See SEC Preseason Media Predictions

The SEC’s media picked Tennessee to finish third in the 2022 SEC East preseason rankings.

Tennessee finished third in the SEC East a season ago and they’re predicted to finish behind the two teams that finished ahead of them a season ago.

Here’s the complete SEC East preseason rankings. The number in parenthesis is first place votes. The number outside of that is total of points.

1. Georgia (172) 1254
2. Kentucky (4) 932
3. Tennessee (1) 929
4. Florida 712
5. South Carolina (3) 662
6. Missouri 383
7. Vanderbilt (1) 196

Despite being picked to finish third in the SEC East, Tennessee tied Vanderbilt with the fourth most first place votes. Tennessee finished with the third most points but was only narrowly behind Kentucky by just three points.

The Vols were 217 points ahead of fourth place Florida, 267 points ahead of fifth place South Carolina and 325 points behind first place Georgia.

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Here’s how the voters predicted the SEC West to shake out.

1. Alabama (177) 1262
2. Texas A&M (3) 968
3. Arkansas (1) 844
4. Ole Miss 675
5. LSU 591
6. Mississippi State 390
7. Auburn 338

Alabama was the media’s preseason pick to win the conference, earning 158 votes compared to Georgia’s 18, South Carolina’s three and Texas A&M and Vanderbilt’s one vote.

Tennessee didn’t receive a vote to win the SEC.

The Vols last finished higher than third in the SEC when they finished second in the SEC East in 2015 and 2016. Tennessee last won the SEC East in 2007 — Phillip Fulmer’s second to last year as head coach.