The SEC in 2009: Every game picked, one or two correctly!
We’re 17 days from kickoff, and already I know how The Only League That Matters will go. I know because I’ve applied the special Bradley brand of forecasting and come up with this detailed look at the SEC in 2009. Read it quickly, lest I run afoul of the league’s new media policy. (Section 3-a-iii: No writer can mention our school’s names without first slipping Verne Lundquist 10 bucks.)
SEC East
1. Florida: I don’t know how Urban Meyer does it. Every other year he takes a bunch of no-names and wins the national championship. This year, however, he’ll fall just short. He’ll win the first 13 games and then lose No. 14. Regular season: 12-0. SEC title game: Beats LSU. BCS title game: Loses to Texas.
2. Georgia: Joe Cox will be better than Joe Tereshinski III but less good than D.J. Shockley. A loss in Stillwater on Sept. 5 will set the tone for a solid season by most standards but a middling one by Mark Richt’s. Regular season: 8-4, losses to Oklahoma State, LSU, Florida and Georgia Tech. Outback Bowl: Beats Michigan.
3. South Carolina: The Gamecocks will start 0-2, which will set off speculation that Steve Spurrier will quit after the season. They’ll get better thereafter, but not so much better that Spurrier decides to stick around in 2010. Regular season: 7-5, losses to N.C. State, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida. Music City Bowl: Beats Miami.
4. Kentucky: Rich Brooks has taken the Wildcats to bowl games the past three seasons, and who said he was a lousy hire? (Actually, me.) This year Kentucky beats Tennessee for the first time since 1984. Regular season: 7-5, losses to Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Auburn and Georgia. Liberty Bowl: Beats Southern Miss.
5. Vanderbilt: Every half-century the Commodores up and win a bowl game. Last year’s victory over Boston College in the Music City Bowl will have to suffice until, say, 2060. But Vandy will get a consolation prize: It’ll upset Georgia Tech. Regular season: 5-7, losses to Mississippi State, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Kentucky.
6. Tennessee: Lane Kiffin is the new coach. He’s a humble sort of fellow. His humility will be tested. He’ll finish 4-8, one game worse than in the record that season saw Phillip Fulmer shoved out the door. But UT will win on Signing Day, which is all that counts. Regular season: 4-8, losses to UCLA, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
SEC West
1. LSU: The best hire by any SEC school over the offseason — better than Chizik, better even than Kiffin — was the Tigers nabbing defensive coordinator John Chavis, who kept Tennessee afloat the past decade. He’ll put things right posthaste. Regular season: 11-1, loss to Florida. SEC title game: Loses to Florida. Capital One Bowl: Beats Penn State.
2. Alabama: The Tide got a bit ahead of itself last season by rising to No. 1 in the land, but it’ll be in the top five when LSU arrives in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 7. Then it’ll drop out. But there’s a national title coming soon. Regular season: 11-1, loss to LSU. Sugar Bowl: Loses to Oklahoma.
Loading ...3. Arkansas: Hate him all you want, but Bobby Petrino can coach. And here’s where he gets it rolling and becomes the toast of the Ozarks. Then, being Bobby Petrino, he’ll leave to coach the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Regular season: 8-4, losses to Georgia, Alabama, Florida and LSU. Cotton Bowl: Beats Oklahoma State.
4. Ole Miss: The chic pick to win the West, but it won’t happen. The schedule sets up nicely — both LSU and Alabama come to Oxford — but the team isn’t quite that good. A Sept. 24 upset loss in Columbia will grease the chute. Regular season: 8-4, losses to South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas and LSU. Chick-fil-A Bowl: Loses to Virginia Tech.
5. Auburn: Gene Chizik is the new Tiger coach, and I think I speak for everyone when I say, “Gene Chizik?” But give G-Chiz this: Alongside Lane Kiffin, he looks like Lombardi. And he does have that limo thing going for him. Regular season: 6-6, losses to Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama. Independence Bowl: Loses to Missouri.
6. Mississippi State: Dan Mullen has a great pedigree, having coached alongside Urban Meyer. Dan Mullen now has a great impediment — he’s coaching the other Bulldogs. He seems a good hire. Then again, so did Sylvester Croom. Regular season: 4-8, losses to Auburn, LSU, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
And now a word from Verne Lundquist: Actually, it’s still me. Due to my periodic bout of temporary insanity, I did not, in the first take of this post, have a winner in the Georgia-Arkansas, Tennessee-Florida or Tennessee-Auburn games. Actually, I had them in my mind, but I neglected to make them show up above. They’re here now — Georgia over Arkansas, which finishes 8-4; Florida over Tennessee, which finishes 4-8 and finishes sixth in the East, and Tennessee over Auburn, which finishes 6-6 but is still bowl-eligible.
