With the college football season just months away, let’s take a look at how the SEC is shaping up.
The South and college football go together like biscuits and gravy–and it’s about time for SEC football to dominate Saturdays once again.
The college football season is almost here, and it’s time for the best conference in the game—the SEC— to rise up and dethrone Clemson, after the Tigers knocked off defending national champion and top-ranked Alabama this past January.
These next two weeks I will give my preview and prediction for every single SEC team for this upcoming season. First up is the SEC East, a division that is Georgia’s to win, but the Bulldogs will have to put down a few dark horses along the way.
Georgia Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
You know the saying, “When it rains, it pours”, and it was an absolute downpour last season in Athens.
Courtesy TheDraftster
The Bulldogs were simply whipped by Ole Miss in Oxford, they lost sensational running back Nick Chubb to a knee injury in a loss to Tennessee, and they watched lowly Vanderbilt come into Between the Hedges and steal a victory.
But Kirby Smart has all the pieces to lead the Bulldogs to Atlanta this season. Chubb and quarterback Jacob Eason are returning, along with 15 other starters. They will be joined by the 2nd best recruiting class in the country, only behind Alabama’s.
Georgia also has a very favorable conference schedule this season. The Bulldogs’ cross-division opponents are Mississippi State and Auburn, and Georgia will only play three true road games this year, the fourth against Florida being played in Jacksonville.
The table has been set. It’s all about the Bulldogs going out and executing in order to end the five-year SEC title game drought.
PREDICTION: An upset win by Tennessee at Rocky Top on September 30th will be Georgia’s only loss this season. The Bulldogs will go to the SEC Championship Game, but fall just short against Alabama (oops, spoiler alert).
Kentucky Wildcats (9-3, 6-2 SEC)
Kentucky has been the laughingstock of the SEC for quite some time, as the Wildcats have not had a winning record in conference play since 1977. It has also been that long since UK defeated both Florida and Tennessee in the same year–the Wildcats have dropped 30 straight to the Gators and 31 of 32 against the Volunteers.
But Mark Stoops has ignited the program by creating an exciting atmosphere for football in Lexington, and Kentucky will make a push towards the division title this season.
The Wildcats have 17 returning starters from last season, including running back Benny Snell Jr., quarterback Stephen Johnson, and wide receiver Garrett “Juice” Johnson. One of the most physical offensive lines in the conference will open up huge holes in the running game and give Johnson plenty of time in the pocket.
PREDICTION: Kentucky will open the season with six consecutive victories to reach bowl eligibility (including one at South Carolina and one at home against Florida) before falling to Mississippi State in Starkville. The ‘Cats will then respond with three straight victories before ending the season with back-to-back losses to Georgia and Louisville.
Florida Gators (7-5, 5-3 SEC)
The Gators have won the SEC East the past two seasons, their stellar defense (16.8 points allowed per game, ranked 6th nationally) being the main reason why.
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But a sputtering offense will allow rival Georgia to dethrone Florida this season. The main thing that will hurt the Gators is their quarterback situation. Florida was not able to produce a consistent starter last season, and the Gators looked abysmal on offense at times last year (i.e. scoring just 24 points against UMass). Only when this situation is resolved will the Gators be able to compete with the Bulldogs.
PREDICTION: The Gators will drop both high-caliber, non-conference games against Michigan and Florida State, and will also lose to Kentucky for the first time in 30 years. Florida, however, will notch two signature wins against LSU and Texas A&M in “The Swamp,”
South Carolina Gamecocks (6-6, 4-4 SEC)
Like Kentucky, South Carolina is another dark horse that is worth keeping an eye on for the next few seasons. Will Muschamp has 17 starters returning this season, and the Gamecocks are coming into this season on a high note.
After starting last season 2-4, Carolina won four of its next five games in order to reach bowl eligibility. They went to the Birmingham Bowl, where they fought hard but fell in overtime against a very good South Florida team.
The key for success will be defense, especially the play of senior linebacker Skai Moore, who led the team in tackles from 2013-2015 before having to sit out last season due to a neck injury.
PREDICTION: With NC State and Clemson on the non-conference docket, the Gamecocks will need four conference wins to comfortably reach the postseason. A signature win against Florida in November will allow the Gamecocks to achieve bowl eligibility.
Tennessee Volunteers (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
Last season was a major disappointment in Knoxville. The Volunteers were projected by many to go to the SEC Championship Game to face Alabama, but Tennessee stumbled its way to an 8-4 record last year.
But there’s no time for Butch Jones to feel sorry for himself. Josh Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, and Derek Barnett are all gone, and it’s time to get back to work on Rocky Top.
The Volunteers will have a grueling conference schedule this season, playing Florida and Alabama on the road and having to play host to Georgia and LSU.
Tennessee does have 14 returning starters from last season, but whether or not new quarterback Jarret Guarantano can fill Dobbs’ shoes will determine the Vols’ fate this season.
PREDICTION: The Volunteers will compete well in every game but will fall at Florida, Bama, Kentucky, and at home versus LSU. An upset of Georgia will be the high point of the season.
Vanderbilt Commodores (5-7, 2-6 SEC)
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Vanderbilt has 16 starters returning from last year’s team, including preseason third team All-SEC running back Ralph Webb. They will have to compete without the SEC’s best defender last year, Zach Cunnigham, but the Commodore defense will be stout as usual.
The Commodores reached bowl eligibility last season, but a repeat will be very difficult thanks to a tough schedule, playing Alabama and Georgia at home, and Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee on the road. Expect C-USA opponents Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky to take Vanderbilt to the wire as well.
PREDICTION: The Commodores will win the first three non-conference games of the year, and will defeat Ole Miss and Mizzou in SEC play. But a loss to the Hilltoppers from up north will ultimately keep Vandy out of the postseason.
Missouri Tigers (4-8, 0-8 SEC)
The Tigers demonstrated that they could score last season, scoring an average of 31.4 points per game.
But the defense was as porous as sand, evident by Mizzou giving up 51 points to Middle Tennessee State at home and 63 to Tennessee in Knoxville.
The offense will be proficient. Of that there’s no doubt. But until the defensive issues are resolved will the Tigers return to relevance in the SEC East.
PREDICTION: Missouri will win all of its non-conference games (Missouri State, Purdue, Idaho, and UConn) but the Tigers will drop every single SEC game they play this season.
I love your thoughts on the SEC East this year. I agree that Georgia is the team to beat , and they are going to have a nice season. They do play two true road games outside the league against Notre Dame and G.Tech which could be tricky. I think they could finish 10-2 or 9-3. I also think that Missouri will win at least one game in the SEC. They have a ways to go defensively to catch up to the rest of the conference but their offense should allow them to steal one game in the league.
GREAT READ