Alabama Football: Ranking 2020 opponents by toughness

There’s a few new coaches in the SEC West, and the most interesting of the group are the two in the state of Mississippi. In Starkville, it’s Mike Leach that will take over in 2020. After setting passing record after passing record with his air-raid offense in the Big 12 and Pac-12, the eccentric head coach brings his high-powered offense to the best division in the nation, and arguably the most vitriolic rivalry in the sport right now.

This will likely be a more run-oriented season than we typically see from Leach. Kylin Hill posted 5.6 yards per carry on his way to 1,350 yards and ten scores a year ago. Stanford transfer KJ Costello will likely be the starter at quarterback, but no matter who’s at quarterback, it’d be a travesty to see Hill underutilized this season.

Across the state of Mississippi, Lane Kiffin will be the new head man for Ole Miss. As far as head coaching personalities go, there may not be a more interesting rivalry than the Egg Bowl. This matchup has a recent history full of hatred, and these polarizing personalities will only add fuel to the fire.

For the Tide, however, these two dates on the schedule will be winnable games against teams in a transition year. In Oxford, that transition will feature a quarterback battle between John Rhys Plumlee and Matt Corral. Plumlee completed just 52.7 percent of his throws a season ago, but he led the team in rushing with 1,023 yards and 12 rushing scores.

Kiffin’s offense is be a more pass-oriented and balanced scheme, so Corral should have the early edge. Whoever gets the job will have already seen their fair share of tough defenses, as the Rebels will see Baylor, Auburn, and LSU before they meet the Tide on October third.