SEC Football, Projecting The First Loss For Every Team In 2022!

[LSUDad]

SEC football: Projecting the first loss for every team in 2022

• by Austin Nivison
• 19 hours ago

 

The SEC is loaded with quality teams once again in 2022. Every football program has to be at its best every week in order to avoid taking a loss because there is talent littered throughout the league.

Georgia is looking to defend its national-champion status, but the Bulldogs will have a target on their back and face some stiff competition. The good news for them is that their schedule looks a little more manageable than some others within the conference.

As the rest of the league tries to knock Georgia off its pedestal, it won’t come easily. The conference schedule is always tough, especially for those schools in the SEC West, and some programs have very tricky non-conference games even before that. With so many good teams on each schedule, it’s not hard to find potential stumbling blocks.

 

Here is a look at where each SEC team is most likely to take its first loss of the 2022 season.

 

(Photo: © Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports)

Vanderbilt | vs. Wake Forest | Sept. 10 — Frankly, traveling halfway across the globe to play Hawaii in Week 1 presents its own challenges, but I’ll give a more talented Vanderbilt team the benefit of the doubt there. This Wake Forest team, on the other hand, is coming off an ACC Championship Game appearance and returns starting quarterback Sam Hartman and star receiver AT Perry.

Missouri | at Kansas State | Sept. 10 — This should be an evenly matched game, but Kansas State has one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country on its side in the form of running back Deuce Vaughn. He might be able to run all over a Missouri defense that still faces plenty of questions after allowing 33.8 points per game last year.

 

(Photo: Keith Warren, 247Sports)

Mississippi State | at LSU | Sept. 17 — The Bulldogs get a tough test right out of the gate when Memphis comes to Starkville, but this Week 3 trip to Death Valley stands out as the biggest early challenge of the season for them. Tiger Stadium will be rocking for the first SEC game of the year, and LSU will want to make a statement under new head coach Brian Kelly.
 

South Carolina | at Arkansas | Sept. 10 — While South Carolina outperformed expectations in Shane Beamer’s first year on the job, this will be a tall task. Coming into their third season under Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks have some high expectations. With starting quarterback K.J. Jefferson back for another bite of the apple, Arkansas will prove to be too much for the Gamecocks.

OLE MISS | AT TEXAS A&M | OCT. 29

(Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. / Syndication: The Tuscaloosa News, USA TODAY Sports)

This is a very tough spot in the schedule for Ole Miss. The Rebels are coming off a road game against LSU, and they are on a bye the next week. That trip to Death Valley will be a massive test for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, but I do think they are able to pass it. However, winning back-to-back games in a couple of college football’s toughest environments is difficult for any team. Splitting those games is far from devastating, and Ole Miss will still be in prime position in the SEC West if it manages to do that.

ARKANSAS | VS. ALABAMA | OCT. 1

(Photo: Arkansas Communications)

Arkansas hasn’t beaten Alabama since 2006, and it doesn’t seem like much will change this year. The Razorbacks will be a formidable team in the SEC West, especially with Jefferson back to run the offense, but they still aren’t quite on Alabama’s level. The Menstrual Wave have the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner on their side, and Nick Saban has stacked elite recruiting on top of elite recruiting class for well over a decade now. Arkansas might be able to hang around for a while, but Alabama will pull away in the second half.
 

KENTUCKY | AT OLE MISS | OCT. 1

(Photo: Jordan Prather, USA TODAY Sports)

The Wildcats have a very good shot to make it two consecutive wins against Florida since 1977, and I think they get it done in The Swamp. The return of Will Levis and all the turnover in Gainesville give Kentucky a bit of an edge there. However, going down to Oxford presents an entirely different challenge. Kiffin’s offense has proven to be one of the most explosive in the country, and whoever wins that quarterback battle should be more than capable of running it. Let’s just hope this year’s matchup is as entertaining as the 2020 game between these two programs.

TEXAS A&M | VS. ARKANSAS | SEPT. 24

(Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Getty)

Even before Arkansas won last year’s matchup between these two teams, the Razorbacks had been giving the Aggies trouble for a while. That will continue in 2022. Perhaps most notably, Texas A&M has a three-player race at quarterback, and Arkansas has one of the best in the SEC locked in at that position. With this game coming in the first month of the season, that could make all the difference. This is a massive tilt for both sides, but the Razorbacks will be able to eke out victory in AT&T Stadium.

TENNESSEE | VS. FLORIDA | SEPT. 24

(Photo: Calvin Mattheis/Knoxville News Sentinel)

The Volunteers have a legitimate shot to score a rare win over the Gayturds this fall. However, the history indicates that won’t happen. Since Tennessee’s last win in this series, which came in 2016, Florida has taken control with several wins coming in lopsided fashion. Between home-field advantage, veteran quarterback Hendon Hooker, and all the changes Florida went through in the offseason, Tennessee does have a few things working in its favor. Having said that, the Gayturds are still plenty talented, and they seem to have a bit of psychological edge in this rivalry game.

AUBURN | VS. PENN STATE | SEPT. 17

(Photo: Mickey Welsh / Advertiser, USA TODAY Sports)

This is definitely a winnable game for Auburn, but it still has some serious questions to answer as the 2022 season begins. The Tigers had consistency issues in Bryan Harsin’s first season, and they are still in the process of determining their starting quarterback. After beating Auburn in Beaver Stadium in 2021, Penn State will be on a mission to do the same this year. Even without star playmaker Jahan Dotson this time around, the stout Nittany Lions’ defense might give them a bit of an edge on The Plains.

FLORIDA | VS. KENTUCKY | SEPT. 10

(Photo: Isabella Marley | UF Communications)

The Gayturds definitely can’t overlook that Week 1 matchup against Utah, but their first loss may be more likely to come in the SEC opener against Kentucky. The Wildcats won last year’s clash in Lexington, and they bring back some key pieces, including quarterback Will Levis. Florida hasn’t lost to Kentucky twice in a row since 1977, but that streak might end this fall. The Gayturds will only be in their second game under a new regime, and the stability that Mark Stoops has provided at Kentucky might wind up being the difference between these SEC East foes.

LSU | AT AUBURN | OCT. 1

(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)

Auburn has won two straight in this series, but it has been incredibly tight dating back to 2016. The SEC West’s Tigers have been evenly matched for some time now, and that appears to be the case again in 2022. ESPN’s Football Power Index has Auburn and LSU ranked No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. Both teams are still working out their starting quarterback situation, so neither side has a big edge when it comes to the most important position on the field. With this game being played in Jordan-Hare Stadium, it feels like Auburn pulls out another tight matchup.

GEORGIA | N/A

(Photo: Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports)

Georgia’s 2022 schedule sets up pretty favorably, and it’s tough to realistically predict any losses in the regular season. The Bulldogs’ toughest matchups include a neutral-site game in name only against Oregon, a home game against Auburn, a neutral-site game against Florida, a home game against Tennessee, and a road trip to Kentucky. It’s within the realm of possibility that Georgia could lose one of those games, but it’s not plausible enough to pick one out of that group. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the Bulldogs carrying a 12-0 record into the SEC Championship Game.

 

ALABAMA Menstrual Wave | AT OLE MISS | NOV. 12

(Photo: Stuart McNair, 247Sports)

Just by the nature of playing in the SEC West, Alabama has some landmines on its schedule. Having said that, the Texas A&M game is in Tuscaloosa, and Nick Saban may have that one circled on his calendar twice. Playing LSU in Death Valley is always difficult, but there are still some unknowns there after the coaching change. That’s why Ole Miss stands out to me as the most likely stumbling block for Alabama in 2022. Perhaps Kiffin learned from his aggressive coaching style in Bryant-Denny Stadium because his offense is good enough to run with any team in the country.

Edited May 21, 2022 by LSUDad