College football season is back and football fans couldn’t be more excited. The tradition of college football is special. It’s even more important for SEC fans. The SEC has long been considered the conference to beat in college football. While the Big 12 are winning them over, they should still be the premier conference in the land, once again. So what does the most powerful conference of power have in store for them this year? Take a look at these free college football picks and find out.
1. Florida Gators– Is it really a surprise that they are chosen to win the conference again? Everyone and their brother are picking them to win the National Championship, so how could they not win the conference? All the starters from an incredible defense last year are back. Oh, and did I mention Tim Tebow is back? His press conference to announce his return is the stuff of legends, by the way (as if he doesn’t already have a nice legend growing substantially). While nothing is certain in the crazy world of college football, they are pretty much a lock on winning the SEC. Prediction: 12-0
2. Alabama Crimson Tide– Can Nick Saban deliver the magic once again? He definitely has a knack for building college football powerhouses. What he did at LSU in the past is slowly becoming ‘Bama. I think they will win the West again in a close battle with LSU. Saban has done some amazing recruiting, but it might be too much for the new guys to think they can unseat Florida as conference champions. They lost John Parker-Wilson at QB and Andre Smith in the first round of the draft. Losing Glen Coffee isn’t going to help either. However, I think he has enough horses in the barn to plug them in and keep going. Prediction 10-2.
3. Ole Miss Rebels– Houston Nutt inherited a pretty solid team when he moved from Arkansas to Mississippi. He also added a few pieces here and there to make a pretty solid unit. They have a great returning quarterback in Jevan Snead. He should be able to lead the offense to good times in the SEC. Perhaps the best thing they have going for them is their schedule. They should get through most of the season with just one or two bumps in the road. Prediction: 10-2
4.LSU Tigers– The Tigers have been one of the most successful programs in college football in recent years. They are only two seasons away from a National Championship. However, they are still rebuilding in Baton Rouge. They are very talented and will win several games this year, but they are not in the top echelon yet. Prediction: 9-3
5. Georgia Bulldogs– The Bulldogs are always a tough team and this year will be no different. However, losing your quarterback for the first overall pick in the NFL draft is not an easy thing to overcome. Then you add to that the fact that you also lost your starting running back in the first round of the draft. They lost a lot of stallions last year and it will be a transition period this season for the Bulldogs. Prediction 9-3.
6. South Carolina Gamecocks– Can the “Old Ball Coach” pull off a miraculous turnaround and unseat Florida as conference champions? Probably not. They’re going to be better than in recent years, but they’re still not going to get over the hump. Expect them to have ups and downs this year behind sketchy quarterback Stephen Garcia. Prediction: 8-4
7.Vanderbilt– Vandy has always been thought of as a secondary program in the SEC. For a while, the only thing they had going for them was that they produced Jay Cutler (at one point, that was a good thing). Then came last season and they surprised many of the pundits. They bowled their first game in two decades and ended up winning it. It was a pleasant surprise for a much-maligned show on Vandy. Expect roughly the same record as last year. Prediction: 7-5
8. Arkansas Razorbacks– Arkansas hasn’t really recovered since losing two running backs in the first round of the draft and Houston Nutt leaving town. They’ve been on a pretty miserable run lately and Bobby Petrino hopes he can turn it around. Can you do the job? He’s trying to build everything around talented quarterback Ryan Mallett. He’s a good quarterback, but the defense is a bit flawed right now. Expect some shootings in Fayetteville this year. Prediction: 7-5
9. Brown tigers– Auburn just traded one of the most successful coaches in the country for one of the least successful. I hope Auburn works for you! They will probably struggle throughout the season and have moments that will make you scratch your head. They have been a footballing powerhouse in recent memory, but this season will not fit into that category. Prediction: 6-6
10. Tennessee Volunteers– The big news of the offseason was the arrival of Lane Kiffin in town. He got a very public firing at the hands of Raiders owner Al Davis and now brings his brand of football (whatever that is) to Tennessee. He then proceeded to alienate several players and piss off many people along the way. This will be a tough first year for Kiffin even if he has his dad there to support him. Prediction: 6-6
11. Kentucky Wildcats– Gone are the days of Jared Lorenzen and Andre Woodson as quarterbacks. Here are the days of Mike Hartline under center. He won’t break any passing records this year at Kentucky. They’re going to be pretty bad this year and may not get any better for a few years. Expect a losing season in Kentucky. Prediction: 5-7
12. Mississippi St. Bulldogs– The Bulldogs are going to be terrible this year. In fact, they’ve been pretty bad for a while now. Don’t expect any miracles in this section of Mississippi. Expect another dismal year for Bulldog fans. Prediction: 3-9
Hopefully these free soccer picks will help you with your college football betting during the SEC season. Expect a wild ride down the road with the Gators winning once again.
