Everyone is hoping that the college football season will not be cancelled like so many other sporting events in 2020 due to the coronavirus. The NCAA cancelled all spring sports, ended winter sports early, and many professional sports such as MLB, NHL, and NBA are in standstill as well since the coronavirus has taken the world by storm. But college football fans all over the country are hoping that the 2020 football season will not be affected.
At this point, there’s no certainty on what will happen this fall, but as of right now, the hope, planning, and desire for college football is there. And CBS Sports analyst Barrett Sallee decided to go ahead and break down the SEC for 2020, and share how he sees each team doing this fall.
Before we break down the entire SEC, let’s start with the Alabama Crimson Tide who is looking to showcase an epic comeback after finishing the 2019 season 11-2 after beating Michigan 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl. But Alabama started the 2019 season with strong hopes and potential to win it all. Led by juniors Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs III, Alabama was the easy favorite, until they weren’t. Tua Tagovailoa’s season ending injury last November was the nail in the coffin for the Tide’s hopes of winning a national championship. But Alabama QB Mac Jones is looking to prove he’s the guy for the job, and with him returns RB Najee Harris, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Here’s how Sallee sees Alabama doing this fall:
“The season sets up well for the Crimson Tide to make a run back to the College Football Playoff. Sure, there are several roster spots to replace. But the opener against a reeling USC program and a Week 3 home game against a Georgia team with plenty of roster shakeup itself sets up well for the Tide to gain plenty of experience heading into the thick of the season. They get a bye week before traveling to LSU — a team that just lost 14 players in the NFL Draft — and have home games against Texas A&M and Auburn to close out the regular season. In an SEC that is loaded with question marks, a schedule with tough games at home is crucial. Alabama has one.”
Simply put, Alabama could be even better this season than last year.
But Sallee broke down the entire SEC, so let’s go over his SEC East standings first:
SEC EAST:
- Florida (11-1, 7-1) their only regular season loss? To Tennessee.
- Georgia (10-2, 6-2) losses to both Florida and Alabama
- Tennessee ( 9-3, 6-2) losses to Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia
- Missouri (7-5, 3-5) losses to South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Florida
- South Carolina (6-6, 3-5) losses to Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, and Clemson
- Kentucky (6-6, 2-6) losses to Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Missouri, Tennessee, and Georgia
- Vanderbilt (3-9, 0-8) losses to Missouri, Kansas State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, and Tennessee
SEC WEST
- Alabama (12-0, 8-0)
- Auburn (10-2, 6-2) losses to Alabama and Georgia
- LSU (9-3, 5-3) losses to Alabama, Auburn, and Florida
- Texas A&M (9-3, 5-3) losses to Alabama, Auburn and LSU
- Ole Miss (6-6, 3-5) losses to Baylor, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Florida, and Texas A&M
- Mississippi State (5-7, 2-6) losses to NC State, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Kentucky, and Ole Miss
- Arkansas (3-9, 0-8) losses to Notre Dame, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Missouri
Could we really see an Alabama vs, Florida SEC Championship matchup? It would be the first time Saban has faced the Gators under Dan Mullen in Atlanta.
That would be incredible to watch. So let’s keep hoping there is college football this year.
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