**Louisiana State Tigers** 2004 record: 9-3 SU, 5-6-1 ATS 2004 SEC West record: 4-1 SU, 3-1-1 ATS Returning starters: 9 offense, 7 defense Positives: LSU has as much talent as any team in the nation. The backfield is loaded with RBs Alley Broussard, Joseph Addai and Justin Vincent, and they will run behind one of the nation's best offensive lines. Sophomore QB JeMarcus Russell can make plays with his scrambling or running the option, and he has a deep group of play-making wide receivers (Skyler Green, Craig Davis, Dwayne Bowe and Early Doucet). Defensively, the Tigers are stacked -- again. LaRon Landry (3 sacks, 4 interceptions, 6 passes broken up in '04) is one of the country's best safeties, while defensive tackles Kyle Williams and Claude Wroten both made the second-team All-SEC unit after collecting six sacks apiece last year. Negatives: To me, there are two major question marks for this team. First, how will this veteran squad handle the transition to a new coaching staff with new systems? This task often proves to be difficult and Les Miles will have a challenge in this department. Secondly, is JeMarcus Russell prepared to be the starting quarterback for a top-five type of team? Only time will tell on the first question. My guess is that Russell's passing accuracy will hinder this squad, especially on the road in loud environments. Gaming Notes: LSU's season win tally is 9 1/2 'under' (minus 150) at Sportsbook.com, with the 'over' bringing back a plus-120 payoff. The Bayou Bengals are the 2/1 favorite to win the SEC and they are 18/1 to win the Orange Bowl. Although LSU was only 3-4 ATS as a home favorite last year, it still maintains a lucrative 12-6 spread record as a home 'chalk' since 2003. Schedule: The fate of this team will boil down to four crucial games, three of which are at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. LSU plays host to Tennessee, Florida and Auburn by Oct. 22. The Nov. 12 trip to Tuscaloosa will go a long way towards deciding the West. Outlook: You can take all the talent in the world with you on the road in the SEC, but you'd better have a quarterback with poise who will make quality decisions in a hostile situation. I'm not trying to gang up on Russell, who can make plays with his size and athleticism, but until he shows me something special, I'll remain a doubter. Couple Russell's inexperience with the growing pains of a transition to a new coaching staff, and I think you're looking at a 9-2 or 8-3 season in Baton Rouge. **Auburn Tigers** 2004 record: 13-0 SU, 7-5-1 ATS 2004 SEC West record: 5-0 SU, 3-1-1 ATS Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense Positives: Auburn has two of the best pass rushers in the country in sophomore defensive end Stanley "Predator" McGlover and sophomore DE Quentin Groves. McGlover was a first-team All-SEC selection after collecting 7 1/2 sacks in his redshirt freshman season, while Groves also had 7 1/2 sacks. Senior nose tackle Tommy Jackson is another All-SEC performer back in the mix following a 51-tackle campaign that included 2 1/2 sacks and five tackles for a loss. Senior middle linebacker Travis Williams could be the best of the bunch, leading the Tigers in tackles last year with 80, including two sacks, eight tackles for loss, two passes broken up and two interceptions. Offensively, there are a ton of question marks, but none of those doubts will arise from the status of the offensive tackles. Marcus McNeill might be the best offensive lineman in the nation, while fellow senior OT Troy Reddick has 29 career starts to his credit. Although incumbent QB Brandon Cox lacks experience, he'll have an array of seasoned wideouts to work with. Five players who made 19 catches or more return, including junior Courtney Taylor, who finished 2004 with 43 catches for 737 yards and six touchdowns. Devin Aromashodu (24 catches, 513 yards, 4 TDs) and Ben Obomanu (24, 359, 7) also offer big-play ability. Negatives: Gone are Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, each of whom was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Cox is a third-year sophomore who has only seen action at garbage time, completing 22-of-34 passes for 357 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior Tre Smith will finally get his chance at running back after taking a medical redshirt in '04. Smith made three starts as a freshman, rushing for 454 yards while averaging 5.7 yards per tote. His shining moment came when he produced an inspiring performance in a 17-7 upset at Alabama in 2002, filling in brilliantly while demonstrating speed, toughness and elusiveness. Nevertheless, with Brown and Williams healthy in '03, Smith's touches were mostly limited to returns on special teams. Gaming Notes: Auburn is listed with 10/1 odds to win the SEC at Sportsbook.com. The Tigers are marked at 60/1 to win the BCS, and they have a season win total of 8 1/2 'under' (minus 145). Bettors can back the 'over' for a plus-115 payoff. Schedule: Auburn doesn't play a road game until Oct. 15 at Arkansas, so the Tigers have an excellent shot to start the season 5-0 and get Cox plenty of seasoning before road games at LSU (Oct. 22) and Georgia (Nov. 12). Tommy Tuberville's team loses the Tennessee game from the East division and replaces it with South Caroina, a trade the Tigers will take twice on Sunday. If I'm an Auburn fan, the one game that really concerns me is the opener against Georgia Tech. Remember, the Yellow Jackets beat Auburn 14-3 in Atlanta two years ago. Outlook: Although the inexperience at RB and QB is a concern, this team appears to be solid everywhere else. Don't be surprised if the Tigers go into their last two games (at Georgia, vs. Alabama) with an 8-1 record. However, I don't see Auburn winning at Georgia (or at LSU on Oct. 22) or against Alabama. Edwards: SEC West preview August 2, 2005 Brian Edwards VegasInsider.com Editor's note: Brian Edwards (57%) posted a 56-43 record in college football during 2004, leading "dime clients" to $8,600 worth of profits! Don't miss out on his season pack for '05 at this early-bird rate! **Alabama Crimson Tide** 2004 record: 6-6 straight up, 6-5 