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
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
3:29 pm
Well, looky here! BeattieFeathers can hold a grudge since 1993. I guess I’m in good company.
No one ever remembers all the times when you do something right… they only remember the time you eff up.
NavyNuke27
August 19th, 2009
3:29 pm
There are ridiculous “guesses” in this article, but one 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
3:32 pm
Even you and I got along in 1993, Smoltzie. It was only four years later that matters took a turn between us.
mdr
August 19th, 2009
3:32 pm
I stopped reading after the comment about Urban Meyer taking a “bunch of no-names” and winning the MNC. Do you have any idea how many 4 and 5 star recruits are in Gainesville right now? I would hardly consider them “no-names”. Meyer wins because he is a great recruiter and an even better coach. Its not rocket science, and its not magic.
mdr
August 19th, 2009
3:34 pm
oh, I just saw your comment above. Ok, it was a joke. Not a funny one, but a joke nevertheless.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
3:38 pm
It’s OK, mdr. You’re right. It wasn’t very funny.
DaddyDawg
August 19th, 2009
3:51 pm
Stick with KY basketball, Bradley…… it’s something you actually know something about! And for the record, I don’t think you’re fat!! :^)
Cuz
August 19th, 2009
4:13 pm
Does that include his head DaddyDawg?
0 0
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Rick
August 19th, 2009
4:19 pm
It’s ovbious this is written for FUN and ENTERTAINMENT, and you morons are taking to way to seriously; like he is telling you the future. Rediculous. How about go disect the Health care Bill lke you did this entertainment piece, and dial up No-Bama with his errors.
tennessee tom
August 19th, 2009
4:27 pm
hey Mark
tennessee could win 4 games just with the defense,you need to stick to covering the olympics.are even better you can cover uga,just wondered if you have ever been to a football practice outside of fulton county
Nashville4UGA
August 19th, 2009
4:40 pm
Mark,
Thank you for picking UGA to finish 8-4. I’m hoping you are wrong this year like you were when you picked us to win it all last year.
but on a side note, I do enjoy reading your articles. everyone has an off day.
Banditdawg
August 19th, 2009
4:41 pm
No way The Okie Cowboys will beat the dawgs. the big 12 is overated every year. It makes no difference who has the bad luck of playing the Gators for the National Championship, the result will be the same. The Gators will chew them up.
Jay
August 19th, 2009
4:45 pm
Typical hack job by Mark. Either he and/or his editors are sloppy and lazy. This kind of trash editing would never go public at a real newspaper.
HAHAHA
August 19th, 2009
4:50 pm
we laugh at UF fans for saying they are 16-3 in the past 19 games and dodge the entire history, and then we say we are 3-3 if we win this year and dodge the previous 19. That is some funny stuff right there.
Regardless, ALL I care about is the PAST year and they have us there. Hopefully, we can change that this year
49-10
August 19th, 2009
4:51 pm
Just give UF the championship now. While UGA was having a pool party, UF was knocking heads and practicing TACKLING…something UGA should have been doing. Instead, the dogs were perfecting their back dives. LMMFAO…..hope they got some sun….what a bunch of tools
tennezz
August 19th, 2009
5:20 pm
Georgia fans pay no attention to Bradley, He is about as smart as the average babboon! There`s no way Ga, loses 4 games or Tn. loses 8!!!
Captian Kirk
August 19th, 2009
5:31 pm
Mark you ain’t exactly SPOCK with your logic but this topic got more posts than anything else today so you at least you got people’s attention. There will be many suprises this year but none like backtracking at Teck. Can you say 7 and 5 season at Ga Teck? Losses to Miami, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Vandy and UGA. Back to earth for the bugs.
sjt18
August 19th, 2009
6:25 pm
Nutt still coaches Ole Miss… UK is still a basketball school… USCe is still, well, USCe… and UT isn’t going to lose 8 ball games.
The Vol cupboard, especially on D, isn’t nearly as bare as most seem to think. If you take the HC’s out of the equation (and this isn’t a shot at Lane Kiffin just comparing apples to apples), UT has the best staff resume in the SEC.
Your article has been duly saved.
Sanford Drive
August 19th, 2009
6:43 pm
I don’t believe that you honestly think UT will finish last in the East. You just like stir the pot. Hey, you’re a lot like Kiffin. Are y’all related?
Aaron
August 19th, 2009
6:43 pm
Mark is a tard . you do not know much he can not even do math right.He better not get a loto ticket because he would only have 4 numbers on a 6 number powerball.
chazzo
August 19th, 2009
7:34 pm
Wonderif seems to think that Stafford did poorly at UGA. Look at the stats, man. As far as the lions, veteran team mates recently bragged how well coached he was and were impressed with the skills he brought with him from UGA. As for your list of coaches, not a single one of them, not even Urban Meyer, wins ten games with that amount of season ending injuries and the schedule UGA played in ‘08 with a bunch of freshmen on the O-line to boot.
