Bleacher Report - Articles by Tyler Davis

SEC Predictions After Week One

Tyler Davis — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:47:28 -0400

The first weekend of college football is almost in the books. After a fun and exciting Saturday, it's time to make predictions for how the SEC will pan out in 2009.

Eastern Division

1. Florida- On Saturday, the Gators rolled right though an undermatched Charleston Southern team. The Gator offense didn't miss a beat as it rolled up a staggering 624 yards of total offense. Prediction for the regular season: 12-0.

2. Georgia- Even though the 'Dawgs weren't victorious in Stillwater, the defense looked to be much improved. Georgia went up against one of the most prolific offenses in college football and held them in check for most of the game. Once the offense comes around, they will be a solid team. Prediction: 8-4.

3. Tennessee- For one quarter, the Vols struggled mightily with Western Kentucky. However, they turned it around and blew the game open. Still, many question marks remain (Jonathan Crompton at QB) on this team. We will know a whole lot more after their trip to the Swamp in two weeks. Prediction: 7-5

4. South Carolina- The Gamecocks looked extremely good on the defensive side of the ball against NC State on Thursday. The offense, however, was awful, and managed only 256 yards of total offense. Still, look for much of the same from this Gamecock team: bad QB play, strong defense, and seven wins. Prediction: 7-5.

5. Kentucky- The Wildcats beat Miami (OH) in their season opener 42-0. Rich Brooks can still coach, and Kentucky will once again compete in every game they play. However, a gap in overall talent is the only thing that separates them from being among the elite teams in the east. Prediction: 6-6.

6. Vanderbilt- The Commodores looked impressive against Western Carolina, winning 45-0. Just like Kentucky, they will be extremely competitive, but will take a small step back after making a bowl game last season. Prediction:4-8.

Western Division

1. Alabama- The Tide, boasting one of the nation's top defenses, held Virginia Tech to only 155 total yards in a huge 34-24 victory. The ground game, led by sophomore Mark Ingram, once again paced the offense. The Tide has a favorable schedule, and should once again be undefeated heading into the SEC Championship game. Prediction: 12-0.

2. Ole Miss- The Rebels struggled for much of their Sunday contest at Memphis. Star quarterback Jevan Snead looked shaky the entire day, throwing two interceptions. Even though they didn't play well on Sunday, look for Houston Nutt to once again get his team playing it's best during the second half of the season. Prediction: 10-2.

3. LSU- The Tigers were given all they could handle Saturday night at Washington by a team that went winless in 2008. LSU won 31-23 behind three touchdown passes from new starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson gives this LSU offense a whole new dimension. Once the defense gets rolling under first year coordinator John Chavis, this LSU team will hard to beat. Prediction: 9-3.

4. Arkansas- The Razorbacks destroyed Missouri State on Saturday, while setting a school record for passing yards in a game with 447. Head Coach Bobby Petrino finally has a quarterback who can run his spread attack in Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett. It will be interesting to see how this season pans out for the Hogs in the second year of the Bobby Petrino era. Prediction: 7-5.

5. Auburn- In his first game as the Head Coach at Auburn, Gene Chizik led the Tigers to a 37-13 victory over a good Louisiana Tech team. Auburn relied heavily on a strong ground game, much as they will the rest of the season. Already feeling pressure on the Plains because of his record at Iowa State (5-19), Chizik needs a decent year to instill confidence in the Auburn faithful. Prediction: 6-6.

6. Mississippi State- Excitement filled the air Saturday in Stakville as Dan Mullen made his head coaching debut for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State handily defeated Jackson State 45-7 behind an impressive 238 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs need to develop a better air attack if they wish to really compete in the strong SEC West this year. Prediction: 4-8

SEC Championship Game

Alabama defeats Florida in another epic and exciting championship battle between these two powerhouses.

Week 2 Predictions

Alabama 52, FIU 7

Auburn 17, Mississippi State 14

LSU 28, Vanderbilt 17

Florida 42, Troy 19

Georgia 14, South Carolina 10

Tennessee 24, UCLA 17

2008: The Best Sports Year Ever

Tyler Davis — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:44:48 -0400

The year of 2008 has been the most exciting and compelling year in sports history. From the Patriots getting upset in the Super Bowl to the Devil Rays leading in AL East ahead of New York and Boston in mid-August, let's take a look at the events that have already made 2008 the greatest year in sports.

—In February, Eli Manning led the Giants to one of the biggest upsets in NFL history when they beat the then undefeated New England Patriots.

Manning, who was on the hot seat early in the season, somehow willed his team to win in the closing seconds of the Super Bowl after David Tyree's incredible reception to set up the winning score: a pass to Plaxico Burress the burned the blitzing Patriot defense.

Manning finally lived up to the hype as the Giants won Super Bowl XLII.

—In April, the Kansas Jayhawks beat Memphis to win the NCAA Tournament. Thanks to missed free throws down the stretch, the "new school" Memphis offense was put on hold as the Jayhawks made a huge comeback in the last few minutes capped off by a Mario Chalmers game winning three pointer.

However, the most compelling story of the tournament was Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats reaching the Elite Eight before losing a heart breaker to Kansas.

—In May, the match-up all NBA fans had been wanting happened in the NBA Finals. Lakers vs. Celtics. The two most storied franchises in basketball against each other. Memories of Magic and Bird were put on hold as the focus turned to Kobe Bryant against Boston's Big Three.

Paul Pierce, hobbled leg and all, led Boston as they won the series four games to two and won their first title in twenty-one years.

—June featured two great sports events. The first was Tiger Woods winning the US Open in a playoff with a broken leg in what was not only his most impressive win, but also probably the most compelling victory in the history of golf.

The second was Fresno State, who barely made the NCAA Baseball tournament, being a Cinderella of their own and winning the national championship in Omaha. They were 6-0 in elimination games during the tournament.

—In July, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal squared off in the tennis match of the century. Nadal won the match to overtake Federer, the best of all time, and win his first Wimbeldon title. Nadal was up two sets to none but Federer came back to tie it up 2-2.

Then they two went back and forth between rain and darkness until Nadal finally pulled it out. Most tennis experts agree that this is the greatest match in tennis history.

Also in July, the shark was back when Greg Norman was leading the British Open in the fourth round. Norman, who was just married, wound up coming just short of the win, but a magical run it was.

When in history has there been a year with this many amazing and suspenseful sporting events?

That's why 2008 will already go down as the best sports year ever. And just wait, the World Series (come on Cubs!), most of the Olympics, NFL, and college football are still left in the year. If the events of this year that have already happened are any indication, an amazing Fall is in store for us fans.

The Georgia Bulldogs Are No. 1...but For How Long?

Tyler Davis — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:06:04 -0400

Late last season, the Georgia Bulldogs football team caught fire and won their last seven games, including victories against Florida, Auburn, Georgia Tech, and (uh) Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

During that streak, Dawg running back Knowshon Moreno was running wild and fans were anointing him the next Herschel Walker. Well, Georgia fans, that was last season.

Who did the Dawgs beat last year in that streak that they weren't supposed to beat?

Florida's Tim Tebow was limping around the field. Chan Gailey was Georgia Tech's coach (enough said).

Auburn had lost to Mississippi State and South Florida already. Hawaii's biggest win was a 35-28 squeaker against a 4-9 Washington team.

Georgia has key players they must replace this year as well. Leading receiver Sean Bailey, who could always be counted on for big plays, is gone.

So are center Fernando Velasco, tackle Chester Adams, and defensive stars Brandon Miller, Marcus Howard, Thomas Flowers, and Kelin Johnson.

The Georgia defense will really have to step up this season to replace the key losses they sustained. The secondary is a real question mark and will be tested very early by a strong Arizona State team.

This takes us to Georgia's Schedule...Wow.

Early in the season, the Dawgs face a tough four game stretch: @ South Carolina (who beat Herschel, wait I mean Knowshon Moreno's Dawgs in Athens last season I remind you), @ Arizona State, Alabama, and Tennessee (who drubbed the Dawgs 34-14).

After that, they play @ LSU, vs. Florida, @ Auburn, @ Kentucky, and Georgia Tech with Vanderbilt mixed in the middle. That's an extremely hard schedule for a National Championship contender.

If the Dawgs can, which I highly doubt, go through that schedule losing only one game (and winning the SEC Championship game) they deserve to be No. 1.

However, with the question marks they have, the difficult schedule, and off-season discipline problems (six players, including a couple starters, have been suspended for the first two games of the year), should they really be ranked No. 1?

They are for now, but probably not for very long.

How Early Will Alabama's Freshmen Play?

Tyler Davis — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:27:54 -0400

With the college football season upon us, let's take a look at Nick Saban's first full recruiting class and which of them will be counted on to make an immediate impact.

The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide class, which was named No. 1 in the country by Rivals, Scout, and ESPN, included 32 players, of which 22 were at least four stars on Rivals.

However, now that most of them have reported to camp, stars mean nothing. Still with a lingering lack of depth due to probation, bad hires, and injuries, many of these incoming freshmen will be counted on to play early.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Tide returns nine starters including QB John Parker Wilson, center Andre Caldwell, and left tackle Andre Smith.

However, key losses include star receivers DJ Hall and Keith Brown. True freshman Julio Jones, Burton Scott, and Chris Jackson will push for playing time.

Jones, the highly touted receiver from Foley, Ala., had two catches for 59 yards and a touchdown in Alabama's first scrimmage on Saturday.

Scott, a five-star recruit from Mobile, is a slot-type receiver with speed to burn. Also, watch for Scott, a QB in high school, to line up at the quarterback position in the Tide's new "Uno Package."

Jackson, from the Atlanta area, is projected to be the starting slot receiver after impressing Coach Saban with his ability and consistency.

On the line, 6-foot-7 tackle Tyler Love will get some snaps primarily at RT, but will also be the backup at LT. Running back Mark Ingram will push starter Terry Grant for time. Look for four to seven freshmen to see action early on offense for the Tide.

On defense, Alabama only returns five starters from last year's 7-6 team. Sophomore Rolando McClain might be the best LB in the SEC, while All-SEC safety Rashad Johnson anchors the secondary.

On the defensive line, JUCO transfer noseguard Terrance Cody has been very impressive early in camp. A whopping 6-foot-5 and 395 pounds, Cody is a plug in the middle and is quicker than most think.

At defensive end, Birmingham native Marcel Dareus could start the first game. Many think he could turn out to be the best player in this amazing class.

At linebacker, freshman Don'ta Hightower and Jerrell Harris will play a significant number of snaps in the opener against Clemson. Hightower had five tackles and one TFL in the Saturday scrimmage, while Harris has received praise from teammates.

In the secondary, cornerback Alonzo Lawrence is the apparent starter in the nickel package. Lawrence, from Lucedale, Miss., gained national recognition after shutting down Julio Jones in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

Mark Barron, from Mobile, is making a strong push to be the starting Strong Safety, a position currently held by Justin Woodall. Look for five to eight freshmen/newcomers to help out what should be a strong defense for Alabama.

Nick Saban is known for being a strong recruiter. He gets the players he wants and gets them to do things his way. This Alabama class should be no different.

They are drawing comparisons to LSU's 2004 class which won the National Championship last season. Saban finally has his players in Tuscaloosa, and the Tide is on the rise.

Watch for a youth movement this season in year two as "The Process" continues.