Thanks to all those who pointed out the omissions/errors. I’m in your debt. And I am sorry. There’s no excuse for sloppiness. Except the usual one: That I’m a big fat idiot.
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330 comments Add your comment
BIG UGLIES WIN GAMES!!!
August 19th, 2009
1:59 pm
Didnt Gibson beat BATMAN like he stole something in 2002??
Johnny DangerDawg
August 19th, 2009
1:59 pm
Mark Bradley,
Whether his team is hyped or not, Houston Nutt simply has not been able to put a consistently dominant team on the field for a full season. But this man can win a big game or two every year. He beat the 2008 Gators and the 2007 LSU Tigers on their way to national titles!
yellow fuzz
August 19th, 2009
2:00 pm
The only people Georgia will suprise this year are their Koolaid Lapping Mutt fans.
8-4 NO WAY. 5-7 probably. Hope they come to the Flats with a 5-6 record. I WOULD LOVE TO SEND THEM BACK TO COW TOWN BOWLESS.
Bill
August 19th, 2009
2:00 pm
Sorry pal but I think Spurrier breaks out this year. He’s got more players now. He’ll start 2-0.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
2:02 pm
What about me Bradley? How many games am I going to win? Huh? You’re always leaving me out. I guess you really do hate me. Boo Hoo.
*shrugs shoulders* Watcha going to do?
John(Jacksonville, Fl.)
August 19th, 2009
2:02 pm
Bill – 2-0 start for Spurrier because he has more players now? um ok.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
2:03 pm
I think SOS’s window of opportunity at USC has been shuttered. But I am, difficult though this might be to fathom, occasionally wrong.
Actually, I’m occasionally right. I’m wrong way more often.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
2:03 pm
Quit dogging me out you big meanie poopie head!
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
2:04 pm
I think you’ll win two games, Mr. Smoltz, as a Redbird. And you’ll lose three.
Otto
August 19th, 2009
2:05 pm
So will Kiffin go out and claim a win for some other team?
With Lane running his mouth it wouldn’t surprise me.
Tide Rising, I think you’re right with LSU. Also I think we will hear the talk of Miles being on the hot seat returning again.
btr8500
August 19th, 2009
2:05 pm
I’d rather have teeth pulled than bother with WORTHLESS sec football, what a waste of time during ones life !!!!!!!!!! Gee is my grass growing yet ?
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
2:07 pm
Kiffin will claim victory on Feb. 3, 2010.
?4U
August 19th, 2009
2:08 pm
Explain why you have OK State beating UGA, then UGA beating Arkansas, then Arkansas beating OK State. Possible but whats the logic behind the picks?
Smyrna Man
August 19th, 2009
2:11 pm
Mark, Where you drunk when you wrote this article? Or just too busy with the new “Just For Men, Touch of Grey” Campaign? First off, you cant add, and your history is horrible. UT hasnt lost to Kentucky in 25 years, and has lost to Vandy once in 30 years (when they had Jay Cutler) I will bet you $1000 that you are flat out wrong
Tide Rising
August 19th, 2009
2:13 pm
Mark,
Hold yer horses there fer a minute. Feb. 3rd has been our time to crow as of late. Its been the only date lately where we can claim mythical victories.
johnny reb
August 19th, 2009
2:19 pm
Mark how’s the rehab center treating you? Man, Ole Miss should not even bother playing this year. LSU 11-1 why & how? Lousy D, new QB & the Hat?
Arkansas has zero D.
Stick to another sport.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
2:22 pm
“Just For Gray”? I need me some of that.
I’m well aware of the UT-UK history, SmyrnaMan. In fact, I covered the next-to-last UK win in the Beer Barrel series, and that was in 1981. (I also covered UK’s win over UT in 1977 — Johnny Majors’ first year.)
BD
August 19th, 2009
2:29 pm
Vandy beats GT who beats UGA who beats Vandy who loses to Miss St. who gets beat by GT.
Wonderful logic.
Hillbilly Deluxe
August 19th, 2009
2:30 pm
MB
I think you’re being a little hard on yourself. You don’t look at all fat in your picture.
