With the college football season rapidly approaching, Gatorsfirst.com is presenting a different take on the 2009 season every day for the entire month of August. We call it our '' Full Month of College Football Previews''. As part of the project, we are having fellow bloggers and other college football personalities from around the SEC and the rest of the nation give us their take on the current state of college football. This approach will allow us to bring you a much more in-depth look at the 2009 season than we could possibly provide on our own.
The next in this series is the Southeastern Conference season preview, by Justin Goar. Justin used to run the site tigerreport.com, but chose to start writing for Bleacher Report instead. We turned to him for his take on LSU and the SEC. You can find the articles he writes for Bleacher Report here. Check out the interview below.
Projected Conference Finish
Conference Championship: Florida over Alabama
East
Florida 12-0 (8-0)
Georgia 9-3 (6-2)
South Carolina 8-4 (4-4)
Tennessee 7-5 (3-5)
Kentucky 6-6 (2-6)
Vanderbilt 4-7 (2-6)
West
Alabama 11-1 (7-1)
Ole Miss 9-3 (5-3)
LSU 9-3 (5-3)
Arkansas 7-5 (3-5)
Auburn 6-6 (2-6)
Miss State 3-9 (1-7)
Top 5 Freshmen/newcomers
1. Bryce Brown Tenn
2. Onterio McCalebb AU
3. Andre Debose UF
4. Jarvis Giles Scar
5. Trent Richardson Bama
Top 5 Breakout Players
1. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
2. Caleb King, RB, UGA
3. Deonte Thompson WR UF
4. Randall Cobb WR Kentucky
5. Jordan Jefferson, QB, LSU
Player Superlatives
Player of the Year: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Offensive POTY: Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss
Defensive POTY: Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
Overrated POTY: Ben Tate, RB, AU
Underrated POTY: Ryan Mallet, QB, Ark.
Bowl Projections
BCS Championship Game: Florida v. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Notre Dame
Capitol One: Georgia v. Penn State
Cotton Bowl: LSU v. Oklahoma State
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Ole Miss vs North Carolina
Outback Bowl: South Carolina v. Michigan
Liberty Bowl: Arkansas v. Houston
Music City Bowl: Tennessee v. Clemson
And now on to the interview...
Gatorsfirst (G1): How did you become a fan of your team?
Justin Goar (JG): I sort of grew up being an LSU fan but was much more of a Saints fan for football. I followed LSU basketball very closely and really didn’t get into LSU Football until I went there for college in 1994. It didn’t take long however to push all other sports passions aside for LSU football. Ever since college days I’ve been bleeding purple and gold.
(G1): Describe the gameday atmosphere.
(JG): I’ve been to 8 of the 12 SEC schools (not Arkansas, Kentucky, Vandy, or South Carolina yet) and there’s really nothing like LSU on a gameday. It’s the tailgating capital of the world so even for a 7 pm kickoff, it pays to get on campus early to start in on the partying. You can find good tailgating spread all over campus and it wouldn’t be hard to find anyone to take you in and fill you full of good food and alcohol.
That is, if you can stand a little good natured ribbing in the beginning.
Once game time approaches there’s nothing like watching a night game in Tiger Stadium which turns into “Death Valley” once the sun goes down.
(G1): Give me some thought on your coaching staff. Are you satisfied? Do you wish your team ran different schemes? How is recruiting?
(JG): First off, I can’t complain with what Les Miles has done since he started at LSU in 2005. He made a great hire in Gary Crowton (after Jimbo Fisher left) to run the offense. Crowton’s spread hybrid is perfect for the SEC and college football.
Miles made another great hire in getting Bo Pelini, made a not so great decision in promoting co DC’s from within and now time will tell if John Chavis will work out in Baton Rouge. So far, the early reviews from friends and foes have been positive overall regarding the hire.
Not sure how much of the scheme will be changed by Chavis as he usually allows personnel strengths to determine style of defense.
