Dan Mullen Releases His Official Predictions For The SEC In 2024

Former SEC head coach Dan Mullen is welcoming Texas to the conference with open arms.

The former Florida and Mississippi State coach predicted the SEC's 2024 order of finish on Thursday. At No. 1, Mullen placed Texas, entering its first season as an SEC member.

The Longhorns return quarterback Quinn Ewers but must replace wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell, tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and running back Jonathon Brooks. They moved on to the NFL, and Texas also lost running backs CJ Baxter and freshman Christian Clark for the season due to injuries.

Last year, Texas reached the College Football Playoff semifinals, losing 37-31 to Washington in the Sugar Bowl.

Mullen ranked Georgia second. Per ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) , the Bulldogs have a 32.8 percent odds of winning the SEC, which is the best in the conference.

Missouri rounded out Mullen's top three.

Missouri has a favorable schedule, with only three games against Associated Press preseason top 25 teams and a cupcake out-of-conference schedule that includes games against Murray State (Aug. 29), Buffalo (Sept. 7), Boston College (Sept. 14) and UMass (Oct. 12).

Mullen didn't show any love to his former employers. He predicted Florida would finish 12th, a troubling sign for third-year head coach Billy Napier, who is seeking his first winning season in Gainesville.

ESPN's FPI says the Gators have the country's toughest schedule, which culminates in a five-game November gauntlet: vs. No. 1 Georgia in Jacksonville, at No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 13 LSU, vs. No. 6 Ole Miss and at No. 10 Florida State.

He's even less optimistic about Mississippi State. Mullen ranked head coach Jeff Lebby's first Bulldogs team second-to-last at No. 15.

Former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen is expected to start after Will Rogers, the program's starter from 2020-23, transfers to Washington.

Last season, Shapen appeared in eight games for the Bears and was 184-of-298 (61.7 percent) for 2,188 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Mullen coached Mississippi State from 2009-17. The ESPN college football analyst then spent four seasons at Florida (2018-21). In his 13 seasons as an SEC head coach, Mullen posted a 103-61 record.