Though the site’s SEC East experts did not deviate from the ironclad prediction of Georgia and South Carolina as the SEC East’s top two teams in 2014, Rivals.com did call Missouri the “wild card” in the division this year.

The site’s seven SEC East writers predicted Missouri to finish third in the division.

Rivals.com listed this as “The Explanation.”

Yes, it seems strange to say this about the defending division champ, but a lot of folks it seems are discounting the Tigers. That’s probably a big mistake.

In the SEC East, especially, preseason predictions don’t seem to hold much relative value in 2014. The SEC media picked Missouri to finish fifth out of seven teams in 2013, and we all know how that ended.

Still, it’s refreshing to see a media entity rank Missouri as high as third. It’s fair to pick Georgia and South Carolina, but given the parity in the division, the lack of diversity in the picks is curious.

Here is the complete predicted order of finish in the SEC East, according to Rivals:

1. South Carolina, 47 points (5)
2. Georgia, 43 (2)
3. Missouri, 31
4. Florida, 29
5. Tennessee, 18
6. Vanderbilt, 16
7. Kentucky, 10