Then again we were supposed to be 9-3 (at best) this year, UT and AU were supposed to be great and UGA was the preseason #1. So much for being able to predict the future eh? Who knows what next year holds, we could be even better on offense next year. I know we expected our O-Line to be a little weak and Terry Grant to be our starting running back this year too! As long as everyone does their jobs, we'll be fine. . .
Experienced, solid quarterbacking has become one of the biggest must-haves in college football and especially the SEC. Don't underrate it.
Which three teams had the most QB experience heading into 2008? UA, UF, UGA.
Which three teams are at the top of the SEC in 2008? UA, UF, UGA.
By most accounts, who had the No. 4 QB in the SEC going into 2008? Ole Miss, with Snead, and Ole Miss is about to do better than a lot of people predicted and head to a bowl.
Which potential contenders had QB issues? LSU, AU, UT.
What has happened to them? AU and UT are now longshots to make the postseason; LSU fell out of the national title picture but does have such a collection of talent that it is winning in spite of its QB, to a point.
What about Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, etc.? All have experienced quarterbacks. Penn State is the outlier, but they at least had a senior take over the position this year (and they're in the Big 10, not the SEC).
Add in the questions along the OL, and while Alabama might "be fine" next year, I seriously doubt Alabama is in the title discussion. And before you ask what I had UA picked to do this year, I was among the most optimistic of them all: 9-3 with wins over both chief rivals. I'm optimistic for 2009, but realistic at the same time.
As to answer the original poll question, it's really going to be dependent on how much better Jackson picks up the offense between now and then. If he picks up the offense, I think he wins the job. If he struggles, I actually think Darrah has a good shot at it.