I have had a chance to look at as much information as I care to delve into before the season, and have listened to those who should know more than I about this subject, but I thought I would stay indoors out of the heat and post my take on the subject line. The best case is everything going right and catching a few breaks. The worst case is bad breaks such as injuries, unfortunate bounces, etc. Prediction is my gut feeling (most likely biased, but still). Feel free to agree, disagree, whatever floats your boat. Here goes:
Team Georgia (#1)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 9-3 (5-3)
Prediction 10-2 (6-2) (host seed in 1st round of CFP)
Bottom Line UGA is the consensus preseason choice to roll through the SEC this season and reclaim their throne as the kings of college football. Their schedule has road trips to #3 Texas, #5 Alabama, and #6 Ole Miss. They will lose 2 of those 3 and "limp" into the playoff as a host seed, where they will be a dangerous team to the unlucky team(s) that draw them.
Team Texas (#3)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 8-4 (5-3)
Prediction 9-3 (6-2) (New Year's Day Bowl berth)
Bottom Line Texas will discover quickly that there are no "easy" weeks in the SEC (well, they do play at Vandy, so there's that) and the Horns will find the going a little tougher than just getting up once or twice a season. HC Sark's off-field trouble may be an underrated distraction. The season may hinge on the week 2 trip to defending National Champion Michigan. They will lose to Michigan and 2 of 3 to UGA, OU, and aTm.
Team Alabama (#5)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 7-5 (4-4)
Prediction 11-1 (7-1) SECCG loser, host 1st round CFP.
Bottom Line Those predicting the demise of the Tide due to CNS's retirement are in for a rude awakening. Alabama may have BETTER coaching this year (blasphemous, I know). The SEP 14 game at Wisconsin is an underrated key. Losses to either UGA or LSU and Ole Miss in SECCG.
Team Ole Miss (#6)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 7-5 (3-5)
Prediction 11-1 (7-1) SECCG winner, 1st round bye in CFP
Bottom Line The OCT 12 LSU game in Baton Rouge could be the biggest in school history. A loss could be the proverbial key to Pandora's Box. Loss to either Arkansas on NOV 2 or FLA NOV 23. We will BEAT UGA NOV 9, but lose to one of two desperate programs before or after. We will FINALLY play in (and win) SECCG.
Team Missouri (#11)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 9-3 (5-3)
Prediction 10-2 (6-2) road 1st round of CFP
Bottom Line Mizzou will be a solid team that will present matchup problems to most of its opponents. Their schedule is cream puff soft in non-conference and most of their biggest tests are at home. Losses to Alabama and Texas A&M will prevent the Tigers from hosting, but they will make the CFP.
Team LSU (#13)
Best Case 10-2 (6-2)
Worst Case 6-6 (3-5)
Prediction 8-4 (5-3) New Year's Day bowl (Outback or similar)
Bottom Line The Tigers have a lot of talent, especially on offense, but they lost a lot on offense too and they still have not proved that they have fixed their problems on defense. They will lose the opener to USC (they always seem to lose their opener) and lose to Ole Miss, Alabama, and 1 of Arkansas, Texas A&M, or Florida.
Team Tennessee (#15)
Best Case 9-3 (5-3)
Worst Case 7-5 (3-5)
Prediction 8-4 (4-4) (New Year's Day bowl (Outback or similar)
Bottom Line The Vols will be a top 20 team for most of the season, but they are, IMHO, a notch below the top tier of the conference and will fall short in a couple of valiant efforts. They will lose to Alabama, Georgia, and 2 of Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Kentucky.
Team Oklahoma (#16)
Best Case 9-3 (5-3)
Worst Case 5-7 (2-6)
Prediction 8-4 (4-4) (New Year's Day bowl (Outback or similar)
Bottom Line Like Texas, OU will discover quickly what the word "grind" means as they navigate the SEC for the 1st time. They have a talented team, but it is not an upper-tier OU talented team, and we all know how well more talented OU teams have (not) done in bowl games and the CFP against the SEC in past years. They will, IMHO, win the Red River matchup against Texas. Losses to Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, and 1 of LSU, Tennessee, or Auburn.
Team Texas A&M (#20)
Best Case 10-2 (6-2)
Worst Case 6-6 (3-5)
Prediction 9-3 (5-3) (New Year's Day Bowl berth)
Bottom Line aTm has a chance to be sneaky good this year, possibly challenging for a playoff berth. The whole season may hinge on the outcome of the opener against Notre Dame. I believe they will get the W in that game, and overcome some midseason adversity and tough losses in games they should win ( I predict a loss to Arkansas in the final meeting at Cowboy's Stadium) with the pleasant thought of ruining Texas' CFP hopes at Kyle Field to end the season, where they will control their frenetic emotions enough to knock Texas out of the CFP. Losses to Arkansas, LSU, and at Florida.
