SEC Football: Bold Predictions for 2016 Season
After a long, twisting and often tumultuous offseason, we can finally say it.
Game week is here.
Because of that, it's time to go on the record with some bold predictions that are sure to happen during the 2016 SEC football season.
What are those predictions? Here are our picks based on team trajectory, team outlook and personal progression.
Jacob Eason Will Be Georgia's Primary QB
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Georgia's quarterback battle is still technically unresolved heading into game week.
True freshman Jacob Eason will resolve it in a hurry.
The former 5-star prospect from Lake Stevens, Washington, is in a three-man battle to win the starting job in Athens along with senior returning starter Greyson Lambert and junior Brice Ramsey.
With a big arm and the potential to become a superstar in a system designed to play to its quarterback's strengths, Eason will emerge as the primary quarterback for the Bulldogs sooner rather than later.
First-year head coach Kirby Smart is no dummy. He knows that with a team that has questions at wide receiver and up front on the defensive side, this group of Bulldogs needs to come together early in the 2016 season to set themselves up for success later in the season and in 2017.
Eason will play a significant role in the opener and be Georgia's primary quarterback throughout the 2016 season, barring injury.
Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs Will Be a Heisman Trophy Finalist
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Tennessee has been the recipient of a ton of offseason hype, complete with SEC East title expectations, College Football Playoff hopes and a loaded roster that includes senior dual-threat quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Not only will the Vols match that hype and reach the SEC Championship Game, but Dobbs will travel to New York the following week as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
You already know what kind of runner he is. As a junior in 2015, Dobbs rushed for 671 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, averaging 4.6 yards per carry in the process.
The question is through the air, where Dobbs threw just 15 touchdowns, posted a 105.66 passer rating against ranked competition and completed 56.4 percent of his passes against FBS teams with winning records a year ago, according to CFBStats.com.
Dobbs will improve upon that this year with the help of an improved receiving corps that includes Preston Williams, a healthy Josh Malone and the ultra-reliable Josh Smith.
He'll throw for around 3,000 yards, run for close to 1,000, lead his team into the playoff discussion and head to the Big Apple in early December.
This Will Be Les Miles' Last Year at LSU
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Les Miles was retained as LSU's head coach after a tumultuous November last season, despite three straight losses and an ugly win over Texas A&M on a night in which nobody knew what the future of the "Mad Hatter" held.
This season will be his last in Baton Rouge.
LSU is ranked fifth in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, despite questions lingering about the passing attack, the ability of Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to stretch the field deep when they have to and the fit of junior quarterback Brandon Harris.
The lofty preseason expectations will work against Miles, they'll sputter to an 8-4 record, finish 4-4 in the SEC with losses at Auburn, at Florida, vs. Alabama and in the season finale at Texas A&M, and Miles will be let go as the head coach of the Tigers.
Miles' offense struggles to consistently win games outside its comfort zone. And while the defense is great and running back Leonard Fournette is outstanding, there will be times when one or both let him down. In those instances, LSU will be toast.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Texas A&M vs. Alabama Will Be an Elimination Game in the SEC West
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Alabama has won three straight games over Texas A&M since that fateful day in 2012 when former Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel shocked the Tide and vaulted himself into legendary territory.
If head coach Nick Saban's crew is going to make it four in a row, it's going to have to win a big game at home coming off a loss.
The Tide will host the Aggies on Oct. 22, fresh off a road loss to Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Aggies will have two weeks to lick their wounds after a loss to those same Vols in College Station.
The battle of one-loss teams will serve as an SEC elimination game, with the winner entering November with a chance to win the division and the loser fighting an uphill battle and in need of help for the final month of the season.
Give me Alabama, but it'll be close.
Florida QB Luke Del Rio Will Be a Star
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It seems like Luke Del Rio has been around college football forever.
The former walk-on at Alabama and backup at Oregon State has now returned to the SEC and earned the starting nod at quarterback as a redshirt sophomore for head coach Jim McElwain's Florida Gators.
