I can't say I agree about catching LSU early in Auburn's schedule, but thankfully we get them at Jordan-Hare. one point i do agree on though is Arkansas. If they can somehow scratch together a decent defense, they certainly have the offensive tools to put together a formidable rushing attack. That alone will usually get you 7-8 wins in a normal season. I don't know any team in the conference that isn't envious of the Hillis/McFadden combo, especially Hillis. Fullbacks like him only come around once in the proverbial blue moon. Teams with undersized LB's, like Auburn, are going to need to prepare carefully for the Hogs this season, IMO.
I agree, although Arkie does have a college rookie as the OC, I suspect Nutt will influence the game planning quite a bit and incorporate his running attack into the new guys passing attack. Arkansas will not abandon what they've done for many years in regard to the ground game. If their defense plays well they will be a pretty good team. We'll find out early about them I think.
I think the west team flying most under the radar is Bama. Either that or they've gotten little media coverage. They had a pretty badass defense last year, and almost the entirety of it returns this season. Man, this is gonna be a tough year, especially if Arkansas lives up to its hype. May only be 3 or 4 surefire games for us. can't freaking wait.
Actually we lost most of the starters on that defense. We'll be replacing I believe 9 starters (maybe seven). We're not getting much media coverage because of our OL debacles last season and we're breaking in a new QB. Those that follow Bama close are holding our breath regarding the OL and QB positions. If we can get consistent OL play our running game will give our young qb plenty of breathing room to learn. The defense will be fine. We'll see a bit of a drop off but most of the incoming starters saw TONS of playing time last season. It should be interesting. Arkansas is definitely a dark horse. That offense (though in transition) will be dangerous.
I knew I should've checked my sources. I could swear I saw somewhere that Bama had something big in its favor, and I thought it was the defense returning. Oh well. Just shows to go ya.
You probably saw a segment on EPSN.Com that ran a spot called "Defense 101". Our defensive co. Joe Kines was spotlighted in that piece and how he has built a strong defensive scheme at Bama. He is very good at player development and putting a player in a position to play toward his strengths. We'll keep him around a while.:yelwink2:
