2009 SEC predictions

OK, so I started doing this a few weeks ago with the hopes of producing scores and recaps of every SEC game this season. I got through Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn before I got lazy and let other things get in the way of finishing it. I know I wouldn't get nine of these done in the next four days (before the South Carolina vs. North Carolina State game on Thursday night), so here are all of the SEC games, with scores (no recaps). SEC standings and bowl predictions after the scores. Any criticism or praise is more than welcome in the comments section.

Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2, 7-1)

vs Virginia Tech L 13-24 (0-1, 0-0)
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL W 37-6  (1-1, 0-0)
NORTH TEXAS  W 41-3  (2-1, 0-0)
ARKANSAS  W 21-17 (3-1, 1-0)
at Kentucky  W 30-10 (4-1, 2-0)
at Mississippi  W 22-13 (5-1, 3-0)
SOUTH CAROLINA  W 26-8  (6-1, 4-0)
TENNESSEE  W 28-7  (7-1, 5-0)
LOUISIANA STATE  L 13-20 (7-2, 5-1)
at Mississippi State W 20-3  (8-2, 6-1)
CHATTANOOGA  W 45-0  (9-2, 6-1)
at Auburn  W 20-12 (10-2, 7-1)



Arkansas Razorbacks (9-3, 5-3)

MISSOURI STATE  W 45-7  (1-0, 0-0)
GEORGIA   W 20-16 (2-0, 1-0)
at Alabama  L 17-21 (2-1, 1-1)
vs Texas A&M  W 27-10 (3-1, 1-1)
AUBURN   W 33-20 (4-1, 2-1)
at Florida  L 23-48 (4-2, 2-2)
at Mississippi  W 26-18 (5-2, 3-2)
EASTERN MICHIGAN W 49-0  (6-2, 3-2)
at South Carolina W 27-14 (7-2, 4-2)
TROY   W 31-17 (8-2, 4-2)
MISSISSIPPI STATE W 34-9  (9-2, 5-2)
at Louisiana State L 22-26 (9-3, 5-3)



Auburn Tigers (6-6, 3-5)

LOUISIANA TECH  W 24-20 (1-0, 0-0)
MISSISSIPPI STATE W 20-10 (2-0, 1-0)
WEST VIRGINIA  L 13-31 (2-1, 1-0)
BALL STATE  W 28-10 (3-1, 1-0)
at Tennessee  L 24-27 (3-2, 1-1)
at Arkansas  L 20-33 (3-3, 1-2)
KENTUCKY  W 35-17 (4-3, 2-2)
at Louisiana State L 10-24 (4-4, 2-3)
MISSISSIPPI  W 17-15 (5-4, 3-3)
FURMAN   W 41-7  (6-4, 3-3)
at Georgia  L 20-24 (6-5, 3-4)
ALABAMA   L 12-20 (6-6, 3-5)



Florida Gators (12-0, 8-0)

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN W 59-10 (1-0, 0-0)
TROY   W 48-21 (2-0, 0-0)
TENNESSEE  W 55-6  (3-0, 1-0)
at Kentucky  W 37-12 (4-0, 2-0)
at Louisiana State W 27-18 (5-0, 3-0)
ARKANSAS  W 48-23 (6-0, 4-0)
at Mississippi State W 39-10 (7-0, 5-0)
vs Georgia  W 40-19 (8-0, 6-0)
VANDERBILT  W 44-7  (9-0, 7-0)
at South Carolina W 38-14 (10-0, 8-0)
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL W 51-3  (11-0, 8-0)
FLORIDA STATE  W 33-17 (12-0, 8-0)



Georgia Bulldogs (8-4, 5-3)

at Oklahoma State L 17-31 (0-1, 0-0)
SOUTH CAROLINA  W 20-13 (1-1, 1-0)
at Arkansas  L 16-20 (1-2, 1-1)
ARIZONA STATE  W 28-10 (2-2, 1-1)
LOUISIANA STATE  L 13-24 (2-3, 1-2)
at Tennessee  W 25-23 (3-3, 2-2)
at Vanderbilt  W 34-14 (4-3, 3-2)
vs Florida  L 19-40 (4-4, 3-3)
TENNESSEE TECH  W 38-3  (5-4, 3-3)
AUBURN   W 24-20 (6-4, 4-3)
KENTUCKY  W 30-16 (7-4, 5-3)
at Georgia Tech  W 22-13 (8-4, 5-3)



