Preseason College Football Picks- SEC
South Carolina to make the Playoff +800 (2 units)
South Carolina to make the Playoff +1100 (1 unit)
South Carolina over 7.5 wins +250 (3 units)
South Carolina is coming off a disappointing 4-8 year. That doesn't tell the full story- they were as good a 4-8 team as you'll see, finishing 29th in my ratings. They should have beaten both Alabama and Texas A&M but blew both games late.
The four most important positions in football are quarterback, left tackle, wide receiver and edge. They have future NFL players at all four- including potential top 5 pick Dylan Stewart. They nearly made the playoff in 2024 and I think this team is just as good as that one. There's a lot of talent on this roster and I like the upside case on the Gamecocks.
This line moved against me a bit but I still like it so I added a unit at +1100.
LSU under 7.5 wins +190 (2 units)
I've established through my preseason bets series that portal-heavy teams are hard to forecast. LSU is a prime example- there's a lot of talent on this roster, but it's all come from different places and we don't know how it's going to gel together. I also think LSU overpaid in the portal for Sam Leavitt, whose numbers dropped significantly from 2024 to 2025. If things start to go wrong on a Lane Kiffin team, they can spiral in a hurry and I like the puts on LSU this year.
Auburn to make the Playoff +700 (1 unit)
There will probably be one SEC team who surprises us and makes the playoff this year- last year it was Ole Miss who started the season barely ranked. If it's not going to be South Carolina, why not Auburn? Like the Gamecocks, they were much better than their record last year. They also have an exciting QB- Byrum Brown has come with HC Alex Golesh from USF. Brown's upside case is well-established to readers of this website (I was all over USF last season). Hugh Freeze is finally gone, and he was the main cause of Auburn's problems, so I think a bounce back to the top of the SEC is very possible.
Texas to miss the Playoff +150 (2 units)
Loyal readers of this website will remember I cashed Texas to miss the Playoff at +250 last year. I'm back for more this year. The schedule is a big reason why- the Longhorns face the toughest schedule in the country. They play Ohio State and Ole Miss in Austin, and play Tennessee, Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M away from home. The playoff committee did not let in a 9-3 Texas team that played a brutal schedule last year, and I don't think they will this year either.
There's also the simple fact that they weren't that good last year. People remember that they finished strong and beat Texas A&M to end the season, but forget that they should've lost to the two worst teams in the SEC (Kentucky and Mississippi State). The Mississippi State game was a particularly egregious choke by the Bulldogs. Texas will be good this year, but they're far from a playoff lock.
Texas A&M over 9.5 wins +240 (1 unit)
I was bullish on Texas A&M last year (I got them at +245 to make the playoff in the preseason) and am going to go back to the same trade this year. The Aggies haven't been getting as much preseason hype because they weren't flashy in the portal, but they're going to be very solid. They finished the year 9th in my ratings, and are 13th in the country in returning production, including their QB. It's a bit confusing to me that they're not in everyone's preseason top 10 on those fact alone.
Vanderbilt under 4.5 wins +290 (1 unit)
Diego Pavia is gone, and that means a reset at Vanderbilt. We really have no clue how good this team is going to be without him- there was not a single player in the country more important to his team last year. I like taking a stab on the wing put on a team thrust into uncertainty with the face of the program gone.