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American candidates Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson and Nick Coe should cause havoc for opposing offenses and if the offense is productive, the Tigers could easily exceed expectations. If Auburn’s in the hunt in November, Malzahn’s future as its coach becomes much clearer. 5. Mississippi State will also have a new quarterback, with Penn State grad transfer Tommy Stevens taking over for three-year starter Nick Fitzgerald. A lack of a passing attack cramped the Bulldogs for the entirety of their 8-5 2018 campaign, and Stevens is ex- pected to fill the void. Joe Moorhead – an offensive-minded head coach – might need his side of the ball to carry much of the early load. Only four starters return from last year’s league-leading de- fense, which lost a lot up front, including all-conference linemen Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons. 6. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral took advantage of the new redshirt rule, playing in just four games last season but retaining the year of eligibility. He’ll have only three returning starters to work with on offense, but new coordinator Rich Rodriguez should pro- vide a spark. Another former head coach, Mike MacIntyre, is the new defensive coordinator. There’s good news and bad for MacIn- tyre – 10 starters return from one of the league’s worst defenses. 7. Arkansas hopes to improve on a 2-10 mark, the end result of head coach Chad Morris’s first year in Fayetteville. The big question is whether Morris can bring the high-powered of- fensive attack he estab- lished at SMU to the Ra- zorbacks. It’ll be difficult to do in the SEC West, where strong de- fenses reside annually. He’ll have quarterback Ben Hicks, who was exceptional for Morris at SMU two seasons ago. Well-known de- fensive coordinator John Chavis has six starters back from an im- proved 2018 defense. EAST 1. Georgia , in just two short seasons, has established itself as the best in the division. Junior quarterback Jake Fromm is of all-star caliber and run- ning back D’Andre Swift, thought to be one of the conference’s best, returns as well. They’ll be performing behind a tal- ented offensive line and, while the defense has only six starters back, head coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs should once again be solid on that side of the ball. It would be a major surprise if Georgia didn’t wind up back in Atlanta for the third straight season. 2. Florida should be the biggest threat to the division reign of the Bulldogs. Quarterback Feleipe Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 21 E S e Night. Not th vening return. -e morning departure and late ington, D.C. with an early ashW Y njoy a full day in , A PEND THE D MO.CAT AAAYDOK TOOB 0 02 , 27 ting Januar edule Star New Sch y ON, D.C. T SHING AW DCA , AL Y GOMER MONT MGM TO