The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs split last season’s championship series. The Tide took a 41-24 SEC championship decision, but the Bulldogs blasted Alabama, 33-18, for the national title.
Currently, Alabama (-145) is a seemingly heavy favorite over the Bulldogs (+155) to win the SEC, according to SEC betting odds. Of course, as we learned last season, this matchup consequently could see a rematch in one of the college football championship outings.
Texas A&M (+1600) is the third in SEC betting odds most likely pick to win the SEC with Kentucky (+3000) sitting fourth. Then, Florida, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn, and Tennessee tie with (+4000) odds. As we have no real diversity in college football in who plays for a national championship each season, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are generally the SEC’s dominant forces. College Football betting sites note that Alabama (+175) is considered the favorite to win the national championship with Georgia sitting at third (+400). The Big Ten’s Ohio State (+300) is between the two as of now.
Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Williams won the Heisman Trophy last season and currently has odds at (+350), but is sitting behind Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (+200).
Currently, Alabama has two other players among the Heisman Trophy leaders in linebacker Will Anderson (+2800) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs (+2800), who transferred from Georgia Tech.
SEC Championship Betting Odds:
Team
Odds
Alabama
-140
Georgia
+155
Texas A&M
+1600
Kentucky
+3300
Ole Miss
+5000
Florida
+5000
Tennessee
+5000
LSU
+5000
Auburn
+5000
Arkansas
+6600
South Carolina
+8000
Mississippi State
+10000
Missouri
+25000
Vanderbilt
+50000
Nick Saban’s definition of a rebuilding year 😳
(via @macandcube) pic.twitter.com/5Nt9JN7Bbi
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 3, 2022
Odds to Win the SEC West:
Team
Odds
Alabama
-500
Texas A&M
+650
Ole Miss
+1600
Arkansas
+1800
LSU
+2800
Mississippi State
+3000
Auburn
+7500
SEC West: Tide Looking to Roll Into Another National Title
The Alabama Crimson Tide (+210) now is looking like another national title contender even though quarterback Bryce Young (+350) is affixed under Ohio State’s C.J. Strong (+200) as the Heisman Trophy winner.
Young will be on the move with new wide receivers as Jermaine Burton transferred from Georgia with Louisville transfer Tyler Harrell and a rising Crimson Tide star in Ja’Corey Brooks.
Harrell is a speed merchant who averaged 29.1 yards per catch in which he caught 18 footballs.
Burton came over after the Bulldogs beat the Crimson Tide in the national championship game as he averaged 19.1 yards per catch while Brooks had 10 of his 15 receptions in the playoffs as Alabama suffered immense losses to its wide receiving corp due to injuries going into the game. Coach Nick Saban has a plethora of talent at running back as Trey Sanders and Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs look like the standouts. Sanders averaged 4.4 yards per carry while Gibbs rushed for 746 yards for the Yellow Jackets and caught 60 passes.
Alabama is looking to upgrade its offensive line in order to factor in the skill players with consistency and tenacity.
Willie Anderson is the focal point of this defense as he piled up 34.5 tackles for loss with 17.5 sacks last season. His teammate in the linebacking corp is Henry To’oTo’o, who led Alabama with 112 tackles last season.
Please Note:
The Tide will once again boast Jordan Battle from the defensive backfield where he was fourth in tackles with 85 and 111 yards off of three interceptions.
Alabama has only missed one SEC title game since 2014 and the Tide has scored six national championships in the Nick Saban era. Anything less than a College Football Playoff Bowl will be considered a missed chance by those in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide currently sit with that (+210) to win the national championship as any other team is resting with (-320).
“The better you play, the louder they get.” – Coach Fisher
We. Ain’t. Done. Yet. #GigEm 👍 pic.twitter.com/rgr6DytuaZ
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 1, 2022
Fisher, Aggies Confident on Abilities to Baffle ‘Bama
The Saban vs. Jimbo Fisher “feud” has moved on and now when Oct. 8 gets here in Tuscaloosa, there will be no remembrances or layout of this summer’s spat? Yeah, right!
