The Southeastern Conference has dominated college football for more than a decade. Yes, we’ve gotten recent national champions from the ACC (Clemson) and the Big Ten (Michigan) as well, but the SEC has regularly had at least one team in the College Football Playoff and has often had a second because of the recognized quality of competition.
In particular, the SEC West, which had Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss along with such spoilers as Texas A&M and Auburn, was viewed as a gauntlet for producing national champions. With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC has left divisional football behind, but what that really means is that more quality football is being played in this conference.
With teams like Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss approaching contender status, the 12-team playoff is going to have multiple SEC teams. Some forecasters think that this number might go as high as five, depending on how play sorts out.
As you consider your Conference betting for this coming season, let’s look at some of the SEC football showdowns that will bring the best action.
College Football Betting On Best Matchups in SEC Football | NCAAF Odds
Georgia Bulldogs at Alabama Crimson Tide Week 1
This game will introduce new Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer to life in the SEC. DeBoer led the Washington Huskies to the national championship game, where they fell to Michigan, and now he slides into the immense shoes of Nick Saban, now in retirement.
Georgia is the preseason #1 team in the nation, and it’s likely that they will bring an unbeaten record to Tuscaloosa. The two quarterbacks (Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe) will both get a chance to show off their Heisman Trophy skills for a national audience.
This game will either make a huge statement for the Tide or start the heat going under DeBoer’s seat.
Georgia Bulldogs at Texas Longhorns Week 8
Texas won the Big 12 last year and then made it to the CFP semifinals. Quarterback Quinn Ewers is back, and getting the Bulldogs at home gives the Longhorns a chance not just to make a huge statement, but also to get one of the top two slots in the conference standings – and a berth in the SEC Championship.
If both of these teams make that title game and the 12-team CFP, this could be the first of three matchups between these contenders.
Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies Week 14
These two teams haven’t met since 2011, when the Aggies somehow thought that going to the SEC would improve their overall football fortunes.
Except for a flash in the pan named Johnny Manziel, that hasn’t really happened, but that move might have paid off, because it’s hard to see the Aggies getting into the SEC along with Texas and Oklahoma this year – which would have left them in a Big 12 that will soon be exposed as a lesser football league than the other Power 4 conferences.
Mike Elko is taking over for Jimbo Fisher as the Aggies’ head coach, and the renewal of the Lone Star Showdown will have Kyle Field absolutely raucous.
Texas Longhorns vs Oklahoma Sooners Week 7
Against the backdrop of the State Fair of Texas, this unique rivalry game, played on a venerable neutral field, is now part of conference play in the SEC.
Oklahoma was able to beat Texas in the waning seconds, the only blemish on the Longhorns’ record in 2023. The Sooners no longer have Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, but this game has a way of defying the sports betting expectations.
Georgia Bulldogs at Ole Miss Rebels Week 11
Based on this list, the Bulldogs have an extremely difficult SEC schedule – games at Alabama, Texas and now Ole Miss. The Bulldogs did roll over Ole Miss last year, 52-17, but that was in Athens.
The transfer portal has brought Ole Miss some improvements on defense, and Oxford can produce a thunderous home crowd. However, Georgia should be motivated by missing the CFP altogether last year to leave no doubt along the way this season.
Auburn Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide Week 14
It’s been a while since Auburn was a legit SEC contender, but the Iron Bowl has brought them close to spoiling Alabama’s SEC and national championship hopes several times in recent years. Nick Saban isn’t around, and while Kalen DeBoer is an elite coach in his own right, the culture around this rivalry just hits differently.
Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers Week 11
The last two Alabama-LSU matchups gave us the winner of the SEC West. Divisions aren’t a thing anymore, but this could be a CFP gatekeeper of a game.
Can LSU’s defense stop Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe this time around? Supposedly the Tigers have a retooled defense that is ready for anyone, and we’ll see if that’s true after this game.
College Football Betting SEC Best Matches to Win
Alabama Crimson Tide at Tennessee Volunteers Week 8
Tennessee beat the Tide in Knoxville two years ago and almost beat them again a year ago down in Tuscaloosa, as Vols coach Josh Heupel has climbed down off the hot seat and has Tennessee interesting for the first time in a long time.
Quarterback Nico Imaleava debuts as the full-time starter for Tennessee this year, leading a high-octane offense against what will be a retooled Alabama defense.
Ole Miss Rebels at LSU Tigers Week 7
When these teams met last year, it was the exact opposite of a grind-it-out SEC matchup as Ole Miss won, 55-49, as the game featured 104 total points and 1,343 yards of offense. If the Rebels can win in Baton Rouge, their CFP resume gets a huge bullet point.
The LSU defense was the real culprit a year ago; can this unit show up at home?
Missouri Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide Week 9
These Tigers arrived in the SEC last year, posting an 11-2 record and beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden has legit Heisman Trophy credentials, but it will be hard for him to dent the media buzz surrounding other players unless he can make a big statement when he gets to try the Alabama defense.
Tennessee Volunteers at Oklahoma Sooners Week 4
This is Oklahoma’s first SEC game, as Josh Heupel returns to the site of his glorious playing days, including a national championship in 2000. He was also the Sooners’ OC until they showed him the gate in 2014, so you know there will be plenty of motivation on his part. Will the Sooners play much defense this year?
Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Bulldogs Week 12
The Volunteers won’t really break through in the SEC until they beat Georgia, and they haven’t beaten the Bulldogs in their last seven matchups. In six of those seven losses, the margin of defeat was at least 20 points. With a new quarterback, will the Volunteers be able to make headway against what will be another ironclad Georgia defense?
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ole Miss Rebels Week 14
Don’t sleep on the Egg Bowl. Now that Mississippi State has Jeff Lebby at head coach – Lane Kiffin’s former assistant – the game will have more intrigue, as Lebby knows Kiffin’s system. The talent differential between the two offenses is still fairly large, but rivalry games always make for fun wagering.
Alabama Crimson Tide at Oklahoma Sooners Week 13
This could be an awkward game on the Alabama schedule, coming a week before the Iron Bowl. It’s a fun old-school matchup between two venerable programs, but both schools have questions to answer as far as building back up to perennial conference championship expectations.
Florida Gators vs Georgia Bulldogs Week 10
This is another fun neutral-site rivalry game, but Georgia has made the last three installments boring, winning each by 20 or more points. Florida head coach Billy Napier has one more chance to save his job in this rivalry. Will he take advantage of it?
'08 was the start of something great. 🤯
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) June 20, 2024
At least one team in the National Finals in 15 of the last 16 tournaments.
5 straight National Championships by 5 different schools.
10 National Titles in the last 16 tournaments.#MCWS x #ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/RslYMHraXr
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