There has been so many off field distractions in the offseason that it’s really mind boggling. My head’s been spinning every night watching College Football Live and seeing the latest idiotic act by players or boosters and some coaches. Miami is a total mess. I could go down the list, but it’s no fun to talk about. LSU is one school I will discuss though. Jordan Jefferson may need his head examined. Why the senior starting quarterback for the LSU Tigers, which have a shot to possibly play for the national championship if they could get by Alabama (which would be difficult), would risk his senior year, a chance at maybe making an NFL roster, and just representing his team as a leader, go out to a bar during camp and what it looks like kick a guy in the head repeatedly because he honked his horn at him is really beyond comprehension. Being at a bar when your team is in the mix for doing some great things is dumb enough. I may be in the minority, but I don’t think college football players should be drinking during camp. They certainly shouldn’t be in a bar. I don’t care about this excuse that they’re college kids. A lot of ’em aren’t even 21 so it’s against the law for them to drink any way. It wasn’t that way when I was in college– the age was 18– but times have changed. There is too much danger associated with drinking and driving now and these guys have been told time and time again by their coaches and various motivational speakers and counselors to not do it. To risk that, is really ignorant. If Jefferson kicked the guy in the head several times–there was one guy who had three fractured vertebrae from the fight–he’s committed what should be a felony assault offense. He could be in a lot of trouble. He could ruin his whole team’s season by being, and please excuse my language, a total dumbass. Les Miles is probably not getting much sleep tonight thinking about what’s ahead. Ironically, the best quarterback on their team is the third string qb, Zach Mettenberger. This could work out for LSU and Miles even if Jefferson doesn’t make it back. Mettenberger, from what I’ve seen, is special. Jaret Lee is ahead of him on the depth chart, but if they want to win and Jefferson is not going to play against Oregon, they might be smart to go with Mettenberger. I saw him in the Georgia spring game in 2010 and he was excellent. He acted like an idiot there and got kicked off the team, but he seems to be out of trouble now. I’ve never been sold on Jefferson; he’s always been erratic. We’ll find out more in the next couple of days whether Jefferson will be arrested and probably out of football for the year or he gets exonerated and can play. At this point ,with two or three eyewitnesses saying they saw him kicking a guy in the head, it doesn’t look good for Jefferson. And if the allegations and the accounts are true, Jefferson should be kicked off the team. He’s really ruined a great situation by being a complete idiot. Maybe he’ll be exonerated, but it doesn’t look good at this point.
With that said, I do want to talk about what we all want to talk about with kickoff less than a week away as of right now. Wisconsin-UNLV open the season next Thursday Night and Kentucky plays I think Western Kentucky later that night. I really like Wisconsin. Think they are loaded. Huge linemen, great backs and now a stellar qb in Russell Wilson, the transfer from North Carolina State. I think he’s going to help them win the Big Ten. They’ve got the horses and I love their smash mouth Old School football. Wilson gives them a lot of big play ability as well. I really like their coach, too, Beliema. He seems special.

But let’s look at our conference. Here are my thoughts.

Order of finish: West: 1. Alabama, 2. Ms State, 3. Arkansas, 4. LSU, 5. Auburn, 6. Ole Miss

