My preview for the best conference in college football:
With 9 teams that could contend for playoff spots, this is the deepest conference in college football. Unlike last year, this year’s version of the SEC has several national championship contenders with 4/7 of my contenders coming from this conference. The SEC is back and better than ever.
Alabama
Conference Rank: 2
Record Projection: 11-2 (7-1)
Impact Opponents: at UGA, vs LSU, vs OU
Alabama might be the most slept on team in the country.. by the media. Most computer power rankings really like Bama, and see the value in Alabama’s returning production. Not just returning production, but returning star production. There are 10 players on this roster that I believe have All-American potential. Yeah. They have a top 5 Oline, a top 5 Dline, the best LB corps, a top 10 secondary, and a top 10 WR corps. The RBs are solid, but not great compared to previous Bama RB groups. A lot of the success here will lay on Ty Simpson. Milroe was what doomed Bama in all of their losses last year (except Vandy, that was mostly because of the defense). If Bama has someone consistent QB play, they will be able to avoid offensive meltdowns like against Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Michigan (in the 1st quarter). The schedule is about the same as last year. They get Vandy, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma at home while they must play Georgia, Mizzou, South Carolina, and Auburn on the road. I think Bama will be much more consistent this year and possibly have the best defense in the country, so I really only see them getting 1 loss, 2 at the absolute most before reaching the SEC Championship. Since Bama has completely owned Georgia for years, the two teams that concern me the most are South Carolina and Auburn. SC has the best QB in the country, and almost won in Bryant-Denny last year. Auburn gets to play in Jordan Hare, so something crazy is gonna happen. Bama is a championship contender, but in order to make it far in the playoffs, Simpson needs to be everything that Jalen Milroe couldn’t be. Consistent.
Arkansas
Conference Rank: 13
Record Projection: 6-6 (3-5)
Impact Opponents: vs ND, at LSU, at TEX
Arkansas is oozing with potential, but as much as I wanted to say they would get a winning record this year, I just couldn’t. There just isn’t enough on this roster to compensate for such a difficult schedule. Taylen Green is a stud at QB. He kinda seems like a better, faster version of KJ Jefferson. A second year under Bobby Petrino will probably lead to improvement on offense despite losing a lot of skill players, and the defense will be solid, but that just isn’t enough. There are 9 losable games on this schedule, possibly 10, and they need to be on their A game every single week. Luckily for them, they get their 4 easiest SEC games at home, so those are there real oppurtunities to shine against TAMU, Auburn, MSST, and Mizzou. Sam Pittman is in trouble, and unfortunately this could be end for him unless they kill it at home.
Auburn
Conference Rank: 11
Record Projection: 7-5 (3-5)
Impact Opponents: at OU, vs UGA, vs BAMA
Auburn was extremely dissapointing this year, and Hugh Freeze is running out of excuses. They need to have something respectable here to really show progress. The defense looks like it could be very good especially with DE Keldric Faulk coming back. The defense hasn’t been the problem fo Auburn though. The offense needs to be better. They have possibly the top WR duo in the country with Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton, and the O-line should be the best it has been in years. RB usually isn’t a problem for Auburn, but I would be at least a little worried after losing Jarquez Hunter and having very little experience replacing him. QB has been the main problem over the years. They really haven’t had a conistently good QB since Jaret Stidham. Jackson Arnold showed flashed at Oklahoma a year ago, and he has a better supporting cast this year, but can he bring the consistency that have ;acked for years? We’ll see. I could see Auburn getting as many as 9 wins this year, but the schedule is brutal as usual since they have to play Alabama and Georgia every year. An improved Oklahoma and TAMU will be difficult road tests to start SEC play as well. Week 1 at Baylor should be able to tell us something about the trajectory of this team, and if they start with a loss, things could get real bad, real quick.
Florida
Conference Rank: 5
Record Projection: 9-3 (5-3)
Impact Opponents: at LSU, vs TEX, vs UGA
Billy Napier saved his job last year, and finally UF has expectation thsi this year. DJ Lagway is one of the best QBs in the country, and Florida was 6-1 as a starter last year. That one loss was a to Georgia in a game where Florida was winning when he got injured and had to leave. Florida should have been 7-0 when he was the starter, and they almost beat Tennessee when he had to come in for Mertz! They were borderline unstoppable with Lagway on the field! His supproting cast is fantastic as well. Jadan Baugh is pne of the most underrated young backs in the SEC, and the WRs are promising with the return of Eugene Wilson and true freshman Dallas Wilson. The O-line is quietely one of the best in the SEC, and the same goes for the D-line. The LBs are very good and the secondary is among the nation’s best. They are stacked from top to bottom. So what is stopping them? The schedule. They must play against my number 1, 6, 7, 14, 16, and 20 teams in my rankings as well as a rivalry game against Florida State that could be tough. A 9-3 record should be good enough to make the playoffs given the schedule, but it would be a grind to get there, especially for a coach that is still very much unproven.
