r/secfootball • u/Beneficial_Bed_7983 • Jul 07 '26
SEC Fans, what is the vibe of the program heading into the season? Check out my full breakdown below. Football
7
u/BlueCollarBubba Jul 07 '26
Make or Break season for this regime
2
u/KEE_Wii Jul 07 '26
Bowl win or bust. I don’t think we need a CFP bid but it has to be 7+ wins imo.
18
u/pingle1 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Honestly, I’ve been checked out for a few years now. I enjoy watching games when I can but it’s not the same. NIL has made it not as interesting to me.
14
u/blues_and_ribs Jul 07 '26
Honestly, for me, it’s not even NIL. It’s the unfettered transfers. Top players are just hired guns following the biggest paycheck, which has damaged the game immensely. If they somehow rein that in, it would solve a lot of issues. I know they just implemented the new 5 year rule, but I don’t think that will help much.
8
u/pingle1 Jul 07 '26
Yeah that too. The amount of transfers is ridiculous. Some dudes out there playing on 3-5 schools and still not graduating.
1
u/Robthebold Jul 07 '26
True, I don’t know why Universities haven’t made an effort to centralize NIL money and make it a multi year contract that balloons.
It’ll balance out but for now the kids and their agents have the bully pulpit.1
u/Robthebold Jul 07 '26
Preferred the under the table money approach?
2
u/itsmeonmobile ROCKYTOP Jul 09 '26
You been under a table recently? It’s a whole nother world down there!
1
u/Robthebold Jul 10 '26
I don’t know, my Aggies got TV and bowl ban in 1994 for pay to play. Couldn’t play for the SWC championship or postseason on a 10-0-1 record. Top of SWC and stayed at home.
6
u/pingle1 Jul 07 '26
Yeah. It was a lot more fun. All sports were more fun when it was under the table
0
u/Fidget808 Jul 07 '26
It was more fun for the fans of like 5 teams. Everyone else suffered.
2
2
u/GiovanniElliston Jul 07 '26
So it used to be fun for like, 5 teams and everyone else suffered.
Now it’s fun for like, 1 team, and everyone else suffers.
Progress!
1
u/yo_boy_dg Jul 07 '26
It’s no different now. It’s just changing who those “5” teams will be now. The difference being that before NIL athletes still had a sense of pride in their schools and more loyalty. It’s way more cutthroat and mercenary like these days.
0
u/Fidget808 Jul 08 '26
Since NIL started, teams like Indiana and TCU have made the national championship
Other teams like Tennessee, SMU, Arizona State, Tulane have made the playoffs
Teams like Duke, Mizzou, Virginia, Vanderbilt, and dozens of others have become competitive
Teams like JMU or NDSU can join FBS
So yes, NIL has vastly distributed the player base in CFB for the better. NIL has its issues, for sure. But overall the sport is more fun to watch and more competitive than it’s been in years
2
u/yo_boy_dg Jul 08 '26
You’re attributing some of these teams making the playoff to NIL, but NIL is not the reason they made it into the playoff now. The expanded playoff is why. Teams like Vandy and Indiana can thank NIL, but the others aside from Duke have always taken football more seriously and have their up and downs years, those up years wouldn’t be enough though if the playoff wasn’t expanded, so I reiterate, not because of NIL.
There had been talk of JMU and NDSU joining FBS before NIL, not sure why you’re attributing them making the jump to NIL as well.
NIL is actively hurting lower market teams like them because they can’t afford to keep their star players from getting poached by P4 programs.
4
u/OldSarge02 Jul 07 '26
Aggies are coming around. After finishing ranked #8, many fans have been expecting a drop this year, but we bring back the 7th most experienced team in football (measured by number of snaps) and fans are starting to find some optimism.
Combine that with being on the way to signing a 3rd top-10 ranked class in a row, and covering our needs in the portal, and Aggies are feeling ok.
