Nothing wrong with picking Bama but STILL ahead is confusing given they were 4th in the West last year.
SEC WEST 1)LSU 2)Alabama 3)Arkansas 4)Auburn 5)Ole Miss 6)Miss State SEC EAST 1)Florida 2)South Carolina 3)Georgia 4)Tennessee 5)Kentucky 6)Vanderbilt Garcia gone and Florida is loaded with players. They've racked up huge recruiting classes for the past several years, I don't think they have a major rebuild needed. Bama's schedule is in their favor, but I ain't going with my head.
Understandable. I think McCarron is going to be a legitimate, not great, SEC QB, and I think Richardson will be a force to be reckoned with as a full-feature back. The secondary is going to be much more experienced than last year; it was their achilles heal. I think they have the best LB core in the SEC except maybe for Florida; Hightower is going to be very good. Recruiting hasn't fallen off for them, I think they're merely going to reload where they have lost players. I certainly won't be stunned if we take the SEC this year, I think it's definitely either ours or 'Bama's, I just have them tipping the scales right now.
Considering we won 11 games without a decent QB last year, I'd say either you're a closet Bama fan or don't know football. Richardson will be good, but the defense we have coming in will be a top 3 or 4 defense with an offense that should be as to score 30pts. a game... I think this is LSUs undefeated NC season... of course Bama will be 3rd in the West behind us and Arky.
Nothing wrong with giving an honest assessment. I think the programs are extremely close right now. I recall having a discussion about a year ago with fellow LSU fans that were claiming Bama's program was light years ahead of LSU's. I conceded that Bama was ahead but argued the Tigers could've won at Bama if JJ and C. Scott didn't go down with injuries in the 2nd half. What a difference one year makes. On the flip side, I think Bama could have easily beaten us in Tiger Stadium if Richardson didn't go down with his injury. I would expect that Saban will get the most out of his new QB and field another solid all-around team. I haven't gone in depth enough on Bama to form an opinion on them for the upcoming season. Therefore, I'll go with LSU to win the west like everyone else.
I feel good about the replacements for Nevis and PP but not as certain about Sheppard. The collective void of losing those guys could be significant. I also feel our offense should score 30 pts/game but have been thinking the same thing for the past few years. Richardson has shown flashes of being a future NFL stud. I don't know much about their QB coming in but he could even be an upgrade. Saban is now working with multiple years of highly recruited classes. I personally wouldn't question someone's knowledge of football if they feel Bama could win the West.
So now we're the gimps bitch*s huh? wow... we weren't a few injuries too many from beating Bama year before last, we were several crooked/blind refs away from destroying Bama in their home... our win in TS over Bama this past season was nothing more than re-aligning the stars and putting things back in the order they go... LSU on top, Bama somewhere towards the bottom. Where you Bama/Saban puffers come from?
And what do you call the recruiting classes Miles has brought into LSU for the past 6 seasons, scrubs? You and your little bama-buddy there need to wake up, stfu and enjoy where the LSU footbal program is at.
I don't see our defense being better than last year, personally. Nevis, Sheppard, and Peterson were too good to be replaced in my opinion. Chavis said Sheppard was the smartest LB he had ever coached, Peterson is probably the best DB to ever play at LSU, and Nevis was a surprise All-American. I think we can get by without Sheppard and Nevis being entirely replaced in terms of production, but Simon in for Peterson is going to hurt us, I think. Our defensive scheme relies a ton on CBs in single coverage during blitzes, and I'm not sold on Clairborne covering #1 receivers in the SEC or Simon on #2s, though this is largely due to Simon's lack of time. Also, keep in mind the schedules. We have Oregon to open up at a Neutral site, WV at Morgantown, and 'Bama also has a week off before facing us. The tough games could take their toll on us, and we don't have an advantage over 'Bama with the extra week to prepare. The difference between 'Bama and LSU is miniscule, but I give 'Bama the nod right now.
I don't necessarily agree. Saban tends to coddle inexperienced QBs, especially when they make a mistake. One might say that his coaching style is not a good fit for a young QB because he can damage their confidence. I think many people underestimate what a great game manager McElroy was. It's hard to be more heady than a Rhodes scholar. AJ is almost certainly more talented, but his ability to lead and manage is an unknown.
