SEC 2024 Preview: Conference Predictions & Best Bets: Welcome Home, Sooners & Longhorns

We are incredibly close to College Football, and the Powerhouse that is the SEC just got better. This conference did not lose any teams but added two of the best in the business, which will make for an even more exciting season. The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns have played their final games as members of the Big 12, and have moved on to the now extremely stacked, SEC. The conference now features 16 total teams and to be honest, it is a bit top heavy.

After the initial AP Top 25 Rankings dropped, we see that 9 SEC teams are ranked, all within the Top 20. They have 3 teams in the Top 5, while 5 other squads put 8 total in the Top 15 in the nation. However, once you get past the ranked squads in this conference, there is a bit of a fall off.

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Ranked Teams in the SEC

• #1 Georgia
• #4 Texas
• #5 Alabama
• #6 Ole Miss
• #11 Missouri
• #13 LSU
• #15 Tennessee
• #16 Oklahoma
• #20 Texas A&M

Unranked Teams in the SEC

• Arkansas
• Auburn
• Florida
• Kentucky
• Mississippi State
• South Carolina
• Vanderbilt

Still plenty of prolific names, but I don’t see any of these teams making a stab at the newly formatted College Football Playoff. This league was already the toughest in the nation, and with Oklahoma and Texas joining, things just got a whole lot harder. While this preview will focus on the entire conference, most of the attention will stay on the 9 ranked teams in this league. For starters, let’s look at the Odds to Win the SEC Championship.

Odds to Win SEC Championship

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• Georgia +190
• Texas +325
• Alabama +600
• Ole Miss +700
• LSU +950
• Texas A&M +1000
• Missouri +1400
• Tennessee +1600
• Oklahoma +3300
• Auburn +3300

After those top 10, there is quite the downgrade in talent.

• Kentucky 100-1
• South Carolina 100-1
• Florida 100-1
• Arkansas 250-1
• Mississippi State 300-1
• Vanderbilt 300-1

While some of these teams once struck fear into their opponent, they may not be doing so this season. Ultimately, I think the Top 10 are head and shoulders above the bottom of the league this year. This team could potentially send 4-6 teams into the College Football Playoff, as 5 teams are represented in the Top 7 favorites to win it all.

Could Texas Make it Back to the National Semifinal?

While Georgia is the clear favorite in this conference, I could see Texas making waves in their first year. Mainly because of how lopsided their schedule is. Remember those 7 SEC teams that aren’t ranked? The Longhorns get to play 5 of them this season, which should all translate to easy Ws. Now, they do play Oklahoma, duh, the week after they host the Bulldogs, and they end the season in College Station. Texas could easily be a 1 loss team in the SEC, and I think they could give Georgia a run for their money, especially in Austin. The Longhorns big task will be the 2nd game of the season, where they play the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House.

Now, personally I don’t think Michigan will be all that this season, and after losing Harbaugh and McCarthy, I’ sure they deal with a big Championship Hangover. Looking at Georgia’s schedule, they have a much tougher path than the Longhorns.

Georgia Bulldogs Schedule

Not only do the Bulldogs open up their season against #14 Clemson, they have to play on the road @ #5 Alabama, @ #4 Texas, and @ #6 Ole Miss. They also travel to play Kentucky, who should be near the Top half of this league, host #15 Tennessee, and Florida, who are in the same boat as Kentucky. This team is led by Heisman Hopeful, Carson Beck, and they are playing with a major chip on their shoulder after missing the CFP last season. With 12 teams, they should certainly make it in, but the Bulldogs will need to prove that they still run the SEC.

Any SEC Dark Horses?

Ole Miss +700

While it’s tough to call the 4th favorite a “Dark Horse”, at +700, Ole Miss could be worth a stab. Another Heisman Candidate, Jaxson Dart leads the Rebels into this SEC gauntlet, but like Texas, they do have a somewhat lighter schedule. As of right now, Ole Miss will only play 3 ranked teams all year long: @ #13 LSU, vs #16 Oklahoma, and vs #1 Georgia. I wouldn’t consider facing the Bulldogs as an automatic loss, especially that late in the season. The Rebels will have to travel to face the Gators, as well as hosting Kentucky, but other than that, this should easily be a 10 win team. The problem would be potentially facing an undefeated Longhorns team in the SEC Championship game.

Missouri +1400

Now, I am not putting coin on the Missouri Tigers to win the SEC, but I have to admit I think this price has some value when thinking about potential hedging opportunities. I love Missouri’s schedule. With the new league format, Missouri avoids Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas, and Tennessee. Now, they will have to travel to play @ #20 Texas A&M, and @ #5 Alabama, but other than hosting #16 Oklahoma, those are their only ranked opponents this year. If for whatever reason the SEC starts beating up on each other this year, with potentially a 2 loss team making the conference championship, Missouri could somehow sneak in if they can pull one of those road upsets.

While the Tigers lost RB Cody Schrader, they are returning Senior QB Brady Cook, and a pair of upperclassman WR in Luther Burden III and Mookie Cooper. Last year the 2 loss Tigers proved they could hang in the SEC, and with their weak schedule and returning offense, this team could somehow sneak their way into the CFP.

Final SEC Predictions

Ultimately, I think this conference is decided in Austin when the Bulldogs face the Longhorns. I see Alabama falling off slightly in their first season without Nick Saban, and I don’t think they live up to being 5th in the nation. Regardless, here’s how I see the SEC shaping out.

• #1 Texas
• #2 Georgia
• #3 Ole Miss
• #4 Missouri
• #5 Alabama
• #6 Tennessee
• #7 LSU
• #8 Oklahoma
• #9 Texas A&M
• #10 Kentucky
• #11 Auburn
• #12 Florida
• #13 South Carolina
• #14 Arkansas
• #15 Mississippi State
• #16 Vanderbilt

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