2015 SEC Expert Picks: Overrated, underrated, predicted order of finish

CBS Sports asked our college football staff to lay it all on the line ahead of the season, calling out each of their most overrated and underrated teams, projecting each division's order of finish and making a bold prediction that will stay with them through the entire 2015 season.

Let's take a look at what they had to say.

Dennis Dodd

Most overrated team: Texas A&M. Kevin Sumlin must figure out the defense, first and foremost. Unless John Chavis can play defensive tackle right away, it's going to take a while.

Most underrated team: Missouri. Again. How do you pick against the two-time defending East division champs?

Bold conference prediction: Alabama will beat Georgia in the final minute of the SEC title game. The implication being that if Bama doesn't, the SEC will be left out of the College Football Playoff.

Jon Solomon

Most overrated team: LSU. Show me that the Tigers have a consistent quarterback and then I'll buy into their preseason top 15 rankings. They could be 1-2 by Week 3 after early games at Mississippi State and home vs. Auburn.

Most underrated team: Texas A&M. If Chavis can turn a bad defense into just an average one, the Aggies have the talent and schedule to compete for the West title. Texas A&M has only three true SEC road games -- Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, LSU -- and faces declining South Carolina as its permanent cross-division opponent.

Bold conference prediction: Alabama will lose two SEC regular-season games for the first time since 2010. The Crimson Tide are loaded on defense, but a tougher rotating cross-division game (at Georgia) will make October a bear with no breathers. Plus, a road trip to Auburn awaits on Nov. 28.

Jerry Palm

Most overrated team: Arkansas. Many are on the Hogs' bandwagon this year. Only having three home conference games is going to keep that bandwagon in the shed one more season.

Most underrated team: Mississippi State. So many people seemingly believe that Dak Prescott is the best quarterback in the league, yet pick the Bulldogs to finish last in the West division. There's no way both of those statements are true.

Bold conference prediction: Every team in the West will spend at least one week in the AP Top 25 during the regular season.

Tom Fornelli

Most overrated team: LSU. I don't think the 2014 season was an outlier. The Tigers' struggles are going to continue into 2015 because most of the problems they had one year ago still exist. I don't think LSU is going to just magically heal itself.

Most underrated team: Missouri. It's always Missouri. The Tigers have won the division the last two years and a lot of pundits have them finishing behind a Tennessee team that hasn't done anything of consequence in a long time.

Bold conference prediction: Nobody is getting out of the SEC with fewer than two losses, but the conference will still receive a playoff bid.

Jerry Hinnen

Most overrated team: LSU. Les Miles had 10 games against Power Five competition in 2015 and won just one -- vs. Kentucky, at home -- by more than six points. The back seven is beastly, and running back Leonard Fournette's a Heisman Trophy candidate-in-waiting, but until the broken passing game is repaired -- and what evidence do we have it will be? -- this isn't an SEC West contender.

Most underrated team: Missouri.The Tigers are replacing their entire starting defensive line after Harold Brantley's unfortunate car crash, and the wide receiver corps is essentially starting over as well. But coach Gary Pinkel had to deal with inexperience in those areas last season, and it didn't bother him much. Missouri won't win the East again, but don't be surprised if it -- and not Tennessee -- is your runner-up.

Bold conference prediction: Georgia will win the league. The West has ruled Atlanta for the last six seasons, but if Brice Ramsey plays anywhere near his potential at quarterback, Mark Richt's Bulldogs have fewer question marks than Alabama, Auburn or any other West contender. And after coming so agonizingly close in 2012, this time Richt and Co. won't let another chance slip through their collective grasp.

Chip Patterson

Most overrated team: LSU. I think the Tigers are a top-30 team thanks to a really strong defense, particularly in the back seven, and one of the most punishing rushing attacks led by Fournette and a stout offensive line. But a top-15 team? No sir. The lack of a persistent pass rush last season concerned me even more than quarterback instability. Until the Tigers reaffirm their place as one of the league’s sack leaders and get their passing attack in gear, I’m going to doubt their place in the polls.

Most underrated team: Texas A&M. The Aggies have Kyle Allen settled in as the starter, the best wide receiving corps in the country and another set of future NFL players on the defensive line. I have no doubt Texas A&M will be one of the best scoring offenses in the SEC; it’s the defense, even with Chavis in the fold, that has me hesitating on the pick. But even with those reservations, I think much higher of this team than its sixth-place predicted order of finish from SEC Media Days.

Bold conference prediction: Georgia wins its first SEC Championship since 2005. With the potential of a rematch against either Alabama or Auburn in the SEC title game, I’ll boldly predict that the Bulldogs are able to avenge an earlier season loss against the SEC West champion in Atlanta for what would likely be the program’s biggest win since D.J. Shockley was under center.

Robby Kalland

Most overrated team: Arkansas. I know the Razorbacks got better in 2015 and the expectation is for that improvement to be linear, but they have to replace five top defenders from last season and I don't think the offense is there yet. We all love the offensive line, but I'm not a big believer in Brandon Allen, and with the loss of Jonathan Williams for the season, I think it could be a bit of a struggle.

Most underrated team: Texas A&M. Is it really possible to be underrated in the SEC? I think folks are too down on Texas A&M this year. Everyone ejected on the Aggies after they let us down following so much early hype from dominating South Carolina on the road and people seem afraid to buy in to Sumlin's bunch after getting burned last year. I like Kyle Allen and they have loads of talent around him at receiver. If Chavis can make that defense work around Myles Garrett, they have as good a schedule as one can have in the SEC West (Alabama and Auburn at home) and could make a little noise.

Bold conference prediction: Georgia running back Nick Chubb will become the first player in SEC history to rush for 2,000 yards. Chubb rushed for 1,547 yards last year on just 219 carries after not taking over as the starter until the sixth game of the season. He's a workhorse back on a team with quarterback and wide receiver questions as well as a great run-blocking offensive line. Chubb's going to get more than 300 carries this season and will likely have 14 games to do it including the conference championship game and bowl game. Those factors seem to set him up to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark for the first time in conference history.