Take Two: 2022 SEC Football Predictions
The college football season is almost here and that means there's not much time left to get predictions on record.
Cats Illustrated writers give their rankings for SEC East and West teams, as well as how they see the championship game playing out, along with some analysis.
Will this be the year Kentucky shocks the nation and gets to Atlanta?
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
SEC East
1. Georgia
2. Kentucky
3. Tennessee
4. Florida
5. South Carolina
6. Missouri
7. Vanderbilt
SEC West
1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. Arkansas
4. Ole Miss
5. LSU
6. Mississippi State
7. Auburn
Chalk. How can you really pick against Georgia and Alabama meeting in the SEC Championship Game? It's becoming the game of the year in college football and last year we got it twice. I think both teams are about equally vulnerable this year, which is to say UGA has an easier slate in the East, but Bama is the better team. So I've got Alabama beating UGA in Atlanta and then winning the national championship.
While Kentucky gets both Florida and Tennessee on the road I like Mark Stoops' proven ability to avoid losses in games Kentucky should win.
While Arkansas plays an extremely challenging schedule on the basis of being in the West and playing both Cincinnati and Liberty out of conference, the Razorbacks draw South Carolina and Missouri from the East and should dispatch both opponents, which will help them in the West race.
I like LSU getting both Mississippi schools in Death Valley and believe that gives Brian Kelly a chance to make a little more noise with the Tigers in his first year.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
SEC East
1. Georgia
2. Kentucky
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. South Carolina
6. Missouri
7. Vanderbilt
SEC West
1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Ole Miss
6. Mississippi State
7. Auburn
I really wanted to find any excuse not to have Alabama or Georgia meeting once again in the SEC Championship Game,, but it just comes out sounding silly when you attempt to do so. There is probably a Marvel-esque universe where Kentucky and Texas A&M square off in Atlanta but acknowledging that possibility and justifying the pick are two entirely different exercises. With Bryce Young back at quarterback and that never-ending depth chart of elite recruits, I think the Crimson Tide probably hoists the championship trophy once again. Georgia lost too many studs to the NFL on the defensive side of the ball.
My predictions don’t differ too much from those of Justin above, but I don’t think Tennessee is as good as some in the media are predicting in the East — especially on defense, where it matters most in this league — and in the West, I think LSU will be better than a lot of people think in the first year under Brian Kelly. He does some cringe things from time to time in front of the cameras, but they guy has proven he can get big results in a hurry.
The strangest thing in this whole process was typing Auburn at the bottom of the West. It just looks wrong. But it’s difficult to envision a scenario where the Tigers don’t wind up there. They have to play each of the SEC’s top three teams and they play on the road against both of the two teams I have listed above them, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.