SEC Football: Projecting the conference’s final standings for the 2022 season
The last three national titles have all come out of the Southeastern Conference, and all three were from different universities. So, it is safe to say that the path to the national title likely runs through the SEC yet again.
The Georgia Bulldogs wear the target on their back as the defending national champions and Alabama is the reigning champion of the conference. A few schools like Ole Miss and Arkansas are starting to become legitimate conference contenders, while Texas A&M looks to do the unthinkable and defeat Nick Saban in back-to-back seasons.
Here’s how every SEC team is projected to fare in-conference for the 2022 college football season.
Vanderbilt (0-8)
The Commodores are 5-28 over the past three seasons against SEC opponents and there is no reason to see this season going any better.
Auburn (1-7)
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Bryan Harsin’s tenure has been nothing short of tumultuous with a number of coaches leaving for other positions and an alarming number of players entering the transfer portal. Auburn also gets a tough draw for a schedule, so 2022 could be rough for the Tigers.
Missouri (1-7)
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Missouri just doesn’t quite have the same talent to keep up with a lot of the SEC opponents on their schedule. But, on the bright side they still have pretty cool uniforms.
Mississippi State (1-7)
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This might surprise people, but this has less to do with Mississippi State’s ability than it does how difficult their schedule is. Under Mike Leach, the Bulldogs have been competitive and fun to watch, they just happen to run into LSU on the road, Alabama, Georgia and top-10 Texas A&M.
South Carolina (2-6)
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South Carolina remains the biggest question mark in the conference under second-year head coach Shane Beamer and now with highly-touted quarterback transfer, Spencer Rattler. The Gamecocks could get hot and surprise some people, but they are likely still rebuilding.
LSU (3-5)
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In what will be Brian Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge, he will be establishing a culture and getting his recruits in, but they might not translate to wins in year one for LSU. Kelly will get the Tigers back to national prominence, just not in his first season.
Tennessee (5-3)
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Despite going 7-6 in 2021, the Volunteers continue to take steps in the right direction. They might be a dark horse team to watch that can pull off an upset or two along the way.
Ole Miss (5-3)
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Lane Kiffin has got the Rebels humming headed into his third season. However, replacing Matt Corral won’t be easy. They did land former TCU star running-back, Zach Evans, out of the transfer portal. Like Tennessee, Ole Miss could surprise some people.
Kentucky (5-3)
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The Wildcats head into 2022 with as much optimism for a season as they have ever had in program history. Kentucky returns first-round quarterback talent, Will Levis, and arguably the best running back in the conference in Chris Rodriguez Jr. If they can upset Georgia, the east could be in their grasp.
Florida (5-3)
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The Gators will be under first-year head coach Billy Napier in 2022 after firing Mullen at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Florida retains a pretty talented roster and they do have one of the most favorable schedules in the conference.
Arkansas (6-2)
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After taking over a 2-10 Arkansas program, Sam Pittman has his team nationally relevant and competitive again. In 2021, the Razorbacks took Alabama all four quarters before ultimately only coming up a touchdown short of the upset. Arkansas returns quarterback KJ Jefferson and they will remain a dangerous team in the west.
Texas A&M (7-1)
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Texas A&M starts the 2022 season with its eyes on winning the west. Their whole season comes down to the Oct. 8 matchup in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide for what will likely be the match to go to Atlanta.
Georgia, Champions of the East (8-0)
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At the end of the day, it is hard to imagine anyone knocking off the reigning national champions. Georgia is too talented and too well-coached to slip up against anyone. However, will they be able to beat an Alabama team that is hungry for revenge?
Alabama, Champions of the West (8-0)
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The Crimson Tide return arguably the two best players in college football with Bryce Young and Will Anderson, and after coming up just short against Georgia in the 2021 national title game they are out to win it all. The Tide faces a very tough stretch of games in October. They’ll need to survive a brief gauntlet to have a chance to repeat as champions of the SEC.