NeNe's Greg's boss
August 19th, 2009
2:32 pm
Florida 49
Georgia 10
Halftime- Bama 31
Georgia 0
Tech 45
Georgia 42
Volman
August 19th, 2009
2:36 pm
It’s REALLY easy to take shots at Kiffin, isn’t it Mr. Bradley? What a TERRIBLE prediction. In Tennessee’s worst year in over 20 years, they STILL beat Kentucky and Vanderbilt..and you have them losing to both of them? Give me a break.
What a joke. At least you got the UGA/GT game right.
This blog is a fail. Major fail.
UGASlobberknocker
August 19th, 2009
2:38 pm
Mark, you have Georgia underrated and you have LSU overrated. I think you are absolutely right about Ole Miss,,also think Tennessee will be better than 4-8. My predictions
Georgia 10-2 loses to Fla and somebody else but not to LSU not to Tech
LSU 9-3 at best..losing to Ga Fla and prob Alabama
Alabama they better get some more offense if they are going 11-1. I predict 10-2 at best for them.
But then, I could be wrong
Gabby Greeene
August 19th, 2009
2:40 pm
The problem, DirtyDog, is that you have nothing to wager…..except your false sense of security by hiding behind your Mommy’s computer.
Urban Meyer's Tears
August 19th, 2009
2:44 pm
Gotta love someone who can post two separate win/loss records in the same 4 sentence paragraph. Perhaps more focus should have spent on mediocre attempts at humor. Oh wait, that was probably the problem to begin with. Nevermind.
Volman
August 19th, 2009
2:45 pm
Also, you make it sound like it is KIFFIN’s COACHING that will make this year’s Tennessee team play WORSE. They have a TOP NOTCH coaching staff in place, so you have got to be crazy. A complacent Tennessee program won 5 games last year (and it could have EASILY been 8 games). You are going to tell me that Kiffin can’t come in with his star-studded coaching staff and get more out of his players? Did he not recruit any good freshmen? You have to remember, this isn’t FULMER anymore. Kiffin will play the best players. Maybe if you read any articles about the Vols players this year and heard how much they are behind Kiffin and how they have NEVER WORKED HARDER in their lives. They were complacent under Fulmer.
But, I guess that doesn’t fit into the equation. Kiffin “can’t coach” because he has run his mouth? Or is it that he’s just an easy target? Why don’t you try something original other than blasting Kiffin. Seriously.
WHY DON’T YOU TALK ABOUT HOW MARK RICHT IS THE NEXT FULMER? How he has so much talent but can’t maximize it on the field? Or what about how Les Miles should be on the hot seat?
Or what about how Ole Miss is playing with Ed Orgeron’s players?
Please come up with something ORIGINAL Mr. Bradley. Don’t be “complacent” and go the easy way out.
Looks like you did….and that’s sorry.
Nick
August 19th, 2009
2:46 pm
Bradley is an Idiot and makes too many errors. When it’s all said and done, he is WRONG most of the time. I can’t believe this jerk is a sports writer. The AJC might needs to start collecting new resumes. This guy is BRAIN DEAD….
Volman
August 19th, 2009
2:47 pm
I guess you didn’t even take into account the 8 home games this year Mr. Bradley.
Come on now.. You need to try harder at this man. I am genuinely disappointed in this effort. I read your blogs and like most of them (except the heavy-UGA ones) but this is just drivel.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
2:48 pm
Thanks, Hillbilly. But I’m feeling a bit bloated today. Must be the Krystal effect.
coolaid drinker
August 19th, 2009
2:52 pm
Mark, HBC only has 7 seniors. His wife is in a masters program. Scotty Spurrier is graduating USC and wants to be a graduate assistant. I think He will win 7 and stay at USC.
ReptilesRule
August 19th, 2009
2:58 pm
Another day, another useless prediction. Well, right now everyone is undefeated. I say…LET’S GET IT ON!!!
what the hell
August 19th, 2009
2:58 pm
When is the ajc going to get a sports writer who knows what he is talking about. You maybe right about picking only 1 or 2 of these correctly.
I agree GA will not be the major power they have been over the past few years, but losing to a Big 12 team in OSU which is maybe the 4th or 5th best team in the big 12 is a stretch. Everyone knows there is no defense in the Big 12 and we all saw last year what happens when an unstoppable Big 12 offense (texas tech) faces a mediocre SEC team (ole miss).