Lastly, recruiting is sailing along under Miles. Two top 3 classes recently and a low watermark of #11 means Les is keeping a steady stream of talent flowing into Baton Rouge every year.
(G1): Who is a player we might not know from your team that you are excited about this season? Why?
(JG): Many different players on this year’s squad have a chance to stand out. On offense, I think the obvious choice is QB Jordan Jefferson but the not so obvious will be what WR’s will be able to step up and take pressure off of Brandon Lafell at the #2 spot. Terrance Tolliver is a big lanky Randy Moss type clone that has great ability on the field. I look for him to break out this year.
On defense there are a few. I really like DT Drake Nevis. He’s a beast who can clog up holes but is also great at getting penetration. Chad Jones moves full time to FS and SS Harry Coleman moves to LB. But I also like youngster Ryan Baker. He’s an undersized LB that lets his hitting do the talking.
(G1): Make one point about your school, and another point about your conference, you think is overlooked on the national level.
(JG): I can’t really honestly say that the SEC is overlooked on any level. I think for years it’s fought for respect but now it’s getting the respect it deserves. With LSU and Florida making the runs they did this decade and with signs of others like Alabama and Ole Miss on the rise there’s little argument that the SEC is the premier conference in the nation. With the new ESPN contract, I’ll doubt the SEC will crave attention.
(G1): What do you think about conference title games? Was it a good idea to add to 12? Would you change something about the conference?
(JG): Funny you should mention that. I was shocked about a year ago when I went to a Florida message board and found out how much Gator fans hate having LSU on the schedule every year. I took it as a compliment and feel the same way about UF being LSU’s lock from the East. It makes for great football but when LSU is competing against teams like Bama and Ole Miss this year for the West, the last thing they need is a team like the Gators possibly putting them a game back in the race. Especially when the Tide and Rebs don’t face Florida this year.
But getting back to your question I love the 12 teams, like the conference championship game. At first I though the conference championship was just an extra hurdle to trip over but then time has shown that it helps as much as it can hurt. Teams get respect from coming out of the SEC as champion and between Florida and LSU, four times this decade they’ve proven that the SEC champ is probably the best team (or one of the best teams) in the country.
(G1): How much did you like the bowl system pre-BCS? As a fan, how much do you concentrate on 'National Championships'? Has this changed in the last decade or so?
(JG): For every single person that complains about the BCS I refer them to what it was like pre-BCS and the fact that #1 could play in the Orange Bowl against #9 and that #2 could play in the Rose Bowl against #3 and there was really no rhyme or reason with voting a #1. It was a popularity contest.
Some would argue that little has changed with the BCS but at least it’s decided on the field. I’m in favor of a small playoff or a plus one but then we’ll just be arguing about the 5th or 9th or 17th team that should have gotten in. Eventually college football will have a playoff but it probably won’t make everyone happy either.
As far as National Championships for LSU I never really focus on those. Like you said, I think the goal should be wining your conference. If you had a strong enough showing through the year to be placed in the big game then so be it, but winning the SEC is paramount.
(G1): What sort of changes, if any should be made to the BCS system? Does this opinion put you in-line or out-of-line with other fans of your team and conference?
(JG): I would be in favor of a plus one or an 8 team playoff but not anything bigger. I get the feeling that some fans want a 16 team playoff but I don’t think it would work as well.
Are the polls a good idea in the first place? Should they play a role in determining a 'National Champion'?
Well they have to have some kind of place for positioning but I don’t think they should start until week 5 or 6. I hate preseason polls.
(G1): How much should non-BCS teams be included in the BCS- and other high payout- bowls? How much do you watch these teams?
(JG): I think teams that prove themselves should get a shot which is why in an eight team playoff you could do that. Have the BCS conference champs and a couple of at larges that I would hope go to teams like last year’s Utah or a 2005 Boise type team. If they want to shake things up so bad, let them try.
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