SEC Football: Biggest Obstacle Each Team Faces in Competing for League Title
SEC football is now mired in a two-year national-championship drought.
All the league participants had to watch (or, in Auburn's case in 2014, lose) while Florida State and Ohio State hoisted the biggest prize after the conference's seven-year run atop college football.
The SEC has its flaws again this year on the surface, but the reality is all the participants are trying to get to where the Alabama Crimson Tide stood last year after a domination of Missouri for the SEC title.
It will likely take that to get into the four-team playoff.
Every single league member has something it has to correct if it's going to compete for the SEC title this year. It could be something small, or it may even be something so widespread that it's difficult to imagine it being fixed in a year.
But with spring practice just getting going around the Southeast, now is a good time to take a look at each team and dissect what's standing in its way of celebrating while the confetti falls in Atlanta.
Let's take a look at what every SEC team needs to do in order to compete for the league title.
Alabama: Better Secondary Play
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Nick Saban is known as a defensive backs guru.
So, when the Crimson Tide finished 11th in the SEC in passing defense last year, allowing an average of 226 yards per game through the air, you knew something had to give.
It did as Saban went out and hired former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker to take over Alabama's secondary duties. With the move, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart was shifted back to coaching middle linebackers from his spot overseeing safeties.
Saban told AL.com's Michael Casagrande that Smart "has been most effective for our defensive coordinator" coaching linebackers.
As always, there's no shortage of talent in Tuscaloosa, with former elite recruits such as Tony Brown, Marlon Humphrey, Geno Smith, Hootie Jones and Maurice Smith. Another star-studded 2015 class will bring in Kendall Sheffield, Deionte Thompson, Ronnie Harrison and others.
But there are huge shoes to fill with the departure of All-SEC safety Landon Collins as well as Nick Perry and Jarrick Williams.
When you recruit the way Saban does, 2014's secondary performance is unacceptable. The Tide have to address their issues in the defensive backfield.
Arkansas: Breaking Through on the Road
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Several things need to take place in order for Arkansas to improve upon last year's 7-6 record.
The Razorbacks must replace a ton of defensive production and leadership from departed stars such as Trey Flowers, Darius Philon, Martrell Spaight and Alan Turner. They need quarterback Brandon Allen to make a natural progression from game manager to game-winner.
They have to do a better job in close games, too.
But the biggest obstacle that is facing the Hogs (and it's one that may be a mental hurdle by now) is breaking through to win a conference game on the road.
The last time Arkansas did that was Oct. 6, 2012, at Auburn when John L. Smith was roaming the sideline—a 24-7 triumph over the Tigers that did little to brighten a 4-8 campaign.
Since then, the Razorbacks are 0-10 in league games away from Fayetteville and Little Rock. This season, they'll play Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium, Tennessee at Neyland, Alabama at Bryant-Denny, Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway and LSU at Tiger Stadium.
That's a daunting road slate for a team that is expected to take a major step forward in 2015. The Razorbacks will have to find a way to win a couple of those if they're going to improve.
Auburn: Reap Rewards from Winning Will Muschamp Sweepstakes
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Auburn had several obvious and egregious issues on defense a season ago under former coordinator Ellis Johnson. So, when Florida fired head coach Will Muschamp after four subpar seasons, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn went out and got his man to replace Johnson.
Muschamp agreed to a deal to become the Tigers' defensive coordinator, signing a contract for more than $1.6 million annually. The deal made him the highest-paid coordinator in college football.
Now, he enters his second stint as the head defensive man on the Plains, trying to rectify a unit that allowed 31 points or more in six consecutive league games to end the season.
Anything less than an immense improvement won't be acceptable with that kind of cash being thrown around.
Muschamp already paid major dividends on the recruiting trail, as the Tigers signed stud defensive ends Byron Cowart and Prince Tega Wanogho Jr., as well as outside linebacker Jeffery Holland and safety Jordan Colbert.
The return of Carl Lawson from a knee injury that kept him out of the 2014 season will be massive, too.
Auburn has some pieces to put together a much better defense in '15, and with Muschamp at the helm, it should.
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Florida: Offensive Overhaul
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The Florida Gators fell on hard times under Muschamp, but most of the issues were on one side of the ball: the offense.
That's the chief reason why athletic director Jeremy Foley snagged Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain—a former Alabama offensive coordinator—to fill Muschamp's shoes.
What he inherits, however, is an offensive mess.
