Spring games are wrapping up and we are officially a little more than four months from the kickoff of the 2014 season. With a new season come new schedules and new rankings for each team’s schedule. Let’s take a look at the schedules for each SEC team and pick a couple of games that you don’t want to miss when kickoff gets here. Last week we looked at the SEC East. This week we will see what the West has to offer.
7. Mississippi State
So many are saying, “This is the year that Mississippi State could make a run at the West.” Well, they just may be right. The Bulldogs are bringing back nearly every starter from last year and have a true Quarterback and leader in Dak Prescott that the team seems to truly rally around. What also doesn’t hurt is the 2014 schedule. All four of the Bulldogs out of conference games (Southern Miss, UAB, S. Alabama, and UT Martin) are games that should go in the win column. Also, Mississippi State got a good draw from the East teams with Kentucky and Vanderbilt. As far as the schedule set up goes, there are some good and some bad things to consider. First for the positives: The Bulldogs have three warm up games to start the season before heading to Baton Rouge to face LSU. They also get a bye week between LSU and Texas A&M and a home game against UT Martin before heading to Tuscaloosa. The bad includes trips to Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa and ending the season with Bama, Vandy, and Ole Miss in that order. A big win or a big let down against Alabama will make that Vanderbilt game a challenge. All things considered, it does set up mighty well for the Bulldogs in 2014. Games to watch include the rematch of last years last second loss to Auburn and as always the Egg Bowl which will be played in Oxford this year. Can State make it five out of the last six against the Rebels? More importantly, can they take that ever important next step in the Dan Mullen era?
6. Ole Miss
Ole Miss opens the season on a Thursday night with Boise State in Atlanta GA. Two years ago that would have been pretty impressive but this is not the same Boise State team. Still, it’s not bad either. Boise will be well coached and should give us a good look at what to expect from the Rebels this year. From there, it’s about as good as it can get for the SEC West. The two teams from the east are Vanderbilt and Tennessee and both are a bit of a mystery. What we do know about them is they are both full of talent but Vanderbilt will be breaking in a new QB and most of Tennessee’s talent in really green. While they wont be blow outs, Ole Miss should be able to handle both. Other out of conference games are UL Lafayette, Memphis, and… wait for it… Presbyterian College. If your like me you’re asking, “Huh? Who is Presbyterian College? I had to google and I found that they are in the Big South Conference, nicknamed the Blue Hose because of their Blue socks, and their mascot is a guy dressed like William Wallace (Freedom!) Moving on from the Blue Hose, the only bad part of the schedule is the stretch in the middle against Alabama, Texas A&M, Tenn, LSU, and Auburn. Those first two games against Boise State and Vanderbilt are pace setters for Ole Miss. It will also be fun to see if they can catch lightning twice and beat LSU again in 2014.
5. Alabama
Much like Ole Miss, I doubt Alabama thought they were scheduling a West Virginia team that would be coming off a 4-8 season. Here it is 2014 and that is what they got. The first three games are out of conference games starting with West Virginia and then followed by Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss. All three will be good warm ups for whoever wins the QB battle in Tuscaloosa. As I mentioned last week, I expect that week 4 game against Florida to really test Alabama’s running game and force them to lean on a brand new QB for the first time. How they respond will tell us how the rest of the season is going to go for the Tide. Other advantages built-in to Alabama’s schedule are bye weeks before going to Ole Miss and LSU. The Iron Bowl rematch is an obvious must see game as we all know Saban most definitely has nightmares about short field goal tries. Also, don’t miss the battle in the trenches in the week 4 match up against Florida.
4. Texas A&M
Texas A&M hit’s the ground running with a week 1 match up against South Carolina that will let us know just how good that offense is going to be without Johnny Manziel at QB. The following three weeks are out of conference games (Lamar, Rice, SMU) that will give the Aggies a chance get back on track and figure some things out before getting into one of two tough stretches in the schedule. The First stretch has Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Alabama. Of course Alabama stands out in that group, but both MSU and Ole Miss bring back offenses that will be able to score with anybody. Following the Bama game, they have an open week before hosting ULM and then heading into that second tough stretch of Auburn, Missouri, and LSU. As you can see, what makes this schedule middle of the pack is not a great out of conference team but the two from the East and the layout. That first game against South Carolina will be big for both teams breaking in new Quarterbacks and attempting to get the season started on the right foot. The final game of the season with LSU should be a good one also, as both teams will be looking to jockey for bowl position.
