Honey Bagger gone, but Tigers are still loaded: A&M looks for new start in SEC
Not surprising to see the top football conference in the nation (SEC) with eight teams in the top 25 preseason rankings, according to USA Today. The top ranked LSU Tigers headline seven South East Conference Schools. Alabama comes in at No. 2 followed by No. 6 Georgia, No. 9 South Carolina, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 14 Clemson, No. 23 Florida and Auburn rounds out at No. 25.
Even after the dismissal of Heisman Trophy finalist and star defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, aka Honey Bagger, the Tigers boast enough talent to challenge for the national title, which could boil down to a November 3rd showdown at Death Valley with No. 2 Bama travels to Baton Rouge. Redshirt freshman, Jalen Collins may see action at the cornerback position in place of Mathieu.
In uncharted waters, Texas A&M looks to make its SEC debut at home against the Gators on September 8th. Before hosting Florida, the Aggies will kick-off the season on August 30th when Louisiana Tech comes to town. It will mark the beginning for redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who has been tabbed as the starter. The Aggies apart of the Big 12 before moving to the SEC last season.
| 2012 1 |
NCAA Preseason Football Rankings LSU (18) |
0-0 |
1403 |
| 2 | Alabama (20) |
0-0 |
1399 |
| 3 | USC (19) |
0-0 |
1388 |
| 4 | Oklahoma |
0-0 |
1276 |
| 5 | Oregon |
0-0 |
1258 |
| 6 | Georgia |
0-0 |
1061 |
| 7 | Florida State |
0-0 |
1055 |
| 8 | Michigan |
0-0 |
1023 |
| 9 | South Carolina |
0-0 |
981 |
| 10 | Arkansas |
0-0 |
948 |
| 11 | West Virginia |
0-0 |
833 |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
0-0 |
743 |
| 13 | Michigan State |
0-0 |
717 |
| 14 | Clemson |
0-0 |
598 |
| 15 | Texas |
0-0 |
549 |
| 16 | Nebraska |
0-0 |
501 |
| 17 | TCU |
0-0 |
499 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State |
0-0 |
476 |
| 19 | Stanford |
0-0 |
497 |
| 20 | Virginia Tech |
0-0 |
461 |
| 21 | Kansas State |
0-0 |
398 |
| 22 | Boise State |
0-0 |
271 |
| 23 | Florida |
0-0 |
250 |
| 24 | Notre Dame |
0-0 |
166 |
| 25 | Auburn |
0-0 |
66 |