Ole Miss Football: It’s July, It’s Football Season and SEC Prediction Time!
By Jim Shute
The 2018 Ole Miss football season is now less than two months away and college football fans are making projections and predictions.
It’s July and in less than two weeks Ole Miss football will be kicking off SEC Media Days in Atlanta. You see in the south college football begins once media days commences. Oh, we know what every coach will get up to the podium and say. “We had a great spring. The players are working hard. We will improve on offense, defense and special teams.” Coaches will praise their SEC brethren and the coaches that go along with the schools. Everybody is happy. Why? Because they are all undefeated in July. So, the season countdown clock starts on July 16th.
Even though it’s early, I’ll give you my pre-season predictions. Please keep in mind this prediction is being made before any scandals or injuries have occurred. But based on what we know today, here goes. Let’s just address the “elephant” in the room and that’s Alabama. They are simply too good and much better than everyone else in the SEC and in the nation that matter. Unless Nick Saban gets hit by a MARTA train in Atlanta I’m predicting that Alabama goes 15-0 and pretty much dominates everyone in and out of the SEC on their way to their sixth national title in the last ten years. So, what about everybody else?
It Begins In The West
Ole Miss Rebels Football
Let’s start with the West. I predict the Auburn Tigers will come in second with a 10-2 record with losses to only Georgia and Alabama. Auburn will have a strong defense and a good offense centered around quarterback Jarrett Stidham. So, out of who’s left, who will surprise and who will disappoint?
I would pick Texas A&M third behind Bama and Auburn but not even the seventy-five million dollar man can overcome the incredibly difficult schedule with Clemson in week two, Bama in week four then consecutive game road trips to South Carolina, Mississippi State and Auburn.
So, here’s my surprise pick for third in the SEC West. Yes, it’s Ole Miss! You can call me a homer but with one of the most explosive offenses in the country with just a modest improvement in defense can lead to a 9-3 or 8-4 season. Next I’ll go with Mississippi State. I believe they will go 8-4 with a stout defense and I picked them behind Ole Miss simply I think the odds of the road team winning four consecutive Egg Bowls are not good.
Texas A&M will finish 7-5 mainly because the schedule is so brutal. So, Ole Miss is my surprise in the west. My disappointing team in the west is LSU. Why? Because Ed Orgeron is their coach. We, especially Ole Miss fans knew this coming. It simply wasn’t and isn’t going to work. LSU will finish 6-6 and maybe 5-7. Arkansas is rebuilding under Chad Morris but could finish 6-6 and maybe ahead of LSU.
Now The East
Now to the East. I predict Georgia will win the it again with an 11-1 and possibly a 12-0 record. The gap is just that big. My second place finish goes to Florida with a 9-3 record. Love him or hate him Dan Mullen gets the most out of his players and he has enough talent in The Swamp to have a good breakout season for their new leader. My surprise team in the east will be Tennessee. Jeremy Pruitt learned from the master in Nick Saban and Butch Jones did not leave the cupboard bare. There’s some talent in Knoxville. They just need to believe and I think Pruitt is the man to do that in Knoxville with an 8-4 or 7-5 record.
South Carolina will be right there with Tennessee with a 7-5 record. Kentucky will have a disappointing year under but Mark Stoops will put himself on the hot seat with a 5-7 record. Vanderbilt will have the worst record in the conference with a 3-9 record and Derek Mason will finish his last season in Nashville.
There It Is
So there you have it. It’s Alabama, Georgia and everyone else once again in 2018. Your surprise team in the west will be Ole Miss and the biggest disappointment will be LSU. In the East, after Georgia you’ll have Florida and my surprise team Tennessee. The most disappointing team in the east will be Kentucky. My coach of the year in the SEC is Jeremy Pruitt of Tennessee.
The most valuable offensive player will be Ole Miss’s AJ Brown and Raekwon Davis of Alabama will be the most valuable defensive player. Let’s see how I do. Of course, picking Alabama and Georgia was a no brainer. Let’s see if I’m right on the rest. If I am, there will be a lot of happy Ole Miss Rebels out there, me included. Hotty Toddy!