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Four out of five ESPN SEC bloggers are picking Auburn to win the league championship this season, but only three of those analysts have the Tigers reaching the College Football Playoff.
Alex Scarborough, one of ESPN’s top college football writers, believes the SEC will fall short of the Playoff thanks to a two-loss champion. He likes Ohio State, TCU (each unanimous final four teams across this panel), Clemson and Oregon to make up the semifinalists.
Last August, Edward Aschoff accurately projected Will Muschamp’s first win over Georgia, a non-SEC national champion and two 1,000-yard rushers at Arkansas in his ‘SEC fearless predictions’ column. He likes Georgia in the East and Auburn in the West this season with the Tigers reaching the Playoff at 12-1.
Here are the bloggers’ individual SEC and Playoff picks:
Edward Aschoff
SEC East
- Georgia: 10-2
- Tennessee: 9-3
- Missouri: 8-4
- Florida: 7-5
- Kentucky: 7-5
- Vanderbilt: 4-8
SEC West
- Auburn: 11-1
- Alabama: 9-3
- Ole Miss: 9-3
- LSU: 8-4
- Arkansas: 8-4
- Texas A&M: 8-4
- Mississippi State: 7-5
SEC champion: Auburn
Final four: TCU, Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon
David Ching
SEC East
- Georgia: 11-1
- Missouri: 9-3
- Tennessee: 7-5
- South Carolina: 6-6
- Florida: 5-7
- Kentucky: 5-7
- Vanderbilt: 4-8
SEC West
- Alabama: 11-1
- LSU: 10-2
- Auburn: 9-3
- Ole Miss: 9-3
- Arkansas: 8-4
- Mississippi State: 8-4
- Texas A&M: 6-6
SEC champion: Alabama
Final four: Alabama, TCU, Ohio State, USC
Sam Khan
SEC East
- Georgia: 11-1
- Missouri: 9-3
- Tennessee: 7-5
- Florida: 7-5
- South Carolina: 6-6
- Kentucky: 5-7
- Vanderbilt: 3-9
SEC West
- Auburn: 12-0
- Alabama: 10-2
- Ole Miss: 10-2
- Texas A&M: 9-3
- Arkansas: 8-4
- LSU: 7-5
- Mississippi State: 6-6
SEC champion: Auburn
Final four: Auburn, Michigan State, TCU, UCLA
Greg Ostendorf
SEC East
- Georgia: 10-2
- Tennessee: 8-4
- South Carolina: 7-5
- Missouri: 7-5
- Kentucky: 6-6
- Florida: 5-7
- Vanderbilt: 3-9
SEC West
- Auburn: 10-2
- Alabama: 10-2
- Ole Miss: 9-3
- Texas A&M: 9-3
- LSU: 8-4
- Arkansas: 7-5
- Mississippi State: 6-6
SEC champion: Auburn
Final four: Ohio State, TCU, Auburn, Arizona State
Alex Scarborough
SEC East
- Georgia: 11-1
- Missouri: 8-4
- Tennessee: 8-4
- Kentucky: 7-5
- South Carolina: 7-5
- Florida: 6-6
- Vanderbilt: 5-7
SEC West
- Auburn: 10-2
- LSU: 10-2
- Alabama: 9-3
- Ole Miss: 9-3
- Texas A&M: 9-3
- Arkansas: 8-4
- Mississippi State: 8-4
SEC champion: Auburn
Final four: Ohio State, TCU, Oregon, Clemson
