SEC College Football Predictions For Every Game: Early Version

In the new and improved SEC, what's going to happen? Here are our early predictions for every game along with the conference finish.

Oh will the SEC be fun.

We already knew things were going to get interesting with Oklahoma and Texas coming aboard, but the retirement of Nick Saban completely changes the game. Just how good will Alabama be with so many good players gone? (Hint: very, very good under Kalen DeBoer, but it'll take a wee bit to recharge.)

How strong will Texas A&M be out of the box under new head man Mike Elko? Will Mississippi State's offense get going right away under Jeff Lebby? And really, just how strong will Missouri and Ole Miss be after fantastic seasons?

It's January when this first batch of predictions is out. We still don't know who all the players are, the coaches, how they're all going to mesh, how spring ball will shake out, etc.

But knowing the schedules and having a rough guess at many of the pieces in place for each team, we'll try to get this close.

A few more things before we start.

1) Remember, there are no more divisions. 16 schools, the top two play in the SEC Championship.

2) Texas and Oklahoma just made this a whole lot nastier. If you have a problem with the predicted record, again, it's January, and also go look at the schedule. It's probably harder than you think, but ...

3) We actually like Arkansas and South Carolina a lot more than they're given credit for here. There will be upsets, but for now, this is a best guess.

And with that (scroll down for every team's game-by-game prediction) ...

2024 SEC Standings Early Prediction
1. Georgia 8-0 (12-0)
T2. LSU 6-2 (10-2)
T2. Texas 6-2 (10-2)
T4. Alabama 5-3 (9-3)
T4. Oklahoma 5-3 (9-3)
T4. Ole Miss 5-3 (9-3)
T4. Tennessee 5-3 (9-3)
T4. Texas A&M 5-3 (8-4)
T9. Florida 4-4 (7-5)
T9. Missouri 4-4 (8-4)
11. Kentucky 3-5 (7-5)
T12. Auburn 2-6 (6-6)
T12. Mississippi State 2-6 (5-7)
T12. South Carolina 2-6 (5-7)
15. Arkansas 1-7 (4-8)
16. Vanderbilt 0-8 (3-9)

SEC Championship Early Prediction: Georgia vs Texas

What are the 2024 SEC tiebreakers? They're still trying to figure it out. If there's a clean head-to-head way of doing it, it's easy. In the case of our early projection of LSU and Texas tying for the No. 2 spot to face Georgia, what happens if they don't play each other.

TOTAL guess here is that it would go to the College Football Playoff rankings. Because we're calling - for now - that Texas will win at Michigan, that might be enough to overcome LSU beating USC and UCLA. But if you want to assume it'll be Georgia vs LSU, go right ahead. Obviously we'll get this right when the SEC tiebreakers are settled.

2024 SEC Predictions For Every Game, Early Version

2024 Alabama Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 9-3
Aug 31 WKU W
Sept 7 USF W
Sept 14 at Wisconsin W
Sept 21 OPEN DATE
Sept 28 Georgia L
Oct 5 at Vanderbilt W
Oct 12 South Carolina W
Oct 19 at Tennessee W
Oct 26 Missouri W
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 at LSU L
Nov 16 Mercer W
Nov 23 at Oklahoma L
Nov 30 Auburn W

2024 Arkansas Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 4-8
Aug 31 Arkansas-Pine Bluff W
Sept 7 at Oklahoma State L
Sept 14 UAB W
Sept 21 at Auburn L
Sept 28 vs Texas A&M (in Arlington) L
Oct 5 Tennessee L
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 LSU L
Oct 26 at Mississippi State W
Nov 2 Ole Miss L
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 Texas L
Nov 23 Louisiana Tech W
Nov 30 at Missouri L

2024 Auburn Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 6-6
Aug 31 Alabama A&M W
Sept 7 Cal W
Sept 14 New Mexico W
Sept 21 Arkansas W
Sept 28 Oklahoma L
Oct 5 at Georgia L
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 at Missouri L
Oct 26 at Kentucky L
Nov 2 Vanderbilt W
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 ULM W
Nov 23 Texas A&M L
Nov 30 at Alabama L

2024 Florida Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 Miami W
Sept 7 Samford W
Sept 14 Texas A&M W
Sept 21 at Mississippi State L
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 UCF W
Oct 12 at Tennessee L
Oct 19 Kentucky W
Oct 26 OPEN DATE
Nov 2 vs Georgia (in Jacksonville) L
Nov 9 at Texas L
Nov 16 LSU W
Nov 23 Ole Miss W
Nov 30 at Florida State L

2024 Georgia Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 12-0
Aug 31 vs Clemson (in Atlanta) W
Sept 7 Tennessee Tech W
Sept 14 at Kentucky W
Sept 21 OPEN DATE
Sept 28 at Alabama W
Oct 5 Auburn W
Oct 12 Mississippi State W
Oct 19 at Texas W
Oct 26 OPEN DATE
Nov 2 vs Florida (in Jacksonville) W
Nov 9 at Ole Miss W
Nov 16 Tennessee W
Nov 23 UMass W
Nov 30 Georgia Tech W

