Media picks Alabama to top Florida in SEC championship game

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Alabama is the media favorite to win the Southeastern Conference title while Florida is the pick to win the Eastern Division.

Alabama received 77 votes to win the championship game on Dec. 19 in Atlanta, while Georgia and LSU each were picked on seven ballots. The SEC released results of voting Wednesday from reporters covering the league.

The Gators edged Georgia 624 points to 613 in the East while Tennessee was picked to finish third.

Alabama was a lopsided pick in the West with 660 points topping LSU (489) and Auburn (488).

The Crimson Tide also led the way with 13 players on the Preseason All-SEC team, including eight first-teamers. LSU had 10 and Georgia nine.

The media has correctly picked the champion only seven times since 1992.

The media’s preseason All-SEC teams:

OFFENSE

First-Team

QB – Kyle Trask, Florida

RB – Najee Harris, Alabama; Kylin Hill, Mississippi State

WR – DeVonta Smith, Alabama; Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

TE – Kyle Pitts, Florida

OL – Alex Leatherwood, Alabama; Trey Smith, Tennessee; Landon Dickerson, Alabama; Landon Young, Kentucky

C – Drake Jackson, Kentucky

Second-Team

QB – Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

RB -Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas; Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M

WR – George Pickens, Georgia; Terrace Marshall, LSU

TE – Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M

OL – Deonte Brown, Alabama; Darian Kinnard, Kentucky; Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina; Ed Ingram, LSU

C – Trey Hill, Georgia

Third-Team

QB – Mac Jones, Alabama

RB – Zamir White, Georgia; Larry Rountree, Missouri

WR – Seth Williams, Auburn; Elijah Moore, Ole Miss

TE – Arik Gilbert, LSU

OL – Austin Deculus, LSU; Brodarious Hamm, Auburn; Evan Neal, Alabama; Wanya Morris, Tennessee

C – Landon Dickerson, Alabama

DEFENSE

First-Team

DL – Big Kat Bryant, Auburn; LaBryan Ray, Alabama; Jordan Davis, Georgia; Malik Herring, Georgia

LB – Dylan Moses, Alabama; K.J. Britt, Auburn; Nick Bolton, Missouri

DB – Patrick Surtain II, Alabama; Derek Stingley Jr., LSU; Richard LeCounte, Georgia; DB – Jacoby Stevens, LSU

Second-Team

DL – Bobby Brown, Texas A&M; Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt; Kobie Whiteside, Missouri; Zachary Carter, Florida

LB – Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee; Monty Rice, Georgia; Jabril Cox, LSU

DB – Kaiir Elam, Florida; Eric Stokes, Georgia; Marco Wilson, Florida; Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina

Third-Team

DL – Aaron Sterling, South Carolina; Glen Logan, LSU; Josh Paschal, Kentucky; DJ Dale, Alabama

LB – Ventrell Miller, Florida; Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State; Boogie Watson, Kentucky

DB – Demani Richardson, Texas A&M; Smoke Monday, Auburn; Tyree Gillespie, Missouri. Christian Tutt, Auburn and Bryce Thompson, Tennessee (tie)

SPECIALISTS

First-Team

P – Max Duffy, Kentucky

PK – Brent Cimaglia, Tennessee

RS – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

AP – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

Second-Team

P – Jake Camarda, Georgia

PK – Cade York, LSU

RS – Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss

AP – Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

Third-Team

P – Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU

PK – Anders Carlson, Auburn

RS – Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

AP – Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss