2021 SEC Football Odds Preview
College football kicks off in a few weeks, so it’s time for bettors to check in on the power conferences and see what the futures odds look like heading into the season. Today we’ll get things started with the SEC.
As usual the favorite to win the SEC this season at Bovada Sportsbook is the Alabama Crimson Tide at -160. The reigning SEC and national champions, the Crimson Tide have won the SEC title in five of the last seven seasons.
This year’s Tide squad will look a lot different than the one that won the national title last season. Just a few of the notable departures include quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris and wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
Favored Tide have new faces in key positions
Taking over for Jones will be Bryce Young, while Brian Robinson moves to the top of the running back depth chart, and the wide receiver spots will be filled by John Metchie III, transfer Jameson Williams and freshman Agiye Hall.
Alabama also lost some big names from last year’s No. 1 scoring defense, notably Patrick Surtain and Christian Barmore. It will be interesting to see how well the new-look defense jells early in the season, especially in early games against the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators played outside Alabama.
Following Alabama on the futures at Bovada are the Georgia Bulldogs at +200, the Texas A&M Aggies at +1000 and the Gators at +1800.
Could this finally be the year Georgia unseats Alabama in the SEC? The Bulldogs last won the SEC in 2017 when they topped the Auburn Tigers in the title game, but overall they’re 1-4 in their last five title game appearances, which includes two losses to Alabama.
Daniels returning to guide Georgia offense
One advantage Georgia has over the rest of the conference contenders is the return of starting quarterback JT Daniels. He’ll lead a solid Bulldogs offense that is stacked in the backfield, starting with Zamir White and James Cook.
The Bulldogs will be thrown into the fire right away in Week 1 with a neutral-site game against the No. 2-ranked Clemson Tigers. A win over the Tigers could propel the Bulldogs to a strong season.
Texas A&M still must decide who will be taking over at QB for the departed Kellen Mond. Right now it’s a battle between Zach Calzada and Haynes King. If the Aggies were to win the SEC this season, it would be their first conference title since the SEC championship game was instituted in 1992. It would also be the first time the Aggies have ever even played in the title game.
Gators fell to Tide in 2020 SEC title game
We’ll finish things off with the Gators, who appeared in last season’s SEC championship game and lost to Alabama. That’s happened in the Gators’ last four appearances in the title game.
Florida hands the starting QB job to Emory Jones this season following the departure of Kyle Trask. For Florida to have a shot at getting back to the SEC championship game, its defense may need to improve after ranking in the middle of the pack in the conference last season.