Defending national champions Georgia and college football playoff title game opponents Alabama enter the 2022 season as the SEC’s consensus top team. No surprises there. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide are powerhouses on and off the field, but the similarities end with another college football campaign on the horizon.
Georgia lost many NFL championship-winning starters in the offseason, but Alabama sees 2021 as a rebuilding season. The Tide not only has Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, but CBS Sports’ preseason player of the year, Star Edge’s Will Anderson Jr., in his 1-2 on offense and defense. in favor of Bama winning again without a doubt. The toughest meeting in sports.
But beyond these giants, there are many disagreements over how the SEC will pull itself out in 2022.
Texas A&M is well on its way to recruiting a record-setting class, but these players may need to mature before they’re ready to jump into contention for the league’s throne. Both Florida and LSU are in rebuilding mode after dumping former national championship-winning coaches (Dan Mullen as coordinator and Ed Augeron as lead man under Urban Meyer), but the Gators and The Tigers want to instantly correct anyone in doubt that they are wrong. campaign.
Meanwhile, Kentucky and Tennessee have been more hyped in the SEC East than in recent memory, and Arkansas hopes to continue its incredible rise from a year ago. Lane Kiffin, on the other hand, is looking to prove his offense works on Ole his mistakes, even though his star quarterback has left for his NFL.
CBS Sports’ college football experts have provided the SEC’s recommendations and predictions ahead of the 2022 season.
most overrated team
Texas A&M: The Aggies started the year as sixth in the preseason AP Top 25 and the consensus favorite is to be Alabama’s top contender in the SEC West after winding up in the all-time recruiting class. That said, their 8-4 record and fifth-place finish in the SEC West last season don’t exactly scream playoff contenders. Although they lost King to a season-ending injury, they are the only team to finish in the preseason Top 12 with fewer than 10 wins — especially after losing four All-SEC players to the NFL. — Shehan Jeyaraja (also Dennis Dodd and Barrett Sally)
Tennessee: AP voters put the Volunteers as the 26th team in the country, with the coaches not far behind. That’s offensive for a team that still has a long way to go on defense, and even an 8.5-win total is optimistic on a schedule that includes games against his LSU in Alabama, Georgia and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Is Tennessee in a place where it can be trusted to beat Kentucky, Florida, Pitt, etc. to run the table some other way while avoiding slip-ups at every position where the Vols are pretty favorites? The team was 7-6 a year ago, so I certainly admit Tennessee is a dangerous team, but they need one more step in their development before they can hit double-digit wins. — Chip Patterson (also Tom Forneri)
Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin’s “Portal King” nickname is accurate, but what the Rebels lost in quarterback Matt Corral, offensive coordinator Jeff Levy, and defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is No. 2 in the nation. Corral were the soul of a 10-3 team last season, and staff turnover limits what this team can accomplish in the sport’s deepest division. An easy non-conference slate, plus an annual game with Vanderbilt, makes predicting Ole Miss’s bowl eligibility relatively easy, but this team takes a step back. — David Cobb
LSUs: Since the Tigers won the U.S. Championship in 2019, things have gone from bad to worse for LSU. Ed his Orgeron era ended with consecutive under .500 records. This is the first time at LSU since Jerry Dinardo’s last two seasons as his coach in 1998-99. Brian Kelly was pulled away from the University of Notre Dame to get things back on track. There is excitement around the program, but it will probably take some patience to see LSU once again contending for the division title. — Jerry Palm
most underrated team
Florida: Hopes for the Gators seem to be rooted in their 6-7 record last season, but their performance didn’t show their potential given the team’s roster. Florida still has the most complete team compared to all other teams in the SEC East except Georgia. With Dan Mullen’s tenure coming to an end in 2021, motivation seemed to be lacking and the team fell apart all at once. A new coach in Billy Napier and a defensive coordinator in Patrick Tony won’t be a problem this season. Both have a proven track record of success. — Cobb (also Jeyaraja)
Tennessee: Josh Heupel has a quarterback (Hendon Hooker). If the SEC has it, you have a chance. If you squint, you’ll see Volunteer win nine of his, but you could just as easily go the other way. Still, Tennessee is clearly on the rise. — Dodd
Ole Miss: Coral’s absence is too much, not enough of an upgraded running back corps, a versatile receiver/tight end, and at least a steady quarterback situation. more likely to change. Ole Miss clicks big against just about any team they face, so they don’t care how their defense looks consistently. — Sally
LSUs: It’s nearly impossible to rate this LSU team going into the season. All I can say is that the Tigers are not. This is his 5th best team in the SEC West. That’s where they landed in the pre-season media poll. Both high-end talent and depth of options at the receiver make most other teams in the league envious of what Kerry has inherited. With multiple future pros at wide receivers and a potentially dominant defensive front, his LSU has his three or his four most important buildings for success in the modern college game. There are two of his blocks. If Kelly can find a quarterback, the cap for this team will be much higher than many would expect. — Patterson
Mississippi: Is there an SEC program that stands out less than Mike Leach’s Mississippi State this offseason? We’re talking about a Bulldogs team returning a veteran quarterback savvy in the production of The Bulldogs. — Fornelli
Kentucky: Kentucky is definitely a basketball school, even at the risk of angering coach Mark Stoop. However, Stoops has brought Kentucky to his sixth straight bowl in his game, including two Citrus his bowls, in which he has won four straight bowls. . The Wildcats may not be ready to compete with Georgia in the SEC East, but they are in line with all the other teams. Not bad for a “basketball school”. — Palm
bold predictions
- Dennis Dodd: Mark Stoops wins 10 at Kentucky, knows he’s maxed out at Lexington, and takes a not-so-sudden position at Auburn.
- Tom Forneri: Every team in the SEC West goes bowling, but only Alabama and Texas A&M win eight or more games during the regular season.
- Chip Patterson: Vanderbilt is on track to achieve over-under win numbers by the end of September.
- Valet Sally: Ole Miss runs the table for the first two months of the season. The Rebels will have his bye week on November 5th, with a fight against undefeated Alabama looming on November 12th. If they can pull off an upset, coach Lane Kiffin’s team could make a legitimate push to his college football playoffs.
- Shehan Jeyaraja: After overwhelming division favorites Alabama and Georgia, no other SEC team is in the top 10 of the postseason.
- David Cobb: Brian Kelly’s first year of experimentation goes awry as the former Notre Dame coach faces the toughest division in the country for the first time. The Tigers will bowl his game but finish in the top 10 signing class anyway.
- Jerry Palm: The SEC once again has two teams in the College Football Playoffs and a third team in the Top 6 this season.
SEC expected order of finish
SEC Champion
Alabama: No need to think about the room here. The Crimson Tide has incumbent Heisman Trophy quarterback Bryce Young, the best player in college football his EDGE his Will Anderson Jr., and the bitter taste of last season’s national title loss. I’m talking about Young has had an even better season behind a vastly improved offensive line, the secondary has emerged as the best player in the country, and coach Nick Saban’s schedule is well set for a second straight win. — Sally (unanimous)