1.Bama is so loaded at linebacker, they could put five or six of their guys on NFL rosters right now. They would all start in a year or two. They’re eight deep back there. It starts with Dont’a and Courtney Upshaw. Dont’a sounds like he’s back to ’09 form before the knee injury. Dont’a at full speed is dominant. He’s a punishing tackler and playmaker. May not have Ro’s ability to make interceptions, but is just as tough and a great leader. Courtney is going to be awesome. He will dominate. He could have 15 sacks  this year. Wouldn’t put it past him. Then you have Nico Johnson and Jerrelle Harris, who looks to have off field issues behind him. C.J. Mosely may not start and he’s one of the best linebackers in the league with first round potential. Trey Depriest sounds like a special player as a frosh. Then there’s Chris Jordan and Alex Watkins. I’m leaving out a couple of others, but this could be one of the greatest linebacker corps in college football history because there is so much high quality talent. It’s almost unconscionable how good these guys should be. Secondary looks outstanding with Mark Barron and Robert Lester leading a loaded group. Dline should be pretty good. There are enough good players who will clog up the middle and let these superstar linebackers make plays. On offense it looks like McCarron and Sims will split duty at least in the first game against Kent State. There just doesn’t seem to be any separation between the two. I’m not a big proponent of the two quarterback system, but this sounds like the way S wants to go until he and his staff figure out who the guy will be. It’d be nice if they could do that by Penn State, but certainly by the fourth game against Arkansas. Line looks strong. Maybe not a Julio on the edge, but he’s more a once every five or six years type talent. But Maze and Hanks (when he gets back after two games) are pretty solid. DeAndrew White looks like he be a big play guy. Duron Carter is still not in school. He would help no doubt. He has till Aug. 31 to get in school and be eligible to play. Don’t have any inside information on it, but his dad has been very involved in the program on the practice field. They may make this happen and get Duron on the field. Not sure if freshman Danny Woodson will make it either. Doesn’t look that way right now. But there are some other guys who can produce. I’ve always thought Brandon Gibson was a talent. He’s hungry, too. This is his last go round. Kevin Norwood and Michael Bowman are a couple of others. I love Michael Williams at tight end. He’s a load who can knock his opponent’s block off and has very good hands. He’s 6’5″, 270.

And then there’s Trent. Maybe the most important player on the team. I say he is. Should be an All-American and a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. He’s awesome with a capital A. Eddie Lacy, if he can not fumble the ball, is an excellent second string back and Jalston Fowler is a load with good speed. Blake Sims and Brent Calloway add quality depth. Even losing Corey Grant and Demetrius Goode will not stop this group from being exceptional though they need Trent to stay healthy. He’s the 2010 Julio and 2009 Ingram of the team this year.

All in all it looks like a special season. Right now I like ‘Bama and Wisconsin in my national championship game with ‘Bama winning it. I’m not buying Oklahoma winning it. They seem to always blow it once or twice. They have to go to Tallahassee in Sept and play Texas A&M, a solid team with a good defense, and finish off their season against Oklahoma State, another team that will be making a lot of national noise. I’ve seen Bob Stoops blow a lot of big games. He’s a solid coach, but I don’t think he’s a very good motivator. So I think they’ll lose one game at least.

2. Ms State: I’ve moved them up because Arkansas lost Knile Davis and LSU is in disarray. This team is solid, confident, very good at quarterback and running back, solid on the line, pretty good on the perimeter and has a fast, athletic defense. I think they knock off LSU in Starkville on a Thursday Night in September. Got to go to Auburn the week before and that could be very tough. If they can get through AU and LSU, this could be a special year. Have Tide in Starkville, and play Arkansas at Little Rock in November. Tide game Nov.12, Arkansas Nov.19. It’s tough, but this team is very talented, has one of the best coaches in the country in my opinion and looks pretty doggone talented.

3. Arkansas: They’ve got great talent at qb and wide receivers and the backup rbs are good, but not great like Davis. The defense I guess is improved. Not sure they can stop the real proficient offenses, but they’re better. Petrino is a good coach to have on your sideline, so he could get this team to another BCS bowl. But they won’t beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa and I think State might beat them.

4. LSU: Open with Oregon Saturday week in Jerryville in Dallas. I have been back and forth on this one, but with the disarray LSU is in, like Oregon to beat them. If Jefferson somehow survives these allegations, I may change my mind in my picks next Thursday. This could bring this team together and there is loads of talent. But I like State to beat them in Starkville and they’ll lose to Alabama. I also think they’ll lose to Arkansas.