Georgia
Conference Rank: 4
Record Projection: 9-3 (5-3)
Impact Opponents: vs BAMA, vs UF, vs TEX
Georgia is being hyped as a championship contender yet again after the worst season since 2020. There is only one reason why I don’t completely disagree. Kirby Smart. When you have the undisupted best coach in all of college football, it’s is hard to dismiss them as championship contenders. So what is there to like about this team? The secondary has multiple players I can see as All Americans (Daylen Everette and KJ Bolden), and the front 7 has two players o that caliber as well (Christen Miller and CJ Allen). This defense definitely had some holes last year, and this year’s unit won’t be much better if at all. Still a top 10 or so unit, but not elite like it was when they were winning championships. The defense is where the positivity stops. The offense was not very good last year, and this year’s version looks like it may possibly take a step back. Carson Beck definitely didn’t have his best year ever, but he still at times looked elite. I don’t see Gunner Stockton reaching the heights Beck did, but at least he is more athletic, so he should help the running game. They attacked WR in the portal, but Zacharaiah Branch was the top guy they got and he was just the no. 3 guy for USC last year. He is electric, and they’ll probably find some creative ways of using him, but he really isn’t a true no. 1 guy. Noah Thomas and Colbie Young don’t really strike me as no. 1 guys for a team that is trying to win a championship either. Oscar Delp is a good TE, but he will bever be near as good as Brock Bowers was. There is one WR that could be their saving grace. Dillon Bell. This guy showed so much potential last year, and if he takes the next step (maybe next two steps) he could be a true no. 1 and save Georgia’s passing game. If he doesn’t pan out, Georgia will really have to rely on their running game, which they weren’t able to do reliably last year. Nate Frazier had flashes as a freshman, and I expect him to be even better this year, but this might not matter because of possibly the team’s biggest weakness… The O-line. They were worse than usual last year, and now lose 3 NFL guys from a group that was below the usual Georgia standard. The running game wasn’t good last year, and now they expect to be better with a worse O-line? I don’t think so. That’s a lot of negative. It really doesn’t sound like I think Georgia is championship material, huh? Well, uh, I still think they can do it. Kirby Smart is a mastermind, and I bet he could figure out something, I just don’t think it is a sure thing like in the past.
Kentucky
Conference Rank: 15
Record Projection: 3-9 (0-8)
Impact Opponents: at UGA, vs TEX, vs UF
Zach Calzada. Is that the guy that can really get Kentucky back to winning 8-10 games a season? Heck no. That dude has had his chances in the SEC, and the dude just isn’t very good (unless he plays against Alabama, then he looks like young Tom Brady). So their QB will be one of, if not the worst in the SEC. Hmmm. Well, RB looks pretty good with Jamarion Wilcox coming back, and Dante Dowdle is a nice transfer. Kendrick Law was a good get at WR, though losing Dane Key and Barion Brown is a net negative. The O-line should be marginally better I guess. So the offense will mainly depend on an above average but not stellar run game to carry a mostly terrible passing game. Sounds familiar. The defense should be pretty good though. The secondary will defintely be the strength of the team. Sounds like Kentucky alright. If this team was in any other conference, just being Kentucky would be enough to get a winning record probably, but in the SEC just being Kentucky isn’t enough. They honestly only have one game that I really see them having a shot at winning in conference play, and that is at Vanderbilt, but even then that might be a stretch. Maybe they will surprise with an upset win like they had against Ole Miss last year. Their formula (being good at defense and slowing it down on offense) seems to work pretty well against top teams as they kept things close with Georgia and Tennessee as well last year, but now they don’t even have any big play WRs. Mark Stoops is luck he signed that extenstion, or else his seat would be getting pretty warm right now.