Fisher enters his fifth season in Aggieland after A&M took out Alabama, 41-38, at Kyle Field last season.
Texas A&M’s (+1600) SEC odds will feature a pair of quarterbacks in last season’s injured starter, Haynes King, and LSU transfer Max Johnson, who had 27 touchdown passes and only six interceptions last season. Devon Achane should be a key in the A&M offense as he rushed for 910 yards and averaged 7.0 yards per carry.
Watch wide receiver Ainias Smith, who was the second leading receiver in 2021 and he posted 509 yards with six touchdowns. Defensively, depth will be a key and all-SEC defensive back Antonio Johnson will be a major threat as he is the leading returning tackler after accruing 79 last season.
Demani Richardson is a strong defensive back who will join Johnson on the back end of the defense. Richardson had 44 of his 65 tackles which were solo last season.
Coach Jimbo Fisher hired former Maryland head coach DJ Durkin as his defensive coordinator. Durkin was at Ole Miss last season and will be looking to find the correct lineups out of a group that allowed only 327 total yards in 2021, 14th in college football.
Fisher has had the two best recruiting classes in the nation in back-to-back years, so Texas A&M’s (+2500) national title opportunities could help the Aggies improve on last season’s 8-4 record and then make a run at the top spot in the SEC West.
Rebels Continue to Solidify Program Under Kiffin
In just his second season, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin put the Rebels in a position where the program had never been.
It was ten regular season wins and he placed the Rebels in the Sugar Bowl.
The Rebs SEC conference odds (+5000) are set as a long shot to win the league and an even longer shot (+10000) with national title ramifications. Matt Corral was a star quarterback who wound up with the Carolina Panthers, so now the Rebels have to look potentially at USC Trojans transfer Jackson Dart as the starter in Oxford.
Please Note:
Dart threw for 1,353 yards in six games for the Trojans and the backfield will likely be new with TCU transfer Zach Evans and SMU transfer Ulysses Bentley, IV. Kiffin also added a pair of key transfers at wide receiver in Jordan Watkins (Louisville) and Jaylon Robinson (UCF).
The Rebels will boast a deep defense as the front will be its most talented area with the return of defensive end Eric Johnson as he was second on the team in sacks with 6.5. He will be joined by another athletic presence in Tavius Robinson.
Ole Miss ran a defense that housed six starters in the defensive secondary, so defensive back could be the deepest position on the squad. Safety A.J. Finley returns as he netted three interceptions to lead the Rebels last season.
The Rebs are going to look to improve their output as they only picked off 11 passes last season.
The transfer portal was huge for the development of this program as Kiffin lost 11 starters, but brought in talent across the boards as those players will position themselves to move the team forward.
Rebuilding the Fight of the Bayou Bengals in Baton Rouge
Arguably, LSU could have the largest number of athletes that new head coach Brian Kelly has ever had on one team. The key is now fitting those pieces together and getting them to work as a unit.
Offensively, wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (+8000) will be the focal point of the Tigers’ offense as he caught a team-high nine touchdown passes and led LSU with 38 catches for 509 yards.
Senior Jaray Jenkins will line up beside Boutte as Jenkins had only seven yards and four catches less last season.
Whoever wins this quarterback battle is going to be placed in a solid passing game with Boutte and Jenkins. Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels feels like a good starter as he had 17 TD passes and only two picks in his freshman season.
Daniels fell off to ten TD passes and ten picks last season, but he still completed 65.4 percent of his passes. He threw for 6,025 yards and 32 touchdown passes in his three seasons in Tempe.
Defensively, LSU will possess one of the top fronts in college football with the return of linebacker BJ Ojulari, who led the Bayou Bengals with seven sacks.
Please Note:
LSU’s returning tackler Micah Baskerville is part of that linebacking corp as he was the second in tackles with 83 with two sacks and an interception.
The Tigers also welcome back defensive end Ali Gaye, who at 6-6, is a solid and active defensive stopper and he can give the Tigers a leader on their front.
LSU is a long shot with the SEC Conference odds at (+5000) while hosting (+8000) to win a national championship.
Auburn Can Leap Over Suitors For Spot in SEC West
As coach Bryan Harsin enters his second season at Auburn, his Tigers have the fourth-best national championship odds (+7500) with SEC betting odds in the middle of the league at (+5000).
With quarterback Bo Nix off to Oregon:
The Tigers are looking at their depth chart to try to find someone to take over than signal-caller role. This could come to T.J. Finley, the Tigers’ backup from last season and Zach Calzada (+15000) which comprises his SEC betting odds for the Heisman Trophy. Calzada transferred to the Plains after starting at Texas A&M last season.
The offense may will likely be built around Tank Bigsby (+10000) at running back where he ran for 1,099 yards and ten touchdowns last season.
Jarquez Hunter is also a quality player out of the backfield as he posted 6.7 yards per carry and 593 total yards rushing.
Derick Hall is an active presence on the front of the defense and should be able to team with Eku Leota to give Auburn a solid pass rush.
Defensively, the Tigers are going to hope they can turn games into defensive struggles with uncertainty at quarterback and little depth at wide receiver.
Arkansas, Mississippi State round out the SEC West
Coach Sam Pittman brought Arkansas to the brink as the Razorbacks won five out of their last six games with the lone loss being by a touchdown vs. Alabama.
The activity of QB KJ Jefferson (+6600) could be the tell-all if the Hogs are to equate the nine wins from last season and pull up into at least third in the SEC West.
Jefferson completed 67.3 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He was also the Razorbacks’ leading rusher at 664 yards and can improve the Hogs (+6600) in SEC betting odds as Arkansas sits at (+15000) to win the national title.
At the beginning, Trelon Smith, Raheim Sanders and Dominique Johnson will stock a backfield with Jefferson and give the Hogs the reputation of a running team.
Arkansas lost several defenders from a team that only gave up about 19 points per game in its last six outings.
When Arkansas and Mississippi State are the last two teams in a college football division, it speaks to the depth and quality of that division. Coach Mike Leach will once again employ Will Rogers as his Air Raid quarterback. Rogers completed 73.9 percent of his passes last season for 4,709 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Depth at wide receiver has to be vaunted in this offense and Jaden Walley returns as the top receiver as he caught 55 balls for 628 yards and four scored.
Defensively, the Bulldogs who sit at (+10000) in SEC betting odds and (+20000) to host the national championship, bring back their offensive line, and Jordan Davis, who suffered an ACL injury last season.
Odds to win the SEC East:
Team
Odds
Georgia:
-500
Kentucky
+900
Tennessee
+1100
Florida
+1300
South Carolina
+3000
Missouri
+5000
Vanderbilt
+5000
The Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List has been announced, featuring three Dawgs!#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/qbhnszJpoX
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) August 1, 2022
SEC East: Georgia’s Bulldogs are Ready for Another Bite
Georgia (+155) is once again likely to be the closest team to be able to pick off Alabama to win the SEC or the national championship (+475), according to SEC odds.
Curiously:
Stetson Bennett (+10000) is back at quarterback as he enters his seventh season of college football and was a conversation during last season when many wanted him to be replaced with JT Daniels. He hardly throws for immense yardage as he passed for 29 touchdowns against seven interceptions and only threw for 176.7 yards per game.
Tight end Brock Bowers caught 13 TD passes, which was about one-fourth of his 56 receptions. Wide receiver Jermaine Burton is the deepest threat as he netted 19.1 yards per catch.
The return of Adonai Mitchell is solid as he had two catches for 50 yards and a score in Georgia’s national championship win over Alabama.
In the backfield, Kenny McIntosh is the leading returnee in the backfield where he was third in rushing and posted 5.7 yards per carry.
On defense, Georgia lost several top-level performers to the NFL. The Bulldogs held their opponents to only 268.9 yards per game, second in college football, as they gave up only about 10 points per game.
