3 SEC Teams That Will Regress in 2015
It's safe to say that the bowl season wasn't the happiest of times for SEC programs.
The SEC West—once thought to be the most dominant division in the game—went 2-5, Alabama lost to Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl national semifinal despite being more than one-touchdown favorites, and the conference didn't win a major bowl (BCS/"New Year's Six") for the second straight season.
Is this the bottom, or does the hole get deeper?
College football is cyclical, and some SEC teams—even those that won bowl games—could be trending down.
Which three SEC teams will regress in 2015?
LSU Tigers
Linebacker Kwon Alexander and cornerback Jalen Collins will head to the NFL off LSU's stellar defense, offensive tackle La'el Collins has exhausted his eligibility, and that pesky quarterback position—which has been a sore spot nearly every year since 2007—is still unsettled heading into the offseason.
On top of that, LSU head coach Les Miles is in the market for a new defensive coordinator after his attempt to keep John Chavis failed and the Mad Hatter lost the Chief to Texas A&M.
As ESPN's Brett McMurphy said on Sports Talk with Bo in Arkansas after LSU's 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, times aren't great in Baton Rouge.
First things first, Miles has to find a quarterback.
Whether that's Anthony Jennings taking a step forward, the light bulb going on for Brandon Harris or Miles hitting the free-agent quarterback market with a vengeance, something has to change. Ever since Ryan Perrilloux was let go prior to the 2008 season, consistency from quarterbacks has been an issue in Red Stick, with Zach Mettenberger's senior season in 2013 being the lone exception.
If that trend continues, Miles will go from the periphery of the hot seat to squarely on it within a three-month span next fall.
The new defensive coordinator will have plenty of talent to work with, including safety Jalen Mills and linebacker Kendell Beckwith, but a new coach and perhaps a new scheme will still lead to some uneasiness within the program.
LSU lost to Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State within the division this year, and the rest of the division—Texas A&M and Arkansas, in particular—is on the rise.
An 8-5 season isn't great, but it may get worse before it gets better.
Georgia Bulldogs
The SEC East is wide open yet again, and somebody has to step forward.
It won't be Georgia.
The Bulldogs lose cornerback Damian Swann, linebackers Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson, receivers Chris Conley and Michael Bennett, and quarterback Hutson Mason. On top of that, the Bulldogs failed to inspire with their new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer—a coach whose offenses finished 20th or worst in the 32-team NFL in all but one season since 2009.
Is Nick Chubb a phenomenal running back? Yes. He'll get plenty of opportunities with Schottenheiemer, who ran out of choice and necessity during stints as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets and St. Louis Rams.
Is he going to be the magic potion that leads Georgia to the Promised Land? There's nothing to suggest that he will—not with the pieces Georgia has to replace.
If anything, Georgia is sitting in neutral in the SEC East, while potential power Tennessee is building, and Florida is fixing its offensive glitch.
Sure, Jeremy Pruitt is a good defensive coordinator and can replace the departures on his side of the ball. But there won't be many two-touchdown leads at Georgia with Schottenheimer calling the shots on offense, which means that Pruitt's margin for error is razor-thin.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State is a good program that proved that it can pull together, thrive with continuity and get to the double-digit win mark even in this day and age of SEC West teams pulling out all of the stops to be successful at college football's highest level.
That win total, however, is not sustainable.
Running back Josh Robinson rushed for 1,203 yards as a junior in 2014 but announced on social media prior to the Orange Bowl that he is leaving early for the NFL draft. Three starters up front on the defensive line have moved on, linebacker Benardrick McKinney could jump, and cornerback Jamerson Love also exhausted his eligibility.
New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is the right hire for Mississippi State after Geoff Collins jumped to Florida, but a small step back should be expected in Starkville based on personnel losses alone.
If quarterback Dak Prescott jumps early too, that small step could become a big one.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