Kentucky Wildcats (6-6, 2-6)

vs Miami (OH)  W 28-13 (1-0, 0-0)
LOUISVILLE  W 23-9  (2-0, 0-0)
FLORIDA   L 12-37 (2-1, 0-1)
ALABAMA   L 10-30 (2-2, 0-2)
at South Carolina L 13-23 (2-3, 0-3)
at Auburn  L 17-35 (2-4, 0-4)
LOUISIANA-MONROE W 37-14 (3-4, 0-4)
MISSISSIPPI STATE W 29-21 (4-4, 1-4)
EASTERN KENTUCKY W 50-7  (5-4, 1-4)
at Vanderbilt  W 20-14 (6-4, 2-4)
at Georgia  L 16-30 (6-5, 2-5)
TENNESSEE  L 20-26 (6-6, 2-6)



Louisiana State Tigers (11-1, 7-1)

at Washington  W 38-6  (1-0, 0-0)
VANDERBILT  W 34-7  (2-0, 1-0)
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE W 47-7  (3-0, 1-0)
at Mississippi State W 31-10 (4-0, 2-0)
at Georgia  W 24-13 (5-0, 3-0)
FLORIDA   L 18-27 (5-1, 3-1)
AUBURN   W 24-10 (6-1, 4-1)
TULANE   W 31-3  (7-1, 4-1)
at Alabama  W 20-13 (8-1, 5-1)
LOUISIANA TECH  W 35-10 (9-1, 5-1)
at Mississippi  W 17-10 (10-1, 6-1)
ARKANSAS  W 26-22 (11-1, 7-1)



Mississippi Rebels (8-4, 4-4)

at Memphis  W 36-10 (1-0, 0-0)
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA W 40-7  (2-0, 0-0)
at South Carolina W 21-18 (3-0, 1-0)
at Vanderbilt  W 24-13 (4-0, 2-0)
ALABAMA   L 13-22 (4-1, 2-1)
ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM W 41-7  (5-1, 2-1)
ARKANSAS  L 18-26 (5-2, 2-2)
at Auburn  L 15-17 (5-3, 2-3)
NORTHERN ARIZONA W 59-0  (6-3, 2-3)
TENNESSEE  W 28-13 (7-3, 3-3)
LOUISIANA STATE  L 10-17 (7-4, 3-4)
at Mississippi State W 25-10 (8-4, 4-4)



Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-9, 0-8)

JACKSON STATE  W 42-7  (1-0, 0-0)
at Auburn  L 10-20 (1-1, 0-1)
at Vanderbilt  L 20-21 (1-2, 0-2)
LOUISIANA STATE  L 10-31 (1-3, 0-3)
GEORGIA TECH  L 13-28 (1-4, 0-3)
HOUSTON   W 24-21 (2-4, 0-3)
at Middle Tennessee W 28-26 (3-4, 0-3)
FLORIDA   L 10-39 (3-5, 0-4)
at Kentucky  L 21-29 (3-6, 0-5)
ALABAMA   L 3-20 (3-7, 0-6)
at Arkansas  L 9-34  (3-8, 0-7)
MISSISSIPPI  L 10-25 (3-9, 0-8)



South Carolina Gamecocks (4-8, 2-6)

at North Carolina State L 20-31 (0-1, 0-0)
at Georgia  L 13-20 (0-2, 0-1)
FLORIDA ATLANTIC W 38-7  (1-2, 0-1)
MISSISSIPPI  L 18-21 (1-3, 0-2)
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE W 41-3  (2-3, 0-2)
KENTUCKY  W 23-13 (3-3, 1-2)
at Alabama  L 8-26  (3-4, 1-3)
VANDERBILT  W 24-14 (4-4, 2-3)
at Tennessee  L 20-23 (4-5, 2-4)
at Arkansas  L 14-27 (4-6, 2-5)
FLORIDA   L 14-38 (4-7, 2-6)
CLEMSON   L 17-24 (4-8, 2-6)



Tennessee Volunteers (8-4, 4-4)

WESTERN KENTUCKY W 37-7 (1-0, 0-0)
UCLA   W 27-21 (2-0, 0-0)
at Florida  L 6-55 (2-1, 0-1)
OHIO   W 35-13 (3-1, 0-1)
AUBURN   W 27-24 (4-1, 1-1)
GEORGIA   L 23-25 (4-2, 1-2)
at Alabama  L 7-28 (4-3, 1-3)
SOUTH CAROLINA  W 23-20 (5-3, 2-3)
MEMPHIS   W 30-18 (6-3, 2-3)
at Mississippi  L 13-28 (6-4, 2-4)
VANDERBILT  W 27-16 (7-4, 3-4)
at Kentucky  W 26-20 (8-4, 4-4)



