Overrated/Underrated: SEC Edition

It’s onto the mighty SEC this week and a closer look at who is overrated and underrated in this conference. Of course Alabama and Georgia find themselves high up the rankings of nearly every poll. Can Kirby Smart three-peat or is Nick Saban ready to fight back?

Of course there are a number of rankings available but for the sake of consistency I’ll stick with the AP and coaches poll. If you missed any of my previous conference updates, I’ve linked them below.

Now let’s get into a closer look at the SEC.

ACC Edition

Big-10 Edition

Pac-12 Edition

Georgia: Rated

AP: 1

Coaches: 1

Nothing really to say here from me. I do think there will be challengers but Georgia deserves to be No. 1. They are not overrated or underrated being as they are No. 1 so there’s not much for me to say there. I have absolutely zero issue with the Dawgs at 1 although I wonder if this year they might be a tad bit more vulnerable than they have been. Luckily that will be offset by the worlds easiest schedule. (Seriously look at it)

Alabama – Underrated

AP: 4

Coaches: 3

I recognize this won’t be an easy year for Nick Saban. He’s got quarterback issues to deal with. But the talent is still there. Now its hard to consider them too underrated when you are a top 5 team. That said, I think we’ll see Bama claw back into king status and as long as they win, they have some ranked opponents (Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU) to help their strength of schedule.

LSU – Overrated

AP: 5

Coaches: 5

There’s a few coaches I have a tough time getting behind and Brian Kelly is one of them. He’s good, but I continue to wonder about his ‘greatness.’ LSU pried him away from Notre Dame to lead them back to the promise land. I continue to wonder about his ability to do so, especially with Kirby Smart and Nick Saban in his way. Three of the last four weeks, LSU is at Bama then hosts Florida and A&M. This is where we see LSU slide down the rankings IMO.

Tennessee – Overrated

AP: 12

Coaches: 10

I loved the UT story last season as much as anyone. The historic 52-49 win over Bama was legendary. But this is not the same 2022 Tennessee squad. The Vols have Bama, Georgia and Texas A&M on the schedule which means they have to win every other game to come close. That’s a tall order.

Ole Miss: Overrated

AP: 22

Coaches: 22

I want Lane Kiffin to succeed. From afar, he might be my favorite coach to watch. Follow him on Twitter if you don’t already. Now that said, Ole Miss has a TOUGH schedule this season. So I’m going to say they are overrated because of that but they could still finish top 25 with some help. They play at Tulane, Bama and Georgia this season. They also host LSU and Texas A&M. Even if they could win 3 of those 5, they have to be perfect in every other game. This is a tough, tough schedule.

Texas A&M: Underrated

AP: 23

Coaches: 25

And underrated only due to the fact I think they’ll finish top 20 but not top 15. I’m not convinced the Jimbo experiment is going to work. I’m even less convinced him and Petrino make it through a full season together. The Aggies have Bama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU on the back half of the season. I think they can win the middle two and do enough to finish in the top 20. Making them barely underrated.