Will this be the season that someone.....ANYONE....knocks Clemson out of the top spot by season's end? Will Florida State defensive end M. Burnette continue to terrorize opposing QBs with his deadly sacks? Can LSU 5th year senior Jordan Jefferson take over the helm at QB and lead the Tigers back into national title contention? Can speedy Florida senior QB Carlos Phillips emerge from his redshirt season last year to lead the Gators to back-to-back-to-back SEC titles, and perhaps a shot at national glory?
Now, on to the Season 5 Preview:
#1 Clemson
Until someone proves otherwise, the Tigers are our choice to end the season in the top spot, again. The Tigers must overcome some key losses on the offensive and defensive lines, and will be tested early. However, the Tigers first two games against #2 Florida and #6 LSU are at home, and the home crowd should be raucous and ready to lift Clemson to victory. Junior tailback Blake Miller looks to step into the starting tailback role, replacing departing senior Andre Ellington. Miller is a threat running and catching the ball, and will be tough to stop. QB Kyle Parker emerged as a true leader last season, and his membership in the Clemson University glee club, while initally drawing criticism from teammates, eventually led to a new Clemson Tiger tradition. Parker, after each win, would ask his Tiger teammates to join hands and sing "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" to head coach utvol27 in the locker room. Surprisingly, no YouTube footage has emerged of this very un-manly tradition. With the key losses in the trenches, we don't expect the Tigers to come out of this season unscathed, meaning another team might join the elite 2-person "We Beat Clemson" club, but by season's end. The Tigers will find a way to sweet talk the BCS officials and be back in Miami for the national title game.#2 Florida
The Gators are fast! No surprise there. But this year, the speed of the crocidles will be on display like never before. One glance at the RB depth chart strikes fear into the hearys of any opponents, not to mention that word out of Gainesville is that starting QB Carlos Phillips has increased his speed since we last saw him. Phillips, a JUCO transfer from South Dakota State Tech before season 3, led the Gators to an SEC title that year. However, he and new coach StuBucksman butted heads last season, and Phillips was benched for senior John Brantley. "His attitude was terrible," said Coach Stu. "When I got here, all he did was wear jorts and sunbathe. I said, 'Carlos, your laziness is a shame for all white men named Carlos everywhere, you are benched.' So, he redshirted and got even faster and better. Booyah!" Phillips will have a plethora of talented tailbacks to hand the ball too, including speed demons Jeff Demps and Jonathan Ingram, as well as WR phenom Scott Simmons, who became the 1st freshman ever to win the Heisman trophy last season. Simmons also learned to read this off-season, which Coach Stu insists was only a "minor distraction" to the team. Let's face it America, the Gators have all of the tools to win the national title, let alone the SEC title this season. However, their schedule is difficult and includes a likely rematch with LSU in the SEC title game, which knocks the loser out of the national title race. The Gators did it to LSU last season, will the roles be reversed this year?
The Gators are fast! No surprise there. But this year, the speed of the crocidles will be on display like never before. One glance at the RB depth chart strikes fear into the hearys of any opponents, not to mention that word out of Gainesville is that starting QB Carlos Phillips has increased his speed since we last saw him. Phillips, a JUCO transfer from South Dakota State Tech before season 3, led the Gators to an SEC title that year. However, he and new coach StuBucksman butted heads last season, and Phillips was benched for senior John Brantley. "His attitude was terrible," said Coach Stu. "When I got here, all he did was wear jorts and sunbathe. I said, 'Carlos, your laziness is a shame for all white men named Carlos everywhere, you are benched.' So, he redshirted and got even faster and better. Booyah!" Phillips will have a plethora of talented tailbacks to hand the ball too, including speed demons Jeff Demps and Jonathan Ingram, as well as WR phenom Scott Simmons, who became the 1st freshman ever to win the Heisman trophy last season. Simmons also learned to read this off-season, which Coach Stu insists was only a "minor distraction" to the team. Let's face it America, the Gators have all of the tools to win the national title, let alone the SEC title this season. However, their schedule is difficult and includes a likely rematch with LSU in the SEC title game, which knocks the loser out of the national title race. The Gators did it to LSU last season, will the roles be reversed this year?
#3 Florida State
The Seminoles enter this season with a chip on their shoulder and vengence on their minds. Not short of weapons on either side of the ball, this could be the season that coach cjohnchavis's club jumps the hurdle and dethrones Clemson from its perennial reign as ACC Champs. FSU's offense is led by the 3-headed monster of QB EJ Manuel, RB Kendal Pleasant, and WR Blake Beck. The trio have drawn rave reviews coming out of pre-season drills and have even been compared to the Dallas Cowboys Aikman, Smith, Irvin trio of the 1990s. On defense, a star emerged last season in the form of DE M. Burnette, a freak of nature who turned in an NCAA record tying 27 sack season last year. It will be tough to match those numbers, but his mere prescence will make teams adjust accordingly. Burnette has clearly joined the ranks as one of the most dominant forces in RUTS history, and has placed himself in a category with Daquan Bowers and Carlos Dunlap as the most feared defensive ends in RUTS. FSU will be tested early, with a week 1 visit to Baton Rouge. Although the Death Valley crowd will be against them, this veteran offense should be able to handle the crowd noise. Look for Burnette to pressure new LSU Jordan Jefferson all day, and if the Noles can escape victorious, they will be on cruise control until late in the season, when they play rivals Clemson (week 11) and Florida (week 13). If the Noles can win 2 of these 3 games, look for coach cjohnchavis to march his team south into Miami with #1 on their minds come bowl season.
#6 LSU
This is Jordan Jefferson's team now. After starting the first 2 games of his collegiate career in RUTS season 1, Jefferson was benched for freshman Jarrett Lee, and has not started another game since. Until now. Lee's departure sets the stage for what LSu Coach UTVOL54 has termed a "Tee Martin-esque opportunity" to lead the Tigers to the promised land as a first year starter. Jefferson is equipped with a star studded backfield and incredible speed and talent at WR and TE. LSU's RB depth chart is impressive, as starters Bo Outlaw (TB) and Jermaine Osborn (FB) return to the lineup, but speedy and strong backups Ernie Underwood and Tyson Bailey, both of which were #1 RB recruits when they arrived at LSU are making a strong push for early playing time. At WR, Mark Ford (99 speed) and Dee Dee Johnson (98 speed) highlight a group that lacks expereince, but not talent. Look for Marcus Medlock, Mo Robinson, and Theo Oliver to pack a strong punch on what is most likely the most talented group of WRs in the country. During 2-a-day practices, LSU has been tinkering with a spread passing attack, but Coach UTVOL54 would not confirm what exactly the Tigers' strategy will be this season on offense, offering the dreaded line, "we want to get the ball to our playmakers in space." On defense LSU returns many starters and is lead by a talented secondary and SS Danny Scott, who led the team in tackles as a true freshman last season. The Tigers face a murderous first 2 weeks of the season, and with a new starting QB and potentially a new gameplan, it will be tough for LSU to open the season 2-0. Throw in a mid-season visit to The Swamp, and this may be LSU's toughest season yet. But don't count the Tigers out. "We're the current laughing stock of college football," said UTVOL54. Choking away 3 straight title game births will do that. But I like this team and our attitude. We smell like corndogs, and that goes a long way in today's game."
0 comments:
Post a Comment