SEC Coming Attractions: West QB rankings, Muschamp on hottest seat; more
As if the SEC West needed further proof of the sway it holds on the college football landscape, the latest AP Top 25 supplied it.
With Mississippi State going from unranked to 14th following its victory in Baton Rouge, six of the division's seven teams appear in the poll. That's six more than the ACC, three more than the Big Ten and Big 12 and two more than the Pac-12, all coming from one half of the SEC.
That's complete and utter domination.
What's been so compelling about the West is the quarterback play. A division that was moving on past AJ McCarron (Alabama), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) and Zach Mettenberger (LSU) has seen a new star emerge in the Aggies' Kenny Hill, and the Crimson Tide's Blake Sims just deliver an epic win over Florida -- not to mention the improved play of veterans Dak Prescott (Mississippi State), Nick Marshall (Auburn) and Bo Wallace (Ole Miss).
We know how the teams rank -- at least according to the pollsters -- but the QBs? That's up for debate as we dig in for this week's SEC Coming Attractions.
The division boasts the league leaders in pass efficiency (Sims at 190.8), yards (Hill with 1,359), yards per game (Wallace's 341.0), yards per completion (LSU's Anthony Jennings with 18.0), total offense (Hill at 366.3 per) and yards per attempt (Sims' 11.25). In fact, there's just one major passing category where the West doesn't top the SEC, as Missouri's Maty Mauk's 14 TDs lead the conference. As we dig into the meat of the conference schedule, here's how the West's passers stack up:
• Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: He's the SEC's best combination of runner/passer with 964 yards passing and 11 TDs and 378 yards and three scores on the ground. Previously a dark-horse Heisman Trophy contender, he has everyone's attention after beating LSU, and the skills to stay in the race.
• Kenny Hill, Texas A&M: Kenny Trill, who threw for 511 yards his first time out, ranks third in the nation in passing TDs (13) and sixth in total offense. But his rookie campaign will largely be defined by an upcoming stretch of No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 3 Alabama in consecutive weeks.
• Bo Wallace, Ole Miss: Wallace's judgment, it was believed, was the only thing that could hold the Rebels back. He's second in the SEC in efficiency (190.0) and has thrown just one interception in his last 58 passes since that three-pick opener vs. Boise State. A healthy Dr. Bo has improved dramatically.
• Nick Marshall, Auburn: This is admittedly low for a guy who helped his team reach the national title game last year, and while Marshall has been better through the air (more on that later), he still has a 55.4 completion rate. But give credit where it's due: Nobody is better at running the read-option. Nobody.
• Blake Sims, Alabama: Sims, who threw for 445 yards on Florida and has a 73.2 percent rating, could finish much higher on this list by season's end. But how much of this is Sims and how much of it is taking advantage of opportunities created by the running game and All-Universe receiver Amari Cooper?
• Brandon Allen, Arkansas: The raw numbers aren't overwhelming as he sits 11th in the SEC in yards (552) and, but he's been adequately effective when called upon to throw in Bret Bielema's run-heavy scheme, posting a 162.5 rating (fifth) and tossing eight TDs (tied for sixth).
• Anthony Jennings/Brandon Harris, LSU: On talent alone, the Tigers should be ahead of Allen. That being said, who is the man here? Jennings has experience but struggled vs. Mississippi State, while Harris (three TDs in his first 11 completions) provided a spark. We'll re-evaluate after this gets sorted out.
Get Your Popcorn: There's not a Super Soldier, a genius/billionaire/playboy philanthropist, a big green monster or a demigod, but the West's QBs do have some level of powers. How else can they make us forget about a Heisman winner and the Tide's swimsuit model-marrying poster boy?
The defense has always been what Gator fans could fall back on amid the woes under Will Muschamp. During his three previous seasons, Florida's D had an average ranking of fourth in FBS, but the unit is currently 82nd after giving up 645 yards to Alabama and 450 vs. Kentucky in back-to-back games. Add that to the continued offensive problems and Muschamp's job security is once again up for debate with No. 17 LSU, Missouri, No. 12 Georgia, No. 13 South Carolina and No. 1 Florida State still on the schedule. After going 4-8 last year, it's going to take an upset or two just for the Gators to get bowl eligible this time around. Barring a major turnaround, it's growing more and more difficult to see Muschamp making it through the season, let alone return for 2015, as his buyout has dropped from $8 million after last year to $6 million this time around.