At quarterback, the Gators return dual-threat quarterback Treon Harris, who sparked a stagnant offense at times last year but struggled to muster any consistency through the air. Will Grier is more of a dropback passer who will compete for the open spot this spring.
While the Gators have some potential gems at running back in Kelvin Taylor and the underrated Adam Lane, who broke through with a big bowl performance, are they good enough to carry the unit?
The biggest question mark is easily the offensive line. Without question, it's the kind of deep-rooted issue that could take years to fix.
UF returns just eight scholarship offensive linemen. While the Gators will welcome six more this summer, led by stud prospect Martez Ivey (the nation's No. 1 tackle prospect), there will be some mixing and matching this spring to find where the guys on campus fit best.
McElwain was a good hire, but can he work magic on that offense in a hurry? We'll see this year.
Georgia: Find a Solid Game Manager at Quarterback
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It has been a long time since Georgia had a quarterback battle heading into spring practice.
The stretch dates back to 2010 when Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger and Logan Gray dueled to be the starter. Murray's career wound up etched in conference history, and before the Joe Cox-led 2009 season, Matthew Stafford manned the position.
Last year, Hutson Mason rode into the sunset as the no-doubt starter during his final season between the hedges and did a commendable job of managing a run-heavy offense.
But this year, all bets are off. Will the job belong to redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey, the favorite? Can Faton Bauta or Jacob Park wrestle it away?
It's a battle that head coach Mark Richt told Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter David Paschall may not be decided until the fall:
"With the amount of transition and learning going on, I'm not certain that we'll be able to make that determination. I'm not going to sit here and say that we need to name a No. 1 by the end of spring. I'm not thinking that's going to be the case or that's a big goal of ours. The big thing is to give these guys opportunities and see how they handle it and evaluate, and then we'll try to make that determination when we get there.
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With a superstar like Nick Chubb leading a pack of talented running backs and a seasoned defense heading into its second year under coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, the Bulldogs could have a big season.
But they have to find somebody who can manage the offense when it comes time to throw.
Kentucky: Build the Depth to Sustain the Season
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There was a point during the 2014 season when Mark Stoops' Kentucky Wildcats were one of the biggest stories in college football.
They were 5-1 with a win over South Carolina, and their only loss was a narrow 36-30 overtime setback in the Swamp.
Then, things hit the skids.
A young team began to show fissures all over the field in a 41-3 thumping at the hands of LSU. With UK's schedule back-loaded as always, it didn't get any better from there.
After outscoring opponents 37-19 during that start, the Wildcats were blasted to the tune of 44-22 in six consecutive losses (to LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and Louisville) to end the season. The Wildcats simply ran out of gas.
They failed to make a bowl game for the fourth year in a row.
This season, the Cats return every player who had a rushing yard from a season ago. Patrick Towles is back for his senior year at quarterback, but former star recruit Drew Barker will battle it out with him for the job.
While defensively UK must replace its two best players in Za'Darius Smith and Bud Dupree, Stoops has recruited well enough for there to be some serviceable players. With another class under his belt, there should at least be more depth.
Do the Wildcats have enough quality depth to go to a bowl game? That's the goal for Kentucky.
LSU: Find Who the Quarterback Is and Ride Him
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It's a different season, but the same old question for the LSU Tigers and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron this year.
Who's going to step up at quarterback?
As was the case a season ago when the Tigers sputtered to an 8-5 record that was far below expectations on the Bayou, the candidates are Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris. Neither impressed last year.
At least to their credit, both guys aren't sugarcoating anything.
"[The criticism is] definitely reasonable," Jennings told ESPN.com's David Ching.
"I would call us one of the weak points of this past year," Harris said.
Jennings, the incumbent, completed just 48.9 percent of his passes for 1,611 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running for 292 more yards.
Harris completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 452 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions and rushed for 159 more.
That isn't good enough.
Much like as is the case with Georgia, there isn't any concern over the running game, led by star sophomore Leonard Fournette. It's going to be all about throwing the ball enough to keep defenses honest. It has to happen, or LSU will fall to the middle of the pack again in a rugged SEC West.
Mississippi State: Fix Holes in the Front Seven
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A season ago, an opportunistic (though not particularly good) defense kept Mississippi State in the thick of the race for a top-10 ranking virtually all season.
Even though the Bulldogs wound up 12th in the league in total defense, they boasted a tough, tested front seven that Alabama coach Nick Saban called the "most physical" the Tide would face prior to UA's win.