LSU
Conference Rank: 3
Record Projection: 10-2 (6-2)
Impact Opponents: at CLEM, vs UF, at BAMA
I’m buying into the LSU hype this year. They are championship contenders. Garrett Nussmeier is not elite, but he is good enough for LSU to reach their goals. The receiving corps is loaded with guys like Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown (I am really excited to see what he can do with a real QB). RB is in good hands with Caden Durham, who they hope will take the next step and be like more like a Clyde Edwards-Helaire and less of a Nick Brosette. The defense needs to take the next step and be the dominant force that it had been before 2020. The LB unit is one of the best in the nation with the return of Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins, but the D-line and secondary to need to pick up some slack. They have been good, but they need to be great, and I think they have the potential to be that, but we’ll have to wait and see. The O-line is the biggest question mark for me after losing two NFL OTs, so they will almost defintely take a step back in that regard. Despite some of those losses, they should still be good enough everywhere else to compensate, and they should be at the very least close in every game they play. The schedule is difficult. They must play at Clemson in week 1 and then play Florida shortly after in week 3. That’s two top 10 teams in the first 3 weeks! The must also play on the road at Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma, while they get South Carolina and Texas A&M at home. The schedule is unforgiving, but they should be able to get out of it with a 10-2 record if the defense progresses. (This schedule includes numbers 2, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14 in my rankings… Wow).
Mississippi
Conference Rank: 8
Record Projection: 8-4 (4-4)
Impact Opponents: vs LSU, at UGA, vs UF
They went all in last year, and if they would have sealed the deal in one of their 3 really close losses, they would of made the playoffs. Honestly, they still probably should have made the playoffs. They still have plenty talent, but it looks a lot different. QB Austin Simmons has all of the potential in the world to be a really good QB, just like Jaxson Dart and Matt Corrall before him, but how long will it take him to get to that level? The RBs should be pretty good, but a step down from last year. The WRs should actually be really good with Cayden Lee and De’Zhaun Stribling, but it is hard to top what they had last year. The line should be pretty good, but nothing spectacular. The defense may be stronger than the offense, especially with the return of one of the best edge rushers in the country (Suntarine Perkins). The rest of the D is basically just transfers, but they are good ones. With basically a brand new team this year, you can expect a drop off for sure, but they will still be very good. They have talent, some of it is elite. Lane Kiffin is a good coach, and he knows how to get the most out of the transfers he brings in, something that not every coach can do. The schedule is actually pretty easy for an SEC team. The non conference is schedule and they get LSU, South Carolina, and Florida at home. They could make the playoffs, but they can really only do that if Austin Simmons has a huge year.
Mississippi State
Conference Rank: 16
Record Projection: 4-8 (1-7)
Impact Opponents: at UF, vs TEX, vs UGA
They were absolute dog water a year ago, and an embarrasment to the SEC. The schedule really didn’t get any easier except for that now they get Arizona State at home. They have some decent players here. QB Blake Shapen should be good at QB and Davon Booth is a solid back. The defense seems to be improved at all three levels as well. They can’t really get any worse than they were last year. You may be wondering why I have them getting a conference win. That is because of the way I predict my records. I predict every game of the year and then change things around to get records that sound about right. Ole Miss needed to have another loss, and I figured it was more likely that they would lose to MSST than Kentucky because it’s a rivalry game. That’s really the only reason, but also it is pretty rare for a team to go two straight seasons without a conference win.
Missouri
Conference Rank: 12
Record Projection: 7-5 (3-5)
Impact Opponents: vs SC, vs BAMA, at OU
It’s time for Mizzou to come back to Earth a little bit this season. While they yet again have the easiest SEC schedule, they just don’t have the juice to mow over it again. The receivers just aren’t nearly as good after losing Luther Burden and Theo Wease. Ahmad Hardy was a good get at RB though, and their running game could be improved with an O-line that should still be pretty good. QB is interetsing. Brady Cook left some pretty big shoes to fill, but Beau Pribula might be ready to fill’em. He looked good in limited action at Penn State last year, and he brings an extra threat of the running game that Cook didn’t have. Should be interesting. The defense should be the stronger side. They are solid all around, especially at LB. Missouri doesn’t have some of the offensive firepower that they were able to utilize the last few years, and that will definitely bite them this year. With all that said, the defense should be good enough to carry them to a winning record as they only have 5 ranked teams to deal with (3 of those games are at home).