Vanderbilt Commodores (4-8, 1-7)

WESTERN CAROLINA W 38-10 (1-0, 0-0)
at Louisiana State L 7-34 (1-1, 0-1)
MISSISSIPPI STATE W 21-20 (2-1, 1-1)
at Rice   W 28-23 (3-1, 1-1)
MISSISSIPPI  L 13-24 (3-2, 1-2)
at Army   W 32-10 (4-2, 1-2)
GEORGIA   L 14-34 (4-3, 1-3)
at South Carolina L 14-24 (4-4, 1-4)
GEORGIA TECH  L 10-31 (4-5, 1-4)
at Florida  L 7-44 (4-6, 1-5)
KENTUCKY  L 14-20 (4-7, 1-6)
at Tennessee  L 16-27 (4-8, 1-7)



Eastern Division
Florida   8-0
Georgia   5-3
Tennesssee  4-4
South Carolina  2-6
Kentucky  2-6
Vanderbilt  1-7

Western Division

Louisiana State  7-1
Alabama   7-1
Arkansas  5-3
Mississippi  4-4
Auburn   3-5
Mississippi State 0-8



Bowl Games:
Florida  BCS National Championship
Alabama  Sugar Bowl
LSU  Capitol One Bowl
Arkansas Cotton Bowl
Georgia  Outback Bowl
Mississippi Chick-fil-A Bowl
Tennessee Liberty Bowl
Auburn  Music City Bowl
Kentucky Independence Bowl

**EDIT: Hmm, format fail. Oh well, should be readable enough.**

SEC College Rankings

The U.S. News and World Report 2010 college rankings have come out. Auburn came in tied for 88th in the country overall, and tied for 39th in national public universities. How did we fare against our conference brethren? Check the results, with overall rank and score in parentheses:

1. Vanderbilt University (17, 80)
2. University of Florida (47, 57)
3. University of Georgia (58, 51)
4. Auburn University (88, 42)
5. University of Alabama (96, 41)
6. University of Tennessee (106, 39)
7. University of South Carolina (110, 38)
8. Louisiana State University (128, 33)
8. University of Arkansas (128, 33)
8. University of Kentucky (128, 33)

Ole Miss and Miss State not ranked

#4 in the conference is pretty good, and anytime we can rate ahead of Alabama in anything, that's definitely good. How did the athletics-first SEC fare against the academics-first ACC? Here's their rankings:

1. Duke University (10, 90)
2. University of Virginia (24, 73)
3. University of North Carolina (28, 70)
3. Wake Forest University (28, 70)
5. Boston College (34, 63)
6. Georgia Tech (35, 62)
7. University of Miami (50, 55)
8. University of Maryland (53, 53)
9. Clemson University (61, 50)
10. Virginia Tech (71, 46)
11. N.C. State University (88, 42)
12. Florida State University (102, 40)

In other words, the worst ACC school would place sixth in the SEC in academics. Auburn would be tied for 11th with NCSU. Florida, the SEC's 2nd highest-rated school would be 7th in the ACC. The only thing I can say about these results is....

NERDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009 SEC Season Precictions: Arkansas Razorbacks

For the next installment of this series, I'm going to the so-called Natural State. 2009 will be the second installment of Petrino ball at Arky. How will it work out?

Arkansas Razorbacks (9-3, 5-3)

The 2008 version of the Arkansas Razorbacks were an intriguing team. They started off the season by almost losing to Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe, then were bludgeoned by three top ten teams. The Hogs looked like an awful team for the most part. Then, a funny thing happened; they went to Jordan-Hare and knocked off preseason SEC West favorite Auburn and started turning their season around. They finished 5-7 (2-6), but were probably the most improved team in the league in 2008. I fully expect that momentum to carry over into 2009, especially with transfer QB Ryan Mallett taking the reins of Bobby (spit) Petrino's offense.

Sure wins: Missouri State, vs. Texas A&M, Eastern Michigan, Troy, Mississippi State
Sure losses: @Florida
Toss-ups: Georgia, @Alabama, Auburn, @Mississippi, South Carolina, @Louisiana State

Game-by-game:

Arkansas 45 Missouri State 7: Arkansas shouldn't have as much trouble with its FCS opener in 2009 as it did in 2008. The Hogs roll over the first MSU and start 1-0 (0-0).

