South Carolina football: predicting the final SEC East standings
By Jacob Elsey
Where will South Carolina football finish in the SEC East?
7. Vanderbilt Commodores
The Commodores will likely be the worst team in the division after finishing winless in the conference last season. They’ll face the typical eastern foes and matchups with Ole Miss and Mississippi State out of the West.
That’s actually one of the easier cross-divisional schedules, as they avoid Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn out of the West, but unfortunately, the Commodores just aren’t talented enough to compete.
Vandy is 1-16 in the SEC over the last two seasons, and they’ll be breaking in Clark Lea in his first season as a head coach. Many believe he’s the man to turn the program around, but this year won’t be the year he does.
6. Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols have lost a former starting quarterback, its top two running backs, its best defensive player, and a host of nearly 30 contributors to the transfer portal this offseason, leaving a brand new staff with a bare cupboard.
Josh Heupel has his work cut out for him in year one, but there’s reason to believe that Tennessee can surprise a few teams in the East. A lot of that will ride on quarterback performance, as the Vols look end what’s still been an open competition. All signs point to Joe Milton landing the opening start after transferring from Michigan this Summer.
What could hold the Vols back is the schedule, which includes Alabama and Ole Miss from the West. Tennessee will likely only be favored in two SEC games this year, one of which could be against the Gamecocks. Even if they do take that game in Knoxville, 2-6 won’t be enough to get out of the cellar.