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SEC Football: Predicting the 2023 SEC standings and final rankings

By Kevin Miller

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer approaching Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea for a handshake after the Gamecocks beat the Commodores in 2022. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer approaching Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea for a handshake after the Gamecocks beat the Commodores in 2022. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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SEC Football
SEC Football’s battle in the West could be the best divisional fight of the 2023 season between LSU and Alabama. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /

2023 SEC Football Standings No. 3 (and 2nd in the SEC West):
LSU Tigers

The hype is building for Brian Kelly’s 2nd season in Baton Rogue. A blowout loss at home to Tennessee was the only bad showing for the Bayou Bengals as they lost a 1-point game to a surprisingly good Florida State squad, caught Texas A&M on a night that they played up to their talent level, and lost to eventual National Champion Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

2023 will likely include the top offense for LSU since the record-breaking 2019 National Championship team. Jayden Daniels is primed for a big second year for Kelly’s LSU team, and Malik Nabers has developed into one of the top pass catchers in the conference. Bringing local kid Logan Diggs in from Notre Dame will help a run game that was led by the quarterback position.

LSU doesn’t return a lot of starters, but the ones who are back are massive. One of them is Harold Perkins who might as well count as two starters as he is a legitimate candidate for numerous national defensive awards in 2023, and Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo are also All-American candidates at defensive tackle who will make new defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey’s job that much easier.

Much like last season, the opener against Florida State is one of the best games in the early goings of the year, and if the Tigers can pull out the W, they likely will be favored in every game the rest of the way other than their trip to Tuscaloosa to take on the ‘Tide.

2023 has the chance to be special for a proud LSU program that has only had two 10-win seasons since 2014. The Alabama game should be the decider in the SEC West and the winner likely will earn a ticket for a date with the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.

PREDICTION

Overall: 11-1; SEC Football: 7-1
Florida State in Orlando (W), Grambling State (W), @Mississippi State (W), Arkansas (W), @Ole Miss (W), @Missouri (W), Auburn (W), Army (W), @Alabama (L), Florida (W), Georgia State (W), Texas A&M (W)

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