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Gators picked to edge Bulldogs this year, win SEC East

Kyle Trask of the Florida Gators looks to pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) (Michael Reaves, 2019 Getty Images)

The Florida Gators are projected to win the SEC East and play Alabama for the conference championship.

In preseason voting by media, the Gators clipped Georgia for the East division and placed six players on the All-SEC list. Alabama was picked to win the SEC, followed by Georgia, LSU and Florida.

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Florida earned 624 points in the voting, just in front of the Bulldogs (613). It is the first time since 2010 that the Gators have been picked to win the division. Florida went 11-2 in 2019 and finished second in the SEC East last season to Georgia.

The Gators went 6-2 in the SEC, dropping games to Georgia (24-17) and national champion LSU (42-28) and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.

Georgia went 12-2 (7-1 in the SEC) and lost to LSU in the SEC championship game last year.

The Gators and Bulldogs meet in Jacksonville this year on Nov. 7. Florida opens its season on Saturday at Ole Miss (noon).

RELATED: The Gators Breakdown previews Florida’s opener at Ole Miss

Among the Florida players making All-SEC included first-team selections at quarterback (Kyle Trask) and tight end (Kyle Pitts). Defensive lineman Zachary Carter and defensive backs Marco Wilson and Kaiir Elam were second-team choices. Linebacker Ventrell Miller was a third-team selection for the Gators.

For the Bulldogs, defensive lineman Jordan Davis and Malik Herring and defensive back Richard LeCounte were all first-team All-SEC picks. Receiver George Pickens, center Trey Hill, linebacker Monty Rice, defensive back Eric Stokes and punter Jake Camarda were all second-team picks. Running back Zamir White was a third-team selection.

Bolles School product Mac Jones, now the starting quarterback at Alabama, was a third-team All-SEC selection.

PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS

Picks to win

SEC East voting: Florida (53) 624, Georgia (43) 613, Tennessee 434, Kentucky 405, South Carolina 287, Missouri, 224, Vanderbilt 101.

SEC West voting: Alabama (86) 660, LSU (8) 489, Auburn 488, Texas A&M (2) 454, Ole Miss 238, Mississippi State 238, Arkansas 121.

Note: First-place votes in parentheses

ALL-SEC OFFENSE

First-Team

QB - Kyle Trask, Florida

RB - Najee Harris, Alabama

RB - Kylin Hill, Mississippi State

WR - DeVonta Smith, Alabama

WR - Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

TE - Kyle Pitts, Florida

OL - Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

OL - Trey Smith, Tennessee

OL - Landon Dickerson, Alabama

OL - Landon Young, Kentucky

C - Drake Jackson, Kentucky

Second-Team

QB - Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

RB - Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas

RB - Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M

WR - George Pickens, Georgia

WR - Terrace Marshall, LSU

TE - Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M

OL - Deonte Brown, Alabama

OL - Darian Kinnard, Kentucky

OL - Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina

OL - Ed Ingram, LSU

C - Trey Hill, Georgia

Third-Team

QB - Mac Jones, Alabama

RB - Zamir White, Georgia

RB - Larry Rountree, Missouri

WR - Seth Williams, Auburn

WR - Elijah Moore, Ole Miss

TE - Arik Gilbert, LSU

OL - Austin Deculus, LSU

OL - Brodarious Hamm, Auburn

OL - Evan Neal, Alabama

OL - Wanya Morris, Tennessee

C - Landon Dickerson, Alabama

ALL-SEC DEFENSE

First-Team

DL - Big Kat Bryant, Auburn

DL - LaBryan Ray, Alabama

DL - Jordan Davis, Georgia

DL - Malik Herring, Georgia

LB - Dylan Moses, Alabama

LB - K.J. Britt, Auburn

LB - Nick Bolton, Missouri

DB - Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

DB - Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

DB - Richard LeCounte, Georgia

DB - Jacoby Stevens, LSU

Second-Team

DL - Bobby Brown, Texas A&M

DL - Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt

DL - Kobie Whiteside, Missouri

DL - Zachary Carter, Florida

LB - Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee

LB - Monty Rice, Georgia

LB - Jabril Cox, LSU

DB - Kaiir Elam, Florida

DB - Eric Stokes, Georgia

DB - Marco Wilson, Florida

DB - Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina

Third-Team

DL - Aaron Sterling, South Carolina

DL - Glen Logan, LSU

DL - Josh Paschal, Kentucky

DL - DJ Dale, Alabama

LB - Ventrell Miller, Florida

LB - Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State

LB - Boogie Watson, Kentucky

DB - Demani Richardson, Texas A&M

DB - Smoke Monday, Auburn

DB - Tyree Gillespie, Missouri

DB - Christian Tutt, Auburn*

DB - Bryce Thompson, Tennessee*

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

* - Indicates a tie


About the Author
Justin Barney headshot

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.

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