Phil Steele's Projected SEC Order of Finish

#76
#76
I feel like I’m a fairly knowledgeable college football fan, but I don’t get Kentucky. Honest question, what am I missing with them?

Did they sign some whiz bang young QB, is the entire twi-deep defense back, entire offense, both? I don’t get it, I’ve seen reputable publications predicting them at 9-3.
They will sweep the non conference and probably beat Miss St. But favoring them vs UT and Mizz are probably due to the games being at home. They aren’t special, but don’t have all the attrition we do. They’re better on both lines and field a solid defense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rooster1 and Jaws
#77
#77
I think GAs WRs are over hyped and their OL has a question mark or two but their QB and RBs are solid. FL lost far more star power than GA too without the quality depth.

Florida lost three super stars on offense; Trask, Pitts and Toney. They’ll be tough to replace for sure, but Mullen has shown that he can reload on offense. Before Pitts and Toney burst on the scene, many questioned how Florida would replace Swain, Jefferson, Cleveland and Hammond.

You’ll see others step up on offense for Florida. The key to UF’s season will be whether their defense improves. If UF plays great defense, they’ve got a shot at 10-2 and the SEC East. If they play poor defense again, it’s 8-4.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rooster1
#79
#79
That's what I was telling another guy above. Florida lost ALOT. People don't realize.

Florida lost Trask Pitts Toney and Grimes.

Florida replaces them with Emory Jones, Jacob Copeland, Justin Shorter and others. Here’s a perfect example; Kyle Pitts was a phenom, but he missed 4.5 games last year. Kemore Gamble and Keon Zipperer combined for 31 catches and 6 TD’s in his absence, they both return. You act like Florida hasn’t shown an ability to reload on offense under Mullen, especially at WR. Florida also goes a legit 5-deep at RB with the 4th and 5th guys being 5-star recruits; Bowman and Lingard.

Florida returns almost all of their defense, although it was a bad defense last year. They return 5 of their top 7 tacklers, all of their top sackers, all of their DE’s, all 3 starting LB’s, their top two DB’s and they added a couple stud interior DT’s from the portal.

Florida lost some but if you’re banking on Florida becoming Kentucky, you’re in for a long year.
 
#82
#82
We should clearly be concerned with what Steele thinks of us 🙄
I'm lazy, but if someone wanted to do a multi-year look at Steele's SEC predictions, instead of a one year snippet when LSU cratered and kicked everybody up a notch, I'd bet he's dang accurate usually. He's not known as a slasher or partisan hack.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rooster1
#83
#83
I feel like I’m a fairly knowledgeable college football fan, but I don’t get Kentucky. Honest question, what am I missing with them?

Did they sign some whiz bang young QB, is the entire twi-deep defense back, entire offense, both? I don’t get it, I’ve seen reputable publications predicting them at 9-3.
Stoops is/was building something. He's had a coupla coaches arrested in the last coupla weeks. I think he's recruited as well as KY has in years and I think he's a pretty good judge of talent and can coach the talent he finds..... and I don't think he's ready to really fully control a program.

KY peaks this year and fades back into the KY we know they truly are.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jaws
#84
#84
I'm lazy, but if someone wanted to do a multi-year look at Steele's SEC predictions, instead of a one year snippet when LSU cratered and kicked everybody up a notch, I'd bet he's dang accurate usually. He's not known as a slasher or partisan hack.

Irrelevant. He is just guessing just like anyone else would.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 901 Orange
#85
#85
I could see Kentucky and Missouri flipping as well before the end of the season. I just don't see anything about Kentucky's roster that makes me think they will get through the gauntlet of SEC games in the middle of their schedule, without 'Kentuckying' multiple games. They are going to most likely come off of a win over South Carolina on 9/25, and then lose three consecutive games before playing Mississippi State, and then us, one of those games they will also lose.

Hopefully we've gotten it somewhat together by that point and it's us that they lose to after finding some false sense of redemption with a win over Leach..
I agree with you on this. I actually think we beat all the OCC teams, plus Vandy, Jr, & KY with Mizzou being my swing game for 8 wins.
 
#86
#86
You don't play with what you lost. You play with what you have. UT should have been top 2 or 3 at worst last year. This year's roster should be middling at worst. If what you say comes true then it will be coaching, not the roster.
We will not have the depth on defense to shut teams down. It’s just what it is.

