Regular season upset predictions for Alabama Football and other SEC teams

In the new 16-team SEC, various sources project the conference will have six to seven teams that win 10 or more games. If those projected top teams deliver the 2024 SEC season may be one with few upsets. Alabama Football is currently projected to be a favorite against every regular season opponent except the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Bengal Tigers.

The early point margin favoring LSU is so small It is driven by the game being in Tiger Stadium. Having Georgia at Bryant-Denny does not give the Crimson Tide an edge over the Bulldogs, with an early spread favoring Georgia by 3.5 points.

SEC Football Upset Games (not including the Crimson Tide)

• Sept. 7 - Tennessee Vols vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack - The game will be played in Charlotte. Though Raleigh is closer to Charlotte than Knoxville, the Vols might have the most fans in attendance. There will be enthusiasm for the Wolfpack as well. Through mid-October last season, NCSU was 4-3. Five wins followed, including victories over Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina. A loss to Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl ended the NCSU season at 9-4. In 2024 maybe three or four ACC quarterbacks are better than Grayson McCall. Even so, McCall has passed for over 10,000 career yards, and the Tennessee secondary returns no starters. The early spread is Tennessee by about five points. My pick is an NCSU upset win.

• Oct. 12 - Ole Miss Rebels at LSU Bengal Tigers - Ole Miss should roll into Baton Rouge with a 6-0 record. LSU will have plenty of knowledge of Lane Kiffin's offense, but there is no guarantee the LSU defense will be better than last season. Last season among SEC teams, only Vanderbilt had a worse scoring defense than LSU. Garrett Nussmeier may prove capable at QB for Brian Kelly, but with no Jayden Daniels, the LSU offense is almost guaranteed to take a step back in 2024. An early point spread is the Bengal Tigers by a couple of points. My pick is an Ole Miss upset with the Rebels winning by more than a touchdown.

Alabama Football Upsets

• Nov. 9 - Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU - Though the early spread is small at less than three points, LSU should not be favored over the Crimson Tide. Alabama will be better on both sides of the ball and the Tiger Stadium crowd will not be able to save LSU. My pick is a 7-10 point Crimson Tide win.

• Sept. 28 - Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium - Possibly the most-hyped game of the 2024 regular season should not disappoint. An early spread has the Bulldogs favored by 3.5 points. Georgia as the favorite makes sense. What does not make sense is any purported talent disparity between the rosters. The loser will not have its Playoff chances badly harmed. In Kalen DeBoer's first big game in Tuscaloosa, the stakes will be higher for the Crimson Tide. My pick is the Crimson Tide pulls off the upset, in a close, statement-making win.