3.LSU
LSU opens up the season with a nice test for an almost brand new offense by taking on the Wisconsin Badgers in Houston TX. After that, it’s spread out pretty nicely for the Tigers. They play Sam Houston St. and ULM before playing host to Mississippi State. Following the MSU game is another well placed out of conference game against New Mexico State before the big rematch with Auburn. After that, LSU has to make a trip to the swamp to take on a tough Florida defense but they get Ole Miss and Alabama (both losses last year) at home where they are almost unbeatable. Not only do they get Bama at home this year but they have a bye week between Ole Miss and Alabama that will be much welcomed after 9 straight weeks of games. LSU ends the season with a trip to College Station to play Texas A&M. LSU has several games that I really want to see and you don’t want to miss. LSU may be the most intriguing team to me this year with so many big time players leaving from the 2013 team, They reloaded in a huge way in recruiting this year and I’m interested to see how things come together for all the newcomers in a short amount of time. As a result, the opener with Wisconsin will be fun to see just what LSU is going to bring to the field this year. The rematch with Auburn will be huge as LSU was the only regular season loss for Auburn in 2103. The Ole Miss game will be interesting too as you can bet they will want to avenge that loss to the Rebels in Oxford last year. Finaly, it goes without saying that the LSU vs. Alabama game is must see TV as it has been the game to decide the West more times than not over the past decade. I can’t wait to see what LSU has in 2014.
2. Arkansas
These guys really need a break, but 2014 wont be the year they get it. First off, they play in the SEC West which is without a doubt the hardest division in the NCAA to rebuild a program. Secondly, they drew two contenders from the East in Georgia and Missouri. Finally, they have some out of conference games that will be quit challenging. It all starts in week one with the West defending champs in Auburn. Two weeks later they have to go to Texas Tech and play a very good offense from the Big 12. The following week they host a very good NIU team from the MAC that won 12 games in 2013. Then the schedule unfortunately goes Texas A&M, bye week, Alabama, and Georgia before finally seeing another winnable game against UAB. Thank goodness for Nichols State sitting there in week two or wee could be talking about the possibility of an 0-8 start for the Razorbacks. After UAB it starts right back up with Mississippi State, bye week, LSU, Ole Miss, and Missouri. Yeah, have fun with that Razor Back fans. It’s going to be a long season or a short one depending on how long you stick around and watch. It’s a shame, too because Arkansas got better as the season went on last year but starting it out so tough will not help them get any momentum going in 2014. I do think those two out of conference games against TTU and NIU are winnable but Arkansas will have play flawlessly. They have the running game to keep the opposing offense off the field and hopefully that will transfer into some hard-fought wins.
1. Auburn
The 2013 West champs wont have it easy necessarily in 2014. The reason for that is their schedule is very back heavy. Weeks 1-5 will basically be warm ups with Arkansas, San Jose State, bye week, Kansas State, and La Tech. By the time LSU rolls into town on Oct. 4, Gus Malzahn’s offense will be clicking on all cylinders. This bodes well for Auburn as this stretch of the schedule is pretty grueling. From here on, they get all the usual players from the West with some being much improved. They also drew the two best from the East in Georgia and South Carolina. Even for an offensive juggernaut like Auburn, that is a pretty intimidating stretch. Two bonuses for the Tigers are a bye week between Mississippi State and South Carolina and having Samford in between Georgia and the Iron Bowl rematch. It will be interesting to see how some of these great coaches try to scheme against Auburns offense and if anyone will have any luck. The Iron Bowl rematch and LSU game are no-brainers for must see match ups but don’t sleep on that rematch with Mississippi State. It took a final drive and perfect throw with 8 seconds left for Auburn to beat the Bulldogs in 2013 and that game comes right after the rematch with LSU. Who knows, right?
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