WhatIfSports 2015 SEC Football Projected Standings

Which team will be crowned SEC champions? WhatIfSports.com played every game of the 2015 season 101 times to generate game-by-game predictions for each SEC team, as well as projected conference standings.

All games were played using WhatIfSports' college football simulation engine, which uses its highly sophisticated algorithms to simulate every play of the game. The conference standings table displays the most likely outcome for each team, whereas the team-by-team schedules display absolute records. 

The SEC has fallen on hard times.

Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but after seven consecutive BCS national championships from 2006 through 2012, the conference is "suffering" through a two-year drought. In 2013, Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles knocked off Auburn in the BCS Championship. Last season, Alabama entered the College Football Playoff as the highest-ranked team but fell to eventual champ Ohio State.

Will the SEC retake its place atop the college football world in 2015? Perhaps, but first the conference has to sort through a field of strong contenders to determine which school will carry the flag.

Leading the charge is perennial powerhouse Alabama. The Crimson Tide will have to work in a new quarterback and replace some incredible offensive weapons in Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon, but the cupboard is far from bare. Bruce Feldman likes ‘Bama’s chances to repeat:

"Having seen the Tide up close this spring, I came away convinced Nick Saban’s got more quality big -- make that huge -- guys than anybody has had in college football in years. They’re 10-deep on the D-line and will have a much improved O-line. ’Bama should be able to better people with the rushing combo of bruising Derrick Henry and change-of-pace back Kenyan Drake. I also think their corner play, which has been an issue the past few seasons should improve some."

Several challengers could emerge in the SEC West. WhatIfSports.com predicts Auburn to match Alabama in wins, with Ole Miss and Texas A&M close behind. Stewart Mandel believes this could be the Aggies’ year, going so far as to pick the team to win the SEC. With Kyle Allen established at quarterback and a new defensive coordinator in John Chavis, Texas A&M has the talent, but Mandel considers an advantageous schedule to factor strongly as well:

"In an SEC West race that figures to be insanely competitive, A&M's schedule sets up more favorably than any other contender. With Arkansas a neutral-site game (in Arlington, Texas), A&M plays just three conference road games -- and one of those is Vanderbilt. It has a bye week before hosting Alabama (whereas the Tide will play physical Arkansas a week earlier) and also hosts Auburn."

In the SEC East, both WhatIfSports.com and Feldman are taking Georgia, while Mandel’s pick is Tennessee:

"I'm not buying Tennessee as much as some, but I still see the Vols winning a mediocre East. Georgia and Tennessee both play Alabama as a crossover foe, but the Dawgs also have to visit Auburn while Tennessee hosts Arkansas."

To view a team's game-by-game predictions, select the school below: