Questions for each SEC football team prior to Media Days

For the first time, the Southeastern Conference takes its annual Football Media Days event to Atlanta this year. The first session of the four-day event will take place Monday afternoon. Here is one question about each of the 14 SEC teams.

EASTERN DIVISION

FLORIDA: Can coach Dan Mullen work his quarterback magic in Gainesville?

After nine seasons as the head coach at Mississippi State, Mullen returns to where it all started for him in the SEC. Mullen was Urban Meyer’s quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator when the Gators last won a national title. Mullen was the tutor for quarterback Tim Tebow, who led Florida to the 2008 national championship. Mullen had success with the Bulldogs where he developed two outstanding quarterbacks – Dak Prescott and Nick Fitzgerald. Mullen has his work cut out for him in with the Gators whose returning starter at quarterback Feleipe Franks completed just 55 percent of his passes a year ago. Florida is coming off its second losing season in the last five years – not a good body of work.

GEORGIA: Are the Bulldogs ready to take off and dominate the Eastern Division?

Florida has been the only SEC East team to have completely controlled the division in history. The Gators had such a stretch twice – once under Steve Spurrier and once under Urban Meyer. Georgia has always been a good team, but it has never been the big dog in the division for a period of time. In his second season as Bulldogs coach, Kirby Smart guided them to the SEC title and a near national championship. Georgia will be the favorite to win the Eastern Division, but Smart must find replacements for a number of productive players. Quarterback Jake Fromm had an excellent freshman campaign as he completed 62 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. However, Fromm lost two top running backs in Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. In addition, the defense will be a much younger group. Let’s hold off a year before saying the SEC East will now be all Georgia.

KENTUCKY: Has coach Mark Stoops reached his ceiling with the Wildcats?

It is a familiar spot for Kentucky football coaches. After experiencing losing records in his first three seasons with the Wildcats, Stoops has posted identical marks the last two years – 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the SEC. It has been 11 seasons since Kentucky won more than seven games. Under coach Rich Brooks, the Wildcats put together an 8-5 worksheet in 2007 – including a victory against national champion LSU. Kentucky has one of the best running backs in the SEC in underrated Benny Snell. However, one gets the feeling that the Wildcats will have to settle for a six or seven-win season and a minor bowl bid.

MISSOURI: How far can quarterback Drew Lock carry the Tigers?

No SEC team was hotter than Missouri in the second half of the 2017 regular season. The Tigers won their last six games, including four against SEC opponents – Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Lock was the individual behind the Missouri surge. The Tigers scored at least 45 points in all six of those victories. For the year, Lock completed 58 percent of his passes for nearly 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. After two losing seasons, Missouri finally broke the .500 mark with a 7-6 record. The Tigers won back-to-back SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014. Lock, who is projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick in 2019, will be asked to put this Missouri team on his shoulders.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Can the Gamecocks live up to their darkhorse role?

Most college football observers believe that Georgia will successfully defend its Eastern Division title. But, the team which may have a chance at knocking off the Bulldogs is South Carolina. Will Muschamp may have been unsuccessful as the Florida head coach, but he appears to be building something worthwhile in Columbia. The Gamecocks improved their overall record by three games in Muschamp’s second season – going from 6-7 to 9-4. South Carolina had not won more than seven games since 2013. Moreover, the Gamecocks won five SEC games – their first winning league record also since 2013. South Carolina does have a winner at quarterback in Jake Bentley. In addition, Georgia must travel to South Carolina. Don’t sell Muschamp’s Gamecocks short.

TENNESSEE: Is Jeremy Pruitt the answer for the Volunteers?

The situation deteriorated quickly for Tennessee coach Butch Jones. The Volunteers won nine games in both 2015 and 2016, but they were not a factor in Eastern Division – losing seven conference games in that two-year span. Then, Tennessee went winless against SEC teams in 2017 – a first-time occurrence in school history. As would be expected, Jones was fired. Pruitt, the defensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama, was hired as Jones’ replacement. Derek Dooley, another Saban assistant, was unable to get the job done in Knoxville. Pruitt must be given some time as he is not taking over a championship-contending program. The Volunteers have one winning SEC record in the last ten years.

VANDERBILT: Can Derek Mason avoid losing his job?

Mason did not have it easy when he became Commodores coach. All Mason was doing was replacing James Franklin, who had guided Vanderbilt to three straight bowl games and two top-25 finishes. Such results do not happen in Nashville. Mason has taken the Commodores to just one bowl game in his four years. Vanderbilt has not had a winning record since Franklin left for Penn State. A bowl game is a must if Mason is going to be the Commodores coach in 2019. Reaching a bowl game will be a tall task. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur must deliver a big year.

WESTERN DIVISION

ALABAMA: Who will be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide?

