SEC Media Days wrapped up on Thursday and with the ending of the week-long media extravaganza comes the official media-voted SEC Champion and preseason ALL-SEC team.
It was revealed on Friday morning that members of the media predicted Alabama to win the 2018 SEC championship in a 2017 national title rematch against Georgia.
The Crimson Tide received was the favorite pick to win the title by a large margin, receiving 193 first-place votes over second place Georgia with only 69 first-place ballots.
Alabama received a majority 263 first-place votes to win the SEC West with Auburn slated to poise the biggest threat to the Tide in the West placing second in the division. Alabama (263), Auburn (19) and Mississippi State (2) were the only teams to receive first-place votes from the West.
A similar pattern was evident in the East with Georgia garnering 271 of the first-place votes with South Carolina (8) and Florida (4) trailing far behind.
Though both teams are heavy favorites to meet in Atlanta on December 1, it is not a lock for either team to hoist the trophy. Since 1992, the media at SEC Media Days has successfully predicted the eventual SEC Champion only six times.
The preseason All-SEC teams were released along with the predicted order of finish and here is a look the first, second and third teams:
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
* - Indicates a tie
Auburn has plenty of representation on the preseason teams but no selections for the first team on either side of the ball for what is predicted to be a solid season for the Tigers. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham and wide receiver Ryan Davis lead the way on offense with second-team All-SEC nods. The duo is joined by offensive linemen Marquel Harrell who squeezes onto the third team.
The defense is predicted to have multiple impact players with six Tigers being selected for defensive preseason All-SEC teams. Derrick Brown, Deshaun Davis and Jamel Dean make their appearances on the second team, while Dontavius Russell, Marlon Davidson and Javaris Davis come in on the third team for a respective total of nine Tigers on the predicted teams – good enough for the third most representation in the SEC, just behind favorites Georgia and Alabama.
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