I'm not saying those teams will be favored I'm saying OU will feel the grind of an SEC schedule and get upset. I just don't see them waltzing in and having a ton of success off the bat.

There is definitely plenty of opportunity, which could work well for team morale and encourage guys to come back.

If they play A&M, Ark. and LSU every year, they'll lose at least one of those.

You haven't experienced the grind of an SEC schedule yet. You may finish in the top half of the pack, but I doubt you'll be a serious contender for the championship until your fourth or fifth year in the conference, and then only if things go well for you.

How many of those players who came via the portal have eligibility after this year, and how many will be looking to spend more than a year at Tennessee? If a bunch of them are one and done, it could be hard for the Vols to establish things.

This whole idea of tiers is b.s. Either you win your division and compete for the SEC title and a playoff spot or you don't. We've had success recently, but Fla. won the east last year. We'll see how this year goes, and I will leave the West discussion for those teams' fans. The more meaningful discussion would be about which teams are competing for the prize on a regular basis, and what it will take for the others to get there. Give Switzer a tiara with "top tier" spelled out on it and let the rest be decided on the field.

Wide receiver and O line play will define our season. We have enough talent to win against most of our schedule, but against Elite competition we will need wide receivers making plays and the line giving the quarterback time to make throws. Without those things, Elite defenses will be able to shut down our offense enough to give their offenses a solid chance.

Wide receiver and O line play will

I don’t know about that. The Aggies seem to be a favorite, if the images of the players mean anything. Also, the team logos across the bottom aren’t in alphabetical order, so Bama being first from left to right could mean something as well. But that finger pointing at “Aggies” in the top center of the graphic is what jumps out most to me. No crystal balls yet on 247, though, so perhaps it’s still all up in the air.

We need to help the Longhorns learn the ropes and develop some humility in their new conference. Referring to them as “UT Jr” (sense Tennessee was here first) is a good start.

Even if you get the QB candidates you need, you still need the O line that can protect vs. SEC defenses and receivers who can beat SEC DBs. With so much talent already being gathered up by existing powers, it isn’t a given thatr Texas and Oklahoma will be able to break through. Of course, NIL might upend things entirely, but existing powers will be able to be strong in that game also. My bet is neither Texas nor Oklahoma makes the SECCG in their first 5 years in the conference, and neither wins the SEC in their first decade (and maybe longer).

Sark is Ian had success as an OC. We’ll see if he does as a HC.

So how is conference champ determined?

The North is a bit weak, but here’s an initial stab at 4 divisions. SEC North Kentucky Mizzou Tennessee Vandy SEC South Alabama LSU MSU Ole Miss SEC East Auburn Georgia Florida South Carolina SEC West Arkansas Oklahoma Texas Texas A&M

For a 16-team SEC, go to 4 divisions and have a 2-game playoff for the conference championship. Teams not playing in the playoff could get consolation conference games to give all teams equal schedules. Regular season would be 3 division games and 3 inter-division games (with 1 maybe being a permanent crossover). Then everyone gets 2 playoff/consolation games for a total of 8 conference games a season.

Actually, it would be 3 division games, so there could be 3 interdivision as well.

So what does the game schedule become? With 8 division games, there is no room for permanent crossover games and a rotating game unless there is a 10 conference game schedule each year. That seems unlikely. The other option would be eight conference games and just a permanent crossover. That isn’t good either. I wonder if they’d make 4 divisions and have a 2-game playoff for the conference championship? Teams not playing in the playoff could get consolation conference games to give all teams equal schedules. With 16 teams, you could have 4 division games, 2 inter-division games (with 1 maybe being a permanent crossover), and 2 playoff/consolation games for a total of 8 conference games a season. I might like that, and I would prefer the variant without permanent crossovers.

You posted twice and used “you’re” incorrectly both times. It should be “your” in that context.

I’d say add OU and Clemson and tell Texas to take a leap. Of course, Clemson hasn’t shown interest that I’m aware of, and I doubt they would want to come to the SEC when they get a cakewalk to the Playoff as it is. SEC revenue might change their mind, though. Also, if any school from Texas or Oklahoma comes in, go ahead and change the conference name. It’s not “Southeast” any more. That won’t happen, of course, because the SEC brand is too well-established. It’ll still be silly to call it “southeast,” though. My preferred change, not rooted in any realistic chance of it happening, would be to trade Vandy to the ACC for Clemson.

I’m just waiting to see how the opener vs Clemson pans out. The SEC Short with “hope” captured my mindset perfectly — excited, but not going overboard.

Plumlee at receiver will make defenses have to worry about double pass plays. That would be really interesting to watch.

I’m amazed coaches haven’t told their teams that all unvaccinated players will shift to the practice squad. I’m not basing my opinion on whether the virus is a serious health risk for the players, either. Even if a key player just has a few days of cold/flu symptoms — which could easily happen even with young people — it could be a crucial difference in a game if it happens at the wrong time. Teams have nutrition programs, highly scientific strength training, etc. Leaving a significant player health risk unaddressed — and again, I’m talking about a player “just” being affected enough to lose the competitive edge — seems like lunacy.

Yeah, having a rotation for all crossover games only makes sense. One West team always getting Vandy is enough to declare the current system broken.

…him getting fired mid-year.

UGA won’t finish behind Mizzou and UK. If Fla. finishes behind UGA, Mizzou and UK, does Mullen still have a job? I’d guess he might get one more year, but if Fla. loses yet again to UGA, I could see home getting fired mid-year.

He appears to be getting dinged for small sample size. I’m fine with it, though. It’s a good antidote for some of the preseason rat poison he’s getting.

It would be really interesting to hear Steele try to square those 2 predictions. As long as his SEC article is the accurate one, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, though. :)

Ok, then I will add the stipulation that I don't think UF will finish worse than those 5 teams.

So Steele's last 5 teams are: 25. TCU Horned Frogs 24. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 23. Iowa Hawkeyes 22. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 21. Arizona State Sun Devils I don't see any of those teams beating UF, unless opt-outs and lack of motivation were a factor. The same case likely could be made for some teams higher on Steele's list as well. To me, his list looks like an attempt to show love to as many conferences as possible. Doing so maximizes his audience and revenue.

You cannot say Kirby waited too long to start Daniels unless you have a solid source (i.e. an assistant coach, trainer, or other person in the UGA program with the expertise to have a legitimate perspective) who can verify that Daniels was ready but held out anyway. No reporting has ever provided that sort of corroboration. Any other after-the-fact take based on how Daniels' starts panned out is complete BS.