Dark Horse SEC teams

[LittleVol]

What teams ,including our Vols, could really surprise this year?

I think Auburn looks to be the most dangerous team in the country. Good QB. Good wrs. Very talented backfield in Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas.

Defensively they have speed and many different body types to give an array of confusing looks or fronts. Plus they have Will "Boom" Muskrat, I mean Muschamp as defensive coordinator. Jokes aside the dude can field a hellacious defense.
So Auburn looks the most complete of any team.

But as far as Dark Horses...
Watch out for Texas A&M. We all know that program was in need of one thing ( a good Defensive Coordinator). Welp... they went got one of the best in Chavis.

The Aggies and Vols are going to make some noise.

 

[MikeTheVol]

I don't know if you'd call them a dark horse or not. But considering that the UGA Bulldogs always seem to underachieve, IF, they can beat Bama, they could be the dark horse for a top playoff berth. That is, if they don't stub their toe as usual. They certainly have the talent as we know.

Wish I could say the same for our Vols! We'll be much improved this year, but still a year away from a stacked team (like UGA, Bama, Aub etc)

 

[Chilmonty]

Don't like Arky. Their coach, who looks like Curly from the 3 stooges, is pretty good dang it. :yuck:



.

 

[Volsfaninva917]

What teams ,including our Vols, could really surprise this year?

I think Auburn looks to be the most dangerous team in the country. Good QB. Good wrs. Very talented backfield in Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas.

Defensively they have speed and many different body types to give an array of confusing looks or fronts. Plus they have Will "Boom" Muskrat, I mean Muschamp as defensive coordinator. Jokes aside the dude can field a hellacious defense.
So Auburn looks the most complete of any team.

But as far as Dark Horses...
Watch out for Texas A&M. We all know that program was in need of one thing ( a good Defensive Coordinator). Welp... they went got one of the best in Chavis.

The Aggies and Vols are going to make some noise.

Over hyped?
How oddsmakers' win projections compare to Mark Schlabach's college football Top 25

 

[FlyFishnVol]

My favorite teams: 1. Tennesse 2. anyone playing OShoot!U, Penn State, NDU, USC, Missedagain (Mich) and OUdidnt (OK).


Go Vols!!

 

[LittleVol]

Over hyped?
How oddsmakers' win projections compare to Mark Schlabach's college football Top 25

I don't think so. They have some good veteran talent on that team. Johnson is a very talented QB.

Carl Lawson is back and now all those 5 stars on that defense have Muschamp running the show.

My dream is that UT utilizes every ounce of talent they have amd gets some breaks along the way, and win it all!

But my practical and logical side say Auburn is the team to beat.
They have a tougj tough schedule, but I think they're good enough to win it all.

Malzahns guys never should have played FSU. That year they should have had 3 losses. All those defencies and gaps manifested last year.
All of those gaps are gone.
To be honest... they look like they could be a juggernaut.

Duke Williams and Ricardo Louis are going to be 1st and 2nd team SEC at wr. Improved passing game with Johnson at the helm.

Roc Thomas and Robinson could be Ronnie Brown and Cadillac all over again. Plus they have Peyton Barber

I could go on... but Alabama is not better than them this year Imo.

We'll see. With all that said, I think we have the team to play with them.

 

[WilliamDuVOL]

Saw a BR article earlier about realistic expectations for Florida, and in a poll on which bowl they'd land in quite a few people voted for them to either make the NY Six bowls or playoffs. Dark horse.... lol. Some of their fans don't seem to understand exactly what an unproven, spotty offensive line will do to a season, do they?

 

[RiseToTheTop]

A&M defense will still be garbage this yr. They may take a bigger step in 2016.

 

[Aesius]

Saw a BR article earlier about realistic expectations for Florida, and in a poll on which bowl they'd land in quite a few people voted for them to either make the NY Six bowls or playoffs. Dark horse.... lol. Some of their fans don't seem to understand exactly what an unproven, spotty offensive line will do to a season, do they?

Florida fans are pretty delusional. A lot of them think they will go 8-4 and that it will be a "disappointing season."

They don't understand what happens when you have a piss poor OL in the SEC. To make matters worse, their QBs aren't very good/are inexperienced. At least we had a senior to take the hits at the beginning of the season when the OL was at its weakest.

 

[Aesius]

A&M defense will still be garbage this yr. They may take a bigger step in 2016.

They have a lot of talent, though. I see them being an 8-9 win team like us.

I'm just glad we aren't in the West. That's a tough division. They will beat up on each other big time this year. Possibly only one 10+ win team there despite all the talent.

 

[WilliamDuVOL]

Florida fans are pretty delusional. A lot of them think they will go 8-4 and that it will be a "disappointing season."

They don't understand what happens when you have a piss poor OL in the SEC. To make matters worse, their QBs aren't very good/are inexperienced. At least we had a senior to take the hits at the beginning of the season when the OL was at its weakest.

In the comments section they seem to be hanging their hat on their defense, with some even predicting their offense will be better this year. They play us, Ole Miss, Mizzou, LSU, and UGA who all have the potential for a stout defense and some brutal pass rush. I see them reliving our season last year.

