SEC Football preview 2024: Predicted winner, hot seat watch, Heisman chances and more

It just means more. Well, it don't mean, enough, PAWL?! Yes, it is finally starting to not be so gosh darn stinkin' hot down here south of The Mason-Dixon Line. As most of the football world is doing cartwheels in the streets over empty-calorie nonsense preseason games, those who root for SEC teams are figuring out where they can tailgate this year, while seeing if they can afford some tickets.

The SEC has been a dominant force in college football throughout my entire life. During the first 10 years of the College Football Playoff, at least one SEC team made the four-team field every year. No other Power Five league could claim that. In fact, in some years, the SEC sent multiple teams to the national semifinals. Now that the playoff field has expanded to 12 teams, the SEC is licking its chops.

So, what I am going to do today is hand out eight preseason superlatives based off very prestigious segments from Cody Williams and my national college football podcast, and now YouTube show, False Start, across the SEC. You may have heard some of these during Episode 99 that went live on Monday, our first on video, as well as a few juicy nuggets at the end of the post to sink your teeth into.

Aight, Buhler... Let's start with the one you have all been waiting for: Who all is getting to Atlanta?

Playoffs? You Kiddin' Me?!: Who will play for the SEC Championship?

As discussed on Monday's show, neither Cody Williams or I had the stones to put anybody else in the SEC Championship Game besides No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Texas. To me, my beloved alma mater of Georgia is one of a few College Football Playoff locks. Texas used to be, but I think the C.J. Baxter season-ending injury knocks the Longhorns down a peg, ever so slightly. These teams are still elite.

Right now, I have Georgia going undefeated during the regular season. Texas is slated to go 11-1 with the Longhorns' lone loss being to Georgia at home. God, wouldn't it be something if the Dawgs and the Horns played each other three times this year? I have them both comfortably in the playoff field, probably as top-six or seven seeds. The bigger question is who could conceivably crash their party?

At this time, I have seven SEC teams with realistic shots of making the playoff. In order, it would be Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri. These are all teams that should win somewhere between 12 and nine regular-season games fairly comfortably. If Georgia or Texas don't make it, give me LSU in their place. Should both fail to live up to the hype, Ole Miss is going to Atlanta!

It may not be very bold, but this safest pick seems like the smartest one when it comes to the SEC.

It's Gettin' Hot in Herre!: SEC head coaches on the hot seat entering 2024

On Monday's show, I mentioned five head coaches I think could be feeling some heat in the SEC. To me, Billy Napier at Florida is on the hottest seat, but not that far behind him would have to be Sam Pittman over at Arkansas. Florida has the hardest schedule in the country, so hopefully, Napier gets the benefit of the doubt from athletic director Scott Stricklin after going 6-6. Florida will be going 4-8.

Cody Williams has often mentioned that Arkansas has a interim head-coaching candidate in-house at Arkansas in the absolutely delightful Bobby Petrino. Unless the Hogs go bowling, Pittman is cooked and will be retiring to a life of doing TV studio work and hopefully, pushing barbecue in The Ozarks. After that, I think we need to keep an eye on Shane Beamer, Clark Lea and ... Mark Stoops...

Beamer needs to get South Carolina to a bowl game to avoid getting axed. Shawn Elliott could be his successor in-house if he fails. For Lea, it is all about his working relationship with fellow Vanderbilt alum in athletic director Candice Storey Lee. It has to be really bad before she lets him go. And as for Stoops, Mitch Barnhart could run out of patience with him should Kentucky is worse than a 7-5 team.

The right number feels like three with Napier, Pittman and Beamer feeling the most heat, in that order.

LIVE! From Eric Crouch's Couch: Best Heisman contender in the SEC

Cody Williams and I each listed our five favorites to get to the Heisman Trophy ceremony out of the SEC, plus one sleeper pick. My top five were in order Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. My sleeper pick was Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Don't kid yourselves. This is a quarterback-driven award. Yes, we may see a running back or a receiver get invited to New York, but the Heisman is going to a quarterback this year, per usual. I went with Beck because he is the starting quarterback on one of the best teams in college football. He has tremendous talent and name recognition already. Beck may rest in second halves, but whatever, man.

After that, I really like what could be in store for Tennessee with Iamaleava at quarterback. Milroe had been my pick to win the Heisman, but I doubt we are getting back-to-back 9-3 winners. Ewers could, and should get, there, but I question his durability to play in 13 games before hand. As for Nussmeier, he plays the right position at the right time for Brian Kelly. This is Kelly's proverbial pop year at LSU.

Beck may not win it, but I would not be shocked if the SEC sent two of its players to New York here.

I'm Trying, Jennifer...: Most likely team to go winless in SEC play

Entering the season, I have five SEC teams that will not be good enough to go to a bowl game. Those would be Florida (4-8), Mississippi State (4-8), South Carolina (4-8), Arkansas (3-9) and Vanderbilt (3-9). In my game-by-game picks, I have both Arkansas and Vanderbilt going winless in conference play. Mississippi State and South Carolina will get a conference win apiece, while Florida will pick up a pair.

To me, Florida is too talented to be the worst team in the SEC. They will need to go around 4-4 in SEC play to have a shot at a bowl because their non-conference is beyond brutal. Mississippi State may not be very talented, but the Bulldogs have a navigable schedule, all things considered. South Carolina is not as lucky. This is because the Gamecocks will have to play Clemson in out of the ACC.

