Who’s gonna win in the SEC Pawwwlll? Before we find out if Legend ever made it back into the Tampa JW, we figure we would answer the question by overreacting to the SEC Media Preseason Poll.
🏈 2026 #SECFB Media Preseason Poll, All-SEC Team announced – @GeorgiaFootball predicted to win SEC Championship:
📊 https://t.co/Vh0n4DOmYC#SECMD26 x #ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/rljMmkwrLh
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) July 24, 2026
Before we get to the overreactions, let’s look back at the week that was SEC Media Days. In case you missed it, however unlikely it may be. Here are links and a quick recap of the SEC takeover of Tampa. On Day One, Drink was complaining about having to coach against those additional SEC and P4 (yep, Kansas is still a P4) teams. On Day Two, Beamer shared that “everyone” thinks the Gamecocks suck. On Day Three, Jon Sumrall showed us what it means to be an elite SEC coach and won the day. And on Day Four, the Lane Train showed that 2026 will be #Just Different (he really means it this time) and has given up social media. Now that you’re up to speed, let’s get to some elite overreactions.
Three (Over)reactions to the SEC Media Poll
Everything is Bigger in Texas and Even Bigger in Georgia
Do we even need a season? Not according to the SEC Media Preseason Poll. We might as well just hold the coronation ceremony in Atlanta between Georgia and Texas to determine who will sit on Sankey’s throne in 2026. Ok, that might be a bit much, but then again, this is a whole article devoted to overreactions. Georgia and Texas were predicted to be at the top of the SEC, and it wasn’t even that close.
So much for doubting the Dawgs. Kirby Smart tried to go after the media when his wide receiver room was questioned. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Smart and his players tried to say that “nobody believed in the Dawgs.” Those claims will not be tolerated in 2026. Georgia received 88 of the 164 votes, or almost 54% of the total.
Texas came in second with 57 votes. None of the other six teams in the SEC registered more than six votes. There was no reaction or word from Sark about how many votes Texas would have gotten if they had played a junior high school, South Lake Carroll, or if they had taken up Tech’s offer to play Week 1 at Jerry’s World.
Who were the other six teams to earn a vote? Ole Miss garnered six votes, Texas A&M yelled their way to five, Alabama got three, Oklahoma and LSU each received two, and Kevin McGuffey or somebody gave Kentucky one vote (more on that later).
SEC Tears (Tiers)
Texas and Georgia accounted for many of the votes and clearly separated themselves from the pack. Let’s take a look at how the votes for the predicted order of finish created the tiers and caused tears across the SEC. Let’s use the total points each team earned from the SEC Media Preseason Poll’s Predicted Order of Finish. Each team’s total points are in parentheses.
- Clear Favorites
Georgia (2519) and Texas (2449)
We covered this above. Athens and Austin should be ready for an exciting season. - (Hopeful) Contenders
Ole Miss (2004), Texas A&M (1967), LSU (1961), Alabama (1930), Oklahoma (1914)
Sorry, Pawwl. The SEC is not getting six teams in the CFB Playoff. With the league going to nine conference games, that will be a tall task. Look for three or four teams to get in. Three or four of these teams will be disappointed come December. - (Not Quite) Contenders
Tennessee (1320), Florida (1217), and Missouri (1105)
Questions at quarterback in Knoxville, a new coach in Gainesville, and a team that just does enough to punch above the bottom half in CoMo have these teams slotted about right. - Eh, you tried?
South Carolina (956) and Auburn (936)
The Gamecocks and Tigers might be a perfect pair. Both these teams are ripe for SEC Shorts. Could they be great and knock off some big teams? Absolutely. Will the 2026 season still end in some gut-wrenching way? More than likely. - Billable Hours Anyone?
Vanderbilt (751)
Diego was released by Baltimore…does Nashville have a friendly judge to extend Pavia-mania? - Bottom of the Barrel
Kentucky (546) and Mississippi State (467)
At some point, StarkVegas is gonna have to move up from here. We’re just not sure when. - Woo Pig
Arkansas (262)
Silverfield needs that Walmart money now.
Who Voted for Kentucky!?!?!?!
Kentucky got one vote to be the SEC Champion in 2026 in the SEC Media Preseason Poll. Sure, Curt Cignetti worked wonders in Bloomington, but this is the SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE, brother. Will Stein is a promising and great young coach. Lexington and BBN had grown stale on Mark Stoops. Stein offers a chance for hope. A new beginning. But we tend to think of Kentucky as more like Mississippi State in 2026 than Georgia or Texas. Hey, we could be wrong, but we don’t think so.
Main Photo: Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.