Arkansas 20 Georgia 16: Georgia could be a very good team in 2009. They could also be very mediocre. I've already said that I thought Arkansas will be a very good team in 2009, and because this game is in Fayetteville, I'll give the nod to the Hogs. They move to 2-0 (1-0).

Alabama 21 Arkansas 17: See my previous entry on Alabama's season to see a description of this game. Arkansas drops to 2-1 (1-1).

Arkansas 27 Texas A&M 10: This game will be played in Jerry Jones' behemoth of a new stadium in Arlington, in a sort of throwback to the old SWC days. Mike Sherman has the Aggie program in disarray. A&M shouldn't give Arkansas any trouble, even in their home state. The Hogs roll to 3-1 (1-1).

Arkansas 33 Auburn 20: See my previous entry on Auburn's season to see a description of this game. The Razorbacks improve to 4-1 (2-1).

Florida 48 Arkansas 23: The Gators are the most consensus SEC/national champion in a long time. Tebow and company should have no problem getting back to the SEC championship game and the BCS national championship game. Arkansas won't pose much of a threat, and Arkansas won't be able to stop Urban Meyer's offense. The Hogs drop to 4-2 (2-2).

Arkansas 26 Mississippi 18: The overrated Rebels will drop this game to Houston Nutt's old employer in Oxford. Arkansas turns in a dominant performance and wins a game that's not as close as the score indicates, rising to 5-2 (3-2).

Arkansas 49 Eastern Michigan 0: The Eagles are a FBS team, but they aren't a good FBS team. Arkansas rolls over another weak opponent, becoming bowl eligible at 6-2 (3-2).

Arkansas 27 South Carolina 14: The Gamecocks travel a long ways to Fayetteville (Google maps says 914 miles) and come away empty handed. Arkansas should have no trouble with Spurrier's 'Cocks. The Razorbacks solidify themselves as 2009's Ole Miss by improving to 7-2 (4-2).

Arkansas 31 Troy 17: The Trojans are a decent team, even for a Sun Belt team. In recent seasons they have upset Missouri and Oklahoma State at home, and come close to beating LSU in Death Valley. Arkansas better not take Troy lightly, and won't. They earn a solid 14-point victory, moving to 8-2 (4-2).

Arkansas 34 Mississippi State 9: This game will be another in a long season of growing pains for Dan Mullen at State. Arkansas should have no trouble with the Bulldogs in Fayetteville, and will get their ninth win of the season in impressive fashion. Arkansas improves to 9-2 (5-2).

Louisiana State 26 Arkansas 22: This game will determine whether Alabama or LSU represents the SEC West in the SEC championship game. The Hogs stunned the Purple Tigers in Fayetteville last year thanks to some late Casey Dick heroics, but expect the Bengals' defense to be much improved with John Chavis as defensive coordinator. Arkansas won't give in without a fight, but LSU will come away with a hard-fought win. Arkansas finishes at 9-3 (5-3).

Arkansas will be 2009's version of 2008 Ole Miss. A Cotton Bowl berth should be an accomplishable (is that a word?) goal for this team, and an SEC West Title isn't outside of the realm of possibility either.

2009 SEC Predictions: Alabama Crimson Tide

For the second installation in my season predictions for the SEC, I'm traveling up U.S. 280 and down I-59/20 to Tuscaloosa, to preview the defending SEC West champions. The Tide had a magical season in 2008, reaching the #1 ranking before bowing out to Florida and Utah in the SEC Championship Game and Sugar Bowl, respectively. 2009 would figure to be a reloading year for the Tide, but Saban has them in "We don't rebuild, we reload" mode in only his third year. So what does 2009 hold for the Elephants? Let's see...

