There are no crazy or brazen predictions for the 2022 SEC football preview, as the rich continue to get richer in college football’s premier conference.

In the midst of conference realignment, as the shockwaves of Texas and Oklahoma moving to the SEC could still be felt a year later, to the point where USC and UCLA are moving to the Big 10, it is rumored schools such as Oregon and Utah may not be too far behind with their own movement to a new conference.

The following are predictions for the SEC West and East divisions, along with College Football Playoff and Heisman predictions.

SEC West

1. Alabama (12-0)
2. Ole Miss (10-2)
3. Arkansas (9-3)
4. TAMU (8-4)
5. LSU (8-4)
6. Auburn (7-5)
7. Miss State (5-7)

Ole Miss will continue their rise as one of the division’s best teams with the addition of multiple key players, highlighted by USC transfer Jaxson Dart and TCU transfer Zach Evans.

For Auburn, their offseason turmoil will spill over onto the football field. The board of directors for Auburn, after their failed coup, may have killed all hope of making a run in the West this season.

LSU under first-year coach Brian Kelley will experience more success than the tumultuous offseason he has had.

Texas A&M will disappoint, as far as what expectations are for the team in 2022 after acquiring the best recruiting class in their history.

SEC East

1. Georgia (11-1)
2. South Carolina (9-3)
3. Florida (8-4)
4. Tennessee (8-4)
5. Kentucky (7-5)
6. Missouri (6-6)
7. Vanderbilt (3-9)

No surprise here as Georgia remains top dog in the East. However, they will get upset by one of either of South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee or Kentucky.

South Carolina, however, will surprise many under second-year head coach Shane Beamer and new transfer QB Spencer Rattler, who was once a preseason Heisman favorite for Oklahoma.

Tennessee and Florida will both have respectable seasons, as the former looks to continue their path out of mediocrity, while the latter looks for some consistency with new head coach Billy Napier, who arrives from Louisiana.

College Football Playoff

1. Alabama (13-0)

4. Clemson (12-1)

2. USC (12-1)

3. Georgia (11-2)

For college football, some things never change, and the participants of the College Football Playoff seem to be the same teams competing for three spots, while a wildcard fourth team sneaks its way in there.

That will again be the case in 2022, as three of the predicted participants are perennial members of the CFP and a fourth team (USC) is predicted to make their first appearance at the big stage of the playoff era of college football.

Alabama and Georgia will both be in, as UGA will get the three seed – despite two losses – in order to avoid the SEC championship rematch in the semifinals.

Title game: Alabama over UGA.

Heisman

While it would be easy to give Bryce Young – Bama’s defending Heisman winner – the award again this season, it is not that simple.

Repeat Heisman winners are as rare as a blue moon, and he has some top-tier competition between his own teammate and the rest of college football.

Will Anderson, the fearsome pass rusher of the Tide, is certainly going to make a push for the award and solidify his own legacy as one of the very few defensive players to win the award.

However, it would be foolish to forget about Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Stroud lit up opponents all season last year, while Smith-Njigba came on late in the season, and climbs up the depth chart this season.

Winner: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State

Sleepers: Bijan Robinson (Texas), Caleb Williams (USC), D.J. Uiagalelei (Clemson), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss).