Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 You know it is the offseason when hypothetical rankings are the subject of conversation, but this is part of why I love college football as much as I do. My personal rankings of the SEC from today, February 9. I will present a case for each school with a brief summary of why their ranking made sense to me. These rankings won't please everybody, which means it's only a matter of time before I get an AP vote, right? Anyways, to the rankings of the SEC from more than 200 days away from kickoff. 1. Georgia Kirby Smart's squad comes in as the top dog in these rankings, pun absolutely intended. Of course, Carson Beck returning for UGA gains all of the headlines, however the return of Nazir Stackhouse and Will Brinson on the iDL give the Dawgs an edge over Texas or anyone else for that matter. Georgia added former UF running back Trevor Etienne in the offseason and the offense returns 76% of its production from a year ago per ESPN's Bill Connelly. I like the Dawgs to start the year. 2. Texas A third year quarterback behind an offensive line that returns four of five starters from a year ago. Let's not forget Sarkisian is the only College Football Playoff coach from 2023 to return to the same school. The ability to stop the run will be the biggest question mark in my eyes. However, Texas should be able to score with the likes of anyone in the country. Blue and Baxter lead the RB room and the talks of the portal additions at wide receiver have been the highlight of the offseason in Austin. 3. Ole Miss I absolutely love what Ole Miss has done this offseason. Perhaps a top five roster in college football? Adding Walter Nolen from the portal is the biggest win of the offseason for anyone in my eyes. Lane Kiffin also added former Manor standout Princely Umanmeilen (7.0 sacks) from Florida to pair with Jared Ivey (5.5 sacks) on the edges for the Ole Miss defense, both of whom are 6-feet-5-inches and 260-plus pounds. Offense will rarely be an issue under Kiffin and when you are able to snag former UNC OL Diego Pounds and two members of Washington's Joe Moore Award winning line, Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo, the trenches are a massive strength for the Rebels in 2024. 4. Alabama The new era in Tuscaloosa may not be as rocky as some might expect. Listen, Kalen DeBoer has won every where he has been as a head coach. While Jalen Milroe may not be his prototypical match at quarterback, DeBoer will find a way to use mismatches to his advantage. The WR room of Ryan Williams, Jalen Hale, Kobe Prentice and Kendrick Law are enough to get by even after losing Bond and Niblack. The trench talent still remains in Tuscaloosa as well. To me, 9–3 is a safe bet. 5. Missouri Alright, it is time to fully respect what Eli Drinkwitz is doing at Mizzou. Albeit a very nasty game, a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl to end the 2023 season signifies a lot of momentum remains in Columbia. Over 79% of offensive production returns in 2024, with RB Cody Schrader (1,627 yards and 14 TD) being the largest departure obviously. QB Brady Cook is back for the Tigers, as is Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper and All American Luther Burden. 6. Tennessee It is officially Nico Iamaleava season on Rocky Top and I am all for it. The bowl game was a good taste of what Iamaleave could bring, but let's see it for a full season. The Vols added TE Holden Staes and Tulane standout WR Chris Brazzell to the offense which will return Bru McCoy as well. Landing former LSU OL Zalance Heard was one of the biggest offensive linemen portal wins of the offseason. Six departures out of the DB room brings a bit of a question mark, however, I am big fan of Oregon State transfer CB Jermod McCoy. 