2026 SEC Preseason Rankings
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The SEC preseason poll will release at some point next week during the tail end of SEC Media Days in Tampa.
As a result, I wanted to get a start on the conversation with the ballot I plan on submitting.
— Texas and Georgia are the two leaders for me. Texas gets the nod with the offensive star power with Coleman, Wingo, Mosley, Smothers and Brown.
— I am very much a believer in LSU. It goes beyond Sam Leavitt as well. That LSU front seven should be a top 3-4 group in the conference with Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross off the edge. I am a big fan of their defensive line.
— Speaking of defense, Oklahoma’s is not going anywhere. Will likely be a top two defense in the conference once again. The biggest Q for me isn’t Mateer, but if OU can run the football. As I look at it now, that running game is far from intimidating.
— Florida at 5!?! Yes. Florida at 5. The Gators are physical in the trenches and that group of playmakers makes my mouth water. If the quarterback can keep the train on the tracks, Florida will have a great year one under Jon Sumrall.
— Texas A&M lost 170+ starts from a year ago and while they did a phenomenal job in the portal, that is a lot of ground to make up. This 2026 A&M team reminds me of 2025 Texas, where if the quarterback doesn’t play Superman, it’s going to be a grind. And by now, I don’t envision Marcel Reed being faster than a speeding bullet or being powerful than a locomotive.
— I can’t get a pulse on Alabama. Truly this is the team I expect to be the most incorrect on. Will the continue the trend of being the least physical Alabama team in 20 years? Or can Kalen DeBoer right the ship — with a first time starting quarterback? I just can’t picture it right now.
— Maybe the biggest surprise of the bunch, but Ole Miss comes in at 8. I do believe Chambliss is the best quarterback in the SEC, at least to begin the season. He was magical towards the back half of last year. But that’s where I struggle with the Rebels — how much of last year was just catching lightning in a bottle with brightened emotions bringing out the best each week towards the CFP.
— Missouri, with or without Ahmad Hardy, is going to be a tough battle. The best running game in the conference will be even more threatening with a more capable quarterback in Austin Simmons.
— I do not believe in Tennessee. That team does not strike fear in me one bit. And that will not change when they drop 70 points during their preseason buy games against the nearest directional school they can find.