Even though I suspect both Arkansas and Vanderbilt will go winless in SEC play, I feel Vanderbilt is more likely to clip South Carolina or Kentucky more than Arkansas is to get the best of Auburn or Mississippi State. This may have more to do with the vibes being better in Nashville (in general) than in Fayetteville regarding the head coach. Plus, I like Diego Pavia more than I do Taylen Green at QB.

Going winless in SEC play would be far more devastating for Pittman at Arkansas than Lea at Vandy.

The Paul Finch Satin Kimono: Biggest pretender in the SEC

What if I said I'm not like the others? "The Pretender" might be the worst song ever released by Foo Fighters, but it might be more appropriate to serve as the soundtrack for the presentation of The Paul Finch Satin Kimono for the SEC than "Mutt" by blink-182. The clear winner, or loser, has to be the Oklahoma Sooners. This team should not be ranked because it has an 8-4 ceiling, at best, this year.

During my first run through the OU schedule, I had them going 6-6. That felt harsh, but that could be their reality. I think this may explain why longtime Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione gave head coach Brent Venables a massive contract extension well before he probably earned it. He knows it is going to be a bumpy ride in Norman this year, so this gives Venables some job security.

I may like Jackson Arnold at quarterback. Venables is starting to grow on me, too. However, I think Oklahoma could be in for a rough first year in the SEC. As far as other contenders who were lucky enough to not be presented the Paul Finch Satin Kimono, I felt that teams like Alabama and Missouri were worthy of discussion. Since I view them as playoff contenders, to Oklahoma goes the kimono.

Nobody would look more out of place in Norman, Oklahoma than a Sooners fan wearing a kimono.

Definitely, Maybe Might Be Good: Most underrated team in the SEC

The Definitely, Maybe is the inverse of The Paul Finch. Named after the debut album by Oasis, the idea generated from one time Cody Williams was throwing ball in the yard with his vicious canine beasts in dusty Santa Fe, New Mexico. My pick for a team who Definitely, Maybe might be good has to be the Tennessee Volunteers. I think the Vols will go 10-2, and will likely make the expanded playoff.

The only losses I have for Tennessee this year are at, you guessed it, Alabama and Georgia! Regardless, I fully expect for Nico Iamaleava to become a bona-fied SEC rockstar by season's end. Doing the game-by-game picks helped me realize that 10-2, and even 11-1, is a very real possibility for the Vols. They may not be my pick to make it to Atlanta, but they are right there for the playoff.

While I am still deciding if the Vols make it in, they feel properly rated at No. 15 in the country right now. They should finish the season as a top-20 team, but the big question is if they can be a top-12 one. Other teams I considered for the Definitely, Maybe include Auburn, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. I think going with a team that can make the playoff more likely than not is the way to go here.

Look for this year's Tennessee team to be as good as Missouri was last season, or at least LSU...

Du Hast or Du Hasst?: Will the SEC get five or more teams into playoff?

Again, I still need to figure out what I want to do with the ACC, the Big 12 and the Group of Five, as well as the greatest thorn in college football's side in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. For the most part, every time I try to figure out how many SEC teams are getting in, I end up with at least five, occasionally six, but never fewer than four. Right now I would say, Du Hast (yes), five will be getting in.

The line of demarcation for me in the SEC is any team that goes 10-2 stands a real shot at it. So far, I have Georgia (12-0), Texas (11-1), LSU (10-2), Ole Miss (10-2) and Tennessee (10-2) above that threshold. The two that I am very on the fence about are Alabama and Missouri, both at 9-3. I think only the Big Ten and the SEC are capable of getting a 9-3 team in the current 12-team playoff field.

If I had to pick a 10-2 team that wouldn't make it in, it would be the loser of The Magnolia Bowl, which would be Ole Miss, only because I don't sense the Rebels, or the Bayou Bengals for that matter, have the toughest of schedules. Teams like Georgia, Tennessee and Texas are far more likely to get the benefit of the doubt from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee because of their slates.

Right now, I think the number of playoff teams coming out of the SEC will be five for this season.

Pat the Doc: How will conference realignment impact the SEC this year?

Conference realignment will impact all four Power Four leagues, especially with the Power Five dying a death with the Pac-12's disintegration. When it comes to the SEC, the league went from 14 teams to 16 teams with the inclusion of Oklahoma and Texas. While the league is still only playing eight conference games for some dumb reason, thankfully, we no longer have any more moronic divisions.

Realignment will help the SEC tremendously right away this season for a few reasons. One, the conference is gaining two would-be contenders out of the old Big 12. That gives the SEC two more playoff-viable teams. Two, doing away with divisions has created a bit more balance in scheduling. It makes old SEC East teams' schedules harder, while also taking pressure off old the SEC West teams'.

The last area in which the SEC will benefit from realignment this season is the overall perceived strength of the conference. Gaining Oklahoma and Texas gives the league two top-20 teams in the initial AP Top 25 Poll it wouldn't otherwise half. Not playing a ninth conference game for at least this year and next avoids seeing a 9-2 team heading into its final conference game facing another loss.

Conference realignment will have so many more ancillary effects in the new SEC than we realize.