The official predicted order of finish for the upcoming 2018 SEC football season has been voted on and tallied, and SEC media members have little faith in Tennessee for this upcoming season.
The Vols were picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the SEC East this season by the media gathered at SEC Media Days in Atlanta this year. The only team with fewer points in the final tally in the East was Vanderbilt.
Tennessee did receive one vote to win the division, however. But their 704 overall points finished behind Kentucky’s 874 points. The Wildcats also received one vote to win the East.
This year’s results mark the lowest predicted finish for the Vols in at least the last 20 years. Tennessee was picked to finish 5th in 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2010. In 2010, that would’ve been a second-to-last finish at the time since the SEC still only had 12 members at that point, however.
Georgia was predicted to win the East for the second straight year, and Alabama was the predicted winner for the West. Alabama also recieved the most votes for the winner of the whole SEC.
Here’s how the voting turned out for each division:
SEC EAST
Georgia – 1,977 (271)
South Carolina – 1,535 (8)
Florida – 1,441 (4)
Missouri – 1,057
Kentucky – 874 (1)
Tennessee – 704 (1)
Vanderbilt – 392
SEC WEST
Alabama – 1,971 (263)
Auburn – 1,664 (19)
Mississippi State – 1,239 (2)
Texas A&M – 1,091
LSU – 1,025
Ole Miss – 578
Arkansas – 412
The Vols were picked to finish third in the East last year at SEC Media Days, but they ended up finishing last in the division. Tennessee has only once finished above their preseason prediction since the conference expanded in 2012, and that was in 2014. That year, Tennessee was picked to finish fifth but finished fourth.
