2014 Southeastern Conference Football Projections

East 

Georgia Bulldogs 11-2 (7-2)

Georgia senior quarterback Hutson Mason was the understudy to Aaron Murray for the past few years, but now it is his time to shine. Mason won’t have to go at it alone as Georgia has two of the best running backs in the nation in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. Georgia also returns ten defensive starters as they should be the team to beat in the SEC East.

The Dawgs will have one of the tougher schedules in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia begins the season this Saturday at against Clemson out of the Atlantic Coast Conference who narrowly got past the Bulldogs last season. On September 13, Georgia will be on the road against South Carolina in a game that could go a long way in determining who will represent the SEC East in Atlanta at the conference title game. Georgia has consecutive road games this year Missouri and Arkansas as well as their yearly tilt in Jacksonville with Florida, but the Dawgs should be up for the challenge.

South Carolina Gamecocks 10-2 (6-2)

In the past few seasons the South Carolina Gamecocks have been on the cusp of taking that next step towards becoming a championship team. And this year South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier may have the deepest offensive team that he has ever had since taking over in Columbia. With eight starters returning on offense for South Carolina including four offensive lineman, you can expect to see the Gamecocks contend for their first SEC East Title since 2010.

South Carolina junior running back Mike Davis is as talented as any tailback in the country and he could be an All-SEC performer this season. Defensively the Gamecocks are a little green, but as the season progresses they will be one of the better units in the SEC.

Two of South Carolina’s first three games are against SEC foes as they’ll host Texas A&M and Georgia. The Gamecocks will avoid playing LSU and Alabama which should help their case as far as winning the SEC East.

Florida Gators 8-4 (4-4)

There are bad college football seasons and then there is what the University of Florida Gators had to endure in 2013. A rash of injuries on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football saw the Gators finish 2013 with a record of 4-8 which was their first losing season since 1979. For Gators head football coach Will Muschamp he is determined to put that horrific season behind him and get his football program back on track.

The Gators return eight starters on offense with nine starters coming back on defense from a unit that was eighth in total defense in the nation for 2013. The Gators should once again have a say in who will win the SEC East, but it will come down to whether or not junior quarterback Jeff Driskel can stay healthy while finally living up to his potential.

The Gators will come out of the chute with several cupcake games before they travel to Tuscaloosa on September 20 to take on Alabama which will be the litmus test for the blue and orange.

Missouri Tigers 8-4 (4-4)

It hasn’t taken the Missouri Tigers that long to get acclimated to the Southeastern Conference as they won the SEC East last year in only their second season there. Now for Missouri head football coach Gary Pinkel, it is all about becoming consistent at the top of the SEC East with Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. The Tigers did lose some talent from last year’s squad that won the SEC East, but don’t expect them to roll over in 2014.

Missouri sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk is more than capable of leading the Tigers offense and he will be handing off to junior running back Russell Hansbrough who should get at least 200 carries this year.

Mizzou will have an easy non-conference schedule this year, but SEC road games against South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, and Tennessee will be daunting for Pinkel and his crew.

Tennessee Volunteers 6-6 (3-5)

For the first time since a stretch from 1903-1906, the Tennessee Volunteers are coming off of a period in which they have had four consecutive losing seasons which is unacceptable in Knoxville. Butch Jones took over last season as the head football coach at Tennessee and he is in the process turning things around for the Vols. Tennessee lost seven games last season by a combined 161 points and this team must learn to be tougher in football games in 2014.

Early in the season the Volunteers have a stretch where they have road games against Oklahoma and Georgia followed by a home game against Florida which could be telling as far as how the season will go on Rocky Top.

Kentucky Wildcats 4-8 (1-7)

As good as the University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball program has been which is highlighted by eight national championships, the success has not been carried over to the football team. All-time the Wildcats football program has a .468 winning percentage as they have not a winning season since 2009 and they are coming off of consecutive 2-10 campaigns. Mark Stoops is entering his second season as the head football coach at Kentucky and he is trying to establish a program in Lexington. But all Stoops can do is batten down the hatches for the upcoming SEC storm in 2014. This season the Wildcats have road games against Florida, LSU, Missouri, Tennessee, and Louisville as it could be another long fall in Lexington.

Vanderbilt Commodores 4-8 (0-8)

The past three seasons ended with a bowl game for the Vanderbilt Commodores, but things will be drastically different for Vandy this season as the head football coach that led them to those three bowl games (James Franklin) is now the head football coach at Penn State University. With Franklin departing for Happy Valley, Derek Mason is now the head football coach at Vanderbilt as he is looking to add to what Franklin started there. But like Franklin before him, Mason will be starting from scratch.

West

Alabama Crimson Tide 12-1 (8-1)

The last time that the Alabama Crimson Tide lost two football games in a row to end a season was in 2008. The Tide came back in the next season and went undefeated en route to winning a national championship. In order for the Crimson Tide to get to the college football playoff they must first navigate their way through the SEC; more importantly the SEC West.

