ATHENS — Somewhere in the summer the College Football Playoffs will be won via offseason workouts, planning and roster acquisition and attrition.
In the meantime, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas are preparing to set up some bets on the over/under number of games teams will win.
Much can change between now and noon on Aug. 31, when Georgia and Clemson kick off the SEC season in Atlanta.
For now, here’s a way-too-early quick take on these way-too-early odds on SEC win totals:
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Georgia 10.5 (Over)
Alabama might bite the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, an Texas might trip Kirby in Austin, but it seems unlikely both teams beat Carson Beck or that the Heisman co-favorite gets upset by another team on the schedule.
Texas 10.5 (Under)
Steve Sarkisian has a high-powered offense and a slick presentation, but the week-to-week physicality in the SEC will keep the Longhorns under.
Alabama 9.5 (Over)
Kalen DeBoer comes off as a positive feel-good coach with a creative offensive mind, and with Jalen Milroe on the upswing that’s enough to be optimistic.
Ole Miss 9.5 (Over)
Lane Kiffin has put together a transfer class like no other and has a friendly schedule that features just one losable road game (at LSU).
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LSU 9.5 (Under)
Brian Kelly is a hall of fame coach with tremendous resources, but the Bayou Bengals have lost just enough firepower, including Jayden Daniels, to hit the 10-win mark even with a favorable schedule.
Missouri 9.5 (Under)
Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers are still celebrating their bowl win over Ohio State, but this program has yet to prove it can handle success, even with one of the easier schedules in the league.
Every SEC teams football schedule in 2024
Tennessee 9 (Under)
Josh Heupel runs a high-powered offense and Nico Lamaleava has the look of a legit dual-threat, but Alabama and Georgia look like losses and it seems likely the Vols will drop another one.
Texas A&M 8.5 (Under)
Mike Elko has proven an effective head coach, but there are too many moving parts to believe the Aggies will win more than eight games.
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Oklahoma 7.5 (Over)
Call it a hunch, but the bet here is Brent Venables will have a strong third season as head coach and get the Sooners booming enough to win eight games in the regular season.
Auburn 7.5 (Over)
There’s not a tougher team to peg than Auburn, and that’s a compliment to Hugh Freeze who was a play or two away from beating Alabama and Georgia. The Tigers figure to improve.
Kentucky 6.5 (Over)
The bet here is on Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Dumas-Johnson, two of Georgia’s better leaders that took their games to Lexington under the direction of underrated coach Mark Stoops.
South Carolina 5.5 (Under)
Everyone likes Shane Beamer, but the feel-good has worn-off and the Gamecocks seem to be lacking in firepower.
Arkansas 4.5 (Over)
Sam Pittman has added Bobby Petrino, and unlike Jimbo Fisher, he’ll have the wisdom to allow Petrino to work his magic. What the Hogs lack in talent, they’ll make up for in chemistry and coaching.
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Mississippi State 4.5 (Under)
New head coach (checks notes) JEFF LEBBY seems like an uninspiring hire with very little to work with. The Maroon Bulldogs face an uphill climb.
Florida 4.5 (Over)
The Gators are going to be better than people think, to the extent that a fast start to the season should be enough to propel the team into bowl eligibility even with a loaded back half.
Vanderbilt 2.5 (Over)
Wins over Alcorn State, Georgia State and Ball State will be enough to win the bet for anyone who feels the need to bet money on Vanderbilt football.
Alabama safety King Mack is entering the transfer portal, per 247 Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
The sophomore, who transferred to the Crimson in the offseason after one year at Penn State, totaled 14 tackles in 13 games at Alabama this season.
Mack becomes the 19th player to enter the transfer portal, following quarterback Dylan Lonergan, running back Justice Haynes, defensive linemen Jeheim Oatis, Hunter Osborne and Damon Payne Jr., edge rushers Keanu Koht and Jayshawn Ross, linebacker Jeremiah Alexander, cornerbacks Jahlil Hurley and DeVonta Smith, wide receivers Kobe Prentice, Caleb Odom, Kendrick Law, Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Jaren Hamilton and Amari Jefferson and offensive linemen Miles McVay and Naquil Betrand.
Mack is the first Alabama safety to enter the portal and the third defensive back, joining cornerbacks Jahlil Hurley and DeVonta Smith. He is also the third Alabama player to enter the transfer portal on Friday, joining Jayshawn Ross and Jeremiah Alexander.
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The former four-star recruit and current 5-foot-10, 206-pounder out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was ranked as the No. 93 prospect in the class of 2023, the No. 8 safety and the No. 23 player in the state of Florida at the time of his commitment to Penn State on June 30, 2022.
It’s worth mentioning that Alabama made a couple of coaching staff moves on Friday, including the firing of safeties coach Colin Hitschler––this season’s mentor to Mack. However, it is uncertain at this time why Hitschler was relieved.
Read More: 2025 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Offseason Tracker: Coming and Going
New videos of former Alabama QB Jalen Milroe might concern NFL scouts.
The dual-threat QB declared for the NFL Draft Thursday, and many Alabama fans weren’t sad to see him go.
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For a guy with very solid stats and physical tools, it’s kind of fascinating to watch Alabama fans seemingly pop bottles of champagne to celebrate his exit.
Troubling videos of Jalen Milroe’s footwork go viral.
Well, Milroe might now have a serious problem on his hands after Joe Gaither dug up videos of the QB’s pre-snap footwork.
The former Alabama star had his feet offset prior to passing plays, side-by-side on running plays and appeared to telegraph what was coming nearly every play in the bowl game against Michigan this year.
Does that sound impossible to believe? Check out the videos, decide for yourself and then let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
Yikes! Those videos are a very tough look for Milroe, and are a huge red flag for NFL scouts. How can a guy be an elite QB if he telegraphs every play with his feet prior to the snap?
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How did none of the coaches at Alabama realize his error and fix it? This is the same thing as a major tell in a poker game.
All the defense has to do is look at Milroe’s feet in order to get an idea whether they need to drop into coverage or crash down to stop the run.
It’s a major disadvantage for Alabama, and it will be used as another piece of evidence for Crimson Tide fans not sad to see Milroe leave.
Videos appear to show Jalen Milroe telegraphing plays with his feet pre-snap. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
You can expect Milroe to get hammered on this development in his pre-draft interviews, and for good reason. This kind of sloppy footwork won’t be tolerated in the NFL. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
ATLANTA (AP) — Barry Dunning Jr.’s 22 points helped South Alabama defeat Georgia State 77-51 on Thursday night.
Dunning also added eight rebounds for the Jaguars (10-4, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference). Judah Brown shot 5 for 10, including 5 for 9 from beyond the arc to add 15 points. JJ Wheat went 6 of 6 from the field to finish with 13 points.
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The Panthers (4-10, 0-2) were led by Toneari Lane, who posted 15 points. Cesare Edwards added 12 points and six rebounds for Georgia State. Jelani Hamilton also had nine points. The loss was the Panthers’ seventh in a row.
Both teams next play Saturday. South Alabama visits Georgia Southern and Georgia State plays Louisiana at home.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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