Ah, Season Record Prediction--favorable?

Seriously? You don't think it COULD get worse? A perfect storm of injuries, poor play and thin depth at key positions could turn us into a 3-9 team. Conversely, if all the dishes are spinning on the sticks, and we are all clicking, we could also be 11-2. Much has to do with The Portal...

 

This. We could have the toughest schedule in the nation. That could easily turn a 10-win team into a 6 or 7-win team. It's funny how few fans
factor in SOS. Remember in 2003, we played seven teams that finished in the top 15. That 8-5 team would have finished 10-3 or better if we had an average schedule, and better officiating against the freaking Noles. The other teams want to win as well...

 

ESPN's predictions for the SEC:

Predicted Finish: SEC

EAST OVERALL CONF.
Georgia 12-0 8-0
Tennessee 9-3 5-3
Kentucky 9-3 5-3
South Carolina 7-5 4-4
Florida 5-7 3-5
Missouri 5-7 2-6
Vanderbilt 4-8 1-7

WEST OVERALL CONF.
LSU 11-1 7-1
Alabama 10-2 6-2
Texas A&M 9-3 5-3
Ole Miss 8-4 4-4
Mississippi State 7-5 3-5
Arkansas 6-6 2-6
Auburn 5-7 1-7

 

As long as those 5 wins include - Utah, GA, LSU, KY and FSU I'm good

 

Prediction from ESPN's Mark Schlabach:
LSU beats Alabama in Tuscaloosa: It's basically a toss-up on which team will win the SEC West, but I'm going with the Tigers because of quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Tigers' stout front seven on defense. Daniels has to be better throwing the ball down the field for LSU's offense to prosper. There are also some holes in the secondary at DB U. Alabama is going to be steaming mad after falling to the Tigers 32-31 in overtime in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last season. I just don't trust Alabama's quarterbacks and receiver corps, which was pretty underwhelming last season. The Tide's offensive line also has to play much better after surrendering 167 tackles for loss and 63 sacks the past two seasons combined.

 

Last year's mediocrity reveals what a mess Napier inherited. Talent yes but a mess nonetheless.

This year I hope to see what I had hoped to see last year. A team improving week to week. Showing signs of growth and chemistry and leadership emerging to set the foundation.

It took more than a whole year to scrape the Earth bare to build from there.

I can see the plan coming together.

 

You obviously missed his point by a wide margin. No matter whether you have a 10-2 or 2-10 potential team, if you aren't positively coaching up the players in everything you do, you are part of the problem, not the solution.

 

Roman Harper... Bama education.

They basically think we take a giant step backwards... from our least talented defense and overall team we've had in years?

Color me shocked.

 

AUG 26

• 1896 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport R.I.: Robert Wrenn beats Fred Hovey 7-5, 3-6, 6-0, 1-6, 6-1 for his third US singles title
• 1903 Phillies walk 17 Dodgers in a game

US Men's Tennis Open

1903 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport, RI: Englishman Laurence Doherty beats American defending champion William Larned 6-0, 6-3, 10-8; first non-American champion


Tennis PlayerLaurence Doherty

Tennis PlayerWilliam Larned

• 1909 Australian cricket all-rounder Frank Tarrant scores 145 and takes 13-67 in a county game for Middlesex as they beat Gloucester by an innings and 31 runs in a single day

Baseball Record
1912 MLB pitcher Walter Johnson's 16-game winning streak ends


MLB PitcherWalter Johnson
US Men's Tennis Open
1912 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport, RI: Maurice McLoughlin wins first of 2 straight US singles titles; beats Wallace F. Johnson 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2


Tennis PlayerMaurice McLoughlin

• 1913 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport, RI: Defending champion Maurice McLoughlin beats R. Norris Williams 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
• 1920 Surrey cricket all-rounder Percy Fender scores 100 in 35 minutes [113no] in a county match vs Northamptonshire at the County Ground, Northampton

Baseball Record
1930 Chicago Cub's Hack Wilson hits his 44th HR, breaks Chuck Klein's NL record


Baseball Hall of Fame Right FielderChuck Klein

Baseball Hall of Fame OutfielderHack Wilson

• 1933 Jan van Houten bicycles world record time (44,588 km)
• 1938 Montreal Maroons dropped from NHL
• 1939 1st major league baseball telecast on W2XBS- Cincinnati Reds defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn
• 1940 RKC soccer team forms in Waalwijk
• 1947 Dodgers' Dan Bankhead, MLB's 1st African-American pitcher, homers in his 1st MLB at bat in 16-3 loss to Pittsburgh, at Ebbetts Field, Brooklyn, NYC
• 1950 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Tom Brown beats Ken McGregor in 5 sets but Australia breaks US stranglehold on trophy with a dominant 4-1 victory
• 1955 1st color telecast (NBC) of a tennis match (Davis Cup)

