How to predict the 2018 SEC football finishes

Not so fast.

Not all Preseason All-SEC picks are equal. The most important player on the field in the Twenty-First Century of college football is the quarterback. A great quarterback is the biggest difference maker on the field, and there are three on the Preseason All-SEC Team.

Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, and Missouri’s Drew Lock claim the three Preseason All-SEC quarterback spots, and the SEC Team Predictor assigns an additional four points for each. With the quarterback factor now included, Missouri begins to separate itself from the pack in the East along with Georgia. On the west side, the quarterback gives Auburn an advantage over Alabama.

But wait, there’s more.

The super elite talent, the season changing players, are found on the 2018 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Football Team first team. The SEC Team Predictor adds one point to a team’s score for each first team member of the 2018 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Football Team.

Alabama claims a huge advantage over its West challengers with five first teamers, moving the Tide past the Auburn Tigers. On the other hand, with Arkansas and Texas A&M claiming no first team members, they drift into possible cellar dweller status with Vanderbilt and Tennessee.