Making Sense of the SEC East

by Chris Paschal

This is just a Chris Paschal’s thoughts to paper post, which may be dangerous. Buckle up.

Last Saturday, LSU and Auburn battled it out like two Titans of College Football. The SEC West is pretty straight forward. LSU and Bama are competing for a spot in the SEC Title Game and the College Football Playoff, Auburn is a really good team looking to spoil someone’s ride, A&M is rebuilding and in the middle of a sophomore slump with Jimbo Fisher at the helm, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are decent – nothing more, nothing less, and Arkansas is trash. I mean, that’s it. You can’t really dispute any of that.

The SEC East on the other hand is confusing as hell. Let’s try and make sense of things.

Quick Recap

There are seven teams. All of them have at least one loss. The two alphas, Georgia and Florida, lost to and almost lost to South Carolina, respectively. South Carolina stomped Kentucky. Kentucky destroyed Missouri. South Carolina was boat-raced by Missouri. Tennessee lost to Georgia State. They annihilated South Carolina for entire half of football and beat the Gamecocks by 20. Vanderbilt lost to UNLV. They upset Missouri in the most stunning fashion. What does this all mean…

Nobody is as Bad as We Thought…

Going into the season, I thought Florida’s offensive line would handicap them to eight wins, which I guess is still on the table but highly unlikely. Florida has come alive with Trask at quarterback. The Gators have always had phenomenal skill position players, and this year is no different. The difference is that they have been able to highlight their skills with well-thrown balls, well-executed routes, and a running back that is liable to pop a long touchdown run at any time. This defense gets after the quarterback and forces turnovers – a tradition as old as time in Gainesville.

Georgia is still the eighth ranked team in the country. They have an offensive line that while not nearly as dominant as expected, still averaged 237 yards per game. Jake Fromm is still Jake Fromm, and these wide receivers will eventually come around. Georgia’s Defense is salty at key positions and is as talented as they ever have been. If you think they’re going to let Florida pound on their butts for four quarters in Jacksonville, you’re crazy.

South Carolina is not a bad football team. They are a wildly inconstant football team. You can point at a lot of people as the blame for this alarming trend – Will Muschamp, the Coordinators, the play-calling, injuries on the offensive line, injuries at quarterback, starting a true freshman at quarterback, having four underclassman start in the five defensive back spots. But at the end of the day, it comes down to preparation and focus. It’s not talent. South Carolina’s defensive line is one of the most talented groups in the country. These defensive backs, believe it or not, are some of the most talented defensive backs in the SEC. Hilinski has had moments of greatness. SEC pundit, Chuck Oliver, said you can just see the difference between Hilinski and Auburn starting quarterback, Bo Nix who is also a true freshman. Bryan Edwards is an absolute stud. This rushing attack (when fully healthy) is one of the best in the SEC.

Let’s forget the beginning five games of the Tennessee football season, because the last three have been dynamite. The Vols handled Mississippi State, gave the scare of the century against Alabama, and whipped South Carolina like a rented mule in the second half to win by 20. Tony Basilio and Matt Dixon talked on their show today about how Jeremy Pruitt looks alive, confident, and like a new man. Getting Tennessee to six wins is now a real possibility, and if the Vols go bowling after how this season started, 2020 looks a lot brighter. In fact, 2020 may be a coming out party.

Kentucky’s team is full of fighters, just like Mark Stoops. The Wildcats looked dead in the water, but fought like mad men against Georgia in the pouring rain and then beat Missouri at home. This team has a legit shot at going bowling, and could finish in style – winning five in a row. Could you imagine if Kentucky won eight regular season games with a shot at a ninth after losing Benny Snell and Josh Allen to the pros and Terry Wilson to injury?

Vanderbilt is pesky as hell, per usual. In the words of Forrest Gump, “that’s all I got to say about that.”

Missouri may stink. I’m not sure.

2020 Is Going to be Interesting

If Florida beats Georgia this weekend in Jacksonville, the East is wide open in 2020. The Vols are obviously climbing their way back towards the top of the East, Mark Stoops could take a JV team and win some games and he’s now starting to recruit at a high(er) level, Georgia will still be one of the most talented teams in the country, and Florida has quickly shown it is well ahead of schedule with Dan Mullen in charge. Here are some questions I have that will dictate the future of the East.

• Is Will Muschamp willing to change? Is he willing to acknowledge that statistically the Gamecocks have regressed both offensively and defensively? The Gamecocks will be as talented as they have been since 2013 in 2020. Will that translate to wins?
• Is Tennessee building to return to dominance or is this a Butch Jones thing? And oddly, I think we all know what I mean by that.
• Is Georgia going to learn from Ed Orgeron at LSU and realize they can’t just lean on people and expect to win? Georgia has the most old school offense in the conference. LSU is passing the football now. Even Nick Saban has adopted. Georgia is good enough to win 10+ games on talent alone, but what about the big games against the fellow heavy weights.
• Is Dan Mullen willing to recruit at a high level? And don’t get me wrong, it’s 100% a choice he has to make. He’s a genius, but being a genius doesn’t translate to living rooms. I doubt this Florida team can win a SEC or National Title. It’s really good, but needs more. He could easily pull in a top-5 class with where he is and who he is surrounded by, but Mullen has to consciously decide to do that. He may not. He may decide to ride with the guys that come to him wanting a scholarship. But if he decides he is willing to go scorched earth Kirby Smart/Nick Saban style, this team could become late-2000s lethal.

Conclusion

Which brings me to my final point. A lot of the questions about the SEC East this season will not be answered until 2020 and beyond. This division is in turmoil. It’s been in turmoil since Urban Meyer left Florida. It looked like Kirby was prime to restore order in the East, but that window has passed. The East is as open as it has ever been. Who will take it over?