Alabama enters the 2022 college football season highly motivated after losing to Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Can Bryce Young and Tide regain the throne?

Georgia and Kirby Smart finally slayed the dragon. The dragon, of course, was Alabama and Nick Saban, as the Bulldogs claimed their first national title since 1980 by defeating their SEC rivals in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

So, the question for Georgia is, now what? Can it repeat despite losing virtually every key piece to a historically good defense? Or do the Bulldogs turn back into a pumpkin as betting favorite Alabama attempts to reclaim its throne atop the SEC with arguably the best players on either side of the ball in college football?

Here’s our 2022 SEC college football betting preview.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 28, 2022.

Favorites to win the SEC in 2022

Alabama (-145)

Bama haters look away.

It's hard to believe that a team that won 13 games, defeated Georgia in the SEC Championship, and was probably a Jameson Williams injury away from winning yet another national title has a chip on its shoulder, but here we are with Alabama in 2022.

The Crimson Tide have the best offensive player in the country in quarterback (and reigning Heisman Trophy winner) Bryce Young, and the best defensive player in the country in edge rusher Will Anderson. They also feature one of the deepest rosters in the best conference in college football. 

The offense must replace wide outs Jameson Williams, John Metchie III, and running back Brian Robinson, but Nick Saban did what Nick Saban does and restocked the cupboard quickly. The Tide poached wideout Jermaine Burton from rival Georgia and brought in running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who's in line for a big season, from Georgia Tech.

The scariest part about Bama in 2022? Nick Saban really likes this team, calling them a “fun group to coach.” It would be a shock to not see Alabama in the SEC Championship, at the very least.