Now, MSU must replace several key contributors throughout the defensive line and linebacking corps.
Gone are three starters along the front in Preston Smith, Kaleb Eulls and P.J. Jones. The Bulldogs have a lot of young talent they're excited about such as Ryan Brown, A.J. Jefferson, Braxton Hoyett, Cory Thomas and Grant Harris, but those players have to get better now in order to help rising star Chris Jones.
At linebacker, MSU must replace NFL pick Benardrick McKinney as well as fellow starter Matt Wells. While Beniquez Brown is a fast-riser, Richie Brown and Zach Jackson are unproven, as is Gerri Green, who will likely be McKinney's replacement.
The early departure of running back Josh Robinson is a massive void to fill on offense, but quarterback Dak Prescott can ease into that transition. Defensively? The answers to the questions are even vaguer.
The Bulldogs have stockpiled some talent, but there is no time for them to learn on the job. They have to get ready in a hurry.
Missouri: Keeping the Heat off the Edges
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You could refer to Missouri as "Defensive Line U," at least lately.
In the past two seasons, the Tigers have produced NFL players Kony Ealy and Michael Sam as well as surefire NFL draft picks Shane Ray and Markus Golden from last year's team.
Before those guys, first-round picks such as Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson and Ziggy Hood emerged from the defensive lines of Mizzou to become NFL staples.
Even though finding serviceable receivers for Maty Mauk to throw to is a huge key on offense, as well as making sure Mauk gains some consistency, Mizzou found a way to be successful last season without a bunch of stars on offense, so the ends appear to be a bigger key.
Former coordinator Dave Steckel is gone to be the head coach at Missouri State, and Mizzou plucked rising star Barry Odom from Memphis to take over. The question is, Can the Tigers remain at the top of the heap in producing defensive line stars?
The interior of the line looks stout with Harold Brantley, Josh Augusta and stud freshman Terry Beckner Jr., but who is going to fill the role of Ray and Golden and their 24.5 sacks? If they're going to repeat last year's 11-3 season, somebody has to.
Most think Marcus Loud and Charles Harris are the likely candidates, but can they replicate the stardom of so many before them for line coach Craig Kuligowski?
Ole Miss: Find a Dependable Running Back
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The Ole Miss Rebels struggled in producing much of a rushing attack in their breakthrough season a year ago, finishing 10th in the conference.
Then, things got dicier after the season when Tennessee products I'Tavius Mathers and Mark Dodson decided to leave Hugh Freeze's program for greener pastures and perhaps more playing time.
What's left is a slim backfield.
Memphis products Jaylen Walton and Jordan Wilkins (the team's two leading rushers) do return, and each of them brings different elements to the table. Walton is a speed-based back, while Wilkins carries the power.
Redshirt junior Akeem Judd is another guy who has the talent to help at the position.
But perhaps the most intriguing player who'll enter the race this summer is former star recruit Eric Swinney, who may wind up being the most important commitment in the Rebels' recruiting class.
Freeze told Hugh Kellenberger of The Clarion-Ledger in regard to Swinney:
"Swinney has balance, talent, vision, toughness, pad level. He probably does not have the top‐end speed that a few in the nation have, but other than that, I would put him up against anybody. He has a low center of gravity. It was very clear for our staff very early on. We knew our depth chart at running back, and we really did not need to take more than one. I put my hand on the table and I said, 'I want everyone to understand we are going all in after Eric Swinney. He will be our guy. We won't waver.'
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With the two unexpected departures, he'll get the chance to prove Freeze knows what he's talking about right away.
South Carolina: Can Jon Hoke Fix What's Broken?
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Jon Hoke had three successful seasons as Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2001, replacing Bob Stoops at the position.
When Spurrier bolted for the NFL, Hoke did, too. Then, when Spurrier returned to college at South Carolina, he asked Hoke to join him as the DC, but Hoke declined.
Now, after one of the worst defensive seasons in the past decade for the Gamecocks, the duo is reunited.
Spurrier turned to his old buddy to fix a defense that ranked 13th in the league in total defense, allowing 432.7 yards per game, and 12th in scoring defense, giving up 30.4 points per game. He will be co-defensive coordinator (passing game) for Carolina, while Lorenzo Ward will head the rush defense.
While the two coaches will share the title, the Greenville News' Willie T. Smith III noted "it appears Hoke will shoulder a majority of the responsibility for orchestrating the defense."
Hoke will employ zone-blitzing schemes, and Carolina will lean on its front seven and talented linebackers Skai Moore and Bryson Allen-Williams.