Alabama Crimson Tide 10-2 (7-1)

The Tide loses a three-year starter at the most important position in quarterback John Parker Wilson. He may have completely sucked for the first two years he was a starter in Tuscaloosa, but he was rock solid for the Tide last season. Behind a veteran line he led Alabama to its first SEC Championship game in nine years. But he (and stalwart LT Andre Smith) are gone, and Alabama will be replacing two key members of its offense. They figure to take a step back as a new quarterback learns the system and SEC defenses adjust to Jim McElwain's offensive system. Let's get on to the schedule:

Sure wins: Florida International, North Texas, @Kentucky, @Mississippi State, Chattanooga
Sure losses: none
Toss-ups: Virginia Tech, Arkansas, @Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana State, @Auburn

Game-by-game:

Virginia Tech 24 Alabama 13: For the second consecutive season Alabama will travel to Atlanta to face an ACC foe in a neutral site game in Tha Dome. I don't think Alabama will fare quite as well as they did in their 2008 opener against Clemson. Virginia Tech will be a very good team in 2009 and will be ready for the Tide. Alabama will keep it close for three quarters, but the game will end similarly to Alabama's last trip to Atlanta. They start the season at 0-1 (0-0).

Alabama 37 Florida International 6: Not much to say about this game. Alabama overpowers FIU in a laugher. Maybe a brawl will break out and a dude on crutches will fight some Tide players. The Tide bounces back to 1-1 (0-0).

Alabama 41 North Texas 3: Seriously, can you think of a lamer first two home games than FIU and North Texas? This is worse than Auburn's first two of Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss from a year ago. Alabama wins another laugher, this time over the Mean Green, going away, improving 'Bama to 2-1 (0-0).

Alabama 21 Arkansas 17: Last season, Alabama pick-sixed Arkansas to death in Fayetteville, rolling to a huge road SEC win. However, they certainly will not be playing the same Razorback team in 2009. Bobby Petrino figures to have his Hogs ready to contend for the SEC West title. The Hogs play Alabama close in Tuscaloosa, before finally falling by four, as Alabama wins its first SEC contest, improving to 3-1 (1-0).

Alabama 30 Kentucky 10: This is a litle bit of a trap game for Alabama, between a home tilt against the Razorbacks and a road trip to the Grove. Fortunately for them, Kentucky will experience some growing pains in 2009 after successfuly 2007 and 2008 campaigns. Alabama should roll over the Wildcats in Lexington. The Tide moves to 4-1 (2-0).

Alabama 22 Mississippi 13: Ole Miss may be the trendy pick to win the SEC West in 2009, but I'm not buying it. I see Alabama rolling into Oxford and coming out with a solid, if unspectacular, victory over Houston Nutt's Rebels. This victory will thrust the Tide into the forefront of SEC West championship talks at 5-1 (3-0).

Alabama 26 South Carolina 8: This is the closest game of Alabama's "toss-ups" I came to putting in the "sure wins" category. **EDIT: Please forgive the horrid grammar of the previous sentence. I hope it makes sense to you.** People may think that the Gamecocks have underachieved under Steve Spurrier, but it has actually been (the other) USC's best four-year run. That tells you more about the Gamecock program than Steve Spurrier. Anyway, Alabama should come out with a reasonably easy victory in Tuscaloosa against the Cocks (tee hee). With the win, Alabama moves to 6-1 (4-0).

Alabama 28 Tennessee 7: Since Nick Saban took over in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has owned the two games against the Volunteers. Of course, UT has a new coach in Lane Kiffin, and the previous two victories were against Phil Fulmer, but the Vols should experience growing pains in 2009 and the game will be played in Tuscaloosa. Look for Alabama to roll over Tennessee once again in 2009. This will be the Tide's seventh consecutive victory after the season-opening loss to the Hokies, pushing their record to 7-1 (5-0).

Louisiana State 20 Alabama 13: In my opinion this game will determine the SEC West champion. That it's being played in Baton Rouge and the fact that the Purple Tigers will have a (slightly) more experienced quarterback make me think that they will come away victorious. Either way, Nick Saban's return to the Bayou will be a hard-fought, close affair, and I see Alabama dropping to 7-2 (5-1).

Alabama 20 Mississippi State 3: After an emotionally draining loss in Louisiana, Alabama returns home to face the Bulldogs from Starkville. Though Alabama should cruise to victory, I forsee this being closer than it could be because Alabama will be deflated after a close loss. Alabama sleepwalks through a 17-point victory, improving to 8-2 (6-1).

Alabama 45 Chattanooga 0: Nothing to say. Alabama beats the Mocs handily in preparation for the Iron Bowl. They now sit at 9-2 (6-1).

Alabama 20 Auburn 12: See my previous entry on Auburn's season to see a description of this game. Alabama finishes the season at 10-2 (7-1).