Get Your Popcorn: because there's got to be a silver lining to this whole thing, doesn't there Florida? There has to be something.
Steve Spurrier had reason to call the Gamecocks' play last weekend at Vanderbilt "embarrassing." The opener against Texas A&M -- in which Hill threw for a school-record 511 yards -- was one thing, and we know what East Carolina (321 through the air) is capable of. But to follow a strong performance against Georgia (191 passing yards) with letting the Commodores' downtrodden offense, which came in 114th in the nation in passing (144.7), throw for 223? South Carolina now sits 116th vs. the pass, giving up over 311 yards per game and this Saturday has to contend with Mauk and Missouri. The Gamecocks have the leg up in the East, having already beaten Georgia, and beating the Tigers would seemingly all but put them in the SEC title game. But it's on that pass defense, which could swing the door open for Missouri and Georgia in the division without some improvement vs. Mauk and Co.
Get Your Popcorn: We here at Coming Attractions can all too easily imagine Spurrier standing on the Williams-Brice Stadium field, staff in hand, yelling out "You shall not pass." It may not work the way his Gamecocks' secondary has performed, but then again, it can't hurt.
We've already seen Florida have issues with Kentucky --but survive -- when it had Alabama on the horizon. Then last weekend Missouri -- which had that aforementioned trip to South Carolina awaiting -- was stunned by Indiana at home. A pair of SEC teams have potential trap games this week, as No. 10 Ole Miss hosts Memphis and the sixth-ranked Texas A&M gets Arkansas in Arlington. The Razorbacks haven't won an SEC game since Oct. 13, 2012, and Hill and the high-scoring Aggies wouldn't seem the prime choice to end said drought. But in the weeks after Arkansas, A&M takes on Mississippi State, the Rebels and Alabama in consecutive weeks. For a team that's average against the run (42nd at 124.8 per), Alex Collins and the Hogs ground game could be tough to keep off the field. Ole Miss gets the Crimson Tide on Oct. 4, but the Rebels coach sounds determined not to overlook the Tigers. ''We play Memphis this week," Hugh Freeze said. "I can't, for the life of me, understand why people would jump the gun." The Tigers haven't beaten a Top-25 team since 1997, but are 2-1 this year, with that one loss coming via then-No. 11 UCLA by seven points.
Get Your Popcorn: Everyone focuses on Rocky Balboa in the iconic first film in the 'Rocky' franchise, but Apollo Creed admittedly took Rocky too lightly, setting up the plot for that movie's sequel. A choice for Coming Attractions' readers: Would you rather see Bielema punching sides of meat or Freeze heading to the ring to 'Living in America?'
While we've already dedicated nearly 500 words on the West's QBs, Marshall deserves some additional attention. He generated a ton of praise -- including from this author -- for what he did with his arm in the Tigers' 20-14 survival at Kansas State. The facts remain that while Marshall continues to deliver in the clutch -- see his third-and-nine throw to Duke Williams in Manhattan -- his completion percentage (55.4), yards per attempt (6.8) and rating (126.8) are all down after last season. So after an offseason of Gus Malzahn professing he wants Auburn to evolve its aerial game, has Marshall delivered? There is growth in the Tigers, though it's clearly a matter of a weapon they added: Duke Williams. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound junior college transfer has emerged as Marshall's go-to target with 21 catches for 324 yards and two TDs (he also dropped a sure-fire score vs. K-State); that's two more than all the other Auburn receivers combined. With preseason All-SEC wide out Sammie Coates still recovering from a left leg injury, there's the potential for this Tigers team to be able to cause opponents fits in the vertical passing game, and in turn, open things up further for that vaunted ground attack.
Get Your Popcorn: Aladdin had his name on the marquee and wound up with the girl. But it was Genie that made the biggest contributions. Nobody is saying Marshall isn't deserving of top billing, but Williams is showing an explosiveness that makes him much more than a sidekick.
