ESPN: VOLS best value bet in the nation to win the SEC

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SEC

Vegas favorite: Alabama Crimson Tide (13-5 odds)
FPI favorite: Georgia Bulldogs (25 percent chance to win)
Value bet: Tennessee Volunteers(11-1 odds, 13 percent by FPI)

CG Technology pins Alabama (13-5) as the favorite to win the SEC, but FPI projects that Georgia has the best chance to win the conference. The main reason that FPI favors Georgia is its schedule; Alabama is projected to play the toughest schedule in the nation and has to deal with a loaded SEC West, while Georgia has a fairly manageable path to the SEC championship game through the SEC East.

For this same reason, Tennessee is the best value bet in the nation. The Vols currently have the seventh-best odds to win the SEC, but FPI projects that they have the third-best chance (and a higher chance than Alabama) to win the conference. A $100 bet on Tennessee would result in an expected return of $74, based on the current Vegas and FPI odds, best of any Power 5 team.

The Vols return an SEC-high 18 starters to a team that improved in all three phases of the game last season. They have signed consecutive top-five recruiting classes, so they have the talent on their roster to compete. Add in the fact that as a member of the SEC East, Tennessee has fewer teams to contend with for a division title, and the Vols may be the best "sleeper" in the country entering the season.

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