The 2017 edition of SEC Media Days wrapped up Thursday afternoon, but once the dust settled in Hoover, Alabama, one item was left on the table. The conference announced Friday morning the predicted order of finish heading into the season. To the surprise of nobody, three-time defending SEC champion Alabama was picked to win its fourth straight title by the assembled members of the media.
Who will they beat in the SEC Championship Game? According to the votes, the home-state Georgia Bulldogs led by second-year coach and former Alabama assistant Kirby Smart just squeaked by Florida.
Here's how the media picked each division to shake out (first place votes in parenthesis):
| SEC West | SEC East |
|---|---|
1. Alabama: 1,683 points (225) | 1. Georgia: 1,572 points (138) |
2. Auburn: 1,329 (13) | 2. Florida: 1,526 (96) |
3. LSU: 1,262 (4) | 3. Tennessee: 998 (3) |
4. Arkansas: 796 (1) | 4. South Carolina: 897 (5) |
5. Texas A&M: 722 | 5. Kentucky: 869 |
6. Mississippi State: 633 | 6. Vanderbilt: 554 (1) |
7. Ole Miss: 379 | 7. Missouri: 388 |
Alabama was picked to win the conference by the group, but while Georgia was picked to win the SEC East, Auburn received more overall SEC championship votes than the Bulldogs in the final poll.
| Team | First-place votes |
|---|---|
1. Alabama | 217 |
2. Auburn | 11 |
3. Georgia | 6 |
T4. LSU | 3 |
T4. Florida | 3 |
T6. South Carolina | 1 |
T6. Vanderbilt | 1 |
T6. Arkansas | 1 |
In an effort to acheive full-transparency, we're going to go the extra mile. CBS Sports.com Dennis Dodd and Barrett Sallee were on-site at The Wynfrey Hotel, and took part in the media vote. Here are their specific ballots:
SEC East
| Dennis Dodd | Barrett Sallee |
|---|---|
1. Georgia | 1. Georgia |
2. Florida | 2. Florida |
3. South Carolina | 3. South Carolina |
4. Tennessee | 4. Tennessee |
5. Kentucky | 5. Vanderbilt |
6. Vanderbilt | 6. Kentucky |
7. Missouri | 7. Missouri |
SEC West
| Dennis Dodd | Barrett Sallee |
|---|---|
1. Alabama | 1. Auburn |
2. Auburn | 2. Alabama |
3. LSU | 3. LSU |
4. Texas A&M | 4. Texas A&M |
5. Ole Miss | 5. Ole Miss |
6. Mississippi State | 6. Arkansas |
7. Arkansas | 7. Mississippi State |
SEC Championship Game
| Dennis Dodd | Barrett Sallee |
|---|---|
Alabama over Georgia | Georgia over Auburn |
The SEC media has picked the conference champion correctly just six times in the last 25 years, but it has properly pegged Alabama in two of the last three (2014, 2016). The SEC Championship Game will be played on Dec. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It will be the first time the event has been played in the new venue, which will open in late August.
