The 2022 college football season has finally returned and so has your favorite weekly blog post featuring score predictions of each and every Southeastern Conference football game (that hasn’t already been played because the writer missed deadline).

Anywho, enough about me. Let’s go predict Week 1 of the 2022 SEC football season (minus those two games that have already been played).

Utilizing the AP Poll until the College Football Playoff Selection Committee releases their rankings.

Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022

Sam Houston (0-0) at #6 Texas A&M (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Noon ET | College Station, TX | SEC Network

There are a ton of games this weekend, so I will predict this one like Jimbo Fisher talks… swiftly.
PREDICTION: Texas A&M 45, Sam Houston 3

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#11 Oregon (0-0) at #3 Georgia (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
3:30pm ET | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | ABC

I’ll give the owner of this website a minute to collect himself before I write this next sentence.

[Kevin Kelley collects himself]

The 2021 national champion Georgia Bulldogs take the field Saturday for the first time since all that sweet confetti fell from the rafters of Lucas Oil Stadium in a celebration UGA fans have been planning for 41 years. That confetti was not so sweet for those of us who may be lifelong fans of the opposing team, but it’s 2022 now and we can’t look back. We must look forward.

Lucky for former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, his Bulldogs have a team like Oregon in the opener rather than a sleeper. Big openers tend to keep a team focused and sharp in the offseason instead of polishing the new, shiny trophy in the trophy case.

The Ducks enter the season with a new head coach and a new quarterback. The quarterback is probably more familiar to fans in red and black than those in green and yellow (or black and green… or highlighter yellow). Bo Nix is the former signal caller for the SEC rival Auburn Tigers and Georgia fans know he is not only capable of throwing four bad interceptions, he is also capable of looking like Aaron Rodgers on any given Saturday.

Georgia should be okay this week because Nix is not playing at home. Although Nix will be one of the oldest players on the field at 22 years of age, the Bulldogs will have too much talent on defense (even if it is mostly new and unexperienced talent).
PREDICTION: Georgia 23, Oregon 6

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#23 Cincinnati (0-0) at #19 Arkansas (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
3:30pm ET | Fayetteville, AR | ESPN

This game is fun and I hope we see more like it as we move forward in an ever-changing college football landscape. Home-and-home series between two good programs are beginning to make comebacks (see Penn State-Auburn, Alabama-Texas, and Tennessee-Pittsburgh).

Unfortunately for the Bearcats, this game is at Arkansas and it’s not 2021. Sam Pittman and the Hogs are poised to ruin some opposing teams’ seasons in 2022 and Cincinnati has the honor of being first on the list.
PREDICTION: Arkansas 35, Cincinnati 13

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Troy (0-0) at #21 Ole Miss (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
4:00pm ET | Oxford, MS | SEC Network

Ole Miss will score all the points.
PREDICTION: Ole Miss 63, Troy 17

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#7 Utah (0-0) at Florida (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:00pm ET | Gainesville, FL | ESPN

Florida begins the Billy Napier era with a classic in The Swamp.
PREDICTION: Florida 34, Utah 31

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Miami (OH) (0-0) at #20 Kentucky (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:00pm ET | Lexington, KY | ESPN+/SECN+

Kentucky is good. Not just “they may win a few games this year” good. The Wildcats are a legit football team in 2022. Just don’t tell the hoops coach.
PREDICTION: Kentucky 27, Miami (OH) 7

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Mercer (1-0) at Auburn (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:00pm ET | Auburn, AL | SEC Network

Mercer plays Auburn on the plains Saturday night and the Bears will leave Auburn a .500 team.
PREDICTION: Auburn 44, Mercer 10

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Elon (0-0) at Vanderbilt (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:00pm ET | Nashville, TN | ESPN+/SECN+

Enter jokes about Vanderbilt having the most wins in the SEC after Week 1 here.
PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 49, Elon 16

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Utah State (1-0) at #1 Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:30pm ET | Tuscaloosa, AL | SEC Network

Defense is king again in Tuscaloosa. A trip to Austin for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff against the Texas Longhorns awaits the ‘Tide in Week 2.
PREDICTION: Alabama 52, Utah State 0

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Memphis (0-0) at Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:30pm ET | Starkville, MS | ESPNU

This is always a fun game and Saturday night in Starkville should be no different.
PREDICTION: Mississippi State 34, Memphis 24

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Georgia State (0-0) at South Carolina (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:30pm ET | Columbia, SC | ESPN+/SECN+

Shane Beamer continues to build a good program in Columbia East. Georgia State will keep it interesting until the middle of the third quarter.
PREDICTION: South Carolina 34, Georgia State 17

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Florida State (1-0) at LSU (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:30pm ET | Caesars Superdome | ABC

For those who do not believe Brian Kelly will be successful in Baton Rouge, remember this fact: Les Miles and Ed Orgeron won national championships at LSU.
PREDICTION: LSU 28, Florida State 27