The kings of college football added two bluebloods to its ranks this year with Texas and Oklahoma among the best odds to win the SEC. With the expanded College Football Playoff, there’s a great opportunity for the SEC to lead the nation in CFP participants.
Last year, Alabama took down Georgia to win the program’s ninth SEC title in 15 years. Now that Nick Saban is gone, will Kalen DeBoer continue the Tide’s success or will Georgia fully take over as the dominant team?
All odds via Fanduel Sportsbook
Best Odds to win the SEC: Week 1
The Contenders
Georgia (+180)
Texas (+370)
Alabama (+500)
Ole Miss (+750)
To kick off the season, there are four teams with the best odds to win the SEC and they are all popular picks to represent the conference in the CFP.
Georgia comes back loaded and pissed off. They’ve only lost one game over the last two seasons and two games over the last three. And those losses were to the same team…in the SEC Championship. Carson Beck enters the season as one of the top Heisman contenders and you can bet that the Dawgs’ defense is going to be elite. Georgia has a great argument to end up as the top overall seed in the expanded CFP.
Welcome to the SEC, Texas. Like the Big Ten, the second-best odds to win the SEC belong to a newbie. Texas made the CFP last year and ultimately fell to Washington. Quinn Ewers is expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country again but they will have to replace a number of NFL Draft picks on both offense and defense.
How would you like to be the guy who replaces the guy? Kalen DeBoer comes in after Nick Saban’s retirement and looks to keep the pain train a-rollin’. Jalen Milroe developed a ton over the course of last year and the Tide still recruits as they ever have. DeBoer has a solid team ready for 2024.
Finally, the Lane Train. Ole Miss has been close-but-no-cigar over the last few seasons with Lane Kiffin at the helm. They won 11 games last year for the first time in program history and won 10 games two years prior. They smacked around Penn State in the Peach Bowl and have a favorable schedule for 2024.
Could Make Noise
LSU (+1200)
Texas A&M (+1500)
Tennesee (+1600)
Missouri (+2500)
Oklahoma (+3500)
LSU gets to replace a Heisman Trophy winner for the second time in five years with Jayden Daniels off to the NFL. Now, Garrett Nussmeier takes over. In front of him, the Tigers boast what could be the best offensive line in the country, led by potential OT1 in the 2025 NFL Draft, Will Campbell. LSU will need to improve on defense if it wants to contend.
Texas A&M finally moved on from Jimbo Fisher and brought in Mike Elko from Duke. The Aggies have recruited at a ridiculous level…but lost quite a bit to the portal. Connor Weigman is a dark horse to make some serious NFL noise this year and he will be part of an offense that returns seven starters. They’ll have their opportunity to make noise right away with a game against Notre Dame in Week 1.
Tennessee has been close over the last couple of seasons but hasn’t been able to close. Five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava takes over at quarterback and Vol Nation is buzzing at his potential. Defensively, potential first-overall pick James Pearce, Jr. is set to lead a defense that should be one of the best in the SEC.
Mizzou ended its 2023 season 11-2 with an impressive win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. They return 13 starters including all of Brady Cook‘s receivers. Missouri doesn’t have a murderer’s row of a schedule, either. The Tigers play two teams with better odds to win the SEC. Plus, the non-conference is weak.
Finally, while Nick Saban is not buying into Oklahoma, Vegas is…at least a little bit. The Sooners come over from the Big 12 with Texas and look to make some noise. However, if they’re going to do something, they’ll have to earn it. Five of their eight SEC matchups are against teams with better odds to win the SEC. The offense returns the running back and top receivers but has to replace the quarterback and the entire offensive line.
Longshots
Kentucky (+10000)
Florida (+10000)
Auburn (+10000)
The 17th-best total defense in the county returns nine starters. Kentucky is going to have a solid defense yet again. They do get Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff to lead the way. The former five-star quarterback is a guy the Wildcats think can lead the team to a better finish than last year (119th in scoring and total offense).
If Florida makes any noise at all this year, they’ll have earned it. The Gators could end the season 5-7 but they’d be the greatest 5-7 team in history. That schedule is brutal. After Maimi (FL), Samford, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and UCF, Florida finishes the season at Tennesee, vs Kentucky, vs Georgia (neutral), at Texas, vs LSU, vs Ole Miss, and at Florida State. Ouch.
Auburn is a good pick to finish higher than their preseason projection. It’s year two under Hugh Freeze and the Tigers have the talent. Peyton Thorne is back and will get to throw to returning starter Jarquez Hunter, true freshman phenom Cam Coleman, and Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith. He’s set up for success.
Donations
South Carolina (+20000)
Arkansas (+40000)
Vanderbilt (+50000)
Mississippi State (+50000)
Again, just like with the Big Ten, if you want to donate your money to your favorite sportsbook by betting on any of these four, more power to you.
