2016 SEC East Predictions: Who Will Head to Atlanta?

All human beings make SEC football predictions. I am a human being.

There are a few guarantees in making SEC football predictions each season:

1. Fans of teams you pick at the top will love you
2. Fans of teams you pick at the bottom will hate you

With that in mind, a few notes on the East before we get to the predictions:

• The quarterback situations make this division extremely tough to predict. There are quarterback battles all over place, and even the players who are clear starters have something to prove. A breakout star will likely disrupt the predicted standings. But which player will that be?

• Choosing Georgia or Florida at No. 2 was the toughest decision. Both teams have question marks on offense, but one had the easier road to navigate.

• How the bottom four unfolds will be fascinating to watch.

Onto the East predictions.

Note: Here are my SEC West predictions.

2016 SEC EAST PREDICTIONS

1. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee has the most talent of anyone in the East, but it’s up to Butch Jones to put it all together into a championship product.

And that’s the scariest part of picking them as the East winner.

The Vols gave away games that they should have won last year, and it derailed their chance at an SEC title. They’re too talented to let that happen again, right?

Jones has to get it done this year. He’s increased Tennessee’s win total by two each year, so if that streak continues, it means 11 wins for the Vols this season. That’s not out of the realm of possibility.

The four-week stretch from September 24 – October 15 (vs. Florida, at Georgia, at Texas A&M, vs. Alabama) will decide how Tennessee’s season is remembered.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Why Georgia over Florida here? The schedule.

The toughest SEC game that the Bulldogs will play on the road will be at Ole Miss, which is certainly winnable. They get Tennessee at home and Florida in Jacksonville. The only other true SEC road games consist of South Carolina and Kentucky. Georgia will be favored in both of those.

Like the team that they’ll be fighting to get this spot, the Bulldogs will have to find consistency on offense. The Bulldogs will need to find their go-to-guy at quarterback, and there’s the unknowns with running back Nick Chubb after returning from a horrible injury.

Kirby Smart has plenty to prove in year one, and this will be a good start to his head coaching career.

3. Florida Gators

Florida lost some really good talent on defense. As for the offense? There’s cause for concern yet again. Can Luke Del Rio be the guy? That’s what we all want to know.

Plus, the Gators have to go to Tennessee and Arkansas. They also go to Vanderbilt, which is in no way a guaranteed win this year. Hosting LSU will be yet another challenge.

As always, where the Gators finish will likely come down to what they do in Knoxville on September 24. The good news is that history is their side since they haven’t lost to the Vols since 2004.

Jim McElwain is an outstanding coach, but a lack of offensive firepower makes it tough to pick them any higher.

4. Vanderbilt Commodores

This is Derek Mason’s most talented team yet. The question is, will that talent translate into wins?

Vandy is a bowl team if it can throw the ball for more than 50 yards per game. That was a challenge at times last season. The Commodores threw for less than 50 yards on three occasions (44 yards at Houston, 30 yards at Florida, 23 yards vs. Texas A&M). That led to them getting outscored 68-7. That simply can’t happen again.

Ralph Webb is a stud at running back, so even an average passing game will go a long way towards ensuring success.

On defense, the Commodores will be among the best in the country. Few coaches in the game can match Mason’s coaching skill on the defensive side of the ball.

The schedule is also favorable. Vanderbilt needs to beat South Carolina in the opener to show that it’s for real.

5. Kentucky Wildcats

Mark Stoops is firmly on the hot seat. He was expected to turn things around after the Joker Phillips era, but it’s resulted in three losing seasons to start his career in Lexington.

Stoops and company will have a lot to replace on defense. Offensively, this team has plenty of potential with Drew Barker under center.

The Wildcats aren’t gonna win at Alabama or Tennessee. However, they’ll at least have a chance in the rest of their SEC games.

They get SC, Vandy, Mississippi State, and Georgia all at home. And they may even be favored in three of those.

But still, fifth seems like a safe bet. The bigger question is whether or not that will equal Kentucky’s first bowl appearance in six years.

6. Missouri Tigers

It’s time for the Tigers to rebuild under new head coach Barry Odom. I think will do better in the role than most expect him to, but it’ll take time.

In order for Missouri to succeed, Drew Lock has to be the man at quarterback. Like plenty of other teams around the conference, that’s where it all starts. If Lock is consistent, the Tigers could surprise some people.

Unfortunately, trips to LSU, Florida, and Tennessee are all on the schedule. Yikes.

On the bright side, Missouri gets Kentucky and Vandy at home. Beating either (or both) of those teams changes their season dramatically.

7, South Carolina Gamecocks

The Gamecocks have a ton of unknowns. Perhaps the biggest unknown is at head coach.

There was a tremendous amount of pressure on Muschamp when he was at Florida. He won’t feel that same type of pressure at South Carolina, at least not initially.

It’s hard to see this team doing much in year one of his reign. I’m not entirely sure about year two or year three either, but I’ll give the guy a chance.

If there’s an aspect that could keep the Gamecocks out of the cellar, it’s the fact that after playing at Kentucky on September 24, they don’t hit the road again until November 12. That’s nice.

Of course, a win over Vandy in the season opener instantly makes this prediction look silly.

Who are you picking to win the SEC East this season? Log into Facebook and make your picks in the comments section below.