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Puckett’s Flaming Hot Preseason SEC Rankings

Aumnibus Staff132 Mins Read

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By Darrell Puckett

When discussing sports talk in the South, there’s always one constant: college football. Last season I gave my preseason list of where teams will finish regarding the SEC Eastern and Western divisions.  This season I will be swift and direct but informative.  With no further ado, here’s a look into my projected SEC rankings for 2014.

WEST

  1. Auburn (13-1, 7-1)
  2. LSU (11-2, 6-2)
  3. Alabama (11-2, 6-2)
  4. Ole Miss (9-4, 4-4)
  5. Texas A&M (8-5, 3-5)
  6. Mississippi State (7-6, 3-5)
  7. Arkansas (4-8, 1-7)

EAST

  1. Georgia (11-2, 6-2)
  2. Florida (11-2, 6-2)
  3. South Carolina (10-3, 5-3)
  4. Missouri (9-4, 4-4)
  5. Kentucky (7-6, 3-5)
  6. Tennessee (6-7, 2-6)
  7. Vanderbilt (4-8, 1-7)

AUBURN: Of course, the Auburn Tigers led by Nick Marshall are my number one team in this West division.  Turning from 3-9 (0-8) to 12-2 (7-1) in one year says a lot about Coach Gus Malzahn and his staff.  Yes, Tre Mason is gone, but there’s more to this offense than an NFL running back.  Newly acquired junior college receiver Duke Williams, along with Sammie Coates, will provide Marshall the needed weapons out deep.  The key will be on defense by improving their secondary and star-linebacker positions.  This might be the deepest depth perception wise at each position in AU history.  The Tiger’s do have the 16th toughest schedule according to Bleacher Report, so that should be their biggest hurdle.  Auburn’s road games are at Kansas State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama.  This difficult schedule could both hurt and help AU’s chances of reaching the four team National Championship playoff.

GEORGIA: Mark Richt has been on the hot seat for many years now, but I believe that this will be his season.  Georgia returns with the most dynamic running back duo since Auburn’s Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown with Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall.  If Gurley and Marshall weren’t injured last season, the Dawgs would’ve produced a better record.  Watch out for Georgia if they start the season off 2-0 after victories over Clemson and South Carolina.  Historically speaking, the team that wins between South Carolina and Georgia usually has a slight edge within this Eastern division.  The Dawgs must find a way to slow down USC running back Mike Davis to win that game.  Look for Georgia to make a huge impact among the East teams, while Florida and South Carolina sit outside the top spot.

Contact the writer: dpucket1@aum.edu

By Aumnibus Staff

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