SEC Betting Preview: 2023 College Football Predictions, Odds and Best Bets

We are just over a month away from the kickoff of the 2023 College Football season! In an effort to prepare ourselves for this upcoming campaign, we are going to do a preview and prediction series for some of the major conferences, breaking down team win totals, odds, roster changes and outlooks, and more. We already discussed the Big 10 Conference, now let’s turn our attention down south with our SEC betting preview!

2023 SEC Odds and Predictions

Let’s take a look at how the conference shakes out in terms of betting odds to win the conference.

• Georgia -115
• Alabama +300
• LSU +450
• Texas A&M +1400
• Tennessee +1400
• Ole Miss +4500
• Auburn +8000
• South Carolina +9000
• Florida +10000
• Arkansas+10000
• Kentucky +10000
• Mississippi State +12000
• Missouri +15000
• Vanderbilt+50000

It’s hard to knock bookmakers here for making the Georgia Bulldogs favorites to win the SEC as they are on an impressive stretch of dominance not just in the SEC, but across the entirety of college football. It’s no secret the Bulldogs lost quite a bit of production from last year, as Stetson Bennett is gone as well as three defensive players who were drafted in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, but it’s also no secret that Georgia will have plenty of talent to step into these newly found vacancies.

Like Georgia, Alabama will also have a new face under center this year after a QB battle this offseason, and it will be even bigger shoes to fill the void the former Heisman trophy winner, Bryce Young, left. Although, regardless of who wins these QB battles it is no doubt that those players will be put in position to succeed with strong coaching regimes and excellent weapons surrounding them.

Likely to the surprise of nobody, I am going to back the Georgia Bulldogs to win this conference, although it likely isn’t a wager, I am sprinting the window to bet at current value.

My longshot here would be LSU at +450. They get to avoid the Bulldogs this year and have the softer favorite of the two divisions, with Alabama expecting to have a bit more of a question mark replacing their Heisman Trophy winning Quarterback.

Heisman Odds

There are zero Big 10 players inside the top 9 of betting odds, but here are the players within this conference with the shortest to take home the nation’s most prestigious college football individual award;

• Jayden Daniel +1200
• Carson Beck +2000
• Joe Milton +2500
• Brock Vandagriff +3500
• Conner Weigman +4500

Based on these names and odds, I was a bit surprised as it feels like the overall Heisman market within the SEC is quite weak. Jayden Daniels leads the way for the SEC and is third in terms of betting odds, but the market takes a drop after, especially considering Carson Beck is next on the list but his positional opponent is just two slots behind him on the list.

Check out more 2023 College Football odds, schedules, matchups, and win probabilities with the tool below, powered by Action Analytics and created by Action Network’s own Collin Wilson.

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SEC Team Previews & Roster Notes

Georgia Bulldogs

We have touched a bit on the Georgia Bulldogs’ outlook coming into this season already as they will need to replace some key players for them, but don’t let it get lost in translation that this team is expected to be the best team in the nation once again. Their win total is set at 11.5 at they are about even money (+110) to go over on that, which would imply an undefeated season. They are also the clear betting favorites to win the National Championship at +215.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The betting markets are still standard procedure for Bama this year, they are second in national title odds and have a win total of 10.5. However, this offseason will look quite different. They will have to replace offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien while also having to replace QB Bryce Young, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, and DE/OLB Will Anderson who were all top 12 picks in the NFL Draft, as well as five others who were drafted in the first four rounds. Much like Georgia, the Crimson Tide will have plenty of talent to plug into these openings, however, I do worry a bit more about the Quarterback situation and other question marks in Tuscaloosa coming off a year where they were bested by LSU in their division with all of that top tier talent in 2022. Though many of these questions can quickly be answered with elite defensive play and a better-than-expected level of production from whoever wins the QB battle.

LSU Tigers

LSU won their division last year and return exciting QB Jayden Daniels to lead this offense in Brian Kelly’s second year. Despite losing WR Kayshon Boutte, this team retains a ton of talent from last year, as all five starting offensive lineman are back and outside weapons Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. return with TE Mason Taylor to lead the group of pass catchers. Daniels was the teams leading rusher last year as he went for over 1,000 yards on the ground, and in efforts to increase the production from the running backs on this team the Tigers went out a secured ND transfer RB Logan Diggs. The fans should have a lot to be excited about as the Tigers are top 5 in betting odds to win the National Title, and have a 10.5 win total.

