Interesting read on each SEC coach's most important game for this coming 2016 season. I have to say I can agree with most of the ones listed if not all of them: https://www.seccountry.com/sec-news/the-2016-game-each-sec-coach-most-needs-to-win You have to believe that if Les Miles loses again to Bama and if Butch Jones and SEC East favorite Tenn lose again to Florida that those two are coaching their last season almost no matter what.... sorta like Mark Richt getting fired after going 10-3.... but getting feebly embarassed by the Gators yet again.
Well Tenn is certainly poised for a very good year, they have what most teams who are ranked high going into the season..an excellent returning vet at QB. While I have no doubt another loss to UF wouldn't be a good thing, if they finish as SEC East Champs then UT fans will be pretty happy with the progress he's made. He's brought a lot of talent to Knoxville and now is the time that talent should be maturing into an excellent season. I don't know what to think of Les Miles and the Tigers. He has annually recruited a top 10 type of class, and has had some really great players. But like Bobby Bowden had Miami, Miles has Alabama. All that talk about him getting fired last year, probably will be even hotter if he has a similar season. BTW: What is former ND verbal, Alex Anazalone doing? Is he projected as a starter? Good, Great or Average player? I was really upset when he dumped us for you guys. I thought he'd become a great player.
Certainly if Tenn can win the East.... it won't matter near as much if somehow they squandered a great chance to beat Florida and I would fully expect Jones to keep his job. However.... a loss to UF and no SEC East and he's gone. On Anzalone.... if he can stay healthy he could be a great contributor this season: "Ask most players where the vocal leadership comes from on defense and they'll also point to Anzalone. Morrison won't be back there barking out calls any more, but Florida feels confident it can pick up without missing a beat." I think the road to the SEC East is wide open for UT and they do get Florida at home. First year coaches at UGA and SC should help also but Muschamp did manage to beat the Vols in his first year at UF as did McElwain last year. That said.... SC figures to be weaker and so does UF after losing all that defense and playing offense like a middle school team in it's last three games.
Cough, cough, cough....Well I guess it's a good thing he's coaching at Miami now so that Gator voodoo has no effect....I can't wait until the Canes play UF with Richt as coach, all kinds of emotions impacting that game....Rumor has it the AD's are scheduling a possible 2018 game, I love it...
I think Malzahn is the guy that had better be in it for the SEC West and beat Alabama or he may be in deep caca!
Kp.... agreed on Malzahn. But losing to MissSt is a job loser while beating Bama is not expected by any AD..... just by the boosters. In fact I don't think Bama would be on anyone's "must beat" list right now except for Miles because he can't even get to Atlanta much less to the CFP with The Tide always in the way. "..I can't wait until the Canes play UF with Richt as coach, all kinds of emotions impacting that game....Rumor has it the AD's are scheduling a possible 2018 game, I love it..." Hell, Miami hasn't even needed a good coach recently to beat Florida so Richt should feel pretty good about coaching Miami vs. the Gators instead of taking UF on as the Georgia coach. Them Dawgs been choking on that Gator meat quite a bit in the past couple of decades.
MCG, I don't think you understand the state of Alabama at all. The Auburn AD that does not expect (demand) beating Alabama is not the Auburn AD anymore. He's out looking for another job because "just the boosters" got rid of him...and the coach. MSU is important because they are in the SEC West, but that's it. 8)
I know what you are saying Kp but it's ilke the owner of the Jets saying beat the Patriots or else.... lol
MCG, yeah if you multiply that intensity by about 10 that may approach the importance of Auburn beating Alabama.
Yeah well I can look in the mirror every day and tell myself that before I die I will have more money than Donald Trump and more hot girls than Hugh Hefner but that doesn't mean it's gonna happen.... Lol
I'm not sure what that means but let me tell you if Auburn loses to MSU and beats Alabama, no one in Auburn will even remember that they played Miss St.
I'm just sayin it's a very tall order for Auburn to beat Bama right now. Lose to Bama and lose to MSU then Malzahn will get serious heat.... but I think he would still get at least one more year. Muschamp was probably lucky to be able to extract himeself from that budding disaster.
Josh Dobbs the SEC's most important player. http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/115961/tennessee-qb-joshua-dobbs-enters-his-senior-year-as-the-sec-most-important-player
Coach Jim McElwain says Gators ‘not dodging’ matchup with Hurricanes http://gatorbytes.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2016/04/13/coach-jim-mcelwain-says-gators-not-dodging-matchup-with-hurricanes/ The showdown between the Gators and Hurricanes would be played in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando and act as the 2019 season-opener for both teams. Florida and Miami have faced off once since 2009, as the last meeting came in 2013 when the Hurricanes defeated the Gators 21-16 in Miami. Miami leads the all-time series against Florida 29-26.
The 11 game win streak for the Gators over Tennessee boggles my mind. It has to end sometime but of course I am hoping it is not soon. That is a killer 4 game stretch for Tennessee. The way I see the East it is 4 team horserace with Florida, Tennessee and Georgia.
If you want to have a chance at the playoffs, all of the games are important, but I think for Alabama, this year the USC game may be the biggest (besides Auburn). If we win that one, we set the stage, if we lose, the season becomes a single elimination tournament. 8)
KP, I agree and it is why I like the college football regular season more than any other sport.... all games are important to championships. But losing to Ole Miss for a third time in a row is pretty annoying and almost looks like a trend.