7. Oklahoma I juggled with where to put Oklahoma for quite a long time. New offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator, first-time starting QB and a brand new offensive line lead me to pause. A tough hill to climb while entering the SEC. I expect Venables' defense to lead the conversation in Norman this season. Billy Bowman Jr. and Danny Stutsman return and I love what Oklahoma has brought in on the defensive line and edges. My question is will Arnold and the OL be consistent enough to let the elite group of wide receivers impact games as we know they can. 8. LSU If the defense is not better than a year ago, LSU could be in some deep trouble once again. No longer is there a Heisman at the quarterback position to mask the deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball from a year ago. A brand new defensive coaching staff should be provide an improvement, but until then, I am not expecting LSU to be contending at this time. 9. Texas A&M Winning early for Mike Elko is going to be an important task, especially with how well Texas is cruising at the moment. When Conner Weigman is healthy, I think he has top-3 ability in the SEC. Though for A&M in 2024, my question belongs in the trenches and if the personnel brought in by the staff fits what they want to do. There will be 40 new players on campus come the fall, with 23 of them coming from the portal. Lots of turnover for the new era. 10. Auburn This is a must-win season for Hugh Freeze in Auburn. If it is not a must-win, it is at least a must-show improvement from a year ago. The issue is, I question if they have the quarterback to do so. Can Fr. QB Walker White unseat Payton Thorne? That will be interesting to me. Otherwise, I like what Auburn did in the portal and the Tigers are adding a pair of five-star wide receivers as well. Still, I see too many questions offensively. 11. Kentucky This is a team I am most prepared to be wrong about. I like Kentucky and I love the culture Mark Stoops has instilled for his program. Former five-star QB Brock Vandagriff should take over the reigns for the departed Devin Leary. Keeping Barion Brown was as big as any portal addition, though I love former UNT WR Ja'Mori Maclin here. Kentucky ranks 102nd in returning production per ESPN's Bill Connelly. 12. Florida The toughest schedule I have seen for a college football team could not have come at a worse time for Billy Napier. Asking Graham Mertz, who wasn't terrible in 2023, to overcome that feat is just too tall for me. But with where Florida sits right now, it won't matter anyways. The Gators got whooped in the portal and do not see a lot of help coming in, despite a small handful of recruiting victories. 13. South Carolina No more Spencer Rattler for the Gamecocks in 2024. QB LaNorris Sellers is the man penciled in to start for next season. I question who will be available to throw the ball to for Norris. WR Juice Wells transferred to Ole Miss and WR coach Justin Stepp just took the job at Illinois. It could be an upsetting season for the Gamecocks this fall unless some serious portal work is done in April. 14. Mississippi State First year under Jeff Lebby might not produce the results the Miss State fanbase is hoping for. There will be an adjustment period to getting the adequate talent on campus for Lebby and his crew. Right now, I just don't see Mississippi State having the talent to compete. The biggest question mark to me for a Lebby scheme is can you play complementary football, in year one of a new system that is a tall task. 15. Arkansas I was amazed Pittman kept his job in Fayetteville this offseason. It certainly does not help that QB KJ Jefferson (UCF) and RB Rocket Sanders (South Carolina) departed for the portal this offseason. Maybe Bobby Petrino is the fix? But it feels like nothing more than a prayer for dying head coaches in the SEC. 16. Vanderbilt Vandy is recruiting better and will have solid talent on the roster this year. They have been more competitive in recent seasons as well, but at the end of the day, they are still Vanderbilt and lack the dogs in the trenches that make game altering plays. That's the biggest issue and until they address that, it will remain an issue in 2024. View full news 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Interesting. I would almost flip Kentucky and OU but that’s more the Longhorn in me coming out. 😂 Alabama will be fine. Maybe not by their fan’s standards but I’m not ready to keep them out of the SEC race. They do have a heisman contender at QB. I personally don’t think Freeze will make it. Talent isn’t their issue. But I believe Auburn will be a team that can beat the brakes off teams that aren’t prepared. I still have concerns about our schedule. Regardless whether OU and ATM will be ranked those games won’t be easy. They rarely are. Michigan will be tough especially since Wink Martindale likes to blitz every snap. Arkansas in Fayetteville won’t be easy and of course Kentucky has a really good team and a solid coach even though he is a Stoops. I think 10 wins in regular season would be awesome! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horns96 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Is Milroe even going to be at Bama when the season starts? I just don’t see him running DeBoer’s offense. Will also be interesting to see if Kiffin can build a cohesive and functional OL out of portal transfers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Kennedy Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Good stuff - don’t sleep on Auburn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermanator Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 OU, LSU, and Kentucky are kind of wild cards IMO that could slide up a line or down a line depending on how all their question marks play out. The rest seem to be pretty close to what you'd expect. We'd better beat the pantalones off of Arkansas next season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryantnelson02 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Tennessee has the biggest potential to make a jump up this list if Nico is the real deal. @Georgia is the only game I would say is a loss next year for them. Love how Coach Heupel is acquiring talent as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 Big fan of Ole Miss making a run to the 12 playoff this season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I think the SEC sends four teams to the playoffs. UGA, Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU. I think Bama struggles a bit this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 9 Author Moderators Share Posted February 9 39 minutes ago, horns96 said: Is Milroe even going to be at Bama when the season starts? I just don’t see him running DeBoer’s offense. Will also be interesting to see if Kiffin can build a cohesive and functional OL out of portal transfers. I have a hard time seeing Milroe get beat out. Unless Austin Mack makes tremendous strides this offseason. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 9 Author Moderators Share Posted February 9 6 minutes ago, Diggs said: I think the SEC sends four teams to the playoffs. UGA, Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU. I think Bama struggles a bit this year. LSU is an interesting one. Can their defense improve enough to mask losing a Heisman winning QB? Lots of questions there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Kingsley Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Ole Miss will be fun to watch this year. They went crazy in NIL to make a run in 2024. If they have a top 4 finish, my guess is other schools will start adapting that one-off strategy. If they crash and burn for some reason, it will be entertaining as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted February 9 Author Moderators Share Posted February 9 3 minutes ago, Hank Kingsley said: Ole Miss will be fun to watch this year. They went crazy in NIL to make a run in 2024. If they have a top 4 finish, my guess is other schools will start adapting that one-off strategy. If they crash and burn for some reason, it will be entertaining as well. They did some remarkable work this offseason in the trenches. I love thier roster construction, secondary the only question mark for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zak Kern Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Crazy to see that Florida Gators logo so low. I completely agree with it but damn, I'd hate to be a gator fan right now! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 1 hour ago, Hank Kingsley said: Ole Miss will be fun to watch this year. They went crazy in NIL to make a run in 2024. If they have a top 4 finish, my guess is other schools will start adapting that one-off strategy. If they crash and burn for some reason, it will be entertaining as well. I agree with you. Especially if a team that has a chance is looking at returning a third year starting QB... that's a very good plan by Ole Miss IMO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 Ole Miss 2024 Schedule: Aug. 31: vs Furman Sept. 7: vs Middle Tennessee Sept. 14: at Wake Forest Sept. 21: vs Georgia Southern Sept. 28: vs. Kentucky Oct. 5: at South Carolina Oct. 12: at LSU Oct. 26: vs Oklahoma Nov. 2: at Arkansas Nov. 9: vs. Georgia Nov. 23: at Florida Nov. 30: vs. Mississippi State Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 Alabama football schedule 2024 Aug. 31 vs. Western Ky. Sept. 7 vs. USF Sept. 14 at Wisconsin Sept. 21 Idle Sept. 28 vs. Georgia Oct. 5 at Vanderbilt Oct. 12 vs. South Carolina Oct. 19 at Tennessee Oct. 26 vs. Missouri Nov. 2 Idle Nov. 9 at LSU Nov. 16 vs. Mercer Nov. 23 at Oklahoma Nov. 30 vs. Auburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 LSU Football Schedule 2024 Sept. 1 vs. USC (Las Vegas) Sept. 7 vs. Nicholls Sept. 14 at South Carolina Sept. 21 vs. UCLA Sept. 28 vs. South Alabama Oct 5 Idle Oct. 12 vs. Ole Miss Oct. 19 at Arkansas Oct. 26 at Texas A&M Nov. 2 Idle Nov. 9 vs. Alabama Nov. 16 at Florida Nov. 23 vs. Vanderbilt Nov. 30 vs. Oklahoma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookemHorns Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Top 3 is pretty clear for me, though I’m still shaking off the cobwebs from my sever case of battered-fan syndrome. Georgia-Texas-Ole Miss The next tier is fluid. I too tend to think Bama will be just fine, but if teams figure out Milroe then they might be in trouble. I can see OU surprising to the upside or getting shellacked. Ditto LSU. Missouri is a good sleeper pick with all that offensive talent. Auburn could surprise too. Bottom tier of Vandy, Arky, MSU, S Carolina seems pretty set. And the Aggies…hope they crash and burn but they’re definitely in the fungible middle tier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 2024 Texas A&M football schedule Aug. 31 vs. Notre Dame Sept. 7 vs. McNeese Sept. 14 at Florida Sept. 21 vs. Bowling Green Sept. 28 vs. Arkansas (in Arlington) Oct. 5 vs. Missouri Oct. 19 at Mississippi State Oct. 26 vs. LSU Nov. 2 at South Carolina Nov. 16 vs. New Mexico State Nov. 23 at Auburn Nov. 30 vs. Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookemHorns Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 3 minutes ago, Gerry Hamilton said: Ole Miss 2024 Schedule: Aug. 31: vs Furman Sept. 7: vs Middle Tennessee Sept. 14: at Wake Forest Sept. 21: vs Georgia Southern Sept. 28: vs. Kentucky Oct. 5: at South Carolina Oct. 12: at LSU Oct. 26: vs Oklahoma Nov. 2: at Arkansas Nov. 9: vs. Georgia Nov. 23: at Florida Nov. 30: vs. Mississippi State Very navigable schedule. Very. Didn’t realize they got such a great draw. If I were a betting man I’d be laying some $$ down on them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 Georgia Bulldogs 2024 Football Schedule Aug. 31 - vs Clemson (Atlanta, Ga.) Sept. 7 - vs Tennessee Tech Sept. 14 - @ Kentucky Sept. 21 - BYE Sept. 28 @ Alabama Oct. 5 - vs Auburn Oct. 12 - vs Mississippi State Oct. 19 - @ Texas Oct. 26 - BYE Nov. 2 - vs Florida (Jacksonville, Fl.) Nov. 9 - @ Ole Miss Nov. 16 - vs Tennessee Nov. 23 vs UMass Nov. 30 vs Georgia Tech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 Just now, HookemHorns said: Very navigable schedule. Very. Didn’t realize they got such a great draw. If I were a betting man I’d be laying some $$ down on them. For sure! That's why I like them this season to make a real run at 12 team playoff ... they were very smart to go all in portal ahead of this season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerry Hamilton Posted February 9 Moderators Share Posted February 9 Cant recall a tougher schedule than this ... Florida Gators 2024 football schedule Miami Hurricanes — Aug. 31, 2024 Samford Bulldogs — Sept. 7, 2024 Texas A&M Aggies — Sept. 14, 2024 @ Mississippi State Bulldogs — Sept. 21, 2024 BYE UCF Knights — Oct. 5, 2024 @ Tennessee Volunteers — Oct. 12, 2024 Kentucky Wildcats — Oct. 19, 2024 BYE Georgia Bulldogs — Nov. 2, 2024 (in Jacksonville, Fla.) @ Texas Longhorns — Nov. 9, 2024 LSU Tigers — Nov. 16, 2024 Ole Miss Rebels — Nov. 23, 2024 @ Florida State Seminoles — Nov. 30, 2024 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE D Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Georgia 12-0, TEXAS LONGHORNS 11-1, Ole Miss 11-1, bama 11-1, Missouri 11-1, LSU 10-2, Vols 10-2, Kentucky 8-4, a&m 8-4, Auburn 6-6, pu 6-6, Miss St 4-8, S Carolina 4-8, Florida 3-9 and Vanderbilt 2-10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornsRUs Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Interesting that 6 out of the 8 SEC teams Texas is playing this year are in the bottom half of your rankings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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