Auburn football takes the stage in Atlanta for the final day of SEC Media Days on Thursday and the media’s SEC predictions for how the season will play out will be released.
Hundreds of media members will have the opportunity to submit their SEC West and SEC East order of finish and the majority of them will do the predictable thing: pick Alabama and Georgia.
With that in mind, FlyWarEagle is going to do you a service and predict (to near perfection) how the media will pick the two divisions Thursday. Then, we’ll show you our predictions.
SEC predictions: What media will do
SEC East
1. Georgia. Because everyone is sold that Kirby Smart is the closest thing to Nick Saban and that the East is so bad no one is ready to compete with the Bulldogs.
2. Florida. Because everyone believes Dan Mullen is quickly going to turn around things in Gainesville. But it’s going to take more than a cool pair of shoes to make that happen in 2018.
3. South Carolina. With Jake Bentley back along with the return of Deebo Samuel, the Gamecocks should be a no-brainer for No. 2 in the league. We’ll see.
4. Missouri. Because there’s not enough around Drew Lock to move the Tigers any higher than fourth. Or is there?
5. Tennessee. Because even though Kentucky beat the Vols last year, Tennessee has beaten Kentucky 31 of the last 33 times and it won’t feel right placing Kentucky above Tennessee. And Jeremy Pruitt coached under Saban and no one linked to Saban should be lower than Kentucky, right?
6. Kentucky. See Tennessee.
7. Vanderbilt. It will be tempting to vote the Commodores ahead of Tennessee and/or Kentucky. But don’t expect that to happen.
Heisman No. 4: Predicting who wins it next for Auburn
SEC West
1. Alabama. OK, let’s be real for a minute: Alabama deserves the No. 1 spot here. It really does. But it’s not a given. Not at all. Because, you know, the Crimson Tide didn’t win the West last season. Expect Alabama to be the overwhelming pick from the media.
2. Auburn. Because beating Alabama last season — the only game the Tide lost — won’t matter much in the minds of media members. Yes, the game is in Tuscaloosa, but Jarrett Stidham and a bunch of weapons return along with possibly the league’s best defense.
3. Mississippi State. Somehow the Bulldogs have become the popular pick this offseason. Some people foolishly will place them ahead of Auburn. Everyone loves Joe Moorhead, but remember, it’s his first FBS head coaching job in college football’s toughest division.
4. Texas A&M. Because Jimbo Fisher is in College Station.
5. LSU. Because Ed Orgeron is in Baton Rouge (and the whole uncertainty thing at quarterback).
6. Ole Miss. Jordan Ta’amu makes this tough. But what games do you see the Rebels winning?
7. Arkansas. Chad Morris gets a pass in his first season. Any win in the West will be a bonus.
SEC Championship Game: Alabama over Georgia
SEC predictions: What FlyWarEagle projects
SEC East
1. Georgia. Yes, Georgia is better than everyone in the East. Back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff would be fantastic for Smart and the Dogs, but let’s see it happen before getting too gung-ho on this team.
2. South Carolina. The Gamecocks have talent and Bentley just might be one of the league’s top two or three quarterbacks. Yes, really.
3. Florida. It’s too soon to say Mullen will have the Gators competing for the East title. The talent level isn’t anywhere near what it was under Urban Meyer (when Mullen was UF’s offensive coordinator).
4. Missouri. Can Mizzou climb as high as third in the East? Yes, it can. Drew threw 44 touchdown passes last season and 18 of them came against teams in the East.
5. Kentucky. There, we did it. Cats over Vols.
6. Tennessee. We’re always leery of coaches getting their first head coaching jobs in the SEC. Plus, Pruitt has a talent deficit to work on for a while in Knoxville.
7. Vanderbilt. The Commodores won a single game in the SEC and gave up a lot of points. But they beat Tennessee on the road. So they get the Vols in Nashville this season.
SEC West
1. Auburn. That’s right. The Tigers defend their West title. Someone has to pick Auburn over Alabama.
2. Alabama. Gus Malzahn has had as much success against Nick Saban (he’s 2-3) as any coach.
3. Texas A&M. The Aggies have not been short on talent. Here’s thinking Jimbo gets them on a more consistent level as soon as this season.
4. Mississippi State. We’re not ready to ring the cowbell for Moorhead just yet. Yes, he has talent at QB in Nick Fitzgerald and backup Keytaon Thompson, but they still were way overmatched in lopsided losses against Georgia and Auburn last season.
5. LSU. This isn’t picking on LSU. LSU will be good. LSU could be No. 3 in the league good. It all depends on what happens at quarterback.
6. Ole Miss. Ta’amu will give some teams fits and the Rebels just might spoil someone’s season.
7. Arkansas. Give Morris time.
SEC Championship Game: Auburn over Georgia