 

[norrislakevol]

Florida fans are pretty delusional. A lot of them think they will go 8-4 and that it will be a "disappointing season."

They don't understand what happens when you have a piss poor OL in the SEC. To make matters worse, their QBs aren't very good/are inexperienced. At least we had a senior to take the hits at the beginning of the season when the OL was at its weakest.

And that is only half of it. Unproven at RB and only 1 play maker at WR means that the new QB will have very few options while working behind a crappy line. Their defense has to take a step back somewhat too with the losses to the NFL and graduation.

 

[skasper06]

I'll bite.

How about Kentucky?

No, not as an SEC champion or even going to the SEC championship game.

They return 14 starters which, after UT and Vandy (tied at 18) is next best in the SEC East. They nearly won AT Florida in OT and they beat South Carolina last season. I think Mark Stoops is a decent coach and they will at least improve this year, especially with the SEC East in a down phase.

I'd say Kentucky, as a dark horse, could beat Florida, South Carolina, Vandy, and even Mizzou (they lost 20-10 to them last year).

Again, I'm not saying they will win the division, but I think it is possible they finish third in the division after us and Georgia as a dark horse. Which for them, is pretty darn good.

Look at their schedule. 8-4 isn't completely impossible with losses to Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Georgia. As a complete Dark Horse, this years UK team could surprise some people.

 

[overseasorange2]

Don't like Arky. Their coach, who looks like Curly from the 3 stooges, is pretty good dang it. :yuck:



.

One could say our coach looks like Sargent Carter from the Gomer Pyle show...

 

[ImportedVoL]

If you are going Darkhorse.. your looking at Arkansas and Miss St in the west..

In the east you have Tennessee.. Maybe Florida.

If you look at Florida's Roster they are not short on Star's, what they have been short on is coaching. If their new guy is a good X&O coach. He could have them back on track in a hurry.


I really feel like this season depends on the Florida game this year. If we win, we break the streak and it gives our guys a huge confidence boost going into the meat of our schedule. If we lose it will give that boost to Florida and with a good coach, use that to vault themselves into the east contender conversation.

I do not think I will be able to sleep the night before that game...

 

[CMcEver]

I don't know if you'd call them a dark horse or not. But considering that the UGA Bulldogs always seem to underachieve, IF, they can beat Bama, they could be the dark horse for a top playoff berth. That is, if they don't stub their toe as usual. They certainly have the talent as we know.

Wish I could say the same for our Vols! We'll be much improved this year, but still a year away from a stacked team (like UGA, Bama, Aub etc)

I really don't feel like UGA will be as good as people want to think. I understand they have Chubb, but they had Gurley, stability at QB and OC, a good Oline, and an easy schedule, yet Mizzou won the East the last 2 years. Now they have unknowns at QB, along with 3 OL (1 OG, 1 OT, C), 2 WRs, and 4/5 players on defense to replace. Let's add in the new OC(of course, that may not be a bad thing with the Bobo blunders over the years). So, with all of this, I just don't see it.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

So the favorites in the West should be Alabama, Auburn, or LSU, the "usual suspects." And in the east, Georgia or (because of recent history) Mizzou. Which means none of those five can be considered a dark horse.

That leaves a lot of realistic options in the West for dark horse candidate: Miss St, Arky, even A&M or Ole Miss.

In the East, there is really only one dark horse candidate with anything approaching a real chance: Tennessee.

Heck, half of us on VN don't even consider us a dark horse, rather a front-runner. On some days, that includes me!

So I can see where you're going, OP, naming A&M and the Vols. Not bad choices as under-the-radar picks for Atlanta in December. I think the Vols are the more likely of the two, but I have to acknowledge that I may be a bit biased.

 

[volfanhill]

I really don't feel like UGA will be as good as people want to think. I understand they have Chubb, but they had Gurley, stability at QB and OC, a good Oline, and an easy schedule, yet Mizzou won the East the last 2 years. Now they have unknowns at QB, along with 3 OL (1 OG, 1 OT, C), 2 WRs, and 4/5 players on defense to replace. Let's add in the new OC(of course, that may not be a bad thing with the Bobo blunders over the years). So, with all of this, I just don't see it.

Bobo was an outstanding OC

 

[Crazy Ivan]

I'll bite.

How about Kentucky?

No, not as an SEC champion or even going to the SEC championship game.

They return 14 starters which, after UT and Vandy (tied at 18) is next best in the SEC East. They nearly won AT Florida in OT and they beat South Carolina last season. I think Mark Stoops is a decent coach and they will at least improve this year, especially with the SEC East in a down phase.

I'd say Kentucky, as a dark horse, could beat Florida, South Carolina, Vandy, and even Mizzou (they lost 20-10 to them last year).

Again, I'm not saying they will win the division, but I think it is possible they finish third in the division after us and Georgia as a dark horse. Which for them, is pretty darn good.

Look at their schedule. 8-4 isn't completely impossible with losses to Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Georgia. As a complete Dark Horse, this years UK team could surprise some people.