5. AU: Hate to do this Auburn fans, I just don’t see a real special year. Barrett Trotter will probably be another Chris Todd, who was good, but not great. There is a lot of young talent on this team and I think ’12 could be special, but they’re young this year and there will be some growing pains. Running back very thin behind Dyer and McCalebb. Good players on the perimeter, but will have to step it up if they want  to equal last year’s group led by Darvin and T-Zac. The schedule is just so brutal. At LSU, at Georgia, at Arkansas, State at home, Alabama at home, at Clemson. 8-4 would be a great season and not out of the question. Looking more like 7-5 or 6-6 though, but with a lot of hope on the horizon.

6. Ole Miss: Looks like this Barry Bruneti could be a pretty good quarterback and the team could be pretty good, but just not as good as the others in front of them. Could get six W’s out of the year. That would probably be a good season for them though I know Nutty wants to do a lot better than that. 6-6 seems realistic. Their defense has been terrible lately. I don’t know if they don’t have the players or if DC Tyrone Nix just can’t coach. Seems to be more of the latter to me.

East: 1. South Carolina 2. Georgia 3. Florida 4. Tennessee 5. Ky. 6. Vandy

1. SC: With Lattimore, Jeffery and I guess a reformed Garcia could be some offensive fireworks. Jeffery the best wide receiver in the conference and Lattimore the second best running back to Trent. That’s not only in the conference; that’s in the nation. Defense looks pretty salty. Gilmore an outstanding db and they are really high on Clowney as an immediate star in this league at defensive end. Ellis Johnson is a great defensive coordinator and Spurrier a great offensive mind. Should be a pretty good team  this year. Again, the East is not in the West’s class this year. Not even close.

2.Georgia: Great quarterback in Aaron Murray. Isiah Crowell will be expected to be an immediate star on this team as a freshman running back. It can be done. Lattimore and Dyer proved that last year and Crowell was every bit as highly recruited as those guys. He ran for 1,900 yards and 30 something TDs as a junior and 1,600 and 24 as a senior. He’s definitely special. Georgia starts out with Boise in the Georgia Dome. That is a huge game. I’ll make that prediction next Thursday, but I’m leaning towards Boise. I just can’t go against Kellen Moore. I’ve doubted him and them before and it’s never worked out. They are for real. If Georgia loses that they play South Carolina in another blockbuster the next Saturday in Athens. Kind of like SC in that one, too, at this point. So at 0-2, the pressure would really be on Richt. I think they can come back though and have a pretty good year. They’re a little thin at running back, but look to have some pretty decent receivers, a decent line and a pretty decent defense. Looks like an 8-4 team and if they can sneak one in, 9-3.

3. Florida: Some people are building Florida up as the darkhorse, but I’m not sold yet. Muschamp may bring them back to prominence, but I don’t see that happening this year. They were in such disarray last year and I don’t think they’ll get that totally sorted out this year. I know John Brantley has Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator this year, but I don’t know if he can fix him totally. Florida should be more competitive, but I’m looking at 8-4 with them, too, and I see them losing to Georgia at this point.

4. UT: Tennessee is building itself back up under Derek Dooley. I think he’ll do an excellent job there, but he’s still got a very young team, and although he’s got a potentially stellar quarterback in Tyler Bray, there is just too much youth on the team. One of their starting dbs was just kicked off the team and that looked to be their strongest position. Just too young this year to seriously contend, though I give Dooley credit. He’s not using that as an excuse. 7-5 or 6-6.

5. Kentucky: Looks like another 6-6 or even 5-7 team at UK. I think Joker Phillips is a class man and I like him as a football coach. He’s positive, confident and  a very good offensive coach. They may be better on defense this year but still not good enough to beat  the upper echelon teams of the conference. Could be another bowl game for UK. That’s doing pretty well at a basketball school.

6. Vandy: 6-6 would be the mecca, but 4-8 looks more likely or maybe even worse. Like what James Franklin is doing in Nashville, but it’s going to take two or three more years of great recruiting to get this program even thinking about competing with the upper echelon of the conference. That still may not be enough. But he’s positive and excited. Maybe he can do some good.

Looking forward to getting our season started. Glad you’re back on board. We’re gonna have a lot of fun.

Trent  (photo above) ready to unload on a special season