Media preseason poll projects Mizzou football to finish sixth in SEC East

5-7 minutes
Arkansas Missouri Football
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz grimaces as he watches the replay of an Arkansas touchdown on the scoreboard in the second quarter of a game Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Columbia, Mo.
Here's the good news for Missouri fans tired of being picked sixth in the Southeastern Conference East Division: This year will be the last.
In the SEC's final year of divisional play, the Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the East Division for the third time in four years, as voted by media members who attended SEC media days this week in Nashville, Tennessee. Two-time defending national champion Georgia was the runaway favorite to win the East, with Alabama picked to win the West.
Mizzou, coming off two straight 6-7 seasons under fourth-year coach Eli Drinkwitz, was picked only ahead of Vanderbilt in the projected East standings. The Tigers finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the East last year with a 3-5 SEC record.
Georgia earned 265 of 291 first-place votes in the East, followed by Tennessee in second place with 14 first-place votes, South Carolina in third, then Kentucky, Florida, Mizzou and Vandy. Florida and Mizzou were the only East teams without first-place votes.
In the West, Alabama received 165 first-place votes, edging second-place Louisiana State (117 first-place votes), followed by Texas A&M, Mississippi, Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State. Every team in the division received at least one first-place vote except Ole Miss.
Georgia was again the clear favorite to win the SEC championship with 181 votes, ahead of Alabama (62), LSU (31), Tennessee (five), Vanderbilt (five), Arkansas (two), Auburn (two), Texas A&M (one), Mississippi State (one) and South Carolina (one).
Only nine times since 1992 has the media predicted the correct winner of the SEC championship prior to the season.
Mizzou also was picked to finish sixth in 2013 — when the Tigers won the first of two consecutive SEC East titles under Gary Pinkel — along with 2016, 2020 and 2022. Twice the media picked Mizzou to finish third in the division (2015, 2019) with another four fourth-place projections (2012, 2014, 2018, 2021). Mizzou was picked seventh in 2017.
As for the preseason All-SEC honors, five Mizzou players earned recognition. Left tackle Javon Foster was MU’s only representative on all three offensive teams, while linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine earned second-team honors along with kicker Harrison Mevis. Defensive lineman Darius Robinson earned third-team honors.
Georgia and Alabama led the way with 16 overall selections, while the Bulldogs dominated with 11 of 29 first-team selections. All but six of the first-team selections were from Alabama, Georgia or LSU.
Georgia, coming off a 15-0 rampage through last year’s schedule, was the only SEC East team to land players on the first-team offense and defense, including three of the first-team offensive linemen and three of the four first-team defensive backs. LSU’s Jayden Daniels was chosen as the first-team quarterback ahead of second-team choice K.J. Jefferson from Arkansas and Tennessee’s Joe Milton, the third teamer.
Former Mizzou defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo, now at LSU, earned first-team honors. The former De Smet High standout transferred to LSU after the 2021 season.
After Georgia and Alabama’s haul of All-SEC selections, LSU was next with 11 followed by Texas A&M (seven), South Carolina (six) and three teams with five each: Arkansas, Auburn and Mizzou.
Five more Mizzou players were on the All-SEC ballot: receiver Luther Burden III, offensive guard Armand Membou, linebacker Chad Bailey, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., and safety Jaylon Carlies.