The secondary is a big question mark, but that's why Hoke is in Columbia. It can't get much worse for the Gamecocks, but how much better can it get quickly?
Of all the questions such as who'll play quarterback, who'll replace the departed star offensive linemen and who'll help Brandon Wilds at running back, the defense is where the biggest concerns lie.
Tennessee: Fix That Offensive Line
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Maybe the biggest question facing Tennessee is how it will respond to all these newly added expectations since it is considered to be an SEC East sleeper.
But the Vols won't be able to answer that positively without better offensive line play. If they don't improve significantly, all that young skill-position talent won't matter.
The numbers from a season ago were ugly. UT allowed 43 sacks, which ranked 122nd nationally out of 128 teams. The Vols also sputtered to the 92nd-ranked rush offense, accounting for a little more than 146 yards per game on the ground.
They can't tolerate such a performance this year if they expect to beat anybody of consequence in the SEC.
Gone is redshirt senior (and former walk-on) offensive tackle Jacob Gilliam, who played well on a torn anterior cruciate ligament last year. Other than that, everybody else returns.
Senior Kyler Kerbyson likely will anchor one tackle spot. Redshirt junior Dontavius Blair and incoming stud freshman Drew Richmond, among others, will battle for the other spot.
On the interior, UT should be set and much improved from a season ago after a year of playing together and an offseason in the weight room. Senior center Mack Crowder needs to rebound from a shaky start he suffered last year, and fellow senior guard Marcus Jackson could be a bright spot.
The best player on the line in 2014 was true freshman Jashon Robertson, who may have an NFL future.
There's some talent, but as a unit, the group didn't play well at all a season ago until Joshua Dobbs took over for Justin Worley. Things improved significantly with a mobile quarterback at the helm.
Still, UT's offensive success hinges on keeping Dobbs healthy. It's the offensive line's job to make that happen.
Texas A&M: A New "Chief" in Town
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As bad as South Carolina's defense was last year, Texas A&M's was worse.
The Aggies were terrible across the board, allowing 450.8 yards per game and ranking dead-last in the league. They were last in rush defense and 13th in pass defense.
It couldn't have gone much worse for Kevin Sumlin's team. So, A&M emptied the piggy bank for division rival LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. The fallout from his signing has included Chavis filing a lawsuit against both LSU and A&M over his contract situation.
None of that should affect what goes on between the lines, however. And Sumlin certainly hopes his new sidekick can cure a defense that has hemorrhaged yards and points since he arrived.
For years, The Chief has carved his name into some of the best defenses in the league at Tennessee and LSU. His struggles have come when he employs his infamous "Mustang" package late in fourth quarters, but A&M has deeper issues.
Much like was the case at LSU, Chavis will have plenty of talent with which to work.
Rising sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett is an SEC star. Recruiting wins for star defensive players such as jumbo tackle Daylon Mack will help with a porous run defense.
Sumlin has stockpiled plenty of young talent on the defensive side of the ball. Now, it's Chavis' job to develop it.
A&M has been strong enough on offense to win SEC titles, especially when Johnny Manziel was calling the shots. But the defense kept the team from it.
Chavis is charged with fixing that.
Vanderbilt: Find Playmakers on Both Sides of the Ball
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When Vanderbilt was forced to replace head coach James Franklin, who bolted for Penn State after becoming a darling in Nashville, the Commodores picked Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason.
Rather than keep the momentum Franklin had created, however, Mason's first-year program spiraled, finishing 3-9 and going winless in the conference in a forgettable debut.
Now, Mason has to find playmakers who can turn things around in a hurry or risk questions about his job security turning into actual concern.
Athlon Sports' Braden Gall rated Vandy with the SEC's worst returning roster, and after last season, it's hard to blame him. There just isn't a ton on paper that excites anyone.
VU needs to settle on a quarterback early and ride him throughout the season. Johnny McCrary showed sparks of being a flashy player, but Patton Robinette was steady at times, too.
The freshman running duo of Ralph Webb and Dallas Rivers was solid out of the backfield as well, but there just wasn't enough consistency and no real home run threat.
Defensively, the Commodores finished last in the conference in scoring, allowing 33.3 points per game. A unit that was salty under former coordinator Bob Shoop really struggled to adapt to Mason's 3-4 last year.
There are simply a lot of holes. VU desperately needs to find a star who can carry it on both sides of the ball, or it will be another long season in Nashville.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports composite rankings unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
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