Our first matchup involving the SEC, and our last one before the championship.  Winner gets the ACC.  Let’s.  Go.

Texas A&M vs Utah

Texas A&M – Cody Goggin

This is a bit of a weird year for Texas A&M. They lose their QB Trevor Knight, but that may be a good thing. Kevin Sumlin feels his seat heating up if he can’t sustain success in 2017, but I think that the Aggies will do just that. A&M returns a considerable amount this season while Utah is losing most of their secondary and their entire offensive line, both to graduation and the league. I don’t think Utah is going to have enough to overcome SEC talent and the Aggies should Gig ‘Em in this matchup.

Utah – Frank Fanelli

You know how this works for the Utes. They’re going to crank up the running game with a tough, powerful offensive line, and the passing game will be just good enough at times to get by. But this year, there are a few major holes to fill. Garrett Bolles is gone at left tackle, taking his talents to the NFL, but three other starters are gone up front too. There’s size ready to take over, but there’s no Bolles. Losing RB Joe Williams isn’t a plus, either, but Utah always has good backs ready to rumble. Zack Moss is the leader of a good group that can pick up the production. The receiving corps isn’t going to be as easy a problem to fix, losing three of the top four targets, but getting back Raelon Singleton will help. The QB situation is very shaky right now as well. With the defense you ask? Well, it’s Utah, so the defense will always be rock solid under Kyle Whittingham, but this one is going to need a little work. The Utes finished 48th in the country overall, partly because the secondary gave up a ton of yards against a slew of good passing teams, but outside of a few misfires, the D did its job. This year, the defense will revolve more than before around the tackles with Lowell Lotuleilei and Filipo Mokofisi a terrific tandem inside. The linebackers are fine, especially when the Utes go to a 4-2-5 alignment and have the ability to put three on the field without a problem against the better ground games.  Chase Hansen is a big safety who’ll put up big numbers, and who will have to preform like a freak this year. If the Utes play sound they have a solid chance at beating the Aggies, I would say 31-24.

Arkansas vs UCLA

Arkansas – Luke Maiers

Arkansas is your basic over promise, under deliver SEC team. Every season it seems like this team is poised for greatness, and then they blow it. They will, however, usually manage to pull off one moderately big upset every year, so that proves they do have the talent. Luckily, they face off against UCLA who is basically the same team as Arkansas. The Bruins usually disappoint. The only difference in these two teams is that UCLA plays in a way weaker conference. The SEC and Pac-12 aren’t even comparable when you look at the power in the conference up top. Another reason I like the Razorbacks in this matchup is because I think Josh Rosen is garbage. “Experts” have him as one of the best QBs in the draft this year, but I don’t see it. Bret Bielema and Jim Mora Jr. are both good coaches in my opinion, but I’ll roll with Bielema and the Fighting McFadden’s in this matchup.

UCLA – Austin Montgomery

The clash between the Bruins and the Razorbacks is one of the more interesting games in our SEC vs PAC 12 slate. UCLA is currently a three point favorite in their home opener against Texas A&M who’s currently ranked above Arkansas in our SEC rankings.  Going into the 2017-2018 season season Jim Mora is on the hot seat.  Pundits across the country are overlooking this Bruin roster that is loaded with talent. People seem to forget Jim Mora has average 8 wins at UCLA, has had 5 consistent top 20 recruiting classes and the Bruins have been a relevant top 25 team consistently throughout Mora’s tenure. UCLA gets back Josh Rosen for a full season, and they are in store for positive regression.  The Bruins biggest offseason move was hiring former Michigan quarterback coach Jedd Fisch to be their offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, who coached under Jim Harbaugh the last couple years, will bring toughness to the UCLA offensive creating a more balanced attack. Look for Josh Rosen to make significant strides under Fisch and he has the potential to have a monstrous season. The UCLA returns a boatload on offense anchored by an offensive line with 52 combined starts, two leading receivers Darren Andrews and Jordan Lasley, as well as running back Soso Jamabo.  In order to stop the UCLA offense the Razorbacks are going to have to pressure Josh Rosen. Arkansas had the weakest pass rush in the SEC only registering 25 total sacks and registering pressure on just 12% of pass plays. Josh Rosen will roast the Razorback defense if he is able to stand comfortably in the pocket.  Arkansas offense will be limited due to the injury of leading rusher Rawleigh Williams. UCLA defense has a very high ceiling that will be volted by a pass rush lead by two former 5 star recruits Keisan Lucier South, 2017 number one prospect Jaelean Phillips, and three year starter Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. Brandon Allen will have trouble throwing against UCLA secondary that is lead by All Pac-12 safeties Jaleel Wadood and Adarius Pickett. The Bruins secondary will also be bolstered by 2017 top athlete Darnay Holmes. Over the course of Bielema’s tenure at Arkansas his teams have Bret Bielema lack of success is rooted in his inability to win close games, the Razorbacks are 6-12 in one possessions games under his tenure. Look for Josh Rosen to dominate the Razorbacks through the air, and the athleticism of UCLA’s defense should hold Austin Allen and the Razorback offense at bay.

