Alabama is, once again, seen as the prohibitive favorite to win the SEC West and the SEC overall. That comes as no surprise given the immense talent on display in Tuscaloosa and the mere presence of Nick Saban but, until further notice, the Crimson Tide will basically occupy the top spot in any reasonable projection.
With that said, the SEC East is (much) more wide open at this stage and Paul Finebaum of ESPN was asked to pick the winner of the division. In the end, the always entertaining personality is going to roll with the Florida Gators as a repeat champion.
"The East is really the only challenge, and you go back and forth between Georgia and Florida. I'm not sure that Jacob Eason at quarterback makes Georgia quite ready. Now, you say what about Florida with Feleipe Franks and Malik Zaire. But I think overall, Florida has the best schedule. They have five SEC games at home, thanks to the debacle last year with LSU."
It is something of a surprise to see Florida getting this love, especially due to the fact that most pundits seem to be siding with Georgia. However, it makes sense if Finebaum has questions about UGA's quarterback in Jacob Eason and, at the very least, Malik Zaire's presence adds a layer of intrigue to the proceedings.
Somebody has to represent the SEC East in Atlanta and Paul Finebaum staked his claim with the Gators.
