The SEC will have several teams vying to win the conference in 2025, but while the Texas Longhorns with Arch Manning are an attractive pick, one ESPN host is going with an old reliable contender to have a bounce-back season.
In Year 1 under Kalen DeBoer, the Alabama Crimson Tide went 9-4, which isn’t the standard that many expect from them. Nonetheless, with another year in the DeBoer era, can Alabama take that step and find itself in the SEC title game?
On the “College GameDay Podcast,” ESPN’s Reece Davis is predicting that the Crimson Tide won’t only return to the conference championship game, but they will also win that contest as he backs Ty Simpson to have an impressive season.
“I believe in Texas,” Davis said. “I believe in LSU. I believe in all of these teams. All of them could win it. I think Alabama’s going to win the SEC. I think Alabama is loaded on the offensive line. They’re loaded on defense. I mentioned this earlier on the podcast. It all comes down to how well Ty Simpson plays, and I think he’s going to play very well.
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“Nick Sheridan is a really good coach, quarterback coach, and offensive coordinator last year, but I think having Ryan Grub, just from a disposition standpoint, is really going to help them.
“So, I’m going to take Alabama beating Texas in the SEC championship game. Alabama won’t get through the season unscathed. They’ll probably have a couple of losses. I’ll bank on them winning tiebreakers, getting into that game, and winning it somehow.”
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After getting a taste under center last season, all eyes will be on Simpson to hit the ground running as the Alabama quarterback. The Crimson Tide signal caller completed 56 percent of his passes last season, recording 167 passing yards and zero pass touchdowns. As a result, it will be interesting to see if Simpson can step into the spotlight and perform.
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