SEC betting preview: The more things change, the more they stay the same?

Since the turn of the millennium, college football has mostly been about dominant teams. Pete Carroll's USC operation, Tim Tebow's Florida squads, Alabama under Nick Saban, and Clemson with either Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence all had a stretch as the hunted. Now, Georgia is that team.

The Bulldogs are the latest SEC program to be considered head and shoulders above the rest of the nation, but does that mean they'll win? Or, more importantly, are they even a good bet to do so?

The theme for the conference at large this season is the changes at the quarterback position. A year ago, Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, and Hendon Hooker were returning to teams with high hopes. They're all in the NFL this season, leaving gaps to fill and relative uncertainty about what to expect.

SEC championship odds

It's not sexy, but you could do worse than betting Georgia to win the SEC East at -450. It's hard to find two losses on the team's schedule.

Florida's name brand puts the program's odds as short as 30-1 to win the East since only Vanderbilt has a lower regular-season win total. The Gators are replacing the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft with Graham Mertz, who couldn't hack it in a run-first setup at Wisconsin.

The West is up for grabs more than ever before as the Crimson Tide aren't SEC favorites for the first time since 2009. However, who's going to make that leap? Texas A&M has been threatening for years but suffered from bad defense and even worse quarterback play last season.

SEC team ratings

Using regular-season win totals and how the strength of the conference affects the schedule, Matt Russell, theScore's lead betting analyst, has estimated how the betting market rates each team on a national level. Using a rating system allows you to project point spreads and track any change in how the market has reacted to recent games.

Odds via theScore Bet

The Bulldogs replace Bennett with Carson Beck, who'll have every opportunity to produce despite the departure of offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Georgia's schedule is relatively easy, but an over ticket on its win total asks the Dawgs to go undefeated. It's hard to make the case they're underrated with a national rating of 97/100 given their defensive losses and Bennett's departure.

Money has come in on Tennessee's under amid concerns about a dip in production for Josh Heupel's offense. Joe Milton is currently looking over his shoulder at top recruit Nico Iamaleava despite his solid showing against Clemson in the Orange Bowl. The Vols need to replicate last year's 10-win season to cash the over, which is a tall task.

Vanderbilt should get its non-conference wins against Hawaii, Alabama A&M, and UNLV, but where's the fourth coming from? The Commodores' best chances come as probable double-digit 'dogs at Wake Forest or home versus Missouri.

Best bets

theScore betting writer Sam Oshtry looked at regular-season win totals earlier this summer. Here are his two best bets:

Let's take a look at some additional wagers worth considering for the SEC this season.

Ole Miss to win SEC East (+2000)
Sept. 23: Ole Miss (+15.5) @ Alabama

Whether incumbent Jaxson Dart, veteran transfer Spencer Sanders, or freshman transfer Walker Howard executes the plays for Ole Miss, it's Lane Kiffin running the show in Oxford. That means big swag and bigger plays. Additionally, the Rebels were the best rushing team in the Power 5 last season.

Kiffin gave Alabama all it could handle last season. If the Tide don't have their offense buttoned up by Sept. 23, getting two touchdowns for Ole Miss would be a sweet deal. Rather than take the moneyline, an outright win would give the Rebels the inside track to Atlanta at a huge price.

Mississippi State: Under 6.5 wins (-160)

The tragic death of Mike Leach left a hole for Mississippi State to fill. Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett takes over, but his defense's production has slipped and the offensive pieces might be ill-fitting.

New offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay has a history of calling a run-heavy offense, yet his personnel is more suited to deploy Leach's "Air Raid." Even with three freebies on the schedule, the Bulldogs might be overvalued in their search for four more victories. If it comes down to needing Ole Miss (projected -1.5) to win the Egg Bowl in the season finale, we're OK with that, too.

Arkansas: Over 6.5 wins (-130)

The Razorbacks are lined at 6.5 with a handful of toss-up games on their schedule: Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida, Auburn, and Missouri. If we're down on at least four of those teams, it'd stand to reason that we should rely on one of the few returning quality quarterbacks - KJ Jefferson - and expect Arkansas to have the season that was expected last year.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.