Linebacker Nolan Smith is the leading returning tackler as he accumulated 55 tackles which included 3.5 sacks. He will lead a talented defense that doesn’t have the experience at the beginning of the season.
Georgia got Jalen Scott back on the defensive line while reinvesting in several talented defensive backs such as Kelee Ringo, who had two interceptions as one was for a 79-yard touchdown return.
Georgia has the (+475) to win the national title while any other team placed against the Bulldogs hoists a (-875) line.
Vols Can Challenge With Major Offensive Ability
With coach Josh Heupel entering year two of his regime at Tennessee, the Cols have (+5000) SEC betting odds.
He already has flipped the personality of the program into an offensive spark plug that you have to outrun to win a game. Tennessee averaged 50 points per game in its last three outings last season as the Vols took a 48-45 loss to Purdue in the Music City Bowl.
Heupel welcomes back a solid leader in quarterback Hendon Hooker (+4000), who completed 68 percent of his passes with 31 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Please Note:
Hooker is a solidly underrated talent who rushed for 616 yards to lead Tennessee. He will also welcome back his lead receiver in Cedric Tillman, who averaged 16.9 yards per catch with 1,081 yards and 12 scores. Tennessee’s (+12500) odds are far away from national championship quality, but they averaged a program high 39.3 points per game last season. With four returning starters on the offensive line, Hooker and Jabari Small can formulate a ground attack that complements the pass. Small rushed for 792 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021. Defensively, Tennessee will look for a consistent pass rush as the Volunteers posted only 35 sacks last season. They get linebacker Jeremy Banks, their leading tackler, back as he and defensive tackle Bryan Young led UT with 5.5 sacks each.
Trevon Flowers and Jalen McCullough will bring the experience to a Tennessee secondary that allowed 251 yards through the air, 13th in the SEC.
The Vols have been posted with 7.5 wins as (-200) beckons the odds to go over while a (+150) is calling for under the 7.5.
Kentucky Looks for Defensive Affirmation to Challenge in SEC East
The stories in Lexington entail coach Mark Stoops making his tenth appearance this season as the Kentucky head football coach and then he needs two wins to pass “Bear” Bryant with the most wins in Wildcats history.
Stoops and UK host Georgia on Nov. 19 and the Wildcats could have the potential for an SEC championship with SEC conference odds at (+3300).
National championship (+15000) ability is still looked at as a long shot and a dream, but Stoops has been able to make things happen within the program and his ability should not be underestimated.Kentucky has a solid quarterback in Will Levis (+5000), who completed 66 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season.
Running back Chris Rodriquez gives UK a one-two punch in the offensive backfield after he posted 1,379 yards on 225 carries with nine touchdowns in 2021.
The wide receiving corp will be new with Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson as the centerpiece as he rolled up 113 catches at Virginia Tech.
Stoops has developed quality depth so Kentucky should be able to add players into games where they can get experience. Octavius Oxendine will lead the defensive line where he played six games last season before he was shelved with a knee injury. At linebacker, DeAndre Square started 35 consecutive games while safety Tyrell Ajian is a leader in the secondary where he had 27 solo tackles and a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown last season.
The Wildcats look ready to take the next step in their long-awaited ascension if depth, but not as much experience on defense, can step up and make a solid impact.
Sportsbooks have set the Wildcats with a projected 8.0 wins as the odds to go over that number are (-105) with a (-125) to go under.
𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐄. 😮💨@will_levis x @UKFootball pic.twitter.com/wj28iz85sC
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) August 2, 2022
Changes in Gainesville Set Up Gators’ Potential
Florida saw the Dan Mullen era come to a screeching halt with a 2-5 finish after taking Alabama to the wire in September in a 31-28 loss.
Now, Billy Napier enters after a 40-12 mark in four seasons at UL Lafayette and he went 22-2 in his last two seasons. The Gators are listed with SEC betting odds at (+5000) and the possibility to even play for a national championship is down to (+10000).
