SEC Media Vote
(First-place votes in parentheses), * tie EASTERN DIVISION Georgia (271) 1,977 South Carolina (8) 1,535 Florida (4) 1,441 Missouri 1,057 Kentucky (1) 874 Tennessee (1) 704 Vanderbilt 392 WESTERN DIVISION Alabama (263) 1,971 Auburn (19) 1,664 Mississippi State (2) 1,239 Texas A&M 1,091 LSU 1,025 Ole Miss 578 Arkansas 412 SEC CHAMPION Alabama 193 Georgia 69 Auburn 14 South Carolina 4 Florida 2 Mississippi State 1 Missouri 1 2018 PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAM OFFENSE First Team QB Drew Lock, Missouri RB Damien Harris, Alabama RB Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky WR A.J. Brown, Ole Miss WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina TE Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri OL Jonah Williams, Alabama OL Greg Little, Ole Miss OL Martez Ivey, Florida OL Trey Smith, Tennessee C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama Second Team QB Jarrett Stidham, Auburn RB D'Andre Swift, Georgia RB Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M WR Terry Godwin, Georgia WR Ryan Davis, Auburn TE Isaac Nauta, Georgia OL Andrew Thomas, Georgia OL Lester Cotton, Alabama OL Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas OL Garrett Brumfield, LSU C Lamont Gaillard, Georgia Third Team * QB Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State * QB Jake Fromm, Georgia RB Aeris Williams, Mississippi State RB Jordan Scarlett, Florida WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama WR Emanuel Hall, Missouri TE C.J. Conrad, Kentucky OL Matt Womack, Alabama OL Zack Bailey, South Carolina OL Javon Patterson, Ole Miss OL Marquel Harrell, Auburn C Erik McCoy, Texas A&M DEFENSE First Team DL Raekwon Davis, Alabama DL Cece Jefferson, Florida DL Montez Sweat, Mississippi State DL Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State LB Devin White, LSU LB Anfernee Jennings, Alabama LB Mack Wilson, Alabama DB Deandre Baker, Georgia DB Greedy Williams, LSU DB J.R. Reed, Georgia DB Deionte Thompson, Alabama Second Team DL Jonathan Ledbetter, Georgia DL Terry Beckner, Missouri DL Derrick Brown, Auburn DL Isaiah Buggs, Alabama LB Josh Allen, Kentucky LB Deshaun Davis, Auburn LB D'Andre Walker, Georgia DB Mike Edwards, Kentucky DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida DB Jamel Dean, Auburn DB CJ Henderson, Florida Third Team DL Dontavius Russell, Auburn DL Rashard Lawrence, LSU DL Marlon Davidson, Auburn * DL Kingsley Keke, Texas A&M * DL Landis Durham, Texas A&M LB Dylan Moses, Alabama LB David Reese, Florida LB De'Jon Harris, Arkansas DB Mark McLaurin, Mississippi State DB Marco Wilson, Florida DB Javaris Davis, Auburn DB Santos Ramirez, Arkansas SPECIALISTS First Team P Corey Fatony, Missouri PK Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia RS Deebo Samuel, South Carolina AP Deebo Samuel, South Carolina Second Team P Joseph Charlton, South Carolina PK Daniel LaCamera, Texas A&M RS Mecole Hardman, Georgia AP Trevon Diggs, Alabama Third Team P Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU PK Tucker McCann, Missouri RS Trevon Diggs, Alabama AP Kadarius Toney, Florida
Alabama and Georgia combined to win a whopping 12 Southeastern Conference regular-season football games last season by at least two touchdowns, so it was little surprise Nick Saban's Crimson Tide and Kirby Smart's Bulldogs were overwhelming favorites to meet for the league championship this December.
The SEC on Friday released its media vote for the upcoming season, one day after its annual Media Days event concluded in Atlanta.
Alabama was picked to win the league's overall title for the seventh time in the last nine years. The Crimson Tide received 193 votes to win the SEC, with Georgia (69), Auburn (14), South Carolina (four) and Florida (two) the only other teams to receive multiple votes.
"Obviously, you are what your record is," South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said earlier this week. "Nick is the best coach in college football because of the accomplishments he's had. He's done an outstanding job running his program from a scheme standpoint, from a recruiting standpoint and from a development standpoint.
"You name it, and he does an outstanding job."
Alabama has compiled a 125-14 record the past 10 seasons, with five national championships and five SEC titles. The Crimson Tide won the league in 2014-16 but were shut out of last December's matchup, when Georgia pulled away from Auburn for a 28-7 win.
The Tide received the fourth and final spot in last season's College Football Playoff and made the most of their opportunity, thumping Clemson 24-6 in a Sugar Bowl national semifinal before rallying for a 26-23 overtime triumph over Georgia inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"Forget about what happened last year," Saban said this week. "There's no looking back at that. It's what we're going to do moving forward. Are we going to have the leadership we need to have a very good team, and are we going to have the personnel developed to fill some of the holes that were created by players moving to the next level and players graduating?
"A lot of these things have not taken shape yet, so it's a work in progress. It's not been determined how that's all going to work out for us."
Alabama received 263 first-place votes and 1,971 total points in the West race, with Auburn next with 19 first-place votes and 1,664 points. Mississippi State was picked third, with Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss and Arkansas rounding out that division.
Georgia was an even more overwhelming favorite in the East, receiving 271 first-place votes and 1,977 points to South Carolina's eight first-place votes and 1,535 points. Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt rounded out the division.
"We'll have the greatest competition we've had since my arrival," Smart said. "We may not have the most talent that we've had, but we'll definitely have the most competition, and I think competition is what separates you."
Tennessee had never been picked lower than fifth in the East at Media Days until Friday's votes release, while Vanderbilt received 392 total points, the fewest of any SEC team in either division.
"There have been media members out there who have spoken to the idea that our game is one to be overlooked," Commodores fifth-year coach Derek Mason said. "Watch out. I'm telling you right now, this team is going to show up. We're going to play well. We're going come out of the blocks and play the way we need to, and we're going to finish this the way we should - the Vanderbilt way."
Missouri's Drew Lock was tabbed as the conference's first-team quarterback over Auburn's Jarrett Stidham, with Georgia's Jake Fromm and Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald tying for the third-team spot.
Alabama led the way with 14 representatives on the league's first, second and third teams, while Georgia was next with 12. Tennessee's only representative under first-year coach Jeremy Pruitt was first-team offensive lineman Trey Smith.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.