Expectations are always high with SEC football. Which teams are set to exceed their expectations as the 2019 season approaches?
There are questions as every college football season starts. As discussions about playoff contenders and Heisman hopefuls swirl, one thing remains certain: the SEC is the greatest conference in college football.
Even within the best conference comes questions. Alabama and Georgia are certainly the frontrunners, but can anyone surpass them in either division? Teams like LSU and Texas A&M have high hopes, but will they make it through a complete season?
As the season begins, questions will be answered and opinions will be turned into fact or fiction. Games will be played, records will be set, and wins and losses will be given out accordingly. No matter what a team’s ceiling or floor is, their successes will be etched in stone.
As the season plays out, some teams will either over or under achieve. It happens every year. Teams with promise fail to meet expectations, and underdogs have better records than anyone expects.
Last season, Florida was a team that exceeded expectations. Auburn failed to do so. Now, those previous seasons have changed the expectations for 2019.
A lot of a team’s success relies on record. When you only play 12 games in a regular season, the smallest things can change a team’s perception. Whether it’s the strength of non-conference scheduling, the teams in the other division a team has to play, or which opponents are at home as opposed to on the road, scheduling goes a long way in shifting opinions on a season.
That being said, who are the contenders to exceed their expectations from the SEC in 2019? This is up in the air, but here are my three top teams to overachieve.