Stop me if you’ve heard this before: 6 SEC stories that give us deja vu

No two college football seasons are quite alike … or are they? While every year does bring different coaches, players and storylines, sometimes we could swear that we’ve heard a major storyline before … mostly because we have. Here are six major stories for the 2017 season that are either the same or very similar to narratives from past seasons. And while we’re considering these new/old stories, we’ll see how it worked out last time.

1. LSU has an exciting new offense that will change their outlook

We heard this one in 2013. The Tigers had a national title in 2007, and had won 11 and 13 games respectively in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, they stumbled to a mere 10-3 mark, and it was time to revamp the Tigers’ slightly dull offense. Enter Cam Cameron. In Cameron’s defense, the 2013 offense WAS impressive. It put up almost 36 points per game and passed for 251 yards per game. But it was downhill from there, as LSU failed to balance the offense by passing for even 200 yards per game, despite the presence of Leonard Fournette. So forgive us if we’re a little skeptical about Matt Canada.

2. Auburn has this exciting new QB who will jump-start their offense

Since the effective but not exactly gorgeous Nick Marshall team almost snagged the 2013 title, this has been the story on the plains. First, it was Jeremy Johnson, who had all the talent and none of the results. Then it was Sean White, who looked incredibly pedestrian. Then it was John Franklin III, and that whole debacle … well, it ended quickly. The bottom line is that there are many reasons Jarrett Stidham should end this trend. But if Auburn doesn’t do a better job of working to his strengths and catching his passes, Stidham might be just another big name in a series of flops.

3. Georgia is going to win the East

When haven’t we heard this? The last two times the Bulldogs were the odds-on favorites to win the East, in 2013 and 2015, they didn’t do it. In 2015, they hosted Alabama as a very slight favorite … and lost by 28. Later that season, they played Florida in the game that probably determined Mark Richt’s future. Richt swapped QBs and lost the game 27-3. The 2013 team lost to Missouri and Vanderbilt. The rap against UGA is that it does the least with the most talent, and the only way the Dawgs change it is by measuring up to the preseason expectations.

4. Ole Miss will surprise because they have “nothing to lose”

It was Kris Kristofferson who wrote that freedom was just another word for nothing left to lose. But SEC teams that have been dive-bombed by the NCAA, or by circumstance, can testify to the fact that the “nothing to lose” idea is over-hyped. Take Arkansas, where Bobby Petrino’s off-field misbehavior got him dumped after 10-3 and 11-2 seasons. The next year with interim coach John L. Smith? 4-8. Or Vandy, where coach Bobby Johnson decided to retire. Interim coach Robbie Caldwell went 2-10, and the best that could be said was that Vandy had also gone 2-10 in Johnson’s last year. Bottom line, everybody who isn’t Alabama or Ohio State plays with nothing to lose. The Rebels have a brand-new head coach and more off-field distractions than ever. They’re definitely not going to a bowl, but they wouldn’t be anyway — even if they weren’t penalizing themselves.

5. The SEC is a running and defense league that lacks the offensive firepower of other conferences

This one has gone around before, and sometimes, it’s looked true. Sure, the ACC has two national titles in four seasons. But it’s not like FSU or Clemson were mopping up the floor with Auburn or Alabama. And this is a script that is rapidly changing. Last season, the SEC had two 3,000-yard passers. This year, five wouldn’t be surprising. One play the other way in 2013 and 2016 and the SEC would have completely owned the past decade and a half of college football — and if some of those titles came via Matt Flynn or Greg McElroy, others came from Cam Newton and Tim Tebow. The league is fine.

6. Nick Saban is overrated

The man is facing the ultimate damned-if-he-does, darned-if-he-doesn’t type of situation. If Alabama strolls to a title, it’s because he snags all the best players and tosses them the ball. If the Tide lose, well, clearly Saban micro-managed his players and got out-coached. The reality is that the distance between title winner and near-miss can be one dropped pass or one missed coverage. While players do make plays, coaches put them in the position to make it possible. Underestimate Nick Saban at your own peril. He’s pretty much always had the last word so far.

Joe Cox

Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.