The SEC experts at CBS Sports have Florida finishing sixth in the Southeastern Conference after voting to project the order of finish this season.
There are four teams that are fighting for the top spot in the conference this season: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Kentucky took the top spot in the SEC media vote, but CBS Sports likes ‘Bama to come out on top. Auburn, although not considered to be on the level of the four schools ahead of it, is consistently ranked ahead of Florida too.
Florida and LSU swapped places from where they finished in the SEC media poll, and CBS’ Gary Parrish explained why Team Transfer might be better off than a rebuilding Tigers squad.
“The Gators are returning two double-digit scorers from a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament — namely Colin Castleton, a transfer from Michigan who averaged 12.4 points and 6.5 rebounds last season, and Tyree Appleby, a 6-1 guard who averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists. They’ll be joined by two impactful transfers in Phlandrous Fleming (Charleston Southern) and Myreon Jones (Penn State), the latter of whom is a 6-5 guard who averaged 15.3 points for the Nittany Lions last season while making 39.5% of his 3-point attempts. So Mike White appears to have a roster good enough for Florida to try to make what would be its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.”
While it’s clear that Florida isn’t anywhere near the top of the conference, there should be some good competition in the SEC’s second tier. A closer look at the votes reveals that Florida only slightly edged out LSU and that a random 10th-place vote for Mississippi State is the only thing holding the Bulldogs back.
CBS Sports voted Alabama the most overrated team and Tennessee the most underrated, meaning the Gators are appropriately considered average by most. Mediocrity on the hardwood might not cut it for some of Gator Nation, but they can take solace in the fact that Georgia was once again projected to finish last in the conference.
CBS Sports SEC predicted order of finish
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Florida
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Vanderbilt
- Missouri
- South Carolina
- Georgia
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