against the spread 2004 SEC West record: 3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS Returning starters: 7 offense, 9 defense Alabama returns nine starters from the SEC's best defense in 2004. (AP) This is an absolutely crucial year for Alabama football, as Mike Shula enters his third season in Tuscaloosa since taking over a storied, albeit troubled, program that has limped to a 30-31 record over the last five seasons. Certainly, Shula received a deserved mulligan when his first team struggled to a 4-9 record amid probation sanctions and turmoil galore that preceded his arrival. A slew of injuries, particularly the season-ending one for quarterback Brodie Croyle, derailed any hopes of the Crimson Tide competing for an SEC West title in 2004. To its credit, Alabama stayed competitive thanks to a strong running game and one of the nation's best defenses. In fact, if the Tide could've had any production whatsoever at the QB position, they likely would've played host to Auburn with the West division on the line. All that said, "ifs, woulda, coulda and shoulda" don't pay the bills in Tuscaloosa, making it a put-up-or-shut-up season for the Tide. Positives: The defense will be one of the best in the country thanks to the return of nine starters, including All-American candidate DeMeco Ryans, who might be the best linebacker in the SEC. This unit ranked first in the country in pass defense last year. The entire secondary is back, including second-team All-SEC safety Roman Harper. Croyle has recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in a win over Western Carolina. Before the injury, the highly-touted prep star out of Arkansas appeared on his way to a breakout season. He had completed 44-of-66 passes (67%) for 534 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Croyle will be able to lean on a rushing attack that features Kenneth Darby, who fumbled only once in 219 carries last year. Darby finished '04 with 1,062 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Tim Castille is another talented back that can make plays, finding paydirt six times in '04. The receiving corps hasn't put up big numbers, but there's a ton of speed and potential within this group that has yet to be put on display. Negatives: Croyle has never made it through an entire season unscathed. If he goes down with an injury, the Tide's chances of winning the West will sink as well. Other question marks center around the health of the running backs, Darby and Castille, both of whom are coming back from off-season surgeries. The jury is still out on this coaching staff that owns a 10-15 record. Granted, the blame for several of last season's losses should fall directly at the feet of former back-up QB Spencer Pennington, but the offensive play-calling has lacked creativity. For instance, why hasn't explosive wideout Tyrone Prothro gotten more touches? Finally, these players have to find a way to win the close games. In 2003, 'Bama blew a 21-point lead at home against Arkansas before losing a heartbreaker in overtime. Then the Tide didn't take advantage of umpteen chances to beat Tennessee in a five-overtime defeat. The same thing happened last year against the Vols, as 'Bama outplayed UT all day only to drop a 17-13 decision. Shula's team had no business losing at Tennessee or LSU last year, when its defense completely dominated both games only to see Pennington's mistakes cost them in the end. The Pennington exuse won't hold water in '05, when this program has to dig down deep and find a way to make plays at crunch time. Gaming Notes: Sportsbook.com is listing Alabama with 20/1 odds to win the SEC and 100/1 odds to win the Orange Bowl. The Crimson Tide have a season win total of seven 'over' (minus 140). Bettors can earn a plus-110 payoff if the 'under' hits. Schedule: The schedule isn't easy by any means, but we'd be remiss to not point out how nearly every big game falls at Bryant Denny Stadium. Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and LSU have to come to Tuscaloosa, while the Tide's toughest road game will be the Iron Bowl at Auburn. The under-the-radar game I see is at Mississippi State, which happens to fall the week before the LSU game, (a possible meeting to decide the SEC West title) creating a dangerous look-ahead spot for Shula's squad. Outlook: Although there are questions galore about the health of the skill players on offense, the guess here is that a few breaks will finally fall Alabama's way, and I definitely think this is the best defense in the SEC. With Auburn and LSU breaking in new starting QBs, coupled with the fact that 'Bama's toughest games are at home, I'll take the Tide to win the West and meet Florida in Atlanta for the first time since '99, when Freddie Milons' electric punt return for a touchdown sparked them to a run-away-and-hide 34-7 win at the Georgia Dome. http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/story.cfm/story/402184
:lsup: will win the west...no one else can touch them with the exception of Bama which should be a good road game
""Sophomore QB JeMarcus Russell can make plays with his scrambling or running the option,"" :hihi: ""Orange Bowl?"" Good read, but this guy is lost on some of his info..........
good one. I west is obviously down. You can never overlook anyone, but I think LSU is in great shape to take the west. Auburn nah. Bama Maybe. If a ball bounces one way in that bama game, the Tide could win the west.
I'm looking forward to betting on my tigers. 9.5 wins... I could put some money down to say we win more than that. I want to put money down for the Tennessee game as well.
I've heard nothing but sterotypes doing this radio show. It basically comes down to white and black. A lot of middle aged white guys love to call in and say taht "Flynn should be the qb cuz he's got it b/t the ears". That is pathetic. It may be true, but lets not doubt what JR or RP is sporting up top either.
Scrap, one thing I learned from being an LSU fan: Ole Piss will ALWAYS play us close. Auburn always seems to surprise us, and Bama, well... what can I say? LSU is in great shape, but you can't count Auburn out either.
