Alabama will defeat South Carolina in the SEC Championship game this year, according to the league’s annual preseason media vote.
In the tabulation announced today, the media picked South Carolina to win the Eastern Division over runnerup Georgia, Alabama to win the Western Division over runnerup Auburn, and the Crimson Tide to win the league title.
Georgia coach Mark Richt said he would have picked the Bulldogs one spot higher than the media did.
“I’m not happy to be named No. 2. I’m not going to start cheering that we’re No. 2,” Richt said with a smile. “I think in the end it’s going to be Georgia.”
The media’s annual preseason predictions do not have a great track record, by the way. The team picked to win the SEC championship in the survey has done so only four times in the past 22 years and only twice in the past 18 years.
When that track record was mentioned to him, Richt reconsidered his position on being picked second in the East by the media. “Now that I think of it, that’s good,” he said.
Florida was picked to finish third in the East, while defending division champion Missouri was voted fourth.
Here is this year’s full vote:
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
EASTERN DIVISION
School Points
1. South Carolina 1895
2. Georgia 1777
3. Florida 1362
4. Missouri 1263
5. Tennessee 893
6. Vanderbilt 619
7. Kentucky 395
WESTERN DIVISION
School Points
1. Alabama 1915
2. Auburn 1735
3. LSU 1453
4. Ole Miss 1069
5. Mississippi State 890
6. Texas A&M 791
7. Arkansas 351
SEC CHAMPION
School Votes
Alabama 154
Auburn 75
South Carolina 32
Georgia 19
LSU 9
Ole Miss 2
Arkansas 1
Mississippi State 1