HOWEVER….we have a HC that is arguably the most innovative offensive mind in the SEC East…including Mullen. We have plenty of weapons on this side of the ball. We finally have an O-line Coach that turns chicken $#!T into chicken salad everywhere he’s been. Hell probably the most solid O-line coach here since Pittman. This offensive staff has been a unit for 3 years so they are all on the same page. Not like the previous train wreck.

We would’ve beat Kentucky last season until JG decided to score points for them instead of us…pretty much getting our team to give up completely. Sadly JG was pretty much a cancer for the whole offense killing their will to even try with his poor play. He’s gone now. We have skilled position players on the offensive side of the ball that would start over most of Kentucky’s, South Carolina’s, Mizzu’s, and all of Vandy’s players.

Given that and finally having an exciting style of football CJH runs…scoring points changes the mentality of kids. These players haven’t experienced what this staff brings. They’re used to being blown out. Outside of Florida and Georgia…on paper we have the pieces to have the best offensive unit in the rest of the East. For this reason I will not count us out. It feels to me we will be like Kiffin/Ole Miss last year…and we have better players on this roster than he had.
 
#87
#87
Stoops is/was building something. He's had a coupla coaches arrested in the last coupla weeks. I think he's recruited as well as KY has in years and I think he's a pretty good judge of talent and can coach the talent he finds..... and I don't think he's ready to really fully control a program.

KY peaks this year and fades back into the KY we know they truly are.
I always assume when we play KY that they'll have a backup kicker in at QB and he rushes for 400 yards against us.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rooster1
#88
#88
Kentucky will beat us again.
We know you hope for that so much. Even though you have had zero analysis as to how that will happen.

A team with a struggling offense vs a team with an explosive offense....and you pick the struggling offense.😑👍
 
#89
#89
We will not have the depth on defense to shut teams down. It’s just what it is.

HOWEVER….we have a HC that is arguably the most innovative offensive mind in the SEC East…including Mullen. We have plenty of weapons on this side of the ball. We finally have an O-line Coach that turns chicken $#!T into chicken salad everywhere he’s been. Hell probably the most solid O-line coach here since Pittman. This offensive staff has been a unit for 3 years so they are all on the same page. Not like the previous train wreck.

We would’ve beat Kentucky last season until JG decided to score points for them instead of us…pretty much getting our team to give up completely. Sadly JG was pretty much a cancer for the whole offense killing their will to even try with his poor play. He’s gone now. We have skilled position players on the offensive side of the ball that would start over most of Kentucky’s, South Carolina’s, Mizzu’s, and all of Vandy’s players.

Given that and finally having an exciting style of football CJH runs…scoring points changes the mentality of kids. These players haven’t experienced what this staff brings. They’re used to being blown out. Outside of Florida and Georgia…on paper we have the pieces to have the best offensive unit in the rest of the East. For this reason I will not count us out. It feels to me we will be like Kiffin/Ole Miss last year…and we have better players on this roster than he had.
Stopped reading after "shut teams down".

No defense shuts any average offense down completely anymore. Those days have been gone for 10 years now...
 
  • Like
Reactions: norrislakevol
#90
#90
Look at Steele’s top 25. Only 4 SEC teams on that list. He has UF 2nd in the East but not in the top 25. I can’t see that. UF would have to lose 5 games to finish out of the top 25.
 
#91
#91
The rankings will end up being what they are. The Vols out of division opponents are tough: Bama and Ole Miss. But that compares pretty equally with KY (LSU and Miss State), and SC (TAMU and Auburn). If UT can pick off KY and or SC, and win the ones they "should" win, they will have a pretty good season, all things considered. I am keeping my expectations low.
Considering Bama is better than LSU and A&M by a comfortable margin and Ole Miss is better than MSU and expected to be better than Auburn, I don’t agree that UT’s opponents compare equally to those of UK and SC. KY’s aren’t even remotely close.
 
#92
#92
Huh? I don’t understand this sentiment at all. Sounds like what many were saying about Trask before last year. Emory Jones is the highest rated recruit at QB Mullen has ever signed. He has three years of quality playing time against SEC competition, in major bowl games, knows the offense inside and out, and most importantly, is coached by Dan Mullen who is an absolute expert at putting his QB’s in positions to excel, calling plays to suit their strengths and avoiding weaknesses. Emory is better prepared to play well immediately than Franks or Trask.

Say it goes badly for Emory and he’s not as good as many think, or he gets hurt. Florida has the most gifted athlete at QB behind him since Tebow. If you don’t know about Anthony Richardson, you better research. I just watched him dunk a ball from the free throw line. I know that doesn’t necessarily translate to QB play, but he’s one freak athlete. I cannot wait to see this young man play.

