This article was written by @jlscavni (Alabama)

After a brilliant season 3 in which we saw the Alabama Crimson Tide handle the Missouri Tigers 44-20 in Atlanta, the focus moves on to season 4. This season should be better than any others this conference has seen, with lots of new and exciting coaches coming in. In this article we will go through each of the teams in this conference, and preview each of their seasons.

WEST

Alabama:

Last season: 10-4

The defending SEC champions, the Tide come off of the best season in program history. They finished the season winning 6 straight games, including the SEC championship game and the Sugar Bowl. Time will tell if this season they can hold off the 6-6 curse again, in a much stronger SEC.

Prediction: 3rd

Arkansas:

Last Season: 9-4

Second place in the West last season, the Razorbacks had a great overall season, winning their bowl game to top it off. But this time around, they are looking to return to the SEC championship game that they made in Season 2. Coach Cannibal Johnson returns for a second season at the school, and looks to be a frontrunner for the division title.

Prediction: 2nd

Auburn:

Last season: 3-9

Coming off of a very disappointing season in which they finished in the basement of the SEC West, the Tigers come into Season 4 having fired their previous coach, and hired a new coach from the ranks of Division 2. Time will tell how the relatively inexperienced coach fares in the new conference, but it is only up from here for the Tigers.

Prediction: 5th

LSU:

Last Season: 5-7

LSU was looking very strong during the first half of season 3, but then fell off a cliff over the rest of the season. With the surprise retirement of their old coach, a new hire was made in coach Ryan Markey. An alumni of LSU and former coach at Louisiana Tech, he has a great opportunity at LSU to take a very talented football team back to the top.

Prediction: 4th

Mississippi State:

Last Season: 6-7

Another one of the mediocre teams in the west from last season, Mississippi State is another team with a fresh head coach to begin the season. Former coach Tequila left for Virginia Tech Wake Forest, and this is a team with a lot of uncertainty as the season begins. Beware of the Bulldogs as a possible wildcard going down the stretch.

Prediction: 6th

Ole Miss:

Last Season: 6-7

Following one of the most up and down seasons in the FBS last season, Ole Miss faced a very difficult off season. But they delivered with a smashing hire in FCS powerhouse coach Naki for season 4. The Rebels could very easily be a threat for the playoffs this season, and are one of the contenders in the tight SEC West for sure.

Prediction: 1st

Texas A&M:

Last Season: 7-6

After a slow start to Season 3, the Aggies rallied well towards the end of the season, and very nearly made the SEC championship game. They will be looking to keep up more of the same in Season 4, but with a rocky history in this league so far combined with a very solid division, that will be a tough ask.

Prediction: 7th

EAST

Florida:

Last Season: 8-5

The Gators had a very solid season last year, but ended up just short in the SEC east. With coach Richard Johnson returning again for this season, they look to be one of the top contenders in the competitive East, where nobody really knows who is going to come out on top.

Prediction: 1st

Georgia:

Last Season: 6-7

Another one of the mediocre finishing teams in the SEC East, the Bulldogs had very high expectations that they will hope to hit this season. Their coach was very solid in seasons 1 and 2, finishing at 8-4 and 10-2 respectively, so the hope for Bulldog fans is that this last season was just an outlier.

Prediction: 3rd

Kentucky:

Last Season: 5-7

One of the biggest question marks in the entire division is the Kentucky Wildcats. A brand new coach, a historically average team, and a wide open division is a recipe for excitement. Their coach was one of the most successful teams in Division 2 last season, so they are definitely one to watch in this division.

Prediction: 4th

Missouri:

Last Season: 5-8

Despite winning the SEC East last season, this Missouri team did not have as great of a season as one would expect. However, this season, with a relatively easy out of conference schedule, and an up for grabs division once again, they still could be poised for a run. Its going to be interesting to see how they follow up their division title.

Prediction: 5th

South Carolina:

Last Season: 6-7

The Gamecocks come into Season 4 with a fresh hire of the former Rutgers head coach Tank McCall. It remains to be seen how this will affect their success in the SEC. As of right now though, they do not seem to be a top contender for the division. However, at this stage it is impossible to count out anyone, especially with the uncertainty in the division.

Prediction: 6th

Tennessee:

Last Season: 4-8

Season 3 was a very rocky time for Rocky Top fans, with the epic failure of former USF head coach Mark Longball, who left the team midway through the season. However, they are back stronger this year, with a head coach who showed a lot of promise towards the end of the last season. They look to be one of the main contenders for the division title.

Prediction: 2nd

Vanderbilt:

Last Season: 7-6

Vendy finally came into their own last season, putting up a very solid 7-6 season, rebounding well off of the poor seasons they had in seasons 1 and 2. However, don’t expect to see them match that result this time around.

Prediction: 7th