Nebraska fans are split on Bo Pelini. There are a bunch of Cornhuskers fans who really don’t like the guy at all and want him canned in no time. On the other hand, there are a decent amount of fans who appreciate the hard nosed spirit he brings to Lincoln and hope he stays around for forever. Pelini is back for another year.
Indiana was pegged by many as a team that should be one of the most improved in the country last year. They did improve to 5-7, but they fell short of their goal of reaching a bowl game. Indiana had just one win in 2011. They won four games in 2012 and five games in 2013.
Head coach Gus Malzahn really cooked up a magical season in 2013. The Tigers pulled off a couple of nail-biting victories, and that’s not counting Chris Davis’s legendary “Kick Six” in the Iron Bowl versus Alabama.
The combination of the continuity of the Les Miles coaching regime and the recruiting hotbed that is the Louisiana-east Texas area always has the cupboards well-stocked in Baton Rouge. Whether you’re making a gumbo or assembling a football team, that is a desirable position to be in.
The job of second-year head coach Mike Stoops is primarily to build the excitement and buzz of a football program belonging to an unabashed basketball school – and in a cutthroat conference at that.
Rising up in the SEC is very difficult. Since head coach Dan Mullen came to campus he has had a high level of success at a school that really isn’t accustomed to it, but they still haven’t broken through.
Ole Miss finished strong last season winning both their annual battle with Mississippi State and their bowl game against Pittsburgh, creating a feeling of confidence heading into the 2013 season.
Auburn had a staggering fall last season to a season of zero wins in the SEC and a 3-9 overall record. The performance, or lack thereof, cost coach Gene Chizik his job and it is hard to believe that this program won a national title within the last recruiting cycle.
Last year was a disaster of a season for Arkansas. They followed up an offseason of upheaval with a season that included embarrassing performances against Alabama and Texas A&M – getting outscored 108-10 – as well as a loss to Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt.
Ever since Alabama rose to the top of the SEC West, and the nation, LSU has been forced to take a backseat…and they don’t like it. These two teams have waged some great battles over the last few seasons but the majority of the time Alabama has come out on top so they have grabbed the spoils.
In some ways writing about Alabama is hard because there isn’t much to write that hasn’t already been written. Yes they are the two time defending national champs (3 in 4 years). Yes they have one of the best coaches in America (Nick Saban).
Things did not go swimmingly for Missouri in their first tour of the SEC last season as they dealt with injuries and poor performance overall. They were able to notch only two conference victories against the bottom of the SEC East, Tennessee and Kentucky.
It has been awhile since there was any reason to be excited about Kentucky football but with the hire of Mark Stoops as head coach they may have finally found someone who can get the program back to some level of sustained success.
South Carolina enjoyed another very good season last year, finishing 11-2 after a bowl win for the second year in a row. Even though coach Steve Spurrier is known as an offensive genius it is defense that leads this club and they are led by the most dynamic defensive player in the nation – Jadeveon Clowney.
Georgia has been very good over the last decade but never really able to break through in a big way. Maybe this year is the year they can, led by a senior QB captaining an offense that should be among the best in the conference and the nation.
Vanderbilt amazingly finished last season 9-4, the most wins they have had since 1915. The team finished on a 7 game winning streak and it was a very exciting season in Nashville.
