2024 SEC Football Preview, Picks, and Best Bets

With college football season just weeks away, the Sports Gambling Podcast Network is breaking down each conference. Our next stop is our 2024 SEC football preview, picks, and best bets.

The SEC welcomes two newcomers this year, Texas and Oklahoma, making their debuts. The former Big 12 programs join a league that has seven other teams that rank in the top 20 for the lowest odds of winning the national championship.

The Longhorns will battle Georgia for the conference crown. Ole Miss, Alabama, and LSU should also be in the hunt.

The SEC has won 14 of the previous 19 national championships, and I believe multiple schools could do that this season. So, let’s dive into our 2024 Southeastern Conference football preview, picks, and best bets.

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2024 sEC Football Preview, Picks, and Best Bets

2024 SEC Favorite: Georgia +200

Yes, Georgia comes into this season with the deepest and most talented roster in the country. The expectation is for the Bulldogs to run the table and return to the College Football Playoffs.

Most may think the oddsmakers are giving the bettors a gift by listing coach Kirby Smart’s team at +200 odds to win the SEC. However, I wouldn’t make this bet because of the difficult schedule.

This will not be like Georgia’s last national champion, who was not tested until December. The Bulldogs open the campaign against Clemson in Atlanta before starting conference play at Kentucky.

Tricky SEC road trips will be a consistent theme for Smart’s squad. In league action, Georgia has to play at Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas while also hosting Tennessee in Athens.

The Bulldogs are primed for a run at their third title in four years with 14 starters back, including quarterback Carson Beck. I still can’t back them at this price with the difficult schedule of opponents.

2024 SEC Contender: Ole Miss +600

If you haven’t heard already, portal king Lane Kiffin brought in the top transfer class in the country this summer. The new arrivals, combined with a veteran squad coming back, have made the Rebels a popular pick to win the SEC or make the playoffs.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart is back under center behind an offensive line that returns three starters and added two from Washington’s Joe Moore Award-winning line. Dart has three of his top receiving targets from 2023 to go along with adding Antwane Wells from South Carolina.

The one big loss is at running back, where Quinshon Judkins took his 17 touchdowns to Ohio State. However, Kiffin replaced Judkins with a 1,000-yard rusher from Miami, Ohio in Rashad Amos.

Another key addition is on the defensive side of the ball. Walter Nolen comes over from Texas A&M’s defensive line. He joins a defense that already has 10 starters back from last season.

The final selling point for joining the Lane Train is the schedule, which sets up well for Ole Miss. The Rebels avoid Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, while Georgia makes the trip to Oxford.

If Kiffin can get his talented roster to gel during the easy opening to the campaign, this could be a historic season at Ole Miss.

2024 SEC Darkhorse: Missouri +1800

Most may believe that Missouri is too good to be considered a dark horse after winning 11 games in 2023, but the Tigers are not being priced that way. In fact, Eli Drinkwitz’s team has the eighth-lowest betting odds in the SEC.

I just don’t believe this is the right price for a school that returns Brady Cook at quarterback to go with all of his wide receivers, including one of the best in the nation in Luther Burden. Drinkwitz also did an excellent job filling holes at running back and along the offensive line in the portal.

The biggest question marks will come on defense after multiple starters depart and coordinator Blake Baker leaves for LSU. The Missouri schedule will allow the offense to hide what could be a weak defense.

In SEC play, the Tigers avoid Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas, and LSU. They will be favored in all but two games which are the trips to College Station and Alabama.

I like the odds for Missouri to win this conference. I also believe there’s solid value for Drinkwitz to lead the program to the playoffs at +175.

Must-bet wins total: Florida U2.5 Conference Wins (+110)

If a selling point for Ole Miss or Missouri is the easy schedule, the opposite can be said for Florida. The Gators’ win total has been shaped over the summer, but I think their conference win total is still a great price.

Of Florida’s eight SEC opponents, seven went bowling last year. This difficult schedule includes November games against Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss in consecutive weeks.

This follows a trip to Tennessee and hosting Kentucky in October. The only remaining conference games are against Texas A&M in the Swamp and on the road at Mississippi State.

Even if the Gators start SEC play 2-0, I’m not sure where the other victory comes from. Coach Billy Napier could be fired if there aren’t wins early in the year.

I just feel that reaching three conference victories is going to be an uphill battle for Florida. So, I’ll take the plus-money price offered for the Gators to fall under their SEC win total for the final play of our 2024 Southeastern Conference football preview, picks, and best bets.