Predicting every SEC team's record after Week 2
Nobody’s perfect, even in the SEC. So why should we be perfect in predicting the SEC? Why not give us another shot, say after Week 2?
Given two weeks of additional knowledge, here’s where we see your favorite SEC team ending the season, record-wise:
SEC West
Alabama: 12-0
What, only beating New Mexico State by 52 should make us change our projection?
Arkansas: 4-8
They couldn’t beat Ole Miss in Week 2, so it’s hard to see any SEC wins for the Razorbacks.
Auburn: 8-4
When the Auburn offense looks bad against a top 10 team, that’s one thing. When it looks bad against Tulane, well, there could be some problems here. Check back after the Week 4 visit to Texas A&M for a more developed prognosis on this team.
LSU: 11-1
Alabama aside, there’s nobody on this LSU schedule who we’d pick to beat the Tigers right now. Florida in Week 7 might be the next real challenge.
Mississippi State: 8-4
This was a solid win, but it remains to be seen how Mississippi State will react to an SEC-style punch in the mouth. Until then, we’re going middle-of-the-road, but this prediction could be either a little high or a little low.
Ole Miss: 5-7
Even if the Rebels handle Cal in two weeks, it’s hard to find a non-Vanderbilt SEC game they’ve got a good shot to win.
Texas A&M: 8-4
A 14-point loss to Clemson is far from disappointing, but Texas A&M’s offense — and its offensive line in particular — didn’t look like a top-half of the SEC West group. Against LSU, Auburn, or Mississippi State, that could be the difference between climbing to 2nd in the West, or falling to 5th.
SEC East
Florida: 9-3
Georgia and LSU look tough, but other than that, Florida could be in for some fairly smooth sailing if it leaves Lexington with a win next week.
Georgia: 11-1
That offense is checking all the boxes. The defense is good enough for the Murray States of the world, but it could be a bit of a problem down the line. Or they could run the table.
Kentucky: 8-4
It was tempting to drop UK to 7-5 with the apparent loss of quarterback Terry Wilson. But before we do that, first, we want to confirm that loss and second, we want to see how former Troy QB Sawyer Smith handles the job. A lot of things up in the air this week against Florida.
Missouri: 9-3
This schedule worked out pretty well, with Arkansas and Ole Miss as the SEC West opponents. South Carolina could throw this off in Week 4, but Mizzou is a definite factor in the SEC East after that impressive win against West Virginia.
South Carolina: 5-7
At Missouri in Week 4 and home against Kentucky in Week 5 are both crucial. The Gamecocks really need both to have a winning season.
Tennessee: 4-8
Chattanooga and UAB should be wins, but beyond that, who should Tennessee feel confident against? A 3-9 record might be more likely than 6-6.
Vanderbilt: 5-7
After a week off and a game with LSU, the Commodores need to sweep a three-game span of Northern Illinois, at Ole Miss, and UNLV. If they do that, we can consider six wins.