CBS Sports has wide-range of SEC predictions, player projections

According to the experts over at CBS Sports, Alabama will take on South Carolina for the SEC Championship this season, but Georgia, Auburn, Florida and LSU are also contenders.

Chip Patterson’s bold College Football Playoff prediction is one of the more interesting projections: “SEC cannibalization produces a two-loss conference champion that will make the College Football Playoff and bump a 1-loss or undefeated conference champion.”

Notable individual takes from CBS Sports’ group of analysts

Jon Solomon: “When he’s healthy, Todd Gurley looks like the closest thing to Adrian Peterson college football has seen. Gurley is a special, special player.”

Jeremy Fowler: “I’m not sure why Bama is magically a playoff lock after losing several defensive starters (including three really good defensive backs), good offensive lineman, one of the best quarterbacks in the program’s history and a good offensive coordinator. The skill players will carry the offense early — and make no mistake, this team’s potential is absurdly rich — but it’s not blasphemous to say there could be at least a few losses on this schedule.”

Dennis Dodd: “Bo Wallace is this year’s Johnny Football. Robert Nkenmdiche’s potential will be realized. Hugh Freeze’s recruiting classes will mature. A third-place finish in the West isn’t out of the question.”

Jerry Palm: “(Ramik) Wilson averaged more than 10 tackles a game for the Bulldogs last year. He leads a defense that is going to have to step up if the Bulldogs are going to compete in the East.”

Chip Patterson: “In a year where it looks like Alabama and Auburn are set to hold court in the SEC West, I’m thinking that Spurrier could end up getting the nod if he gets the Gamecocks back to the SEC title game in Atlanta. It would be the eighth coach of the year honor for the Head Ball Coach and his third since arriving in Columbia.”

CBS SPORTS’ ALL-SEC FIRST-TEAM PICKS