The preseason predictions can get outdated by halftime of Week 1. But the beauty of football predicting is not unlike the beauty of golf — mulligans. Let’s try it again. After opening week, here’s where we’d forecast the SEC ending up, if we had it to all do over again. This time, we really mean it.
West
Alabama: 12-0
Boat-racing the No. 14 team in the nation does nothing to change the general mood around here. Anybody not picking Alabama is either seeing something the rest of us are missing or is trying to do so.
Arkansas: 5-7
The West is brutal and Arkansas’ second-half comeback win over Rice didn’t do much for their overall reputation in league circles. Texas, A&M and Georgia in the first 5 games will probably get the Hogs off track in a hurry.
Auburn: 7-5
Auburn was actually very good in Week 1. That said, being very good against Akron is very different from doing it against Bama, Georgia, at Penn State, at A&M, or at LSU. The brutal schedule makes it hard to go higher than this, although the Tigers probably do warrant a little better.
LSU: 8-4
Tough matchup for LSU coming on the heels of a hurricane. The Tigers have to tighten up defensively, though, or this prediction could slide even lower. On the other hand, aside from Bama and maybe A&M, nobody is outside the realm of a puncher’s chance for the Tigers.
Mississippi State: 5-7
Yes, the Bulldogs pulled this one out of the fire late, but a team that struggles to edge Louisiana Tech at home isn’t going to meet with a ton of success in the SEC. Honestly, the next 2 (home vs. NC State, at Memphis) could both be very challenging matchups. 4-8 feels more likely than 6-6.
Ole Miss: N/A
Since this column is written ahead of Monday’s game with Louisville, let’s see that game before we go on the record with any thoughts on the Rebels.
Texas A&M: 10-2
Can’t pick the Aggies to beat Bama, and one would assume they’ll stumble someplace else, although that’s far from certain. Excellent offensive play in Week 1, although there were still some errors to clean up (3 INTs).
East
Florida: 9-3
While the passing game wasn’t sharp for UF in Week 1, a 400-yard rushing day is certainly a statement. We’d have UF higher if they didn’t have the bad luck to get Alabama in cross-divisional play. But Bama, UGA, and another loss to be determined would be our current prognosis, although 10-2 would be within range with a sharper passing performance.
Georgia: 12-0
Had UGA lost, we’d probably say 10-2, but not only did they beat Clemson, that defense looked so dominant that we can’t pick anybody in the regular season to beat it. Imagine 12-0 Georgia vs. 12-0 Alabama in Atlanta. Winner and loser in such a situation should make the CFP. We could see that very outcome.
Kentucky: 8-4
On the one hand, great opening win for Kentucky, with an actual downfield passing game complementing Chris Rodriguez on the ground. Six QB sacks by the defense might be even more impressive. On the other hand, let’s see a game against better competition before we start talking about 9-3 (or maybe even 10-2).
Missouri: 8-4
The Kentucky game is likewise an opportunity for Mizzou to show that their fairly pedestrian effort in Week 1 wasn’t really representative of their squad. Or a chance to show that they’re more of a 6-6, 7-5 kind of team. Either is plausible.
South Carolina: 5-7
Carolina didn’t do anything to hurt themselves, but not unlike Kentucky above, it’s hard to get too excited about a win over a wildly outmatched foe. Georgia and Kentucky in weeks 3 and 4 could really spin the USC season on a downward spiral.
Tennessee: 5-7
If the Vols want to reach bowl eligibility, Joe Milton (or Harrison Bailey or Hendon Hooker or somebody) has to demonstrate actual SEC-level capability against competent opposition. Next week against Pittsburgh could jump UT a notch or two if they can demonstrate better offensive consistency.
Vanderbilt: 1-11
Is UConn better than East Tennessee State? Asking for a friend.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
