Jul. 1—***
The Wildcats are picked way down the list in the expanded SEC. Veteran coach Mark Stoops will use the snub as an extra layer of motivation. … Nine starters return on defense, led by man/mountain tackle Deone Walker. … Four of five starters return in the secondary. Corner Maxwell Hairston ranked among SEC leaders with five picks. … Quarterback Devin Leary is off to the NFL, but Stoops thinks he has a capable replacement in Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff. .. Four returning starters on the line will ease Vandagriff’s transition. … Stoops was mentioned as a possibile candidate at Texas A&M before the school hired Mike Elko. Being wanted has to be invigorating for Stoops. … Barion Brown is a top receiver and one of the best kick returners in the country after taking three for scores. … The Wildcats don’t play SEC heavyweights Alabama or Missouri.
There are no guarantees Vandagriff can handle the pressure of being a starter in the SEC, where every game is a challenge. … Stoops hired a new offensive coordinator, Boise State’s Bush Hamdan, after the previous boss went to the NFL. That’s five OC changes in five years at the Lexington school, which is part of the concern with having a defensive-minded head coach. … The rivalry game at the end of the season against Louisville is a lot more difficult with Jeff Brohm in charge of the Cardinals. … In the SEC, Kentucky plays three teams considered likely CFP qualfiers: Geogia, Mississippi and Texas. The last two are on the road.
50. Maryland Big Ten
49. Colorado Big 12
48. Georgia Tech ACC
47. Tulane American
46. UCF Big 12
45. South Florida American
44. Appalachian State Sun Belt
43. Rutgers Big Ten
42. Virginia Tech ACC
41. Texas Tech Big 12
40. Liberty Conference USA
39. South Carolina SEC
38. Washington Big Ten
37. North Carolina ACC
36. Boise State Mountain…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cant-wait-saturday-plenty-questions-144800812.html
Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
Publish date : 2024-07-01 14:48:00
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