I think UK could possibly get that elusive 6th win this season, but I think it won't be easy. I'm not certain they have much in the way of SEC-caliber players on the OL, and no real quality depth. And with their transition to the 3-4 I just don't think have 4 SEC-caliber LBs. They've got a good QB, some fast backs, a few talented but unproven WRs, and a good DB in Stamps. They lost their 2 best players off the defense and I'm not sure they have replacements of that quality.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

If you are going Darkhorse.. your looking at Arkansas and Miss St in the west..

In the east you have Tennessee.. Maybe Florida.

If you look at Florida's Roster they are not short on Star's, what they have been short on is coaching. If their new guy is a good X&O coach. He could have them back on track in a hurry.


I really feel like this season depends on the Florida game this year. If we win, we break the streak and it gives our guys a huge confidence boost going into the meat of our schedule. If we lose it will give that boost to Florida and with a good coach, use that to vault themselves into the east contender conversation.

I do not think I will be able to sleep the night before that game...

I think MSU, while they will be decent, will have a significant drop-off this season from last. They lost 18 starters, plus lost their DC to the gators, so there will be some transition for them, and I just can't see them being anywhere near as competitive as they were last season.

I agree with you about UF. How we do in that game will go a long way towards impacting how we finish the season.

 

[TNVolunteerGrad]

I'll bite.

How about Kentucky?

No, not as an SEC champion or even going to the SEC championship game.

They return 14 starters which, after UT and Vandy (tied at 18) is next best in the SEC East. They nearly won AT Florida in OT and they beat South Carolina last season. I think Mark Stoops is a decent coach and they will at least improve this year, especially with the SEC East in a down phase.

I'd say Kentucky, as a dark horse, could beat Florida, South Carolina, Vandy, and even Mizzou (they lost 20-10 to them last year).

Again, I'm not saying they will win the division, but I think it is possible they finish third in the division after us and Georgia as a dark horse. Which for them, is pretty darn good.

Look at their schedule. 8-4 isn't completely impossible with losses to Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Georgia. As a complete Dark Horse, this years UK team could surprise some people.

Have a "like" for a completely different perspective. I agree with what you're saying too. Honestly, a loss to UK by UGA or Mizzou could really shake up the SEC East race.

 

[LittleVol]

So the favorites in the West should be Alabama, Auburn, or LSU, the "usual suspects." And in the east, Georgia or (because of recent history) Mizzou. Which means none of those five can be considered a dark horse.

That leaves a lot of realistic options in the West for dark horse candidate: Miss St, Arky, even A&M or Ole Miss.

In the East, there is really only one dark horse candidate with anything approaching a real chance: Tennessee.

Heck, half of us on VN don't even consider us a dark horse, rather a front-runner. On some days, that includes me!

So I can see where you're going, OP, naming A&M and the Vols. Not bad choices as under-the-radar picks for Atlanta in December. I think the Vols are the more likely of the two, but I have to acknowledge that I may be a bit biased.

Don't sleep on Spurrier and the Gamecocks. There is still talent there and they had some youth and injury last year.

Kentucky will actually take a step back this year imo. They're transitioning to the 3-4, and well know how that goes.

They need to go more pro-style on offense and run the football.

 

[SergeantVol]

One could say our coach looks like Sergeant Carter from the Gomer Pyle show...

fyp

 

[ntxVOL]

Miss St. lost a lot to graduation...I think they take a step back. Ole Miss has a new QB which could be a good thing but I am just not a believer yet. So, A&M or Arky would be my logical choices for a dark horse in the west. Bama or Auburn should be favorites in the West...LSU is on the way down IMO.

The Vols seem to be the logical choice for a dark horse in the East but Florida may surprise...depends on their new coach. Spurrier is short-timing it at SC, but he is still a good coach just not sure the talent is there. UGA and Mizzou should be favorites in the East.

 

[Aesius]

I'll bite.

How about Kentucky?

No, not as an SEC champion or even going to the SEC championship game.

They return 14 starters which, after UT and Vandy (tied at 18) is next best in the SEC East. They nearly won AT Florida in OT and they beat South Carolina last season. I think Mark Stoops is a decent coach and they will at least improve this year, especially with the SEC East in a down phase.

I'd say Kentucky, as a dark horse, could beat Florida, South Carolina, Vandy, and even Mizzou (they lost 20-10 to them last year).

Again, I'm not saying they will win the division, but I think it is possible they finish third in the division after us and Georgia as a dark horse. Which for them, is pretty darn good.

Look at their schedule. 8-4 isn't completely impossible with losses to Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Georgia. As a complete Dark Horse, this years UK team could surprise some people.

I don't even want to imagine Florida week knowing that Mark Stoops has joined James Franklin in breaking nearly three-decade long streaks at the hands of the Gators.

A loss to the Wildcats would either cause the Gators pack it in for the season right off the bat or cause them to rally and play over their heads at home to preserve their last remaining SEC win streak.

Would really crank up the pressure for an already cardiac arrest-inducing game.