He'll be a star.
The son of Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been around this offense for two seasons, knows where to go with the football and won't take risks knowing that he has one of the best defenses in the country backing him up.
As a result, he'll become a star.
No, not a Heisman-level star or anything like that. But he'll have enough success to prove that he not only deserves to be considered among the better quarterbacks in the SEC, but that McElwain's system is a perfect fit for pro-style quarterbacks who want to learn at the college level and prepare for the next level.
Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson Will Rush for 1,000 or More Yards
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Auburn threw a curveball early in fall camp when it dismissed likely No. 1 running back Jovon Robinson.
Sophomore Kerryon Johnson will be the beneficiary.
The 6'0", 211-pound former "Mr. Football" in the state of Alabama will be counted on to be more of a factor as a result of Robinson's dismissal. Johnson is confident that he can handle the pressure now that he's comfortable with the college game.
"It's definitely changed," he said, according to Charles Goldberg of Auburn's official site:
"A lot bigger playbook to learn, that's for sure. I think just from last year to this year I have a lot more confidence in myself. The game is moving slower in terms of reading and pass-blocking. I just feel like I'm a much smarter player and a much more patient player. I have a feel for what's going on no matter what now.
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Head coach Gus Malzahn has produced 13 1,000-yard rushers in 10 seasons as a college head or assistant coach, including last year when Peyton Barber went from third-string to starter in a woefully one-dimensional offense and still topped the century mark.
Johnson will keep that tradition alive behind a talented offensive line.
Vanderbilt Will—and Should—Make a Bowl
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You shouldn't be surprised if Vanderbilt makes a bowl game.
In fact, that should be the expectation.
The Commodores have gone from four-point underdogs to 3.5-point favorites over South Carolina in the season opener in Nashville on Thursday night, and they should be favored to win games vs. Middle Tennessee, at Kentucky, vs. Tennessee State and at Missouri.
Toss in games vs. Georgia Tech and Western Kentucky, and the facts that they have a stout defense led by linebacker Zach Cunningham and a running game behind Ralph Webb, and the ceiling for this team isn't just bowl eligibility—it's a middle-tier bowl.
The 'Dores will boat-race South Carolina in the opener, get to six wins with relative ease and have a chance to do more if the passing game progresses just a little bit under full-time starter Kyle Shurmur.
Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly Will Actually Improve
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Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly posted the third-best offensive season in SEC history a year ago when he posted 4,542 yards of total offense—finishing behind former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel's 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Despite the loss of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and tackle Laremy Tunsil and the absence of ineligible running back Jordan Wilkins, Kelly will not only eclipse his total offense production from a year ago, but also cut down on those 13 interceptions he tossed.
As SBNation's Bud Elliott noted on Twitter, consistency is the one thing preventing Kelly from being mentioned with the nation's elite:
"Chad Kelly's best is just as good or better than Deshaun. Watson is better because he's more consistently great. https://t.co/IQGPKLDQgF
— Bud Elliott (@TomahawkNation) August 26, 2016"
With a great head coach in Hugh Freeze who has plenty of experience filling offensive holes on the fly and a talented roster that is loaded with weapons at the skill positions, Kelly is set up to make a run for the Heisman Trophy.
Alabama Will Beat Tennessee When It Matters Most
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Alabama has won nine straight games over the Tennessee Volunteers in the rivalry known as the "Third Saturday in October."
It won't win a 10th.
The Vols will stun the Crimson Tide on Rocky Top en route to the SEC East title.
Head coach Nick Saban and Co. will get revenge, though. The Crimson Tide will win out after that loss, earn their third straight SEC West title and meet the Vols again in the 25th edition of the SEC Championship Game with everything on the line.
In what will be a de facto national quarterfinal that sends the winner on to the College Football Playoff and the loser home brokenhearted for the holiday season, the Crimson Tide will exact revenge on the Vols in a tight game, move on to the Playoff and re-establish the rivalry as one of the SEC's best.
Get your popcorn ready.
Quotes obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
