SEC Predictions: Projecting conference championship finalists, winner in 2024

With interest as high as ever going into this season of college football, there’s just as much intrigue, if not more, for the new-look version of the Southeastern Conference. Now, with the sport officially back later this month, On3’s JD PicKell has made his predictions for how things take place this fall in the SEC.

PicKell gave his season’s predictions, including for the SEC, during Thursday’s episode of ‘The Hard Count.’ PicKell believes the league is more well-rounded this season, especially with their recent additions, as he cited around seven teams that could contend for the conference crown.

“The SEC, man, is the deepest conference in college football,” said PicKell. “I think, a lot of times, you hear people talk about the SEC being too top-heavy. I don’t think that’s the case this year. I think the College Football Playoff will prove that as well.

“When you look at the SEC, you can really make a case for and against just about all these teams. And both those points, whether it be for or against them? I think you’re right, which is kind of a wild place to be but I think it’s kind of where we stand right here going into the 2024 season,” PicKell continued. “It’s a very okay process to have some doubts about a lot of these top teams because there’s reason for doubt for all of these teams. At the same time, there’s also a pretty good reason to believe that they’re going to be really freakin’ good. You can make a case for, I think, any of these teams being not just College Football Playoff teams but potentially SEC title-contending teams.”

As the segment continued, PicKell specifically named Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU. Those seven, if not a couple more overall, project and expect to be among the very best in the conference and across the country.

However, only two will find themselves in Atlanta for the SEC Championship on December 7th. In order to get down to his pair, PicKell looked at those teams based on three criteria.

“For me, when picking this conference, it comes down to three factors – experience, schedule, depth,” PicKell stated.

With that, PicKell’s first berth for the title game went to the Georgia Bulldogs. Simply put, he thinks they’re on a mission after not finishing the job of their three-peat by losing to Alabama in the SEC title game, which was just their second loss over the past three years. Now, the Bulldogs and their approach are again where they need to be to finish undefeated in the regular season and play for a conference championship for the fourth-straight year.

“I just think they’re built to make a run, man. Like, I do not believe Georgia will have a game where they are out-talented from a roster perspective. That’s kind of the end of the story there for me,” said PicKell. “Yes, the schedule is brutal. Yes, they’ve got to go to Texas, to Ole Miss. I just think they’re built like that, man. I do.

“Like, I think that Georgia actually finds their way to the SEC Championship unbeaten. That’s a bit of a bold statement but that’s how I feel. I think they are that good,” PicKell added. “I think they end up finding their way to the SEC title game. I think they’ll play their best football in November. They will peak at the right time. They’ve got the depth to go the distance.”

PicKell then picked their opposition to be the Ole Miss Rebels. He likes how the Rebels’ slate sets them up to be in that championship game for the first time ever.

“You know who I actually see in the SEC title game is Ole Miss just chilling there with one loss,” said PicKell. “We talked about the path for Ole Miss – no ‘Bama, no Texas, no Missouri. You’re at LSU, you got Georgia, and you’re at Florida. I think they can go 2-1 in that stretch. Transparently, based on me telling you that I think Georgia shows up there undefeated? I think they only lose to Georgia and they find themselves in a rematch in the conference title game.”

That’d be quite the matchup inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Still, at the end of it, PicKell leaned towards Georgia’s mindset allowing them to avenge the second of their two sole losses, both being in the conference title game, with a victory over the Rebels.

“Who wins this one, man? I just think Georgia is on a mission. I do, man. I think that they remember vividly falling short in Atlanta. I think that team feels like, if they were healthy, they would have won that conference title game a year ago. I think they believe that they have unfinished business,” said PicKell. “Kirby Smart now doesn’t have to manufacture any juice for this team, doesn’t have to tell them people are doubting them. Like, they’re not worried about the external noise so much as how much they have missed on their internal expectations. I think that’s going to benefit them. I think that’s going to ultimately allow them to have success and win the SEC in 2024.”

So, there you have it. PicKell has the Georgia Bulldogs reigning as SEC Champions this year before reaching another playoff and, per his remaining predictions, finding even more success on the national stage.

“I think Georgia ends up locking up that fourth College Football Playoff spot,” said PicKell. “They get themselves into the College Football Playoff and they will be the one seed.”