2023 SEC Football Predictions: Georgia Leads the Pack, Alabama and LSU Fight For Division Title

The SEC is looking really solid as we move closer to the 2023 season.

Georgia is showing no signs of slowing down, Brian Kelly is entering his second year as LSU's head coach and Tennessee is building a force in the SEC East. Meanwhile, Alabama is looking to return to the SEC Championship game after missing out last season.

Below them, an improved Texas A&M leads the middle of the pack, followed by the likes of Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas and Ole Miss. Auburn and Mississippi State start new eras with new head coaches.

Meanwhile, Florida and Missouri will be struggling to reach a bowl game while Vanderbilt continues to build up momentum in the conference under third-year head coach Clark Lea.

With a lot to unpack, here are some predictions for how the 2023 SEC football season will play out.

East Division

1. Georgia

Georgia has become a massive force in the college football world. Despite losing key talent from both sides of the ball, Georgia has shown no signs of stopping any time soon with plenty of elite talent. The talent, paired with a relatively easy schedule this fall, give the Bulldogs more than enough momentum to finish the season 12-0. Although it will be very hard to win three-straight national championships, expect Georgia to cruise to the College Football Playoff, even if the Bulldogs somehow lose a game.

2. Tennessee

After putting up a 10+ win season for the first time since 2007, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has done a fantastic job of building the football program back up. While Georgia may be the superior team in the division, Tennessee is not that far behind. Despite losing key talent in the offseason, Heupel's offense will lead the way as Tennessee has a decent chance to post back-to-back 10+ wins season for the first time since 2003-04. However, it won't be easy with the talent lost and coaching changes that have been made.

3. South Carolina

Head coach Shane Beamer is building something special in Columbia. The Gamecocks get quarterback Spencer Rattler back, and although he didn't get hot until late in the season, new offensive play-caller Dowell Loggains will give him a better chance at improving and breaking out at South Carolina. Arkansas transfer Trey Knox gives Rattler a threat at tight end. Although there are some concerns at offensive line, Beamer has exceeded expectations during his two years in Columbia. Expect the Gamecocks to be a lot better than preseason expectations.

4. Kentucky

Kentucky looked messy last season, but head coach Mark Stoops has been working hard this offseason trying to improve the Wildcats. Former play-caller Liam Coen is back in Lexington, and the program also landed quarterback Devin Leary through the transfer portal. Kentucky also has one of the best receiving rooms in the conference, with Tayvion Robinson, Barion Brown and Dane Key leading the way. While it hard to say how far the Wildcats will go, they will definitely look better than the sluggish team from last season.

5. Florida

Billy Napier's tenure as Florida's head coach has been a bit of a mess. The talent clearly needs time to improve, and it will continue to be a problem for the Gators heading into 2023 as they return only four staters from last season's team. Wisconsin transfer quarterback Graham Mertz was far from perfect during his time with the Badgers, and there is no clear number one weapon in the team's offense, In addition to this, the Gators' defense ranked near the bottom of the SEC last year in yards per play allowed (5.92), points allowed (28.8) and rushing yards (175.2 yards per contest). The Gators will be lucky to reach a bowl game with this roster.

6. Missouri

The Tigers will be returning eight starters from last season's squad and would probably have had a better 2022 record if it weren't for the late-game collapses from last season. The offense wasn't terrible, and if head coach Eli Drinkwitz and new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore can elevate it, this team will be a lot better than preseason expectations. Receiver Luther Burden is a player to look out for, and he could have a breakout season if the team elevates the offense. Quarterbacks Brady Cook and Miami transfer Jake Garcia will battle for the starting spot. Regardless, the play calling needs improvement for this squad to exceed six wins in 2023.

7. Vanderbilt

The Commodores just barely missed a bowl game last season and it seems like the team is slowly improving under head coach Clark Lea. Quarterback A.J. Swann had a promising freshman year that the offense can build upon, and the team returns Jayden McGowan and Will Sheppard at the receiver spots. However, Vanderbilt's defense is the biggest question mark: it ranked dead last in the SEC in points allowed in each of the past two seasons. This, paired with having to play some of the top teams in the conference, could cause some problems down the stretch. The Commodores will really have to fight to reach six wins in 2023.

