SEC Football: 2022 Preseason SEC Media Poll results

Signaling the end of SEC Media Days, the media’s preseason poll is out. In standard fashion, Alabama Football got the most votes, followed by Georgia. The two teams far outpaced the SEC’s other 12 teams. The complete SEC football poll results are included below.

The SEC Media Poll always garners much attention. That is not because it has a track record for accuracy. The poll in its current format began in 1992 when the SEC went to divisions for its 12 teams. Since then, the SEC media has picked the SEC Champion correctly just nine times.

Why do they get the pick wrong so often? The unpredictability of college football is a major reason. There might well be another, less noticeable reason. That reason is, even more than every SEC team having quality players, almost every team, every season, has an outstanding head coach.

Across CFB, there are plenty of very good head football coaches. Some of them toil with a limited chance for success. That is also true for SEC football coaches, but something else is even more true. No conference in college football has a group of coaches equal to those coaching SEC football teams.

A favorite college football theme is used when a head coach does not meet expectations. He is labeled overrated. While it is true some are, the majority is the opposite – they are underrated.

The conclusion of 2022, SEC Media Days is a good time to acknowledge how good the coaching is in the SEC.

Alabama football head coach Nick Saban is, of course, in a class by himself. The GOAT label can sometimes cause debate, but not when it is being applied to Nick Saban. With apologies to no one holding a counter opinion, all of us Alabama football fans know Nick Saban is ‘The GOAT.’

In addition to Saban, the SEC can boast two more National Championship coaches. Considering college football has only few active National Championship head coaches, having three of them from the SEC makes a strong statement.

In addition to Saban and Kirby Smart, the SEC has other highly respected coaches in Brian Kelly, Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin. SEC head coaches, Mark Stoops and Sam Pittman are also respected and would prosper in less challenging conferences. Among the younger contingent of SEC headmen, there is acknowledged potential.

SEC Football Media Preseason Poll

SEC West

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1262) – 177 first-place votes
2. Texas A&M Aggies (968) – 3, first-place votes
3. Arkansas Razorbacks (844) – 1, first-place vote
4. Ole Miss Rebels (675)
5. LSU Bengal Tigers (591)
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs (390)
7. Auburn Tigers (338)

SEC East

1. Georgia Bulldogs (1254) – 172 first-place votes
2. Kentucky Wildcats (932) – 4, first-place votes
3. Tennessee Vols (929) – 1, first-place vote
4. Florida Gators (712)
5. South Carolina Gamecocks (662) – 3, first-place votes
6. Missouri Tigers (383)
7. Vanderbilt Commodores (196) – 1, first-place vote

The Alabama Crimson Tide was the overwhelming favorite to become the 2022 SEC Champion with 158 votes, Georgia was second with 18 votes, followed by South Carolina with three votes and Texas A&M and Vanderbilt with one vote each.

Note: The complete SEC media release is available here.

Alabama Football had 19 players chosen for the three, preseason All-SEC teams.