College Football 2024 Preview: SEC

Photo by John Reed from USA Today Sports

It just. Means. More.

And now it means even more, with Texas and Oklahoma joining the group.

And despite the mostly obnoxious fanbase, there is a reason people are drawn to this conference.

So, who’s going to win it this year?

Let’s dive in.

Tier 1: Championship Contenders

Georgia Bulldogs

I don’t know if you know this, but Georgia is good at football!

Georgia has lost just twice over the past 3 seasons, and both were to Nick Saban’s Alabama.

So, if Georgia isn’t playing the greatest coach in the history of college football, they win.

Nick Saban has also retired.

Yeah, I think Georgia is going to be pretty damn good again.

Texas Longhorns

Last year, Texas did something they haven’t done in a long time.

They dominated the line of scrimmage.

Good QBs and skill weapons will come naturally to Texas. It’s Texas.

But being able to build the line to dominate games differentiated them from previous years and led them to a Big 12 championship and the college football playoff.

In a harder conference, that is going to help them win a lot of games.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Maybe it’s the beginning of a downfall for Alabama without Nick Saban. I don’t know.

But I do know that Kalen DeBoer has been a head coach at the FBS level for four years and has done nothing but win with Fresno State and Washington.

I have no reason to doubt that Alabama will be really good really fast with DeBoer at the helm.

Tier 2: Dark Horses

Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss just needs a defense, man.

Kiffin’s offense works everywhere it goes, and Ole Miss will score at will this year.

And if the defense is just good enough, the Rebs will compete for a title.

But that’s a big if.

Missouri Tigers

Eli Drinkwitz is finally off the hot seat, Brady Cook and Luther Burden return, and Missouri has a pretty easy SEC schedule, if such a thing exists.

They did lose defensive coordinator Blake Baker, so that throws a wrench into things, but Mizzou is set up for a run.

LSU Tigers

The defense, who was terrible last season, has returned a bunch of starters and now has a new defensive coordinator in Blake Baker (the guy from Mizzou I just mentioned him like two lines ago you really should remember).

So the defense, in theory, should be better.

The offense is the question mark, but that’s where I trust Brian Kelly.

Hey, nobody expected them to compete in 2022 either.

But there they were, in Atlanta to get stomped on by Georgia in the conference title game.

Tier 3: Bowl Game Bound

Tennessee Volunteers

Two years ago, Tennessee was really good, and many expected the same last year, as the Vols replaced Hendon Hooker with big arm QB Joe Milton.

Everyone loves a QB who can throw bombs!

The problem is, he didn’t throw them accurately.

Now, Milton is good, and Nico Iamaleava steps in to take over.

If he’s accurate enough, Tennessee will be really, really good again.

But this conference is too tough to see them in Atlanta.

Kentucky Wildcats

Mark Stoops is going to win 7 or 8 games and Kentucky will make a bowl.

That’s just what Kentucky does under Stoops.

Oklahoma Sooners

Brent Venables has done a good job so far at OU, but this is a tough conference to compete in.

New offensive coordinator. New quarterback.

There’s just a lot of question marks this year for the Sooners.

Texas A&M Aggies

It feels like the fans and overall college football media has finally decided to stop overrating Texas A&M.

And that’s good! Because the Aggies will once again be nothing more than good in year one under Mike Elko.

But Elko can coach his tail off, and A&M should be setting themselves up well in the future.

And really, that’s all that matters to start with.

Tier 4: Bowl Game Possible

South Carolina Gamecocks

Last year, South Carolina was ravaged by injuries and terrible offensive line play.

The offensive line has had a much needed overhaul, and freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers is a dynamic playmaker who can break a game wide open.

All it set up well for the Gamecocks to make a bowl.

That is, if those new offensive line pieces and Sellers works.

If not, this is a difficult schedule, and finding a way to 6 wins will be tough.

Auburn Tigers

Auburn made a bowl last season, and that’s great, but they failed to improve the quarterback position after Payton Thorne’s difficult season, and the defense faces a lot of turnover.

Not to mention, just looking at the schedule, I’d project Auburn to go 6-6 just based off of how the teams look on paper.

That’s a bowl game, but it also implies Auburn wins all six of the games they’re favored in.

And that is no guarantee.

Tier 5: I’d Be Baffled

Arkansas Razorbacks

It feels like Sam Pittman is dead in the water, and it feels like Arkansas already has their replacement for him inside the building with Bobby Petrino.

The team isn’t talented, the vibes are bad, the schedule is hard.

I just can’t see it.

Florida Gators

This should be the best Florida team under Billy Napier so far, and that’s good, because he had to inherit a mess left by previous coach Dan Mullen.

Unfortunately, it’s not good enough to get over the fact that Florida plays a projected 9 top 25 teams this year.

Now, preseason polls can, and have, been extremely wrong at times. So that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

But all we can do is go off paper, and the paper says Florida is in a lot of trouble this year.

And if Florida loses to UCF mid season, Billy Napier likely won’t have a chance to finish what he’s trying to start.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

I think Jeff Lebby will work in Starkville, but not in year one.

Not with this talent on the roster and this schedule staring back at them.

But State fans can be patient enough if they see some proof of concept as the year goes along.

Vanderbilt Commodores

I actually think Vanderbilt is going to be pretty good this year for Vandy standards.

Unfortunately, Vandy standards still probably find them at 4-8.

That’s just life in this very, very difficult conference.

Conference Championship Prediction

I’d be absolutely stunned if Georgia didn’t make it to the title game this year, and Texas should be the second participant.

But what’s the fun in picking the favorites?

Texas misses out, and Alabama with Kalen DeBoer finds year one success and goes to the SEC title game.

All for the delightful reward of getting absolutely hammered by Georgia.

Georgia Wins the SEC Championship.