College football is upon us, and for the first time in over 30 years, there will be no divisions in the final SEC standings of the season. What will that look like in 2024? Here is our prediction for where each team will finish in the league, including the two newcomers.
16. South Carolina
If this seems crazy to you, it shouldn’t. The wheels are about to come off the South Carolina Gamecocks this year, and Shane Beamer’s team is going to suffer severely. Based on their schedule in the league, most experts will predict them to go 1-7. However, I am predicting them to go 0-8 and finish last in the SEC standings, for which I will explain soon.
15. Arkansas
Once again, it’s almost impossible to see the Arkansas Razorbacks winning any game in the SEC. Their best chance is against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but that one is on the road, so like South Carolina, they could finish 0-8. Their schedule is enough for them to be higher in this standing, though.
14. Florida
The Florida Gators aren’t the worst team in the SEC or even in the bottom tier, but they are bad, and the wheels are going to come off Billy Napier’s program this year. They get the most brutal draw in the SEC, and like the Hogs, their best chance at a win is against Mississippi State, but it’s on the road. As a result, 1-7 or 0-8 seems likely.
13. Vanderbilt
Should the Vanderbilt Commodores pop champaign? They’re not going to finish last in the SEC standings! Okay, so they’ll finish 1-7, but this is why South Carolina is last. Clark Lea is a good enough coach to beat a reeling South Carolina team in Nashville, and that will push them here.
12. Oklahoma
Reality will set for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners their first year in the SEC, and a lot of it has to do with the schedule. OU is staring 2-6 in the league in the face, as I think everybody on their schedule is significantly better than them outside of the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina. That will push them here.
11. Missouri
Eli Drinkwitz deserves a lot of credit for last year’s 11-2 season, but all signs point to it being a fluke. Mizzou should come back down to earth this year. Lucky for them, they get an easy enough schedule to still get potentially four conference wins, which is why they’ll be above OU despite being not as good, but reality will set in for the program.
10. Mississippi State
My surprise team of the league, Mississippi State is lucky enough to get Mizzou, Florida and Arkansas at home. With those cowbells and Jeff Lebby’s offense, those are three projected wins to me, which is why they will finish No. 11 in the SEC standings. This is an up and down team, but watch out for them.
9. Kentucky
Don’t sleep on Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats. The addition of Bush Hamden as offensive coordinator to run the west coast offense along with Georgia Bulldogs transfer Brock Vandargriff is a match made in heaven. They have three teams they should beat, and a couple other wins are on the table, which puts them here.
8. Texas
We’ve reached the top half of the SEC standings, and honestly, every team left could win the league. In their first year, the Texas Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian would seem to have a favorable schedule, but they do play the Georgia Bulldogs and visit the Texas A&M Aggies. All in all, a 4-4 conference record actually seems likely.
7. Auburn
One of the reasons for Texas finishing so low is the Auburn Tigers taking a step forward under Hugh Freeze with an even more favorable schedule. Hate him all you want, but Freeze can coach. They should win at least five SEC games, and if the Iron Bowl were in their house, I’d have them much higher.
6. Alabama
Book it. Kalen DeBoer’s first Alabama Crimson Tide team is going 9-3 and 5-3 in league play. He was punished for Nick Saban’s antics with the second most brutal schedule int he league, which will push his team down to here in the SEC standings. However, his team will still be in better contention for the College Football Playoff than the next two on this list.
5. Ole Miss
Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels are going all in via the transfer portal for talent this year. They’re also cashing in on a very favorable schedule, which will allow them to go 10-2 again. Avoiding Alabama will result in Ole Miss, with much easier competition in the league, finishing at 6-2 and in better position.
4. Texas A&M
Another surprise team, the Texas A&M Aggies have talent, a good coach and a favorable schedule. It’s less favorable than Ole Miss’, which is why I have them here, but still favorable enough for them to go 6-2. Overall, though, they’ll be the odd team out of a CFP that I think has five SEC teams because they’ll finish 9-3 despite two conference losses.
3. Tennessee
We’re now in the clear-cut top three teams who will earn a spot in the CFB Playoff. You saw from my game by game predictions of the Vols that they will go 11-1 this year and 7-1 in the league, which will easily push them into the top three of these SEC standings. They’ll miss a shot at the title, though, because of the top two.
2. LSU
Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers have another elite quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier, so the offense should be just as potent as it was with Jayden Daniels. A new defensive staff should fix the woes over there too, so if they can get past the USC Trojans to open the year, an undefeated regular season is on the table.
1. Georgia
Kirby Smart’s discipline issues will unravel the team, but it won’t happen in the regular season. The Georgia Bulldogs will finish 12-0. They will then face an LSU team of similar caliber in the SEC Championship and walk away with the win, which is why they are No. 1 on these projected SEC standings for 2024.
