- Georgia football is the favorite for the national championship. Texas is not far behind.
- Lane Kiffin assembled his best roster ever. Will it be enough for Ole Miss to reach the SEC Championship?
- Karen DeBoer will have to fill in some weaknesses on Alabama's defense.
The SEC division is gone, but not forgotten. At least I can't erase it from my mind. If you're as old as I am, you'll have a hard time remembering the pre-split SEC.
As the SEC continued to expand, the division became unwieldy and schedules became difficult. Think about it, Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012, but Georgia has yet to play in College Station, Texas.
Eliminating divisions reduces the time between matches. Certain rivalries are in jeopardy as the SEC's future schedule format beyond the 2025 season has yet to be determined. However, I expect his number of SEC conference games to increase from his eight to his nine. Perhaps he will be in 2026 as early as 2026. This would allow for greater rivalry to be maintained.
When I think about my 2024 SEC football predictions, I have a hard time not thinking through the lens of division. Habits are hard to break.
So here are the classic SEC East and West standings if the divisions existed this season.
For the purposes of this exercise, I placed Oklahoma State in the East and Texas State in the West and marked them as interconference rivals.
Hypothetical prediction of SEC West finish
1. Texas: If you're a long-time SEC fan, you'd like to believe the Longhorns would struggle with new finds. Counterpoint: Texas A&M went 11-2 in his first season in the SEC. The Longhorns are the most beefed-up team in the SEC this side of Georgia.
2. Ole Miss: This is Lane Kiffin's best team. His portal plunder has improved his defense and his offense is still good. Plus, Nick Saban is out of the way.
3. Alabama: I'm not too hung up on the coaching change at Alabama (Karen DeBoer won), but I'm more concerned about the holes DeBoer will have to fill on defense. The offense should improve in quarterback Jalen Milroe's second year as starter.
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4.LSU: How do you make up for the loss of quarterback Jaden Daniels? Not really, but Garrett Nussmeyer is a star with the potential to break out. He will have no shortage of weapons. The bigger question: Will LSU's defense noticeably improve? It certainly did a good job of masking the improvement in the spring game.
5. Texas A&M: New coach Mike Elko retained enough of the talent left behind by Jimbo Fisher to be competitive in his first season. Quarterback Connor Weigman (foot injury) must get healthy and produce. The defense is in good hands.
6. Auburn: I have full faith in the Tigers in some aspects, but what about the quarterback? Peyton Thorne returns as the starter. He must be better for Auburn to outdo Hugh Freeze's debut six wins.
7. Arkansas: SS Pittman is starting to look bad, but I don't think offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino can save him any more than he did with Fisher's Aggies.
8. Mississippi: The Bulldogs have their third coach in three seasons and have made a number of roster changes. Jeff Levy is expected to have some growing pains in his first year.
Hypothetical SEC East expected finish
1. Georgia: star quarterback. offensive weapon. A reliable attacking force. Talented defense. The Bulldogs are the favorites for the national championship.
2. Oklahoma: The Sooners' first SEC schedule is tough. The lumps will come off. But if you look at this strictly through an SEC East lens, OU would be in a better position. It remains a solid program with a potential star quarterback in Jackson-Arnold.
3. Tennessee: When it comes to star quarterbacks, we can expect Nico Iamareaba to do well. Josh Heupel's offense is going to be a monster. The defense is even more questionable, especially with the new-look secondary.
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4. Missouri: The Tigers will be without star running back Cody Schrader and defensive coordinator Blake Baker (currently at LSU), but they do have an enviable pairing in quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III. Including, we have regained sufficient strength.
5. Florida: Florida is slowly moving up my priority list thanks to the intriguing talent of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway. Graham Mertz remains the starter, but Ragway adds more depth. Florida's schedule is tough, but Billy Napier will show some slight improvement if the Gators face a typical SEC East matchup.
6. Kentucky: The Wildcats lost some notable productions. Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff could be elevated at quarterback, but running back Ray Davis and wide receiver Tayvion Robinson will be difficult to replace for a 7-6 team.
7. South Carolina: Imagine what the Gamecocks would be like without quarterback Spencer Rattler. I don't like that vision. The Shamcocks need more transfer help, but the portal's top prize will be found in the winter, not the spring.
8. Vanderbilt: Coach Clark Lee doesn't see a way out of the weeds, but at least two-way transfer quarterback Nate Johnson adds an element of intrigue.
Blake Topmeyer is the SEC columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow us on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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