Carlos Del Rio also on the roster as a true Freshman. Very highly regarded.

Emory Jones is not a proven passer. I don't doubt his abilities as an athlete, but I don't know how many 3rd and longs he can get with his arm.
 
#93
#93
Phil Steele 2020 Predictions
  1. Georgia
  2. Florida
  3. Tennessee
  4. Kentucky
  5. South Carolina
  6. Missouri
  7. Vanderbilt

  1. Alabama
  2. A&M
  3. LSU
  4. Auburn
  5. Ole Miss
  6. Mississippi State
  7. Arkansas
2020 Reality:
  1. Florida
  2. Georgia
  3. Missouri
  4. Kentucky
  5. Tennessee
  6. South Carolina
  7. Vanderbilt

  1. Alabama
  2. A&M
  3. Auburn
  4. Ole Miss
  5. Arkansas
  6. Mississippi State
  7. LSU
No one gets them all right. He had everyone within 1 spot except MO and UT in the East and Ark and LSU in the West. I’d say that’s normal for anyone predicting this stuff whether it be Athlon, Steele, or some schmuck from ESPN.
 
#94
#94
So in the East last year he overrated us by 2 spots and underrated Missouri by 3. The rest of the teams were on point or within 1 spot of where he predicted.

In the West he overrated LSU by 4 but everyone else was on point or within 1 spot of where he predicted.

So applying those odds from last year, there is a 78% chance (11/14) we will end up within 1 spot of where he has us ranked. Probably pretty close to that.

The thing I am really interested in is the 247 team talent composite rankings for 2021 when they come out. We were No. 15 last year. I think it's a given we go down, it's just a question of how far. If we've gotten more out of the Portal than we've lost as some contend we should rise though.
The problem with that metric is there’s nothing that can account for the lack of player development and we all saw how horribly Pruitt developed players.
 
#95
#95
Mullen will make Jones a very effective QB. Mullen actually has one of the longest track records of doing just that with every QB he has ever coached, going all the way back to even before his SEC days. I doubt there is anyone coaching today who has a better track record with QB’s if you factor in the talent he has had to work with.

He hasn’t had as highly ranked QB’s his entire career like Dabo has for instance. Never Bet on a Mullen QB being less than very effective, it’s a losing bet. With Jones, he will pull out his playbook of duel threat QB strategy he has used so often in the past.

Jones will likely be the top rushing QB in the conference and that will open things up enough for him and Mullen to be very effective on play action strikes. We have all seen this movie before.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: imjustaguest2
#96
#96
PHIL STEELE
SEC West

  1. Alabama
  2. Texas A&M
  3. LSU
  4. Ole Miss
  5. Auburn
  6. Mississippi State
  7. Arkansas
SEC East
  1. Georgia
  2. Florida
  3. Kentucky
  4. Missouri
  5. South Carolina
  6. Tennessee
  7. Vanderbilt
Historically Phil has not been biased against us.
This just gets harder & harder to see each year. I understand why we are, where we are (and going to probably get worse after sanctions). Every team goes through this (including Alabama 1993-2008), but seems like the agony has no visible end. Oh well, I will still yell and wear orange and really savor what wins we get. GO VOLS!
 
#97
#97
so based on the last 15 years of mediocre performance and roster attrition and toss in NCAA ongoing investigation blah blah blah. Phil Steele may know his business but I'll tell you that I saw Ole Miss give Alabama a fit on into the fourth quarter last year. Lane Kiffin did it with a roster which probably was less that ours will be this year. If coaching did not matter, they would not be getting as much money as is thrown at them. I think we've got a good coach and the past means nothing. We're dealing with NOW!
 
#99
#99
if we end up sixth out of seven in the east at the end of the year, we wasted whole lot of money!
The athletic department does spend like a drunken sailor in a whorehouse. The university gets to wet it's beak most years so all is well.
exADPF getting an extension, raise, and buyout while asking coaches to take a pay cut remains unforgiveable to me. A shining example of why we can't have nice things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolunteerHillbilly
The SEC East is very bad, probably not much separation between 3-7.
Pretty accurate statement other than Vandy being the clear cut bottom. After that I think we could see any order of finish for 3-6. Given where we've been I can't argue much with where Steele has us, it's all a guess anyway. If I was to predict today I'd say 1. UGA 2. Uf 3. Mizzou 4. UK 5. TN 6. USce 7. Vandy.

Wouldn't be surprised if we finished 3rd but wouldn't be surprised if we finished 6th. Honestly I just hope we beat UK.
 

VN Store



Back
Top