SEC Forecast Puts 5 Teams at 10+ Wins in First 9-Game Schedule
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 27
SEC Forecast Puts 5 Teams at 10+ Wins in First 9-Game Schedule
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 27
Summary
Five SEC teams are projected to reach at least 10 wins under the conference’s new nine-game format: Georgia at 11-1, plus Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas at 10-2.
Georgia is picked to win the league at 8-1 in conference play, with its only loss at Ole Miss, while Alabama and LSU are forecast to split key heavyweight games and finish 7-2 in the SEC.
Texas is projected to start unbeaten deep into November before losses at LSU and Texas A&M, and Oklahoma is forecast at 8-4 despite facing six preseason AP Top 25 opponents.
The expanded conference slate is also projected to squeeze the middle and bottom of the league, with Arkansas at 3-9, Kentucky and Vanderbilt at 4-8, and Missouri falling to 5-7.
Those projections feed a bigger playoff debate: five 10-win SEC teams could fill a 12-team CFP field, while stronger depth below them could bolster arguments for expanding to 24 teams.