South Carolina vs Arizona State

South Carolina- Liam Smith

The South Carolina Gamecocks may be one of the most overlooked teams in all of College Football this season. Second year head coach Will Muschamp has assembled the correct pieces to create a potentially explosive offense in 2017. The gamecock offence is led by sophomore quarterback Jake Bentley, who took over the starting position for the final seven games of last season and managed to throw for 1400 yards and 8 touchdowns. This season his main targets will be preseason First-Team All SEC tight end Hayden Hurst, and preseason Third-Team All SEC wide receiver Deebo Samuel. As far as the ground game goes, South Carolina has seen nothing but good things from sophomore RB Rico Dowdle who put up promising numbers his freshman season. He will most likely be splitting carries with North Carolina transfer Ty’son Williams who will certainly add some versatility to the offense.

The defense will be led by preseason First-Team All SEC linebacker Skai Moore. In 2016 Moore received a medical redshirt and was forced to sit out what would have been his senior season, however he proved himself invaluable in his first three seasons with the Gamecocks. Now Moore returns to complete his senior season and has more than a couple of NFL scouts with their eyes on him this year. Another player to keep an eye on is true freshman DB/return man Jamyest Williams, who has been praised by scouts for his raw athletic ability and speed.

Overall, Coach Boom seems to have assembled a squad with the potential to take the SEC by storm, if not the entire nation. I love the Gamecocks chances in hypothetical matchup, and if the offense is clicking, they will certainly be too much to handle for the likes of the mediocre ASU defense. Cocks blow em out!

Arizona State – Braeden Mueller

Arizona State will win this matchup against USC (South Carolina). Arizona State’s offensive firepower will be on full display against the weak defense of the Gamecocks. Last year the Devils offense was ranked 40th in the country, but this year will be better due to the improvements of said offense. USC, on the other hand, was 51st in total defense. Something has to give in this matchup. USC offense was a joke last year, and frankly most of the previous years. Last year the offense was ranked 116th out of 128th, and only scored 270 points in total last year. ASU scored 130 points more than that and finished with 400 points in total. If you are still not convinced about it, we can look at mascots. Sun Devil > chicken or whatever a Gamecock is.

Mississippi State vs California

Miss St – Jacob Allen

California – Seth Berland

Now a full year removed from the Jared Goff era, Cal is in an interesting position. They will have a new quarterback (likely sophomore Ross Bowers, who fun fact, was actually a childhood friend of mine) and a new head coach in Justin Wilcox, a defensive coordinator from the University of Wisconsin. That’s good news, because defense is exactly what Cal needs this year. The offense should be strong as usual as their offensive system is one that usually shows up year after year. The defense is a different story, as Cal is usually a team that is playing in high scoring shootouts with little defense. This years defense returns a lot of experience though, and should see some improvement over last years version (though that isn’t too hard to do). The secondary will be the strongest unit on D as it returns 13 defensive backs who averaged at least a tackle per game. The line will be going through an adjustment period with a new 3-4 defense but still has a bit of speed. With a defensive minded coach, I think the transition will be somewhat smooth.

In a matchup with Mississippi State, it will be a typical Cal shootout. However, with speed on the defensive line (to stop Fitzgerald from running too much) and experience in the secondary (to slow down the passing game), I would bet that Cal’s defense could make enough stops to pull off a win. And we all know the offense would be able to put up some points, especially If Bowers gets it clicking because MSU’s defense ranked 103rd in the passing game. Not only that, but Mississippi State is replacing a lot of experience and might need a little time to gel it together. Give me Cal in the shootout.

Missouri vs Arizona

Missouri – Cody Goggin

As you may have heard by now, I’m quite fond of Mizzou this year. My AGI has Missouri as a top 25 team in the country with a good chance to win the SEC East. At the very least, Mizzou will be a contender in the division. Drew Lock is one of the most prolific young quarterbacks in the country and he will be coming back for his junior season. Damerea Crockett and J’Mon Moore are two amazing weapons for this offense to utilize. On the flip side, Arizona is just not a very good football team. I don’t think it’s even a question here that Mizzou would beat Arizona; it’s just a question of by how much. Mizzou puts the Wildcats to bed, 48-17.

Arizona – Braeden Mueller

So Arizona is going to win (hypothetically) against Missouri due to some reasons. One of those reasons is Arizona exploded on ASU in the final game of the season and put up 500+ yards rushing, and didn’t attempt a pass attempt in the second half. While ASU defensive strength is inadequate, the Wildcats showed potential that they lacked all last season. The second point is the fact that Missouri is Missouri, and that they always disappoint. While on paper Mizzou would shred U of A, in reality, the two sides are closer than ever. They are close because they are the jokes of their respective conferences. Third point, U of A has a players coach who is on the last limb at the school, and he can at least motivate his team to victory in one game. Disclaimer: U of A is an awful football team to defend, nothing is going to go right in this season, but I tried.  

Kentucky vs Oregon State

Kentucky – PJ Guippone 

The most important thing for the Wildcats this season is turnovers. Last season, it appeared that they greased up like a Mexican wrestler before every game. They suffered 16 lost fumbles and 28 total turnovers, with a season differential of -7. Only 16 teams were worse than that. Still, somehow, they finished fourth in the SEC East with a record above .500. Teams are sure to be looking for weaknesses to continue to exploit their proneness to turnovers, but if I’m coach Mark Stoops, I am punching at the ball every chance I get, like an elementary basketball coach during the chin drill. Is holding on to the football the most important thing? Not necessarily, but if the Wildcats don’t dip themselves in melted butter before every game this season, it could cement that plus .500 record. Also, Stoops feels as if he has one of his best class of freshman in his five-year tenure. He has had a ton to say, which has given the faithful in Lexington hope since freshman are normally more of a dark spot than a light spot.

Oregon State – Jacob Allen