Tennessee Volunteers

The Vols will have some important names on offense to replace such as Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman but much like the other top teams in this conference, they are not short on talent to fill the void. This offense will be led by former Michigan transfer Joe Milton, and the team returns two highly efficient RBs, Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright, who combined for 25 TDs last season. On the outside the Vols will have former 5-star WR Bru McCoy as well as Squirrel White and Ramel Keyton all stepping into larger roles, they also added Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton to the fold as well.

Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies, led by Jimbo Fisher, will continue to have high expectations year after year due to their recruiting success, but unfortunately, those expectations continue to be failed to be met. Conner Weigman showed some poise and upside last year, throwing for 8 TDs and 0 INTs in the final five games of the year, but he has plenty of pressure behind him with LSU transfer Max Johnson and 4-star recruit Marcel Reed, and this passing offense is expected to perform. The running back room did lose Devon Achane, but in comes 5-star true freshman Ruben Owens who was the #2 RB in this class. On the outside, the Aggies have a very deep group filled with talent led by Evan Stewart. Despite having five 5-star defensive lineman on their roster, this defense was putrid against the run last year. This defense will have to be better in order for this team to compete, and they have plenty of talent to do so.

h3.Ole Miss Rebels

The Lane Kiffin led squad started off on a 7-0 tear before fading out of contention last year. Starting QB Jaxon Dart returns after throwing for nearly 3,000 yards last year while also adding 700 yards on the ground. Despite the solid production, he could have some competition this year as the Rebels added Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders. The team did lose top two WRs Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath, who combined for nearly 1800 yards last season, but they hit the portal for replacements by adding Zakhari Franklin from UTSA and Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris. The highlight of this team is RB Quinshon Judkins who is arguably a top-3 RB in the country.

Auburn Tigers

This Auburn team brings some things to be excited about, including from an offensive perspective with new head coach Hugh Freeze, who comes over from Liberty following his stint at Ole Miss. The Tigers went out and added from Michigan State QB Payton Thorne, who will battle with returning QB Robby Ashford for the starting job. Auburn did loe RB Tank Bigsby last year, but they have exciting running Jarquez Hunter, who should be able to step into a much larger this season after averaging 6.4 yards per carry last season, while also adding 9 total TDs.

SEC Betting Picks

I already mentioned my pick to win the conference is Michigan at +165, but let’s dive into a few other picks I like within the Big 10 for this upcoming season:

• Ole Miss OVER 7.5 Wins
• Utah (-8, -110) vs. Florida (Week 1)
• LSU to win the SEC West (+200)
• Texas (+7, -115) vs. Alabama (Week 2)

Ole Miss OVER 7.5 Wins.

Ole Miss should have an exciting offense once again here despite losing their top two WRs from last season, as they have star RB Quinshon Judkins to rely on. They will have to play both Alabama, LSU, and Georgia, but outside of those likely losses, their schedule is quite favorable as they should start 3-0 due to some favorable non-conference games.

Utah (-8, -110) vs. Florida (Week 1)

Much like my Week 1 bet in the Big 10 article, this is mostly a fade on the behalf of the Gators, who struggled mightily last year and now will undergo a big change on the offensive side of the ball with Anthony Richardson gone. There is also a lot to like about this Utah squad despite losing a couple of key players, Ja’Quinden Jackson should see a larger role this year after leading the team with 9 rushing TDs while averaging 6.7 YPC. QB Cameron Rising also returns to lead this offense once again.

LSU to win the SEC West.

A common theme in the first two conferences we have covered here (Big 10 and SEC) is that many of the divisions could very easily come down to one big matchup, and that is the case here for LSU in the SEC West. If things go according to plan for both schools, LSU and Alabama will play in Week 10 for the top place in the division.

Texas (+7, -115) vs. Alabama (Week 2)

Texas has a ton of well-deserved hype this year, and they are one of my favorite teams to back, especially early in the year. Sure, they lost Bijan Robinson and he will be difficult to replace, but Quinn Ewers gets another year under his belt and has excellent weapons on the outside to utilize. Not to mention that the RBs for Texas might not be Bijan Robinson, but they will still be quite good, whether is 5-star true freshman CJ Baxter or Jonathan Brooks (who averaged 6.6 YPC and scored 5 times in limited work last year). Alabama could struggle early in the season as they find their identity, they are likely to have a three-way QB battle this offseason that could come down to the wire, which might leave the Crimson Tide with an adjustment period.

The SEC has been the top dog of College Football for several years, so there is no doubt we will get several exciting games to witness, and there will no doubt be plenty of action within this conference from a betting and DFS perspective as well.