DiderotsGhost
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VolNation,
What are your thoughts on our opponents after three weeks? Here are my rankings based on what I've seen so far.
1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. Missouri
6. Kentucky
7. Arkansas
8. Bowling Green
9. South Carolina
10. Vanderbilt
11. North Texas
12. Western Carolina
And if you don't trust my opinion, here are Sagarin's ratings based on all of college football. Note I included UT in this list for comparative purposes.
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
14. Oklahoma
21. Tennessee
38. Florida
44. Missouri
45. Arkansas
46. South Carolina
54. Kentucky
65. Bowling Green
81. Vanderbilt
146. North Texas
180. Western Carolina
I've watched a bit of our next three opponents in action, so thought it would be worthwhile to analyze.
Florida
I'm already seeing a ton of posts on how terrible Florida is this year. Don't buy it. Florida still has loads of talent. Florida struggled against East Carolina and Kentucky, but they ended up winning in the end. I'd say Florida has actually looked better than expected thus far.
Florida's defense is still among the best in the country. They forced a few key turnovers versus East Carolina that really won them the game. East Carolina couldn't run the ball at all on Florida. Defense also won the game versus Kentucky. Florida's D could prove to be a major issue for us.
Florida's offense, on the other hand, is not looking too great. Florida only put up about 240 yards against Kentucky. They've had a few key turnovers.
Based on everything I've seen, I'd say Tennessee should be a slight favorite against Florida. However, saying this is an "easy game" or that we're terrible if we lose to Florida is simply wrong. Florida isn't a top 10 team, but they are a good team. Our weak pass protection could be a big issue against them, but conversely, their O-line is also a weakness.
Arkansas
Similar to Florida, I think too many people at VN are concluding Arkansas is horrible based on a few games. That said, I do think Arkansas is looking more vulnerable now than they might have preseason. The loss to Toledo was only shocking because most people don't know how good Toledo is. Likewise, Texas Tech is a good team. Nevertheless, both of those games were in Fayetteville and going 0-2 in that stretch doesn't bode well for Arkansas.
Right now, I'd say that we look like bigger favorites versus Arkansas. I wouldn't write Arky off and they'll be desperate for a big win when they get to Knoxville (particularly if they lose to A&M next week), but their defense struggled against Texas Tech and their offense struggled against Toledo. They have not looked very impressive so far and I don't see their D giving us the same problems that Oklahoma's did. Even more critically, our run defense has looked much improved this season, and that doesn't bode well for run-heavy Arkansas.
Georgia
If Florida looks winnable and we look like decent favorites versus Arkansas, Georgia is looking like a very tough game. I'd go so far as to say that Georgia might be the best team in the SEC.
I watched both of UGA's games the past two weeks versus Vandy and SC. UGA's defense is looking national championship caliber. Their pass rush is going to be a MAJOR CHALLENGE for our offensive line. Jeremy Pruitt has been a huge upgrade over Todd Grantham and the results are starting to show.
UGA's offense looks very good, but not quite great. The running game is spectacular with Chubb, Michel, and several other capable backs. Their wide receivers aren't quite as good as ours, but they are more than capable. Their O-line is probably one of the best in the nation and held up very well vs SC.
The only real question mark is Quarterback. Greyson Lambert may not be the second-coming of Peyton Manning, but he's OK. His completion percentage is about 75% and he has zero INTs on the season. He was 24/25 against South Carolina. Let's not forget that QB was also our "question mark" in our national championship season. This UGA team is loaded pretty much everywhere but QB.
Strangely, it seems like almost everyone is writing off UGA this season. I'm not sure why, except that that they've been disappointing in the past. Yet, this is a completely different team than the one two years ago. I'd almost certainly consider UGA and Alabama as our two most difficult opponents.
The Rest
Missouri. Has looked awful the first few weeks. But don't forget they looked awful the beginning of last season, as well. If there's any certainty, it's that Mizzou gets better as the season goes on. Also, the defense has looked pretty good; the struggles have mostly been on offense.
Kentucky. Don't have a full read on Kentucky yet. Hope to see them play a few more opponents first.
Vanderbilt. The defense for Vandy is actually much better than anticipated. Offense is still pretty bad.
South Carolina. Not a good looking team right now. More struggles on offense than expected. Defense looking improved over last year, but I'd say SC looks like the 2nd worst team in the SEC right now.
Alabama. Come on, VN. One loss against a very tough Ole Miss team is not proof that Bama is weak this year. This is still one of the best teams in the nation. A win against Bama would be a big upset.
That's all I got. I still think the expectation is probably around 8-4. UGA and Bama look better than us so far. We play enough "good" opponents that I'd expect us to lose against at least one. Think we'll learn a lot more the next two weeks.