I have given the 2008 D a hard time, but if you look at the stats in UGAs losses, it didn’t have a lot to do with game plans. It had everything to do with player execution. I know that that goes back to coaching, but it is also symptomatic of inexperienced and banged up players.
Four of five losses is not inconceivable, but your argument about UGAs coaching doesn’t hold much water.
Personally I’m sticking with at least nine wins, probably ten, but the 11 wins is conceivable, 12 possible with a couple of miracles.
PS I hear that we may get to find out how UF will do with a depleted O-line. Could be interesting. Strong is a great D-co, probably the best. UFs D will keep them winning with Tebow and Meyer getting all the credit.
Cuz
August 19th, 2009
7:54 pm
Sorry chazzo, the Gators get all the miracles. they have Saint Tebow. One Gator said he had a picture of Tebow walking on water. When he showed it to me there he was, in a lake, on top of the water. I then pointed out he was water skiing.
Bill
August 19th, 2009
7:56 pm
USCe is not still USCe. Man, don’t you follow recruiting?
Jack Schitt
August 19th, 2009
9:14 pm
Bradley….which part of town do you buy your crack in? You are so off-base with this bucket of hogwash that I can barely hold down my dinner. I will bet you any amount of money that UT beats your little homer team UGA. Name your price BOZO! You have nerve to take a paycheck from the AJC for writing such garbage. Or are you just trying to PO the readers? Your little UGA Bullpups will be the team more likely to go 4-8 MORON!
My Take
August 19th, 2009
9:14 pm
Mark,
I hate Tennessee, but the Vols are not going 4-8! They went 5-7 last season, and that was due to a lot of things behind the scenes. Tennessee’s defense is not bad, but their offense had no indentity last year. I think Tennessee’s home schedule is very winnable. I can see them finishing 8-4 or 9-3. I also think Auburn will be better than folks think. That game in Athens late in the season has me worried! You can throw out the records when UGA and Auburn play! I remember 10 years ago when Auburn finished like 4-7 or 5-6 and whooped UGA in Athens. Crazy things can happen in the SEC, and the talent level is high across the board. You never know what team will turn it on from week to week.
John
August 19th, 2009
9:33 pm
In truth, immediately i didn’t understand the essence. But after re-reading all at once became clear.
Mark Bradley
August 19th, 2009
11:01 pm
A paycheck from the AJC? Am I supposed to get one of those?
brewdawg
August 20th, 2009
8:17 am
Don’t worry Lane Kiffin fans. If he exceeds expectations this year, he will rise to the top of the Mark Bradley “Flavor of the Month” club. Membership requirements:
1. One decent year exceeding expectations
Disclaimer: Only one-year wonders need apply! Members with previous success at current school will be immediately revoked! Membership void after first disappointing year thereafter.
Previous members include Mark Richt and Jim Mora.
Current members include Thomas Dimitroff, Mike Smith, and Paul Johnson.
blazer
August 20th, 2009
9:28 am
Mark, You have Auburn going 6-6 including wins over WVU and UK. That won’t happen. I agree on UT, it will be ugly. UF will will east, Alabama wins west, but doesn’t have enough offense to beat UF. My upset special of the year will be UK going 8-4.
Dennis
August 20th, 2009
9:45 am
Bradley is way off his rocker with UT. UT finishes no less than 8-4 regular season and beats GA in Knoxville. They start the season 2-0 going into the Swamp and then surprises everyone with how close they play UF. UG will be the only team in the east division to beat UT this year.
robodawg
August 20th, 2009
10:55 am
Mark, you’re picks are not bad, but pretty shy with the upsets. Okay, Ole Miss doesn’t live up to expectations, but who in these parts really thinks they could? Vandy beats Tech and UT falls dead flat in Kiffin’s first year … okay, that’s bolder, and I hope you’re right. But if there were going to be a major upset this season, something in the neighborhood of Ole Miss over Florida last year, or Auburn over Florida and Arkansas over LSU a couple seasons ago, where would you place your chips on that happening? Or will this be a season without surprises?
robodawg
August 20th, 2009
11:01 am
Sorry, last post should read “your picks” — UGA taught me that much.
