It’s a new era in the SEC, but the same team is once again favored to win the conference championship.
Georgia is the overwhelming pick to take home the title in the now 16-team SEC, receiving eight of nine championship votes from AL.com sports staff members. The SEC predictions were made as part of the 78th annual SEC post-spring football report, first published by the Birmingham News in 1947.
Georgia was also the pick by 12 of 14 football information directors in 2023, though Alabama — which was picked to win the title every year from 2013-22 — ultimately beat the Bulldogs in the SEC championship. The SEC football report switched this year from soliciting outside voting to being conducted internally.
The Bulldogs, who finished 13-1 and routed Florida State in the Orange Bowl last season, must replace eight players drafted by the NFL — including All-America tight end Brock Bowers. However, quarterback Carson Beck returns, as do All-America safety Malaki Starks and four of five starting offensive linemen.
Oklahoma and Texas are new this year to the SEC, which has also done away with the East-West divisional format in place since 1992. Going forward, the top two teams in the overall conference standings will advance to the SEC championship game at season’s end.
Georgia’s projected opponent in Atlanta on Dec. 7 is not defending champion Alabama, but newcomer Texas. The Longhorns — Big 12 champions and College Football Playoff participants a year ago — received one vote each to win the SEC regular-season title and championship game.
Texas also boasts a standout returning quarterback in Quinn Ewers, and welcomes Alabama transfers Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack to the receiving corps. The Longhorns must replace All-America defensive tackles Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat, as well as star running back Jonathan Brooks and receiver Xavier Worthy, among others.
Alabama, which won three of the last four SEC titles under the now-retired Nick Saban, is projected to finish third in the league standings under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. With 16 points awarded for a first-place vote, 15 for second place and so on down to 1 point for 16th place, the Crimson Tide totaled 123 poll points, behind Georgia (143) and Texas (132).
Jalen Milroe is back under center for the Crimson Tide, while All-America offensive lineman Tyler Booker also returns. Former Washington center Parker Brailsford followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa during the offseason, as did receiver Germie Bernard.
Ole Miss (115 points) is the pick to finish fourth, with Missouri (107), LSU (100), Tennessee (97) and Oklahoma (82) rounding out the top half of the league. Texas A&M (66) comes in at ninth, followed by Auburn (64), Kentucky (58), Florida (42), South Carolina (38), Arkansas (30), Mississippi State (21) and Vanderbilt (9).
Here’s how the SEC voting looks in table form:
| Votes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. UGA | 8 | 1 | 143 | ||||||||||||||
| 2. TEX | 1 | 4 | 4 | 132 | |||||||||||||
| 3. BAMA | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 123 | ||||||||||||
| 4. OM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 115 | ||||||||||||
| 5. MIZZ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 107 | ||||||||||||
| 6. LSU | 4 | 2 | 3 | 100 | |||||||||||||
| 7. TENN | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 92 | |||||||||||
| 8. OKLA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 82 | |||||||||||
| 9. TAMU | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 66 | |||||||||||
| 10. AUB | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 64 | ||||||||||||
| 11. KY | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 58 | ||||||||||
| 12. FLA | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 42 | ||||||||||||
| 13. SC | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 38 | |||||||||||
| 14. ARK | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 15. MSU | 3 | 6 | 21 | ||||||||||||||
| 16. VAN | 9 | 9 |
COMING SATURDAY: AL.com’s 2024 preseason All-SEC team
COMING SUNDAY: Answering key questions about the SEC’s top teams and players in 2024.
Creg Stephenson is a sports writer for AL.com. He has covered college football for a variety of publications since 1994. Contact him at cstephenson@al.com or follow him on Twitter at @CregStephenson.