4
11
3
u/MarbleDesperado Tennessee Jul 07 '26
Really seems to be wait and see in Knoxville. We may get more boisterous closer to kickoff but I think everyone is just waiting to see what we have at QB. I think we are improved at every other position except for Edge but the schedule is brutal.
2
u/jonneygee GBO Jul 09 '26
It’s crazy how we don’t play Florida or Georgia but still have a brutal schedule. That’s just the reality of 9 SEC games, I suppose. Nobody gets out with an easy schedule anymore.
4
u/GigachadInvestor Jul 08 '26
Preparing for the inevitable bitch fest from my fellow Alabama fans when DeBoer loses 1-2 games. This isn’t Saban years anymore guys, 10-2 regular season is GOOD
3
u/DaikonExternal2672 Jul 08 '26
Rebel fans are probably a little too cocky rn. Yes, we are loaded with talent, probably more than last year’s team that made the playoff run, and yes Golding had assembled a great staff and won a couple of those playoff games so optimism is high. But it’s a tough schedule and the ball bounces funny sometimes. People talk about 9-3 being a disappointing season when you go on the road to Texas, Oklahoma and Florida, have LSU and Georgia at home, then have a schedule riddled with trap games vs Mizzou, Auburn, Vandy. Not hard to find 3, 4 or more losses if things get sideways. The team has ton of potential but a lot of things have to go right to lose only a game or two. I’m optimistic but I think it’s wise to temper expectations in this league
2
u/iamStanhousen Jul 07 '26
Vibes are high. Winning games will come, but it's really about the way the team looks. Last year we looked completely inept on offense, I struggle to think that will be similar this year.
3
u/Sdwerd Texas Jul 07 '26
Texas: This team has brought in skill position players on offense to fight anyone if we need to in a shootout, and a new/old D coordinator who has successfully played a very aggro style of D with a good group of returning players so hopefully we never need to.
Vibe: They might actually meet the lofty expectations to at least reach the Natty game.
2
u/RamblinRoyce Jul 07 '26
Don't worry. Disney sEc-SPiN will make it happen. This year or the next.
Then Heisman winner Prince Manning will choose which Disney NFL team he wants to play for.
2
u/Fidget808 Jul 07 '26
I just want to make a playoff man. Even if we get first round bounced
We have an updated stadium, a coach that is being paid more than he’s worth, and a roster that can compete
Mizzou just has to stop fucking it up at the last second in close games.
1
u/blues_and_ribs Jul 07 '26
As with every year, we are hopeful. Only thing going for us is that Lebby’s back is against the wall. If he doesn’t have a winning record and a bowl game, he’s out and, presumably, knows that.
1
u/ctr72ms Jul 07 '26
If selmon hasnt fired him yet he isnt going to be fired unless the AD goes too. We can all hope that finally happens.
1
u/LivingCustomer9729 Jul 08 '26
If anything can be improved from last year, especially now that KT is QB1, MAYBE, we can go 6-6, or 5-7 again. The TX and TN OT losses are still etched in my brain.
1
1
u/jonneygee GBO Jul 09 '26
For UT, probably looking at 8-4 again. The potential is there for better but it depends on what happens at quarterback. I think a lot of us understand we’ve got a better shot of getting back to the playoff in ‘27 than we do this season.
1
u/Fancy-Pie-2565 Jul 07 '26
Cautiously optimistic. Win 7 games and I’m happy
1
u/jonneygee GBO Jul 09 '26
Honestly 7 games is a big ask with UK’s schedule. How would you feel about 5? Because that’s honestly probably more realistic.
- YSU
- USA
- SC
- two out of Vandy, UF, Mizz, and UL?
-2
11
u/414wtk Oklahoma Jul 07 '26
Vibes are high for sooner nation.
QB- back and not broken… yet
Real TEs
Every defensive starter has multiple years in the system.
A few snazzy skill players.
I’m ready to be hurt again!