The rest:
Arkansas 6-6 (3-5)
Auburn 7-5 (3-5)
Florida 6-6 (3-5)
Kentucky 5-7 (2-6)
Mississippi State 6-6 (2-6)
South Carolina 4-8 (1-7)
Vanderbilt 3-9 (0-8)
Team Georgia (#1)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 9-3 (5-3)
Prediction 10-2 (6-2) (host seed in 1st round of CFP)
Bottom Line UGA is the consensus preseason choice to roll through the SEC this season and reclaim their throne as the kings of college football. Their schedule has road trips to #3 Texas, #5 Alabama, and #6 Ole Miss. They will lose 2 of those 3 and "limp" into the playoff as a host seed, where they will be a dangerous team to the unlucky team(s) that draw them.
Team Texas (#3)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 8-4 (5-3)
Prediction 9-3 (6-2) (New Year's Day Bowl berth)
Bottom Line Texas will discover quickly that there are no "easy" weeks in the SEC (well, they do play at Vandy, so there's that) and the Horns will find the going a little tougher than just getting up once or twice a season. HC Sark's off-field trouble may be an underrated distraction. The season may hinge on the week 2 trip to defending National Champion Michigan. They will lose to Michigan and 2 of 3 to UGA, OU, and aTm.
Team Alabama (#5)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 7-5 (4-4)
Prediction 11-1 (7-1) SECCG loser, host 1st round CFP.
Bottom Line Those predicting the demise of the Tide due to CNS's retirement are in for a rude awakening. Alabama may have BETTER coaching this year (blasphemous, I know). The SEP 14 game at Wisconsin is an underrated key. Losses to either UGA or LSU and Ole Miss in SECCG.
Team Ole Miss (#6)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 7-5 (3-5)
Prediction 11-1 (7-1) SECCG winner, 1st round bye in CFP
Bottom Line The OCT 12 LSU game in Baton Rouge could be the biggest in school history. A loss could be the proverbial key to Pandora's Box. Loss to either Arkansas on NOV 2 or FLA NOV 23. We will BEAT UGA NOV 9, but lose to one of two desperate programs before or after. We will FINALLY play in (and win) SECCG.
Team Missouri (#11)
Best Case 12-0 (8-0)
Worst Case 9-3 (5-3)
Prediction 10-2 (6-2) road 1st round of CFP
Bottom Line Mizzou will be a solid team that will present matchup problems to most of its opponents. Their schedule is cream puff soft in non-conference and most of their biggest tests are at home. Losses to Alabama and Texas A&M will prevent the Tigers from hosting, but they will make the CFP.
Team LSU (#13)
Best Case 10-2 (6-2)
Worst Case 6-6 (3-5)
Prediction 8-4 (5-3) New Year's Day bowl (Outback or similar)
Bottom Line The Tigers have a lot of talent, especially on offense, but they lost a lot on offense too and they still have not proved that they have fixed their problems on defense. They will lose the opener to USC (they always seem to lose their opener) and lose to Ole Miss, Alabama, and 1 of Arkansas, Texas A&M, or Florida.
Team Tennessee (#15)
Best Case 9-3 (5-3)
Worst Case 7-5 (3-5)
Prediction 8-4 (4-4) (New Year's Day bowl (Outback or similar)
Bottom Line The Vols will be a top 20 team for most of the season, but they are, IMHO, a notch below the top tier of the conference and will fall short in a couple of valiant efforts. They will lose to Alabama, Georgia, and 2 of Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Kentucky.
Team Oklahoma (#16)
Best Case 9-3 (5-3)
Worst Case 5-7 (2-6)
Prediction 8-4 (4-4) (New Year's Day bowl (Outback or similar)
Bottom Line Like Texas, OU will discover quickly what the word "grind" means as they navigate the SEC for the 1st time. They have a talented team, but it is not an upper-tier OU talented team, and we all know how well more talented OU teams have (not) done in bowl games and the CFP against the SEC in past years. They will, IMHO, win the Red River matchup against Texas. Losses to Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, and 1 of LSU, Tennessee, or Auburn.
Team Texas A&M (#20)
Best Case 10-2 (6-2)
Worst Case 6-6 (3-5)
Prediction 9-3 (5-3) (New Year's Day Bowl berth)
Bottom Line aTm has a chance to be sneaky good this year, possibly challenging for a playoff berth. The whole season may hinge on the outcome of the opener against Notre Dame. I believe they will get the W in that game, and overcome some midseason adversity and tough losses in games they should win ( I predict a loss to Arkansas in the final meeting at Cowboy's Stadium) with the pleasant thought of ruining Texas' CFP hopes at Kyle Field to end the season, where they will control their frenetic emotions enough to knock Texas out of the CFP. Losses to Arkansas, LSU, and at Florida.
The rest:
Arkansas 6-6 (3-5)
Auburn 7-5 (3-5)
Florida 6-6 (3-5)
Kentucky 5-7 (2-6)
Mississippi State 6-6 (2-6)
South Carolina 4-8 (1-7)
Vanderbilt 3-9 (0-8)
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