Napier has a solid quarterback in Anthony Richardson, who is an athletic playmaker who appeared in eight games last year as a red-shirt freshman.
Richardson has an immense amount of focus and awareness on what his job entails, so as the starter, his dynamics will take him and the Gators to another level, potentially right away.
Depth may be a tough expectation against Utah who comes to Gainesville on Sept. 3. Richardson is also the leading returning rusher for the Gators as sophomore Nay’Quan Wright will fit in as the starting running back as of now. However, UL Lafayette transfer Montrell Johnson will get his share of footballs as he ran for 838 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Rajin’ Cajuns last season. Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson look like the most experienced wide receivers as they lead the returnees with 41 and 26 catches a year ago.
Defensively, Florida could struggle as there is a lack of experience and depth across the boards.
Brenton Cox, Jr. and German Dexter could step in as leaders of the front. Cox had a team-high 8.5 sacks last season while Dexter was fifth in tackles with 50. Safety Trey Dean, III, was second in tackles with 88 as this team oily had nine interceptions last season. Rashad Torrence took two of those against Georgia and had three of the nine by himself.
The Gators are set at 7.0 wins with (-135) to go over, but (+105) to hit under 7.0. Most say to find the odds boards with 6.5 wins for Florida and bet the over (-160).
Gamecocks Can Make a Move; Missouri, Vandy Hold SEC East Bottom
The opening act of Shane Beamer’s reign in South Carolina (+3000) was a vast success as the Gamecocks improved throughout the season and finished 7-6 with wins over Florida and Auburn and then a 38-21 Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina.
The Gamecocks welcome Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler at quarterback. He entered last season at (+550) as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Although he sits with odds at (+5000) to win this season’s Heisman Trophy, Rattler is getting a fresh start with a program that is thirsty to just challenge in the SEC East.
South Carolina has solid wide receivers in Josh Vann (43-679) and Jaheim Bell (30-497) and with them and Rattler, the Gamecocks should be able to amass the 320.2 yards per game, 13th in the SEC, that they averaged on offense.
Defensively, the Gamecocks have to stop the run at a higher level as they gave up 178.8 yards per game on the ground. The equalizer was that their 24 forced turnovers led the SEC.
South Carolina is set with 6.0 wins and (-165) odds to go over with (+125) to stay under the number.
Missouri is in the basement with one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking coaches in the country in Eli Drinkwitz. He enters his third season with tremendous depth at wide receiver and a battle of the quarterback between Brady Cook and Tyler Mason. Drinkwitz once again changed coaches on the defensive side of the football. Missouri gave up 434 yards per game, so the bad vibes on the defensive side of the ball are total anxiety with the depth in the SEC.
Vanderbilt continues to be an outlier as the Commodores’ 2-10 record of a year ago is a tough change in any league, let alone the SEC.
Opponents amassed 457.7 yards on the ‘Dores’ defense while only amassing 312.2 yards on offense. Oddly, these were both 118th in college football.
SEC Championship Prediction
Alabama vs. Georgia. Do we dare fit anyone else into this context although the SEC has several teams who could push themselves into a position to win other conferences?
Both the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs have all of the imaginable resources to pick up two wins once they play this game and then likely into the College Football Playoff.
The Crimson Tide has won its last seven SEC championship tilts as the last loss came to Florida, 31-20, in 2008. Meanwhile, Georgia has lost its last three SEC championship games after its 28-7 win over Auburn in 2017. When we get down to the level of play on this game, it will come down between the two quarterbacks as Bryce Young is clearly the pick over Stetson Bennett.
Alabama will win this matchup behind Young and then a key intangible is that the Tide were whipped by Georgia in Lucas Oil Stadium to suffer a loss in the national championship game last January.
The outliers to these two teams feel like Texas A&M in the SEC West and then Tennessee in the SEC East.
SEC Bet: Alabama Crimson Tide -140 SEC Title Odds, -500 SEC West Odds
PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!