Sports History
1956 Yankees announce purchase of outfielder Enos Slaughter from KC


Baseball PlayerEnos Slaughter

• 1961 Official International Hockey Hall of Fame opens in Toronto
• 1962 Minnesota Twins Jack Kralick no-hits KC A's, 1-0
• 1963 West Indies beat England 2-1 in series, 1st holders of Wisden Cricket Trophy
• 1966 Baltimore Orioles Roznovsky & B.Powell are 4th to hit consecutive pinch HRs
• 1967 Dean Chance pitches a 2-1 no-hitter, & Twins sweep Cleveland

Contract of Interest
1971 Bobby Orr signs a five-year contract with the Boston Bruins worth one million dollars, the first million dollar contract in NHL history


Ice Hockey LegendBobby Orr

• 1971 MLB Baltimore Orioles' Don Buford struck out 5 times in a game

Sports History
1972 Leo Durocher replaces Harry Walker as manager of Houston Astros


Baseball Player and ManagerLeo Durocher

• 1972 XX Summer Olympic Games open in Munich, West Germany
• 1973 10-year-old Mary Boitano is 1st woman to win 6.8-mile Dipsea Race in Marin County, CA, beating a field of 1,500 runners
• 1973 David Eisenhower writes his last sports column
• 1984 Zdena Silvaha (Cz) throws discus 74.55 m (women's world record)

Sports History
1985 Baltimore Oriole Eddie Murray knocks in 9 RBIs in a game vs California Angels


MLB 1st BasemanEddie Murray
Sports History
1986 Rosa Mota wins Stuttgart female marathon (2:28:38)


Marathon RunnerRosa Mota
Baseball Record
1987 Paul Molitor goes 0-for-4 ends hitting streak at 39 consecutive games


Baseball Player and ManagerPaul Molitor
Baseball Record
1990 Bo Jackson hits 4th of 4 consecutive HRs


NFL Running Back and Baseball OutfielderBo Jackson

• 1991 Royal Brett Saberegen no-hits White Sox 7-0

Cricket History
1995 Brian Lara completes his 7th Test Cricket century, scoring 179 at The Oval in London


CricketerBrian Lara

• 2000 Australia clinches first Tri Nations Rugby Series with a 19-18 win over South Africa in Durban; Wallabies centre Stirling Mortlock lands 4 penalties and a conversion

Olympic Gold
2004 An American 1-2-3 in the 200m medals at the Athens Olympics; Shawn Crawford gold in 19.79 ahead of Bernard Williams & Justin Gatlin


SprinterJustin Gatlin

• 2004 Félix Sánchez wins the men's 400m hurdles 47.63 in Athens; the Dominican Republic's first ever Olympic gold medal
• 2004 Germany wins its first ever Olympic women's field hockey gold medal with a 2-1 win against the Netherlands in Athens
• 2004 Hamish Carter of New Zealand wins the men's gold medal ahead of teammate Bevan Docherty, whilst Kate Allen of Austria takes out the women's Triathlon at the Athens Olympics

Olympic Gold
2004 Lindsay Tarpley and Abby Wambach score as the US beats Brazil 2-1, maintaining an undefeated record to win the women's football gold medal at the Athens Olympics


Soccer PlayerAbby Wambach
Sports History
2006 New Zealand retain Tri Nations Rugby Series with 45-26 win over South Africa in Pretoria; All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter lands 4 penalties and 4 conversions


Rugby PlayerDan Carter
Canadian Women's Open
2012 15 year-old New Zealand golfer, Lydia Ko, becomes the youngest LPGA Tour event winner and the 1st amateur winner since 1969 by winning the Canadian Women's Open by 3 strokes from Inbee Park


GolferLydia Ko

GolferInbee Park
Agreement of Interest
2014 Burger King agrees to purchase Canadian donut chain Tim Hortons for $11.4 billion


NHL Star and BusinessmanTim Horton
Sports History
2016 San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick kneels in protest during the US national anthem at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium while playing against the San Diego Chargers, objecting to racial injustice and police brutality in the US


NFL Player and Civil Rights ActivistColin Kaepernick
Sports History
2017 Manchester City scores a 2-1 win at Bournemouth to start EPL record 18 game winning streak; Raheem Sterling scores for City but is sent off with 2 yellow cards in injury time


FootballerRaheem Sterling

• 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup: New Zealand Black Ferns defeat England 41-32 in the final in Belfast

Sports History
2018 Boxing match between YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul ends in a draw in Manchester, England


YouTube Star and ActorLogan Paul

• 2018 Gamer at a Madden NFL 19 gaming tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, loses then returns to shoot two dead and wound nine

Sports History
2020 Milwaukee Bucks forfeit their NBA playoff game after the shooting of Jacob Blake, leading to the NBA postponing more games


Victim of Police BrutalityJacob Blake