Oklahoma
Conference Rank: 6
Record Projection: 9-3 (5-3)
Impact Opponents: vs TEX, at BAMA, vs LSU
Oklahoma should be the most improved team in the country. They got two of the best transefers in the entire cycle. QB John Mateer and RB Jadyn Ott. Those were there two biggest positions of need, and they got really the best transfers they could have gotten at both spots. The WRs are not the best in the SEC, but they are still quite good. Due to all of the injury problems they had last year, they now have a lot of experience returing on the O-line with 111 combined starts. They lose their leader on defense (Danny Stutsman), but Brent Venables should still have this group ready to go. With Ben Arbuckle at OC, the offense should not just be improved, but have the potential to be a top 20 unit in the country. The defense should be in the top 10 with all of talent and great coaching they have on hand. The schedule is tough, but that’s a given in the SEC. They must play my top 3 teams in the conference in Texas, Alabama (road), and LSU.
South Carolina
Conference Rank: 7
Record Projection: 8-4 (5-3)
Impact Opponents: at LSU, vs BAMA, vs CLEM
Earlier this offseason, I was ready to say South Carolina would be a championship contender this year. Well, uh, that was a little hasty of me. They won’t be quite that good, but they should still contend for the playoffs after such a great end to last year. LaNorris Sellers is my 1st Team All-American pick, and he should be one of the top Heisman contenders. The WRs seem to be improved from last year, the RBs should still be pretty good, and O-line is good. With the offense looking stronger, it is unfortunate that the defense will probably take a step back after being so good last year. They still return Dylan Stewart and Jalon Kilgore though. Jayr Johnson and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy have plenty of potential as well, but it just isn’t the same. So, the offense is better and the defense is worse. That means they’ll probably be around as good as they were at the end of last year, so they will be on the fring of the playoff, and with how hard their schedule is, if they get 9 wins they could make the playoffs.
Tennessee
Conference Rank: 10
Record Projection: 8-4 (4-4)
Impact Opponents: vs UGA, at BAMA, at UF
Losing Nico is a huge hit. He had an up and down season, but I think he has what it takes to be a star QB, and now they don’t have that. Joey Aguilar should be OK, but he is defintely more of a Joe Milton than a Hendon Hooker. They lost basically all of their WRs and their rop RB. They don’t have a single guy coming back who had 30+ receptions last year! The O-line has lost a lot of experience as well. This may be the biggest test of Josh Heupel’s career offensively. He all of these guys to be ready to go with almost no experience. The defense is defintely in better shape, but they lost a lot of their contributors on the D-line including James Pearce. The secondary should be the strength of the team, but I’d even be wary there because of recent developments with Boo Carter. Jermod McCoy should be one of the nation’s best CBs though, and the defense should be very good as a whole, but I’m not sure if they will be as good as they were last year. The team seems like they will just be a watered down version of last year’s team, and the offense is extremely young. This is defintely a semi-rebuild year, but the defense should be able to win them some games.
Texas
Conference Rank: 1
Record Projection: 12-1 (7-1)
Impact Opponents: at OSU, at UF, at UGA
With a top 5 offense and a top 5 defense, Texas should be the best team in the country. The D-line will be one of the nation’s best as always. The return of Colin Simmons and Trey Moore is especially exciting. The LB corps might be the best in the country (except for maybe Alabama and LSU) and Anthony Hill is probably the best individual LB. The secondary won’t be quite as good as last year, but they are still among the top in the country with Malik Muhammad and Michael Taaffe coming back. Looking at the offense, they don’t have much coming back, but they should still extremely good with Sarkisian calling the plays. I expect QB Arch Manning to be a top 10 player at his position and one of the top Heisman candidates. The WRs are less experienced than last year, but they still have Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore, and a lot of promising young talent along with a quality transfer TE from Cal. The RBs are the strength of the offense. Not only does surprise no. 1 RB Quintrevion Wisner come back, but they also return CJ Baxter (who was supposed to start last year before getting injured) and Jerrick Gibson. The O-line is the only group on the whole team that I am not very confiedent about. They lost 4 starters on what was a fantastic unit, and they could have some growing pains. Lucky for them, Ohio State has an inexperienced D-line in week 1, so it might even out. The schedule is much more difficult than last year. They must play Ohio State, Georgia, and an improved Florida on the road, as well as improved Oklahoma and Texas A&M teams at a neutral site and at home respectively. That is a tough task, but I think Texas will be so good that it won’t matter.
