Recapping the greatest reality show there is, SEC Football
Kevin Gazzale
We have made it. Another long summer has come to a close and we are on the doorstep of Week 1 of the greatest sport in the world, college football. Though I am an NJ native and horse racing enthusiast, I am a Louisiana State University graduate, Class of 2010. As much of a horse racing fan I am, SEC Football is everything to me. As an LSU alumni and fan this offseason in particular has been extremely long for me.
The Lane Kiffin era begins this Saturday and I am naturally optimistic. While I believed Brian Kelly could bring us back to relevancy in the new NIL/CFP era he was never able to get us over the top. A totally revamped roster loaded with talent both through transfers and incoming freshman. While LSU has a difficult schedule this year they do get a nice breakdown of home vs away games and they do get some breaks in the schedule which makes it manageable. I like them to make the playoff this year at a minimum.
Every week I am going to break down the weekend prior in the SEC and offer my thoughts about teams and players trending up and down along with a few betting picks every week to wet the beak. No sense in dancing around it now, lets get into my week 1 picks and a few season long futures.
Week 1
Alabama -28 – Bama comes into this season with probably the worst roster, talent wise, than they have had in probably the last 18 years. Which sounds insane to type out but it’s actually true. They have a revamped offensive line that will likely just not be that good over the course of the season. They are starting a new QB in Keelon Russell who is promising and has all the tools to be a star. They’ll have to replace Jam Miller in the back field even though last year they had a very dissapointing backfield that ultimately hindered them throughout the entire season. Having said all that I think they absolutely put it on ECU here. Kalen Deboer has talked repeatedly about feeling disrespected by the media and public saying that Bama is heading for a down year (they are). I think this is an opportunity for Deboer to make a statement against an inferior opponent.
LSU -10.5 – LSU comes into this game with a totally revamped everything on offense. The Defense will likely be improved, especially up front on the DLine. The Defense was their strong suit last year and should only get better. Especially going against a Clemson offense that is debuting a Chad Morris offense built on a power run game. LSU will be significantly improved on the defensive line and I think that matchup will favor LSU heavily. IT’ll be a Lane Kiffin offense with a juiced up Tiger Stadium looking to make a statement.
Auburn -7.5 – Alex Golesh comes into Auburn with basically a USF roster in an Auburn uniform. Auburn gets a healthy Byrum Brown to start the year and he will be dynamic here against a surprisingly down Baylor Defense considering Dave Aranda’s success at a DC. I think Auburn grinds them into a pulp.
Louisville +6.5 – Ole Miss obviously coming off of an offseason where they spent a lot of money in the portal and have been throwing a lot of support behind Pete Golding. Louisville can be very sneaky in here in a stand alone game where Ole Miss may be looking ahead already to Week 3 against LSU at home.
Season Win Total Plays
Texas A&M Under 8.5 Wins
LSU Over 8.5 Wins
Missouri Under 6.5 wins
Tennessee Over 7.5 wins
Alabama Under 8.5 wins
Lagniappe
Futures Parlay
LSU to make the playoff
Georgia to make the Playoff
Ohio State to make the Playoff
Oregon to make the CFP Semifinals
Bengals to win the AFC North
+3285
Thanks for reading, good luck if you’re tailing. See you next week, Geaux Tigers!
Season Record: 0-0, 0.0u
