True story: When I submitted an SEC Media Days preseason ballot with Texas A&M listed as champ, the conference office checked to make sure some imposter hadn’t sent it in my place.Apparently I was that extreme an outlier. My colleague Bruce Feldman picked Alabama in his SEC predictions.So let me explain why I’m picking a team that went 3-5 in the SEC last year to rise up and surpass more conventional picks like Alabama (who I will surely be reminded beat the Aggies 59-0 last year) and Auburn (who you might need a reminder lost at home to A&M). First of all, Kevin Sumlin is a great coach whose offense can always be counted on to be highly productive. Last year saw a dip as the Aggies struggled to replace standouts Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans and Jake Matthews. A year later, sophomore Kyle Allen has established himself at quarterback.
So let me explain why I’m picking a team that went 3-5 in the SEC last year to rise up and surpass more conventional picks like Alabama (who I will surely be reminded beat the Aggies 59-0 last year) and Auburn (who you might need a reminder lost at home to A&M).
First of all, Kevin Sumlin is a great coach whose offense can always be counted on to be highly productive. Last year saw a dip as the Aggies struggled to replace standouts Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans and Jake Matthews. A year later, sophomore Kyle Allen has established himself at quarterback.
Source: Mandel’s SEC picks: ‘Bama will do fine, but won’t win the conference | FOX Sports
