SEC Football Preview

As fans across the South get geared up for College Football season, a lot of questions are waiting to be answered. Coming off an impressive season for the Southeastern Conference, including an all-SEC National Championship game, the expectations across the south are high and reasonably so.

Alabama and Georgia are the clear-cut favorites to earn a spot in the SEC Championship game.  This would be a rematch of last season’s Championship thriller where Alabama barely got the best of the Georgia Bulldogs. The real question is, Who can stop either one of these two? Mississippi State? South Carolina? Florida? Maybe even Missouri? In this article, we will take a look at both the East and West and make predictions from there.

First and foremost we will take a look at the SEC East and make predictions accordingly.

Can anybody beat Georgia?

If a team were to beat the Bulldogs out of the East it would likely be the South Carolina Gamecocks. South Carolina, with the offensive side of the ball around Jake Bentley and DeeBo Samuel, the Gamecocks are poised to be one of the most explosive offensives in the East.

Predicted order of finish in the SEC East:

1. Georgia ( 13-1) (8-0)
2. South Carolina ( 9-3) ( 6-2)
3. Kentucky ( 7-5) ( 4-4)
4. Missouri ( 7-5) (3-5)
5. Florida ( 7-5) ( 3-5)
6. Vanderbilt ( 6-6) ( 3-5)
7. Tennessee ( 3-9) (0-8)

Now onto the wild SEC West: the West will be far superior to the East. With teams like Auburn, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M all battling Alabama for the top spot, things in the West this year could get very interesting.

Auburn and Mississippi State both have the best chances at knocking off the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide. Both the Bulldogs and Tigers have their starting Quarterbacks back in Jarrett Stidham and Nick Fitzgerald, and they will cause problems for a depleted Alabama defense. With that being said Alabama will be coming into the 2018 season as the clear-cut favorite to win the West and earn a spot to play in the SEC championship.

One of the biggest storylines this offseason has been the Alabama quarterback situation and with a week until the Crimson Tide take on Louisville, Saban has yet to name a starter. After last seasons performance in the National Championship game, a lot of people have made assumptions that the starting QB at Alabama this fall will go to Tua Tagovailoa,  who led the Crimson Tide to a second-half heroic performance in route to the programs 17th national championship. The two crucial games for the Crimson Tide this season will come within the SEC at home as Alabama will host both Mississippi State and Auburn.

Sleepers of the SEC West are the teams from Auburn and Starkville. Talent wise Mississippi State has the upper hand on Auburn, with Nick Fitzgerald and Aeris Williams returning on offense for the Bulldogs they will look to continue the explosive playmaking from last season. On defense, the Bulldogs are stacked returning eight key defenders from last seasons team. Joe Moorhead and company will be rocking and ready this fall and will likely have a season for the school to remember for decades to come.

SEC West predictions:

1. Alabama ( 14-0), (8-0)
2. Mississippi State ( 10-2), ( 6-2)
3. Auburn ( 9-3), (6-2)
4. Texas A&M ( 7-5), 4-4)
5. Ole Miss ( 6-6), (3-5)
6. LSU (5-7), (2-6)
7. Arkansas ( 3-9), (0-8)

With a league full of new coaches, the SEC has two clear-cut favorites and a bunch of craziness in the middle of the pack. The SEC will once again be on top of the college football world. Alabama and Georgia will both be looking to make a push at the college football playoffs and carry on the legacy that is SEC football.