Auburn vs Georgia in 2015 SEC Championship Game?: Right and wrong

In a recent poll, 14 SEC SIDs voted Auburn vs Georgia for the 2015 SEC Title game, which is both right and wrong

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As we approach the beginning of what will surely be another exciting college football season, people from all over are beginning to make their season predictions. Every year the folks at AL.com run a fun poll among the 14 SIDs from the SEC to gather their predictions for the winner of each division, both of whom would face off against one another in the SEC Championship Game this December.

Well they have run their recent poll, and the numbers are in. According to their tally, the 2015 SEC Championship Game on December 5 inside the Georgia Dome will feature the Auburn Tigers of the West taking on the Georgia Bulldogs of the East.

Looking at a lot of the stats and such, this isn’t a bad prediction by any means. However, there’s an element of this prediction that’s correct and there’s an element of it that’s incorrect.

Which one is which?

Right: Auburn

Now this is the part of the prediction that they absolutely got right. Since the arrival of head coach Gus Malzahn in 2013, this Auburn program has cemented themselves as one of the perennial threats in the country, nearly winning the national title in his first season at the helm. Of course, this is due to the impressive offensive philosophy and subsequent attack the Tigers bring to the table, which should show no signs of slowing down this season.

While quarterback Nick Marshall is out, right in steps Jeremy Johnson, who might actually be the better option at the position. Even while Marshall was busy leading the Tigers on their incredible 2013 journey, people were still pointing out that Johnson was the better quarterback of the two, especially when it comes to this offense.

And as far as talent around him, that shouldn’t be an issue whatsoever. As a versatile wide receiver threat, he gets the services of the returning D’haquille Williams, better known to folks on the Plains as Duke Williams. As options in the backfield, there’s the dynamic tandem of Roc Thomas and Jovon Robinson, proving that this unit not only might not miss a beat, but as scary as it is to think of, they could be as good as ever under Malzahn.

If there has been any hindrance to this program since the arrival of Malzahn it’s been the defense, but they sure dug deep into their pockets in the offseason to fix that problem. Now running the show on defense is the man that at one time was considered the best defensive coordinator the country had to offer in Will Muschamp. Fired by Florida after another underwhelming season last year, Auburn did not forget his reputation when it comes to running a defense, and for that, Muschamp earned himself a hefty $1.6 million for this season to fix the atrocity that is the Auburn defensive unit.

He was not ready for the head coaching ranks, but Muschamp’s journey for a second chance will start this year with what should be an impressive turnaround of the Auburn defense.

Sorry, Alabama fans, but Auburn is the best team in the West and they’ll take the crown from this side.

Wrong: Georgia

The East Division of the SEC still might not be nearly as good as the Western side of the toughest conference in college football, but it’s certainly getting deeper. With running backs like Nick Chubb and Sony Michel ready to tear apart defenses, coupled with the fact that this will be the second year of Jeremy Pruitt running the defense in Athens, it’s easy to see the Bulldogs as the sexy pick to get over that hump.

However, that won’t happen. The crown of SEC East Champions in 2015 will belong to the Tennessee Volunteers.

The youngest roster in the country went 7-6 last season and finished off with one amazing performance against Iowa in the bowl game. Since arriving in Knoxville, head coach Butch Jones has had a plan in place, and so far, that plan is coming together wonderfully.

A wealth of that young talent is back in 2015 to continue building what they started last season, and this group is lead by dynamic quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Dobbs showed flashes last season of making his mark among the top quarterbacks in the SEC, and 2015 will be a huge step in the right direction for him. Running back Jalen Hurd, one of the toughest rushers in the nation is also ready to show off a year of his development, creating a pretty nice backfield to have the fans in Neyland singing “Rocky Top” quite a bit.

It’s not just the offensive side of the ball that’s returning some major talent, but the defense is as well. This group is led by defensive end Derek Barnett, who totaled 72 tackles last season with 10 sacks.

Butch Jones is one of the best coaches in the country at progressing talent, and what he can do with this group in 2015 is a scary thought for other teams in the East.

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