Media poll: Mizzou fourth in SEC East, Alabama to win league

Published Jul. 20, 2018 1:05 p.m. ET

Quarterback Drew Lock and the Tigers are pegged for a middle-of-the-pack finish in the SEC East.

ATLANTA -- Reigning national champion Alabama has been picked to win the Southeastern Conference championship in a preseason media poll.

Alabama was selected by 193 of the 284 voters this week at SEC media days. Georgia, last year's SEC champion which lost to Alabama in the national championship game, was second with 69 votes.

Auburn received 14 votes. South Carolina, the choice of four voters, and Florida, with two, were the only other teams named on more than one ballot.

The predicted order of finish in the SEC West was Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Georgia was picked first in the East, followed by South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

Alabama had seven first-team picks on the media's preseason All-SEC team.