Texas A&M
Conference Rank: 9
Record Projection: 8-4 (4-4)
Impact Opponents: at ND, at LSU, at TEX
A&M has a had a lot of hype over the years, but it seems to have died down, despite this probably being their best team since 2020. It all starts with one of the best O-lines that returns 156 career starts. They will be paving the way for a RB that is often slept on, Le’Veon Moss. He is very good, but has had to deal with injuries all during his career. If he stays healthy, this RB room is dangerous with Reuben Owens and Amri Daniels coming back as well. They have some young talent at WR to go along with NCST transfer Kevin Concepcion. QB isn’t the best, but Marcel Reed flashed stardom last year. He is maybe the best running QB in the SEC, but he needs to be more consistent in his passing. The defense should be one of the best in the conference as always. The D-line is solid, but they are really great in the back 7. The LBs are fantastic with the return of Scooby Williams and Taurean York. The secondary is very good because of their great depth and experience. They have 9 DBs with starting experience. The schedule is where things start looking bleak. They must play at Notre Dame, LSU, and Texas while they get South Carolina, Florida, and Auburn at home. Two road trips against Missouri and Arkansas may prove difficult as well. Their running game and defense are playoff caliber, but I’m gonna have to wait and see on their passing game that doesn’t have much experience at WR and has yet to reach great consistency at QB.
Vanderbilt
Conference Rank: 14
Record Projection: 6-6 (2-6)
Impact Opponents: at BAMA, vs LSU, at TEX
Vanderbilt had one of their best seasons in school history last year (which isn’t really saying much), and they return basically all of their main contributors. The problem now for Vandy, is that they won’t be sneaking up on anyone. Everyone knows now that you can’t take Vandy lightly, and, honestly, they were pretty lucky at times last year. The schedule gets a little more difficult this year, but as the staff and roster stay intact, they should be able to make a bowl game. They have to win the swing games though. At Virginia Tech, and home versus Missouri, Auburn, and Kentucky should all be winnable, but losses in two or more of these games could be brutal.
SEC Championship Preview
There are 4 teams inparticular that I see being in contention to win the SEC. Texas, Alabama, LSU, and Georgia. Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M are all really good, but I don’t think any of them are ready to take that championship level step. These 4 teams are the most talented, and the most familiar with championship level football in the recent past. I think Texas is the best top to bottom, slightly better than Alabama, LSU, and Georgia, and really the main thing that seperates them from the rest is the run game. Bama, LSU, and UGA have all had trouble running the ball the last couple years, and Texas could have one of the best run games in the country while being just as good in every other area.
Texas will beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
All SEC Team
Offense
QB: LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)
RB: Le’Veon Moss (Texas A&M)
RB: Jaydn Ott (Oklahoma)
WR: Ryan Willimas (Alabama)
WR: Cam Coleman (Auburn)
WR: Aaron Anderson (LSU)
TE: Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt)
OT: Kadyn Proctor (Alabama)
OT: Austin Barber (Florida)
OG: Jaeden Roberts (Alabama)
OG: Cayden Green (Missouri)
C: Parker Brailsford (Alabama)
Defense
DT: Tim Keenan (Alabama)
DT: Caleb Banks (Florida)
EDGE: Dylan Stewart (South Carolina)
EDGE: Colin Simmons (Texas)
LB: Anthony Hill (Texas)
LB: Deontae Lawson (Alabama)
LB: Whit Weeks (LSU)
CB: Daylen Everette (Georgia)
CB: Jermod McCoy (Tennessee)
S: Michael Taafe (Texas)
S: KJ Bolden (Georgia)
Special Teams
K: Lucas Carneiro (Ole Miss)
P: Brett Thorson (Georgia)
KR: Barion Brown (LSU)
PR: Zachariah Branch (Georgia)
Conference Rankings
- Texas Longhorns 12-1 (7-1)
- Alabama Crimson Tide 11-2 (7-1)
- LSU Tigers 10-2 (6-2)
- Georgia Bulldogs 9-3 (5-3)
- Florida Gators 9-3 (5-3)
- Oklahoma Sooners 9-3 (5-3)
- South Carolina Gamecocks 8-4 (5-3)
- Ole Miss Rebels 8-4 (4-4)
- Texas A&M Aggies 8-4 (4-4)
- Tennessee Volunteers 8-4 (4-4)
- Auburn Tigers 7-5 (3-5)
- Missouri Tigers 7-5 (3-5)
- Arkansas Razorbacks 6-6 (3-5)
- Vanderbilt Commodores 6-6 (2-6)
- Kentucky Wildcats 3-9 (0-8)
- Mississippi State Bulldogs 4-8 (1-7)
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