Paul Myerberg’s SEC preview piece asks one question about every program in the conference. It turns out those questions are a pretty good indication of what’s in store.
- Alabama: Can Bryce Young pick up where Mac Jones left off?
- Arkansas: Can the Razorbacks average 30 points per game?
- Auburn: Will coach Bryan Harsin get the most out of Nix?
- Florida: Will the offense look dramatically different?
- Georgia: Is this the best team in the SEC?
- Kentucky: Who wins the quarterback competition?
- LSU: Can the defense find its footing?
- Mississippi State: Can the defense repeat 2020?
- Missouri: Will it be by-committee in the backfield?
- Ole Miss: Will the defense make any noticeable gains?
- South Carolina: What would make new coach Shane Beamer a success?
- Tennessee: How bad is it going to get?
- Texas A&M: Are the Aggies headed to the playoff?
- Vanderbilt: Can Vanderbilt win two in the SEC?
It seems like the SEC breaks down into four categories: (1) teams with quarterback questions (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, TAMU); (2) teams with defensive questions (LSU, MSU, Ole Miss); (3) teams that are in rebuild mode (South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt); and (4) the rest (Georgia).
With regard to category 1, ‘Bama is likely to be just fine and Florida and TAMU will both probably be fine. The rest? Who knows. LSU is a good bet to bounce back on defense, but the future for the defenses at both Mississippi schools is murky. The rebuild schools aren’t going to be a factor in the divisional races, although you’d think just on an any given Saturday basis, one of ’em will probably pull off an upset that will be proclaimed as proof the new coach has turned things around.
It’ll be up to Georgia’s secondary to provide a positive answer to Paul’s question.