2024 Kentucky Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 Southern Miss W
Sept 7 South Carolina W
Sept 14 Georgia L
Sept 21 Ohio W
Sept 28 at Ole Miss L
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 Vanderbilt W
Oct 19 at Florida L
Oct 26 Auburn W
Nov 2 at Tennessee L
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 Murray State W
Nov 23 at Texas L
Nov 30 Louisville W

2024 LSU Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 10-2
Sept 1 vs USC (in Las Vegas) W
Sept 7 Nicholls W
Sept 14 at South Carolina W
Sept 21 UCLA W
Sept 28 South Alabama
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 Ole Miss W
Oct 19 at Arkansas W
Oct 26 at Texas A&M L
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 Alabama W
Nov 16 at Florida L
Nov 23 Vanderbilt W
Nov 30 Oklahoma W

2024 Mississippi State Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 5-7
Aug 31 Eastern Kentucky W
Sept 7 at Arizona State L
Sept 14 Toledo W
Sept 21 Florida W
Sept 28 at Texas L
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 at Georgia L
Oct 19 Texas A&M L
Oct 26 Arkansas L
Nov 2 UMass W
Nov 9 at Tennessee L
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 Missouri W
Nov 30 at Ole Miss L

2024 Missouri Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 8-4
Aug 31 Murray State W
Sept 7 Buffalo W
Sept 14 Boston College W
Sept 21 Vanderbilt W
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 at Texas A&M L
Oct 12 at UMass W
Oct 19 Auburn W
Oct 26 at Alabama L
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 Oklahoma L
Nov 16 at South Carolina W
Nov 23 at Mississippi State L
Nov 30 Arkansas W

2024 Oklahoma Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 9-3
Aug 31 Temple W
Sept 7 Houston W
Sept 14 Tulane W
Sept 21 Tennessee W
Sept 28 at Auburn W
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 vs Texas (in Dallas) L
Oct 19 South Carolina W
Oct 26 at Ole Miss L
Nov 2 Maine W
Nov 9 at Missouri W
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 Alabama W
Nov 30 at LSU L

2024 Ole Miss Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 9-3
Aug 31 Furman W
Sept 7 Middle Tennessee W
Sept 14 at Wake Forest W
Sept 21 Georgia Southern W
Sept 28 Kentucky W
Oct 5 at South Carolina W
Oct 12 at LSU L
Oct 19 OPEN DATE
Oct 26 Oklahoma W
Nov 2 at Arkansas W
Nov 9 Georgia L
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 at Florida L
Nov 30 Mississippi State W

2024 South Carolina Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 5-7
Aug 31 Old Dominion W
Sept 7 at Kentucky L
Sept 14 LSU L
Sept 21 Akron W
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 Ole Miss L
Oct 12 at Alabama L
Oct 19 at Oklahoma L
Oct 26 OPEN DATE
Nov 2 Texas A&M W
Nov 9 at Vanderbilt W
Nov 16 Missouri L
Nov 23 Wofford W
Nov 30 at Clemson L

2024 Tennessee Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 9-3
Aug 31 Chattanooga W
Sept 7 vs NC State (in Charlotte) W
Sept 14 Kent State W
Sept 21 at Oklahoma L
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 at Arkansas W
Oct 12 Florida W
Oct 19 Alabama L
Oct 26 OPEN DATE
Nov 2 Kentucky W
Nov 9 Mississippi State W
Nov 16 at Georgia L
Nov 23 UTEP W
Nov 30 at Vanderbilt W

2024 Texas Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 10-2
Aug 31 Colorado State W
Sept 7 at Michigan W
Sept 14 UTSA W
Sept 21 ULM W
Sept 28 Mississippi State W
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 vs Oklahoma (in Dallas) W
Oct 19 Georgia L
Oct 26 at Vanderbilt W
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 Florida W
Nov 16 at Arkansas W
Nov 23 Kentucky W
Nov 30 at Texas A&M L

2024 Texas A&M Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 8-4
Aug 31 Notre Dame L
Sept 7 McNeese State W
Sept 14 at Florida L
Sept 21 Bowling Green W
Sept 28 vs Arkansas W
Oct 5 Missouri W
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 at Mississippi State W
Oct 26 LSU L
Nov 2 at South Carolina L
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 New Mexico State W
Nov 23 at Auburn W
Nov 30 Texas W

2024 Vanderbilt Football Schedule
Early Predicted Record: 3-9
Aug 31 Virginia Tech L
Sept 7 Alcorn State W
Sept 14 at Georgia State  W
Sept 21 at Missouri L
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 Alabama L
Oct 12 at Kentucky L
Oct 19 Ball State W
Oct 26 Texas L
Nov 2 at Auburn L
Nov 9 South Carolina L
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 at LSU L
Nov 30 Tennessee L