GO BIG ORANGE!
What are your thoughts on our opponents after three weeks? Here are my rankings based on what I've seen so far.
1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. Missouri
6. Kentucky
7. Arkansas
8. Bowling Green
9. South Carolina
10. Vanderbilt
11. North Texas
12. Western Carolina
And if you don't trust my opinion, here are Sagarin's ratings based on all of college football. Note I included UT in this list for comparative purposes.
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
14. Oklahoma
21. Tennessee
38. Florida
44. Missouri
45. Arkansas
46. South Carolina
54. Kentucky
65. Bowling Green
81. Vanderbilt
146. North Texas
180. Western Carolina
I've watched a bit of our next three opponents in action, so thought it would be worthwhile to analyze.
Florida
I'm already seeing a ton of posts on how terrible Florida is this year. Don't buy it. Florida still has loads of talent. Florida struggled against East Carolina and Kentucky, but they ended up winning in the end. I'd say Florida has actually looked better than expected thus far.
Florida's defense is still among the best in the country. They forced a few key turnovers versus East Carolina that really won them the game. East Carolina couldn't run the ball at all on Florida. Defense also won the game versus Kentucky. Florida's D could prove to be a major issue for us.
Florida's offense, on the other hand, is not looking too great. Florida only put up about 240 yards against Kentucky. They've had a few key turnovers.
Based on everything I've seen, I'd say Tennessee should be a slight favorite against Florida. However, saying this is an "easy game" or that we're terrible if we lose to Florida is simply wrong. Florida isn't a top 10 team, but they are a good team. Our weak pass protection could be a big issue against them, but conversely, their O-line is also a weakness.
Arkansas
Similar to Florida, I think too many people at VN are concluding Arkansas is horrible based on a few games. That said, I do think Arkansas is looking more vulnerable now than they might have preseason. The loss to Toledo was only shocking because most people don't know how good Toledo is. Likewise, Texas Tech is a good team. Nevertheless, both of those games were in Fayetteville and going 0-2 in that stretch doesn't bode well for Arkansas.
Right now, I'd say that we look like bigger favorites versus Arkansas. I wouldn't write Arky off and they'll be desperate for a big win when they get to Knoxville (particularly if they lose to A&M next week), but their defense struggled against Texas Tech and their offense struggled against Toledo. They have not looked very impressive so far and I don't see their D giving us the same problems that Oklahoma's did. Even more critically, our run defense has looked much improved this season, and that doesn't bode well for run-heavy Arkansas.
Georgia
If Florida looks winnable and we look like decent favorites versus Arkansas, Georgia is looking like a very tough game. I'd go so far as to say that Georgia might be the best team in the SEC.
I watched both of UGA's games the past two weeks versus Vandy and SC. UGA's defense is looking national championship caliber. Their pass rush is going to be a MAJOR CHALLENGE for our offensive line. Jeremy Pruitt has been a huge upgrade over Todd Grantham and the results are starting to show.
UGA's offense looks very good, but not quite great. The running game is spectacular with Chubb, Michel, and several other capable backs. Their wide receivers aren't quite as good as ours, but they are more than capable. Their O-line is probably one of the best in the nation and held up very well vs SC.
The only real question mark is Quarterback. Greyson Lambert may not be the second-coming of Peyton Manning, but he's OK. His completion percentage is about 75% and he has zero INTs on the season. He was 24/25 against South Carolina. Let's not forget that QB was also our "question mark" in our national championship season. This UGA team is loaded pretty much everywhere but QB.
Strangely, it seems like almost everyone is writing off UGA this season. I'm not sure why, except that that they've been disappointing in the past. Yet, this is a completely different team than the one two years ago. I'd almost certainly consider UGA and Alabama as our two most difficult opponents.
The Rest
Missouri. Has looked awful the first few weeks. But don't forget they looked awful the beginning of last season, as well. If there's any certainty, it's that Mizzou gets better as the season goes on. Also, the defense has looked pretty good; the struggles have mostly been on offense.
Kentucky. Don't have a full read on Kentucky yet. Hope to see them play a few more opponents first.
Vanderbilt. The defense for Vandy is actually much better than anticipated. Offense is still pretty bad.
South Carolina. Not a good looking team right now. More struggles on offense than expected. Defense looking improved over last year, but I'd say SC looks like the 2nd worst team in the SEC right now.
Alabama. Come on, VN. One loss against a very tough Ole Miss team is not proof that Bama is weak this year. This is still one of the best teams in the nation. A win against Bama would be a big upset.
That's all I got. I still think the expectation is probably around 8-4. UGA and Bama look better than us so far. We play enough "good" opponents that I'd expect us to lose against at least one. Think we'll learn a lot more the next two weeks.
GO BIG ORANGE!
