Media Predicts Gamecocks to Finish 4th in East

Jul 16, 2015 6:24 PM EDT

HOOVER, AL (USC SID) — The competiveness of the Southeastern Conference was showcased in the annual media voting at SEC Media Days, as for the first time in the 23-year history in the poll, media were divided on divisional champion and overall SEC Champion. By a narrow margin, the Auburn Tigers were picked by media in attendance to capture the 2015 SEC Championship. Auburn received 96 SEC Championship votes, while the Alabama Crimson Tide was close behind with 80. The Georgia Bulldogs were third with 28 votes. Alabama, however, was picked to win the SEC Western Division with 1,405 total points, while Auburn was second with 1,362. Alabama received 92 first-place votes in the West, while Auburn collected 108. The Crimson Tide won the Western Division vote due to receiving just three votes for fourth place or lower in the Western Division, while Auburn received 26 such votes. Points were awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Georgia was selected to win the SEC Eastern Division with 1,498 points, including 166 first-place votes. Tennessee was second with 1,231 points and 36 votes to win the division, while Missouri was third with 1,196 total points. The two-time defending East representative in the SEC Championship game also received 20 votes to win a third consecutive division title. Five times since 1992 the SEC Media Days predicted champion has proceeded to win the SEC Championship, including Alabama last season. The preseason All-SEC Team will be announced on Friday. WESTERN DIVISION (1st Place votes in parenthesis) School Points Alabama (92) 1405 Auburn (108) 1362 LSU (10) 870 Arkansas (6) 821 Ole Miss (3) 732 Texas A&M (4) 628 Mississippi State (2) 482 EASTERN DIVISION (1st Place votes in parenthesis) School Points Georgia (166) 1498 Tennessee (36) 1231 Missouri (20) 1196 South Carolina (1) 830 Florida (1) 768 Kentucky (1) 534 Vanderbilt 243 SEC CHAMPION School Points Auburn 96 Alabama 80 Georgia 28 LSU 9 Ole Miss 3 Arkansas 3 Texas A&M 2 Tennessee 2 Mississippi State 1 Florida 1