Honestly, I wanted to give the Tide a worse record than that. It may be the Auburn fan in me showing, but I couldn't find any other losses on the schedule. Yeah, they may lose to Ole Miss, or Tennessee, or even Auburn, but I just don't see it. Saban has Alabama in position to be an SEC contender for years to come, whether Auburn (or any other SEC team) fans like it or not.

2009 SEC Season Predictions: Auburn Tigers

Today I'm going to introduce a new feature I'll have here for the next few weeks: Season predictions. I'm going through every SEC team and giving a game-by-game score prediction along with a brief preview for each team and brief recap of how I think the game will go down. The first team I'm doing is none other than my beloved Auburn Tigers; start with what you know. After that I'll be going alphabetically through the rest of the SEC. So, without further ado, here's my preview of Auburn's 2009 season...

Auburn Tigers (6-6, 3-5):

When I think about Auburn's first season with new head coach Gene Chizik, I have an incredibly hard time getting a feel for how it's going to go. Of course, this shouldn't tell you anything, because last year I had Auburn going 12-2, losing to Georgia in November and Florida in the SEC championship game, and winning the Sugar Bowl. We all know how wrong that turned out to be. But honestly, I could see Auburn winning anywhere from 1 to 12 of its games this year. Let me rephrase that; the only team on the schedule I couldn't fathom Auburn losing to is Furman, and there isn't a team I think we couldn't beat. To narrow it down a little bit, the real likelihood of win total is somewhere in the four to eight range. The SEC is just too brutal for a team with little depth, a brand new coaching staff (including a new-ish offensive philosophy) and no real quarterback to go undefeated.

After watching Auburn's spring game, I feel confident saying we have no real quarterback; Kodi just doesn't have the ability to throw the ball consistently, and Neil Caudle just doesn't have the athleticism to run Malzahn's spread. I hope Caudle sees most of the snaps this season, given his performance in the A-Day game; he throws the ball a little better, and he's not completely devoid of running ability (like, say, Chris Todd or Brandon Cox). He also seemed to control and move the offense better.

On defense, Auburn should be an upper-tier SEC team once again. While the Tuberville regime left Chizik and Co. virtually nothing in terms of offensive talent, the defensive cupboard is pretty full. We don't have a ton of depth, but Ted Roof (as well as head coach Gene Chizik) should be able to continue Auburn's recent history of excellent defense.

As far as the new coaching staff is concerned, it's just too much of a mystery to be able to have any idea about what will happen this season. Chizik was the hot name on the coaching scene after being defensive coordinator for Auburn's 2004 13-0 squad and Texas' 2005 13-0 national champion squad, but his tenure at Iowa State did nothing but diminish his perceived value. Of course, it was Iowa State, where even Bear Bryant would only win eight games a year; how much can we really judge Chizik on his 5-19 record there? That's the million dollar question. The way I see it, Chizik assembled an incredible group of assistant coaches; if he doesn't micromanage and just lets them do their job, we could be a very solid team (if not this year, in the near future). If not, we could be looking at dark times in Auburn's football history. Only time will tell.

Sure wins: Furman
Sure losses: None
Toss-ups: Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Ball State, @Tennessee, @Arkansas, Kentucky, @LSU, Mississippi, @Georgia, Alabama

Game-by-game:

Auburn 24 Louisiana Tech 20: Auburn faces a very tough opponent in Chizik's first game. Derek Dooley (son of long-time UGA coach/AD Vince Dooley) has La. Tech playing some pretty decent football. They beat Mississippi State to start last year, and they'll be thirsty for more SEC blood this season. I see Auburn coming out and running the ball pretty well, playing solid defense, and holding on in the end. The kicking game will be vital. Auburn opens 1-0 (0-0).

Auburn 20 Mississippi State 10: A rematch of the game of the 2008 season (the 3-2 battle in Starkville), this game will hopefully be a little more entertaining than last year's version. State is also breaking in a new coach, and they don't have the luxury(?) of installing the spread to a similar offense that they ran the season before (it's hard to type that without laughing). Dan Mullen will experience some growing pains in his first season as a head coach in Starkville. Auburn plays solid D, does nothing spectacular on offense, and gets by with a 10-point win, pushing them to 2-0 (1-0).

West Virginia 31 Auburn 13: This will be the first loss of the Gene Chizik era, as a loaded West Virginia team comes to Jordan-Hare and runs away from the Tigers in the second half (despite being coached by Bill Stewart). Fans will start to question the new version of the spread, and the defense will struggle with West Virginia's speed. Auburn is now 2-1 (1-0).

Auburn 28 Ball State 10: I came close to putting Ball State in the "sure wins" category above because I think they'll fall off a cliff after last year's magical season, but just couldn't do it. We should beat Ball State since they lost their all-everything QB (name escapes me and I'm too lazy to look it up) and head coach. Their performance under their new coach in the bowl game (against Gus Malzahn-coached Tulsa) was pathetic. I expect them to regress badly in 2009. This should be a comfortable victory for Auburn, pushing the Tigers to 3-1 (1-0).

Tennessee 27 Auburn 24: This is one of the games that I'm predicting Auburn to lose that I think we could win very easily. UT is in a very similar situation to Auburn, with a new coaching staff coming in. I'm absolutely not sold on Lane Kiffin, and as someone who follows the Raiders (I stop short of calling myself a fan until Al Davis retires or dies, whichever happens first), I know his limitations as a coach. I'm also not sold on Monte Kiffin as a college defensive coordinator; his players won't have as much time to study film and learn the defense as his pro players did. That being said, Chizik will drop his first big SEC road game, and Auburn drops to 3-2 (1-1).

Arkansas 33 Auburn 20: I'm expecting big things out of the Hogs this season. They improved by bunches between the first game last season and the last, and now have a stud quarterback in Ryan Mallett at the reins. Bobby Petrino is a hell of a coach, despite being a greasy guy. Auburn will make too many mistakes in Fayetteville to come out with a win, and drops to 3-3 (1-2). Auburn fans begin to grow restless.

Auburn 35 Kentucky 17: Auburn rebounds from two tough road losses with a solid thrashing of Kentucky. The offense has its best game of the season (after steadily improving in the first six games). Auburn fans relax a little bit as the Tigers improve to 4-3 (2-2). Kentucky fans still can't wait for John Calipari to coach their basketball team to greatness.

LSU 24 Auburn 10: This may be the game I was closest to putting in the "sure loss" category, but the series has been just too bizarre to do that. (Spoiler alert!) LSU is my pick to win the SEC West this season, so this will be no cakewalk for the real Tigers. Auburn keeps it close for a half, maybe three quarters, and plays inspired defense, but in the end LSU has too much talent for Auburn to snatch a victory. Auburn falls to 4-4 (2-3). A bowl game is in serious jeopardy at this point.

Auburn 17 Mississippi 15: Ole Miss was undoubtedly one of the surprise teams in the nation last season, and one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the SEC. However, if there's one thing Houston Nutt knows, it's how to fail to meet lofty expectations. Jevan Snead is certainly a fantastic quarterback, but the Rebels aren't sneaking up on anyone this season. Auburn's defense plays its best game of the season, creating multiple turnovers, and the offense does just enough to pull a home win out. Auburn improves to 5-4 (3-3).

Auburn 41 Furman 7: Nothing really to say about this game, we're playing a 1-AA FCS team, should be a cakewalk. Auburn becomes bowl eligible with the win at 6-4 (3-3).

Georgia 24 Auburn 20: This may be the hardest game for me to predict; Auburn will have a new coaching staff and Georgia will have a new quarterback. I could see either team surprising everyone and winning a bunch of games, and I could also see either team falling on its face and missing a bowl. I gave UGA the advantage because the game is played in Athens (the "road team always wins" theme is dead). Auburn drops to 6-5 (3-4) and Georgia fans hold up four fingers to remind us how many times in a row they've beaten us.

Alabama 20 Auburn 12: Alabama won't be as good as they were last season, but they'll still be a solid team. Auburn is playing catch-up with the Tide right now in terms of talent and recruiting, but we'll be there one day (hopefully soon). Auburn may be the home team, but Alabama is just too good to not come out victorious in this Friday afternoon (spit) affair. Auburn fails to win either leg of Amen Corner for the second straight season, and finishes the regular season at 6-6 (3-5).

I was torn between giving Auburn a 5-7 record or 6-6 record, and I eventually came around and gave the Ole Miss game to Auburn. I could also see Auburn easily beating Tennesee and Georgia (which, if all three happened, would get the Tigers to 8 wins). We also have a shot against West Virginia, Arkansas and Alabama. LSU is the longest shot in the schedule. No matter what the final record looks like this season, I am not judging how successful a campaign it was based on wins and losses, but on how much the team improves over the course of the year. I'm looking to 2010 and 2011 for when Auburn should be ready to compete for the SEC.