Trade School Junkie
August 20th, 2009
11:05 am
The Kool-Aid Delusion will start to fade after Dawgs get DRILLED by OKST.
dan
August 20th, 2009
11:11 am
brewdawg
You hit the nail on the head, although I’d like to add that you can apply that logic to most members of the media. The AJC forgets that UGA is only 2 years removed from being shafted out of the National Title game( yeah they didn’t win their conference, but we all know that UGA and USC were clearly the 2 best teams in the country and neither got to play for the title). But the media is notoriously shortsighted. They can say what they want and never be held accountable for when they are wrong, which is quite often. 2007 might as well have been 10 years ago.
dan
August 20th, 2009
11:13 am
Trade School Junkie,
The delusion will be on Tech’s part when they lose in week two to Clemson and finish 7-5, with a loss to UGA. See you on the Flats in late November douchewad!
Mining For More Nuggets | MrSEC.com
August 20th, 2009
11:13 am
[...] the entire SEC schedule and predicted the outcomes of all 144 games. You can click right here to read who he thinks each team will lose to, but below are his projected final standings:SEC East1. Florida 12-02. Georgia 8-43. South [...]
Jason
August 20th, 2009
11:51 am
Why is it all you guys want to say Petrino is leaving? He isn’t going anywhere! His rep has been soiled enough by guys like you and leaving Arkansas anytime within the next 10 years would be career suicide. He is in the SEC, he is at a University with the money to compete with the top programs in the country, the facilities in Fayetteville are second to none AND he has the backing of an entire state! Where is he going to go? GO HOGS!!!
wr_jacket
August 20th, 2009
11:53 am
So Mark, you think Vandy will beat the jackets. I dont think so. You might want to rethink that predition over.
markbradleyisamoron-govols
August 20th, 2009
11:56 am
this has to be to most F***ed up predictions ive ever read. mark bradley is a complete dumb A**. go dig a hole or something because football isnt your calling. i will get a gator tattoo on one A** cheek and a big fat A on the other A** cheek if TENNESSEE goes 4-8. talent wins you piece of s***.
Kevin Howell
August 20th, 2009
12:13 pm
Tennessee 4-8, wow what a d-bag, is this what passes for “sports writing” these days?
John
August 20th, 2009
12:16 pm
Bradley you are ignorant. Tennessee last lost to Kentucky in 1984 not 1981. You just proved that you know absoulutely nothing regarding football. If you covered the game as you said you did you must have not covered it very well. Who hires garbage like you to write about college football? You have no credibility and Tennessee isn’t going to go 4-8. Tennessee is always much better when fools like you predict them to be horrible. Keep it up genius.
John
August 20th, 2009
12:18 pm
I misunderstood what you said but you are still ignorant. 4-8?
Justin
August 20th, 2009
12:59 pm
Mark – I don’t know why you and the rest of the media are so hung up on Spurrier calling it quits. He has said numerous times that he isn’t going anywhere. This team is very young, so he’s not going to hang it up over a 7-5 finish with arguably the toughest schedule in the nation. I don’t have high expectations for this season because there are tons of ? marks surrounding the team. I still think we find a way to beat NC State. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see this team upset UGA in Athens. Dawg fans – you barely got out of Columbia last season with a “W”, so don’t think Cox is going to lead the dawgs to a blowout win in week 2.
JaxDawg
August 20th, 2009
1:03 pm
Mark how do you have Florida going to the NC game, and have an 11-2 LSU in the Cap One game. In that scenario LSU would play in the Sugar. Not too much thought put into the predictions huh?
UGA fans are funny
August 20th, 2009
1:18 pm
These comments are hilarious. Sit back and pick on a man for his work and non research and there are errors all in these posts and comments. I think I am going to save this link to my favorites so when I have a bad day and need a good laugh I can just pull this page up. Thanks puppy dawg fans…
jim filyaw
August 20th, 2009
2:29 pm
even though i don’t see the vols making much noise in the s.e.c. this year, it would be a stretch to see them losing to ky., u.c.l.a., and vandy. perhaps you really are an idiot.
alphaorange
August 20th, 2009
2:37 pm
Mark,
No way the Vols go 4-8.
BruffDawg
August 20th, 2009
3:25 pm
Can anyone explain these furlough days in greater detail? Days off before the GA-FLA game?!?!?!?!?! Days off before the GT game?!?!?!?! They cant come to work or work for UGA those days?!?!?!?! Yeah right richt takes days off b4 florida. I hope that part about flexability is right because they should take most of those days when we play BYE (against whom we are undefeated).
SEC WEST
August 20th, 2009
4:01 pm
I think GA falls hard at AR. They will be far better on both sides of the ball then most think. Other than that you are right on the mark for the most part.
49-10
August 20th, 2009
4:22 pm
dan, brewdawg did NOT hit the nail on the head. Meyer is more than a one hit wonder and Mark thinks very highly on him