guys into things. Huge road games at State and OM for this bunch.

5. A&M- Talented WR's and what should be a solid OL. Veteran QB that has showed flashes of being pretty good. Mazzone has been good historically- so a small scheme change could also help them. Best DE in the country that must be accounted for. An outstanding DC that made them better on D last year. Still likely a 3-5 SEC West team though

6. State- Questions at QB and RB. An OL that doesnt look very good. Really good starting WR's with no depth. All new TE's. This will be Mullen's toughest job on offense since 2011 when he had all the OL injuries after heavy losses from the year before and Relf got beat up physically. Expect QB's to throw 15+ interceptions. Fitzgerald throws a good-looking deep ball- but can his OL protect long enough to allow him to do it against teams not named UMass or South Alabama? New DC Peter Sirmon will be asked to do alot this year. The DL should be solid- but is probably the 6th best in the West. The LB'ers will be very good and safety should be vastly improved. This team just isnt very good at CB or on the OL though- and injuries to these positions would be devastating. Cant lose to BYU on the road or 6 wins wont happen for this team.

7. UPig- Bert will start getting the heat come October. Allen #2 will be his QB and has been in the system awhile. They have to rebuild the OL and have no decent experience at RB. They lost a damn good TE but have lots of experience at WR.
Defensively they were awful but young. They return damn near all of them though. Their home schedule is brutal and this is why I pick them last in the West. Toss up games on the road doesnt usually turn out well. Bielema will need another November miracle in 2016.