This question is obviously the biggest one in the SEC, if not the entire country. Jalen Hurts, who lost two games as a starter in his first two seasons, was benched at halftime of the national title game against Georgia. True freshman Tua Tagovailoa entered the game and sparked a comeback which resulted in an Alabama overtime victory. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has not named a starter and probably won’t until deep into preseason practice. Tagovailoa is certainly a much better passer than Hurts. However, Hurts can hurt defenders with his running ability. Moreover, Hurts doesn’t turn the ball over – a quality Saban desires from his quarterback. Regardless of the quarterback, the Alabama offense should be quite effective in 2018.

ARKANSAS: When will the Razorbacks make it easy on themselves?

Remember when Bobby Petrino had things going in Fayetteville. Arkansas won 21 games during the 2010-11 seasons on the strength of a wide-open passing attack. Then, Petrino was fired for an off-the field issue. Interim coach John L. Smith was replaced by Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. So, a team recruited for the pass had to adjust to Bielema’s run-oriented offense. Not surprisingly, Bielema had a tough time – losing 12 of his first 14 SEC games. The Hogs started to make some progress, but they blew big leads and lost the final two games of the 2016 season. Arkansas won just one league game in 2017 and Bielema was fired. But, the Razorbacks replaced Bielema with SMU coach Chad Morris. Here’s the problem. Morris uses a wide-open passing game. So, it will take time for Morris to bring in players who fit his system and not that of Bielema. Expect a slow start for Morris.

AUBURN: Can Tigers bounce back from a disappointing end to the 2017 season?

Auburn felt pretty good about itself after closing the 2017 regular season with conference victories against Georgia and Alabama. The Tigers, whose only SEC defeat came at LSU, shared the Western Division title with the Crimson Tide. By virtue of its home victory against Alabama, Auburn reached the conference chsmpionship game. However, the Tigers’ winning ways came to an end when the Bulldogs came away with a convincing victory. Then, Auburn dropped its Peach Bowl game to Central Florida. The Tigers won ten games for just the second time since their 2010 national title season. But, those two losses stunned Auburn. The Tigers, who will be led by quarterback Jarrett Stidham, will once again have a good team in 2018. It will be interesting to watch how coach Gus Malzahn’s squad recovers from those two setbacks at the end of last season.

LSU: Is Joe Burrow finally the answer at quarterback?

Everyone knows the history. The Tigers have enjoyed great success without having a highly-rated quarterback. LSU won national championships with good quarterbacks in Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn. Zach Mettenberger and Danny Etling, two transfers, were adequate quarterbacks. However, they were not ones who could lead a team to a SEC title. The 2018 version of the Tigers is not a conference contender. But, LSU could be a top-ten team in 2019 if it can find one of those big-time players at quarterback. Burrow, an Ohio State graduate transfer, is expected to be at quarterback for the season opener against Miami. The coaches speak highly of Burrow’s intangibles. His talent may be at a level slightly above that of Etling. If such an evaluation proves to be true, the Tigers could be back as a double-digit win team very quickly.

OLE MISS: Will the Rebels miss quarterback Shea Patterson?

Patterson went down with a knee injury in the LSU game. In stepped Jordan Ta’amu, who sparked the Rebels to three victories in their last five games. Ole Miss scored at least 31 points in all five of Ta’amu’s starts. The Rebels lost close games to Arkansas (38-37) and Texas A&M (31-24). Ta’amu performed well as Ole Miss upset Mississippi State in the regular-season finale. Ta’amu completed 67 percent of his passes for almost 1,700 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. He averaged 9.7 yards per pass attempt. Patterson, who transferred to Michigan, completed 64 percent of his passes for more than 2,250 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He averaged 8.7 yards per pass attempt. Ta’amu’s skill level will enable coach Matt Luke to have a chance of having a winning record in 2018.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Can the Bulldogs continue to improve their record with a new head coach?

Dan Mullen did as well as any coach can do in Starkville. Mississippi State won at least nine games four times in the past eight seasons. Dak Prescott turned out to be a very good NFL quarterback. Mullen was in the process of developing Nick Fitzgerald in a similar way. But, Mullen left for Florida after his Bulldogs won nine games in 2017. The new Mississippi State coach is Joe Moorhead, the offensive coordinator under James Franklin at Penn State. Moorhead definitely has the opportunity to get ten victories in his first year with the Bulldogs. Fitzgerald, who has recovered from a leg injury, accounted for more than 2,700 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. Mississippi State also returns 1,000-yard rusher Aeris Williams. It will be interesting to see if the first-year head coach rapidly adjusts to the SEC.

TEXAS A&M: Can Jimbo Fisher get the Aggies out of their rut?

Kevin Sumlin had great success in his first season as Texas A&M coach. With Heisman Trophy-winning Johnny Manziel at quarterback, the Aggies went 11-2 with six SEC victories. But, Texas A&M’s body of work then took a dip – a 9-4 season, three 8-5 years and a 7-6 campaign. The Aggies have not had winning conference record since 2012. So, Sumlin was fired and Fisher moved from Florida State to College Station. Fisher, whose Seminoles had a disappointing 7-6 record a year ago, is a proven winner with a national title under his belt. One would expect Texas A&M to pick up more victories under Fisher than Sumlin. The question is whether Fisher can bring the Aggies a division title.