We're just a few days away for the 2024 college football season finally kicking off! The Florida State Seminoles will face off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to usher in some Week 0 action on Saturday, August 24.
The Southeastern Conference will wait until Week 1 to kick things off, but that doesn't mean you can't have some action before then. Here are 4 SEC win total bets to make to add to your betting portfolio!
Missouri Tigers: UNDER 9.5 Wins
The Tigers surprised many people in 2023-2024. They only lost 2 games last year. One was to LSU at home and then on the road in Georgia. They were invited to the Cotton Bowl to face Ohio State and won the low scoring affair 14-3. While they were a run 1st team, the Tigers were balanced on both offense and defense as they ranked in the top 30s in most statistical categories.
This season, Cody Schrader is gone, leaving a void in the run game. However, Brady Cook is back behind center and his weapons are a plenty. Mookie Cooper and Theo Wease are his top returning receivers while tight end Brett Norfleet will all need to step up as the offense becomes more pass heavy.
Luther Burden will, of course, be the main target as he returns after 1200+ receiving yards last season. The defense will be led by new coordinator, Corey Batoon who returns a good number of starters but lost 3 of their top 4 tacklers. He added 5 transfers from big name schools that he hopes will be able to assimilate into the scheme immediately.
LSU Tigers UNDER 9 Wins
After losing their season opener to Florida State last season, the Tigers kept stumbling after picking a couple of wins. Losses to Ole Miss and Alabama derailed their CFB Playoff chances. They did pick up a bowl win over Wisconsin but the big story for LSU was QB Jayden Daniels winning the Heisman trophy.
This season, Daniel is gone, and Garrett Nussmeier will be thrust into the starting role. Kaleb Jackson will head their run game and there is hope that Kyren Lacy can have a breakout season at receiver. If new center DJ Chester can manage to hold up, the offensive line could be the strength of Brian Kelly’s offense.
The defense was atrocious last season, and Kelly did not hesitate to clean house. Blake Baker was brought in to run the defense and has Harold Perkins back at linebacker. He won’t be enough, and the only time will tell if Baker can get things turned around.
Tennessee Vols OVER 8.5 Wins
Tennessee had a frustrating season last year. Hopes were high with Joe Milton at QB, but they never lived up to the pre-season hype. In their 4 losses last season, the offense only averaged 13.25 points per game. Milton has left for the NFL and maybe that could be a good thing for the Vols as they head into this season.
Nico Iamaleava will be tasked with replacing Milton and has some weapons available to him on the outside. Oregon transfer, Donte Thorton will be with Bru McCoy in the receiving corps. They will have 3 returning starters on the line and Dylan Sampson will be back at running back but the cupboard is bare behind him.
On defense, NFL prospect James Pearce will be the focal point. He is one of if not the best edge rusher in the league. He and the front will be the strength of the defense while the secondary will be the spot that is up in the air. A crop of transfers will be tasked with stepping in and stepping up for this unit.
Oklahoma Sooners UNDER 7.5 Wins
The Sooners begin their tenure in the SEC at a time where the Sooners have not been living up to the program’s typical status. After starting 7-0 last season, they took a bad loss to Kansas and then followed that up with another loss to Oklahoma State. Brent Venables was able to have his defense improve but will need much more than that to be successful in the SEC.
Dillon Gabriel left Oklahoma for Oregon in the offseason which means Jackson Arnold takes over under center. In his limited time at QB last season, he showed dashes of greatness but also some very poor mistakes. He will have strong receivers but a completely new offensive line and a run game that will be questionable.
Gavin Sawchuck will look to continue his 100+ games as he finished last season with 5-straight of those games. As is expected from a Venables team, the defense should be good. They return 11 of their top 13 tacklers and will need to be stout against a new crop of conference offenses.
