Predicting ’22 SEC football records: No. 7 teams in the West and East
By Ronald Evans
Of course, it is too early to predict how SEC football teams will finish their 2022 seasons. Way too early to pick the division winners or the clump of teams below each favorite. In no way is it too early to pick the teams that will come in last in each division.
Check out the betting futures market if you prefer, but oddsmaking will not provide more insight than the following two, ‘Dead, Solid, Perfect’ picks. Note, the ‘DSP’ reference is a tribute to Dan Jenkins’ novel and not the HBO film, that Jenkins probably threw a drink glass at when he saw the movie.
2022 SEC Football East Division – No. 7 – Vanderbilt Commodores
Picking the Dores to finish last again is easy. No offense is intended to Clark Lea, who like Derek Mason before him, deserved a better shot to make it as a head coach.
In 2016, Mason’s Vandy team beat Georgia, Ole Miss, and a ranked Tennessee team. Vanderbilt should have given Mason a lifetime contract. In a 5-7, 2017 season, Vandy beat Kansas State early and finished by beating the Vols again, in Neyland Stadium. In 2018, the Dores beat the Vols again, along with SEC wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss. Their last SEC win came in October, 2019 over Missouri. They have not won an SEC game since.
Clark Lea can do an outstanding job in his second season and Vandy’s range of SEC wins will be zero to two. Mark them down to finish No. 7 in the SEC East