The Tide will have a new starting quarterback this season, but Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has yet to decide on a starting quarterback; whether it will be Blake Sims or Jacob Coker. One thing that Saban is certain of is that he will have dynamic play makers in junior running back T.J. Yeldon, senior wide receiver Christion Jones, and junior wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Defensively ‘Bama returns five starters on defense and junior strong safety Landon Collins could be the best of the bunch as he has a bright NFL future ahead of him.

The action begins for the Tide this Saturday at the Georgia Dome where they will meet West Virginia out of the Big 12 Conference. Alabama will begin conference play on September 20 when they host Florida, but the real fun will take place in November when they wrestle with LSU and Auburn to decide who will win the SEC West.

Auburn Tigers 10-2 (6-2)

The Auburn Tigers appear to be here to stay as a national powerhouse. In his first season as Auburn’s head football coach, Gus Malzahn took the SEC by storm with his uptempo running game and you can see another dose of it in 2014. You can also expect a big year from Auburn senior running back Cameron Artis-Payne and junior wide receiver Sammie Coates, but the man that will make Auburn’s offensive engine go is senior quarterback Nick Marshall.

Marshall will miss this Saturday’s affair against Arkansas due to a suspension, but the Tigers will really need him in November as they’ll have road games against Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama.

LSU Tigers 9-3 (5-3)

Since taking over as the head football coach of the LSU Tigers in 2005, Les Miles has been called a lot of things and one of those is a winner. Under Miles, the Bayou Bengals are 95-24 and they have finished the last five years ranked in the top 25 and in 2014 they’ll give Alabama and Auburn all that they can handle in the SEC West.

The Tigers have lost some talent to the National Football League, but senior running back Terrence Magee will be the man in Baton Rogue this fall.

The Tigers and Miles have a tough non-conference game this Saturday when they’ll be in Houston to take on Wisconsin out of the Big Ten Conference. The SEC slate for the Bayou Bengals in brutal. On consecutive Saturdays in October, LSU will be on the road against Auburn and Florida respectively. Then in a 19-day span in November, LSU will meet Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. But under Miles, the Tigers are always a tough squad and they should be up for the challenge.

Mississippi State Bulldogs 8-4 (4-4)

Since taking over as the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2009, Dan Mullen has only had one losing season. The Bulldogs have flown under the radar in the ultra tough SEC West as they have taken a backseat to Alabama, Auburn, and LSU. But the Bulldogs and Mullen know that they are on the cusp of competing with the big boys in the SEC.

Quarterback Dak Presscott is the engine of Mullen’s spread offense in Starkville as he was the team’s leading passer and rusher in 2013. And the big passes that Prescott will complete in 2014 will go in the direction of senior wide Jameon Lewis.

The Bulldogs will begin conference play on September 20 in Death Valley against LSU and it will get even tougher in November when Mississippi State is on the road against Alabama and of course the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss to finish the regular season.

Texas A&M Aggies 7-5 (3-5)

Life after Johnny Manziel is set to begin for the Texas A&M Aggies and rebuilding in the SEC can be brutal if you don’t have a plan. Luckily for A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin, he does have a strategy.

Sophomore Kenny Hill looks to replace Manziel at quarterback and he will rely heavily on senior wide receiver Malcome Kennedy to be his go-to receiver this year in College Station.

The good news is that the Aggies will return 10 starters on defense from last year’s team. But the problem is that A&M was 111th in total defense last season and the unit is still a work in progress under defensive coordinator Mark Snyder.

A&M is in the process of rebuilding and they will bounce back, but don’t expect the SEC to slow down for them this season.

Ole Miss Rebels 7-5 (3-5)

It hasn’t taken Ole Miss Rebels head football coach Hugh Freeze that long to change the culture in Oxford, but his team will look to live up to the lofty expectations set for them this year. For Ole Miss senior quarterback Bo Wallace, there is not a pass that he cannot make and if he is able to throw at least 25 touchdown passes this season it should symbolize a big year for the Rebels.

Ole Miss returns 10 starters on defense with the focus turning to sophomore defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche who could be an All-SEC performer this year.

This Thursday, Ole Miss will face the always tough Boise State squad of the Mountain West Conference. But the real test will come in October when Ole Miss faces Alabama, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU in consecutive weeks.

Arkansas Razorbacks 4-8 (1-7)

Arkansas Razorbacks head football coach Bret Bielema is entering his second year in Fayetteville and he is in the process of building a football team in his own image. Under Beilama, the Razorbacks will get off of the bus running the football and win or lose they will be one of the toughest teams in the SEC. You can expect to see a heavy dose of running backs Johnathan Williams and Alex Collins for the Hogs this fall, but will it be enough to make them bowl eligible?

Physically Bielema’s team will be improved, but they might not be ready just yet to be a player in the SEC West.

SEC Championship Game-Georgia Dome-Atlanta, Georgia: Alabama vs. Georgia

SEC Champs-Alabama

Sources: Sports-reference.com, Cfbstats.com, Nationalchamps.net