CBS Sports Unveils SEC Expert Picks For 2026

The college football crew over at CBS Sports unveiled "bold predictions" for the SEC in 2026, as well as the league's projected order of finish.

Brad Crawford and Chip Patterson picked LSU as their "Most underrated team" for 2026:

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Most Underrated Team:

LSU: This a team with a roster closer to the top five than where the Tigers landed in the preseason AP Poll at No. 11. LSU's three toughest games come in Baton Rouge — Texas, Alabama and Texas A&M — and the Tigers should be better up front than all but one opponent they'll play during the regular season. How quickly Lane Kiffin unlocks Sam Leavitt's heightened potential determines this team's ceiling, along with ensuring a rebuilt defense through the transfer portal goes high octane. LSU will be one of three SEC teams in the CFP. Book it.

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Brandon Marcello predicts that LSU will lose to Ole Miss in Oxford but will finish the season better off than the Rebels and make the playoffs.

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Bold Predictions:

Brandon Marcello: Ole Miss will beat LSU in the Lane Kiffin Bowl, but the Tigers will improve as the Rebels regress in October and November. The Bayou Bengals leapfrog the Rebels in the SEC standings, pushing LSU into the CFP and Ole Miss out of the picture. The SEC lands four teams in the CFP and quickly finds out that a nine-game conference schedule hinders its prospects in a 12-team CFP. The deepest conference in the country will be tougher than ever for the middle-of-the-pack teams.

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As for the predicted order of finish, Tom Fornelli has LSU finishing 2nd behind Georgia. His prediction is the highest.

Brad Crawford and Chip Patterson have the Tigers finishing 3rd; Brandon Marcello and John Talty have them finishing 4th; and Richard Johnson predicts LSU to finish 5th.