SEC Football: Media picks Alabama to win the SEC, Auburn second
The Alabama Crimson Tide were picked to be SEC football champions again, but it wasn’t unanimous. Could the Auburn Tigers be a serious contender in 2017?
Nick Saban’s dynasty at Alabama isn’t going to last forever. Yes, as wild as it might be to imagine, someone will take the mantle of the best team in the SEC eventually. 10 Tide players were picked in the 2017 NFL Draft, leaving more gaps in the Alabama armor to reload than in most years.
With the Tide getting “weaker” their challengers in the SEC West best not miss their opportunity. The Auburn Tigers return 10 of their 12 leading tackles on defense and two potential All-SEC running backs. The addition of transfer quarterback Jarrett Stidham could put them over the top.
2017 SEC Champion Picks
| School | Points |
| Alabama | 217 |
| Auburn | 11 |
| Georgia | 6 |
| LSU | 3 |
| Florida | 3 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
| Vanderbilt | 1 |
| Arkansas | 1 |
West Picks
| School | Points |
| Alabama (225) | 1683 |
| Auburn (13) | 1329 |
| LSU (4) | 1262 |
| Arkansas (1) | 796 |
| Texas A&M | 722 |
| Mississippi State | 633 |
| Ole Miss | 379 |
The rest of the conference is mired in mediocrity. It’s more or less a pick’em when it comes to the rest of the SEC West. No team, save maybe LSU has shown enough to prove they belong in the class of contenders.
East Picks
| School | Points |
| Georgia (138) | 1572 |
| Florida (96) | 1526 |
| Tennessee (3) | 998 |
| South Carolina (5) | 897 |
| Kentucky | 869 |
| Vanderbilt | 554 |
| Missouri | 388 |
The battle for the East will be much closer. Defending champion Florida has been usurped as the front-runner by Georgia. But don’t count out the Gators who still pose a serious threat. Don’t sleep on South Carolina and Kentucky, who each have enough pieces on offense to make things interesting.
Next: 5 most important SEC West games in 2017
As a whole, the media is on to something. The competition in the SEC in 2017 is going to be tighter than ever. Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia are in a tier of their own, but it’s going to be a year with several four-loss teams again.