Mr. CFB: Alabama And Georgia Are 1-2 In The SEC. But Who's No. 3?

The SEC has 10 teams that are all capable of being the third-best in the conference.

Okay. Let’s do a little exercise as we break down the SEC for the 2022 college football season.

Step 1: Take Alabama and Georgia and put them off to one side. The rest of the conference doesn’t want to read this, but Alabama and Georgia are just a lot better than everyone else.

They will play for the SEC championship on Dec. 3 in Atlanta. The only question is whether or not both teams will be undefeated. I say yes.

Step 2: Missouri and Vanderbilt, we love you. We really do. But talent, depth, quarterback play—you name it—just isn’t there. You’re building and we wish you well. But we are going to move you off to the other side.

So that leaves us with 10 teams that I will call the SEC’s ever-growing and ever-improving middle class.

In short, there will be more quality teams than the SEC has had in a long period of time.

More simply put: We know that Alabama and Georgia will be the top two teams in the conference. But who’s No. 3?

I maintain that any of the 10 remaining teams could finish No. 3. I also believe that on any given Saturday any of those ten teams can beat any of the rest.

We call them 50-50 games. It’s where the talent and coaching are about the same and the game is decided by a handful of plays—a turnover, a big play in the kicking game. We're going to have a lot of 50-50 games this season.

So let’s do this: IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, let’s make the case for each of these 10 teams to finish third in the SEC. Here we go:

ARKANSAS: The more I think about the Hogs, the more I like them. Quarterback K.J. Jefferson is a star and will only get better this season. Arkansas gets South Carolina and LSU in Fayetteville.

AUBURN: After last season’s late collapse the players are rallying behind Coach Bryan Harsin. Looks like it’s going to be T.J. Finley at quarterback over Zach Calzada. He needs to be more consistent. I love running back Tank Bigsby. He’s the guy Auburn can build around. Auburn plays its first five games at home.

FLORIDA: A lot of folks have the Gators picked to finish fourth in the SEC East behind Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Anthony Richardson will be a star under the guidance of new coach Bill Napier. They go to Tennessee, Texas A&M and play Georgia in Jacksonville. Florida opens with Utah in the Swamp. We’ll learn a lot that day.

KENTUCKY: The Wildcats won 10 games last season and could do it again. Will Levis could be the first SEC quarterback taken in the draft next April. If RB Chris Rodriguez (DUI) ever gets out of Mark Stoops’ dog house, the Wildcats are going to be hard to handle. UK has SEC road games against Florida, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

LSU: Two keys: Transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels, who started 29 games at Arizona State and superstar wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who has made every pre-season All-America list despite seeing limited playing time last season. New coach Brian Kelly will make a big difference.

OLE MISS: If Jaxson Dart, the transfer QB from USC, is what Lane Kiffin thinks he is, then the Rebels have a shot at No. 3. Kiffin hit the transfer portal pretty hard and managing all those new faces won’t be easy. Ole Miss gets Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, and Mississippi State in Oxford.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: With 17 starters returning, including the SEC’s leading passer in Will Rogers, the Bulldogs could be a surprise team. But Mississippi State has to play Georgia (in Starkville) and Kentucky (in Lexington) from the SEC East in addition to SEC West road games with LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite playing four different quarterbacks, including one who was a graduate assistant coach, South Carolina won seven games last season. The Gamecocks believe they have solved that problem with the arrival of Spencer Rattler and his considerable athletic skills. Second-year coach Shane Beamer dipped into the transfer portal to upgrade the overall talent level on his roster. South Carolina goes to Arkansas in Week 2 and hosts Georgia in week three.

TENNESSEE: The Vols have established their identity under second-year coach Josh Heupel: Up-tempo offense that wears down a defense and forces it to cover the entire field. Quarterback Hendon Hooker threw 31 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. Wide receiver Cedric Tillman is big-time. They get Florida, Alabama, and Kentucky in Knoxville.

TEXAS A&M: The Aggies have the best depth of talent on this list of 10. But they need to get more consistent play at quarterback, which is why 2021 starter Zach Calzada is now at Auburn. Haynes King, LSU transfer Max Johnson, and freshman Connor Weigman are the candidates. After finishing 4-4 in SEC play last season, this is a big year for Jimbo Fisher.