West Division

1. Alabama

This upcoming season is probably the most uncertain season for Alabama in a long time. The Crimson Tide has lost a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, and quarterback is the biggest question mark for the team heading into this fall. It will be an interesting quarterback battle between Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner. The Crimson Tide also have new coaches, with Tommy Rees leading the offense and Kevin Steele leading the defense. They will likely have to lean on their running game and the young talent from a top recruiting class that is coming in this year. With so many questions regarding the roster, can the Crimson Tide make it back to Atlanta after missing out on the SEC Championship game last year?

2. LSU

The Tigers looked great in Brian Kelly's first year as head coach, and they could follow it up again this year with another division title. Quarterback Jayden Daniels returns behind center this fall and the Tigers have one of the best receiving corps in the league in Malik Nabers and Mason Taylor. In addition to a top defense that allowed just 22.5 points per game last season and some key talent from the transfer portal, LSU is looking to give Alabama a run for the money for the SEC West title.

3. Texas A&M

Saying that Texas A&M's season last year was a disappointment is a bit of an understatement. The Aggies went from a preseason top-ten team to not even making a bowl game, becoming one of the biggest disappointments in the country. However, with Bobby Petrino taking over the offens, and the emergence of quarterback Conner Weighman, this team could bounce back into the top 25 this fall. Led by a receiver room full of talented wideouts such as Ainias Smith, Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad III, and five-star running back Reuben Owens helping their running game, Texas A&M's offense could cause trouble for some teams in the SEC West. With the talent they have, the Aggies, on paper, should be bound for improvement in 2023.

4. Ole Miss

After starting 7-0, the Rebels lost five of their last six games to end the 2022 season, including to their arguably three biggest rivals in the final stretch. Head coach Lane Kiffin has been hitting the transfer portal hard and manage to hire Alabama's defensive coordinator Pete Golding for the same role at Ole Miss. The Rebels also have a perplexing quarterback room with Jaxson Dart returning, along with transfers Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State and Walker Howard from LSU. Quinshon Judkins returns after a breakout freshman season, along with the additions of Tre Harris from Louisiana Tech and Zakhari Franklin from UTSA in the receiver room. Will this be enough to keep the Rebels from fizzling out late in the season again?

5. Mississippi State

New head coach Zach Arnett has been moving away from the Air Raid after reworking the coaching staff, with Kevin Barbay from Appalachian State calling the plays for the offense. Despite losing wide receiver RaRa Thomas to the transfer portal, the Bulldogs have some promising standouts in Zavion Thomas and Lideatrick Griffin, along with quarterback Will Rogers, to lead the offense. Linebacker coach Matt Brock will take over the defensive coordinator position and will command a unit that held its opponents to 23.1 points per game last year. With linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson leading the way, the Bulldogs shouldn't lose much traction from last season.

6. Arkansas

The Razorbacks' offense won't lose much with quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Rocket Sanders returning in 2023. However, the defense is a bigger issue if the team wants to make a splash in the SEC West. New defensive coordinator Travis Williams and head coach Sam Pittman brought in ten transfers during the offseason to improve their defensive unit, while new offensive coordinator Dan Enos had to address key losses at offensive line and the receiver position. Jefferson coming back should help the offense, however, we will have to see how they play against some of the tougher defenses in the SEC.

7. Auburn

Since being hired by the Tigers, new head coach Hugh Freeze has been working hard in the transfer portal, picking up one of the best transfer class in the nation. Auburn's transfer additions include a starting quarterback in Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, as well as improvements in the team's offensive line and secondary. Freeze has also brought on Phillip Montgomery as offensive coordinator and Ron Roberts as defensive coordinator. Its uncertain how well Auburn will do in Freeze's first year, but with the transfer additions, they will certainly do better than last season under Bryan Harsin.