With the season now less than a month away, it’s time to begin the SEC Power Rankings. There have been quite a few changes in the SEC this year thanks to the transfer portal— not to mention the coaching ranks— but the biggest one is the move to nine conference games.
That may seem small, but it emphasizes the importance of depth around the league more than ever. Teams have already been battered and bruised by season’s end thanks to the physicality of the SEC week in and week out, and adding one more such contest will mean that it’s not just your top line, but the quality and experience of the twos and threes that matter.
That in mind, let’s jump in and see where things shake out here in the preseason for the nation’s premier college football conference.
Preseason SEC Power Rankings: Roster depth puts last year’s success stories back up top
16: Arkansas
Well, someone has to be down at the bottom. The Hogs’ hire of Ryan Silverfield was a bit of a head-scratcher around the league, but we’ll see if he can take them to the heights that Sam Pittman was unable to do— though it will be tough with a brand-new quarterback and concerning depth at many spots on the field.
15: Vanderbilt
It’s hard to say whether Clark Lea has earned the benefit of the doubt, or if that went out the door with Diego Pavia and Eli Stowers. The addition of five-star QB Jared Curtis will help, but the smashmouth style that the ‘Dores have run over the past two years won’t be nearly as effective without those two players. I’m not bullish on their chances to get back to bowl eligibility this year.
14: Kentucky
Will Stein has brought in some really interesting pieces through the transfer portal, including guys like Kenny Minchey, Bo Barnes, and Lance Heard, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to lift them out of the mire they’ve been in over the last few years. As will be a theme this season, depth is key; with 9 SEC games now on the schedule, you have to have more than an elite top line on your depth chart, which is why the ‘Cats are so low here.
13: Mississippi State
Another offseason where the Bulldogs have lost a lot of their key contributors has come and gone, but belief still continues to grow in Starkville. Jeff Lebby’s squad will be a very interesting one to watch this year, but as of right now, they are down near the bottom of the rankings.
12: Auburn
Alex Golesh may end up being the right hire for the Tigers, but it’s going to be a real battle for him in his first year. Byrum Brown has been okay at USF, but there’s not a lot of assuredness around the league that he can adjust well to this level of competition. I’ll believe it when I see it from the Tigers this season.
11: Florida
Jon Sumrall looks like he may be a home-run hire, but like Golesh, he’ll have an uphill battle in his first season. The defense has a chance to be elite, so if the offense for the Gators can get going, they can upset some teams this season. Watch their visit to Austin, right in between the Longhorns’ Red River Rivalry game and their showdown with Ole Miss.
10: South Carolina
It’s seemed like every other year has been a success for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks, and with LaNorris Sellers, Dylan Stewart, and Nyck Harbor all running it back, he had better deliver this year. The Gamecocks are a dark horse playoff contender, but with how they ended last year, they’ll have to prove it before they move up in these rankings.
9: Missouri
Eli Drinkwitz has worked some magic up in CoMo, which has earned him a lot of goodwill around the country— see their no. 25 preseason ranking in the Coaches Poll. But it’s going to be tough to get above 8 wins for the Tigers this year given who they play unless Drink has something magical up his sleeve— which he might just.
8: Tennessee
How will the Vols do this year after a tumultuous offseason? Will Faizon Brandon seize the reins, or will it be George MacIntyre? The Vols have never really been bad under Heupel, but there are still a lot of questions that they need to answer before they can rise any higher— one thing that is almost certain, however, is that they will have two of the best receivers in the league in Mike Matthews and Tristen Keys.
7: LSU
The Tigers under Lane Kiffin are already divisive without even having played a snap. He’s had some transfer hauls really gel pretty quickly at Ole Miss, but the craziness of this past offseason dwarfs anything he’s faced yet— can they get going early, facing a tough schedule, or will things take a while to come together?
6: Texas
The top line for Texas can compete with anyone in the country (save maybe Ohio State), but the Longhorns have made a conscious choice to sacrifice depth here. That will cap their ceiling pretty low until and unless they make it to the end of the season sans major losses to injury or a drop off in their level of play. 9-3 is once again on the table for the regular season with this schedule— or even worse.
5: Alabama
The Tide may have an issue when it comes to recruiting for this upcoming cycle, but the current roster is still elite. The big question is at quarterback in Tuscaloosa, but that has been Kalen DeBoer’s specialty for quite some time— we’ll see what magic he can work.
4: Oklahoma
Brent Venables will most likely have the best defense in the league once again— Georgia and Texas A&M will have something to say about that, but most look to Norman here. John Mateer could be much-improved now that he’s recovered from his hand injury, but it’s the decision-making that is most in question. OT Michael Fasusi may be the best offensive lineman in the country by season’s end, as well— that’s something to watch closely here.
3: Texas A&M
The Aggies don’t have the names that jump off of the page at you like some of the other teams on this list, but they are deeper than ever under Elko— if they can keep up the level of play on the offensive line that they had last season, they’ll be back in the playoff. The final few games of the year are brutal, but this is a roster built for a gauntlet like that.
2: Ole Miss
Ole Miss boasts the best quarterback in the league— to me, a race that’s not very close— so that’s what is buoying them here. However, there are still quite a few questions with all of the turnover from last year. Right now, they have the benefit of the doubt.
1: Georgia
Georgia is going to be number one until someone unseats them. This is the most elite roster in the league from top to bottom, and they have a much easier path than has been the case over the last few years. The Bulldogs are favorites to make it back to Atlanta for good reason.
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