As for the rest of your predictions. Well, they are way off as well. I mean Arkansas ahead of Ole Miss, please. the only 2 things you got right were LSU and Florida winning their respective divisions.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
3:01 pm
Come on dudes, especially you VOLMAN. Give my old pal Bradley a break. Everyone knows Tennessee sucks. He is the first to tell you he’s wrong most of the time. His predictions had to start somewhere! If he was to take into account the bias of every single fan that supports their team, he would have how many scenarios? Geesh, calm down.
2 wins? Is that all you’re going to give me? Shoot.
southgadawg88
August 19th, 2009
3:01 pm
This year some teams are overrated and some are under rated as usual.My guess is FLA,ALA and UGA 10-2.LSU and Ole Miss 9-3.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
3:05 pm
But key wins, Mr. JS. Key!
Volman
August 19th, 2009
3:08 pm
Bias? It has NOTHING to do with bias. At the VERY LEAST he could have took into account that the worst UT team in about 20+ years went 5-7…and he thinks they will do WORSE? With 8 games at home? Give me a break.
Oh, and it’s “If he were…” not “if he was”. Geeesh.
I’ll calm down when you can speak/write correctly.
Voice of Reason
August 19th, 2009
3:11 pm
As many people as there are out of work right now it AMAZES me that Mark Bradley still has a job writing about college football. Texas beats UF in the championship game? Tech beats UGA again? Give me break. You sir, are a moron who isn’t worth the paper you’re printed on.
MightyQuinn
August 19th, 2009
3:12 pm
Who cares about college football and the NFL. I’m ready for some ARENA football! What? Oh, never mind.
Joe
August 19th, 2009
3:14 pm
The Dawgs aren’t losing to OSU,LSU,GT,or UF………..I’ve got them going 11-1, with the loss to the Hogs.
Cuz
August 19th, 2009
3:15 pm
Three pages from a 9:00 post. Bradley is one astute maroon.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
3:16 pm
Vol”ROID”man – Karma will get you.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
3:16 pm
Nice pick, Joe.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
3:19 pm
He could have “took”? Hmmm. Wonder what that is all about?
BILLY JACK
August 19th, 2009
3:21 pm
Hey Bradley-I think it was you a few years ago that was all over Boise States bandwagon the first game against UGA and they got blasted around 6 touchdowns.I smell the same thing here vs Ok St.Floridas no name team as you call them like Tebow-Spikes and all the other All-Americans the Gators have is the reason not only Georgia has not beaten them but many others have not beaten them as well.Georgia will not lose to Ark or Tech and will probably beat LSU.You predicting Georgia will go 8-4 shows you are a moron.The team with the best OL in the SEC does not go 8-4.Do your SEC homework IDIOT.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
3:22 pm
I don’t believe I picked Boise State to win in Athens. Could be wrong, though. I’ve been wrong a lot today.
Not Disappointed
August 19th, 2009
3:22 pm
What did I miss, Mark?
Okay,I think the pups can beat OSU if they score last. I’m still not feeling the Vany of My Jackets, but Brother Tebow and the Gators will repeat again.
It does look like an awesome up and coming season. “GO Jackets!”
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
3:23 pm
Oh, and the thing about Florida having a no-name team? That was a joke. Not a mistake. Just a joke.
BeattieFeathers
August 19th, 2009
3:23 pm
Mark never ceases to amaze with his vitriol and bile as it relates to the Vols. I recall his 1993 column when he predicted Terry Bowden would be a better hire than Phil Fulmer. I also recall he predicted UGA would win the mnc in 1988. He also said Jim Donnan was a great hire in 1996. Mark, give it up as you’re a douche bag…..
Cuz
August 19th, 2009
3:26 pm
That is an insult to douche bags everywhere.
NavyNuke27
August 19th, 2009
3:27 pm
There is some ridiculous crap on here Bradley, but one comment stands above the rest; do you really believe Tim Tebow will lose his last game in a Florida uniform? Does anyone?
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
3:27 pm
I also called Tennessee “a model program” the day before the 2001 SEC championship game. (My vitriol was running low that week.) Naturally, the Big Orange lost to LSU the next day.
And I’ll have you know that I’ve always had the greatest respect for Tennessee, for two reasons: No. 1, Mr. Haywood Harris; No. 2, the former Vol Hal Littleford, with whom my dad played baseball in the Army.