CFB is finally back and every Thursday from here until the end of the season we’re going to put out our SEC power rankings. Once we get going into the season this list will be based solely on the performances with quality of opponent also taken into consideration. With only one SEC team playing a game in Week 0 the first edition will be how I see the teams heading into the first week. I expect big changes to the ranking once we get some real data points.
1 Georgia 0-0
The Dawgs take the top spot based on repeating as champs. They are once again stacked with elite talent on defense and have used the portal to bring in some quality WR in Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas. They already have the best TE in football in Brock Bowers and an elite OL which allows Carson Beck to step in at QB in the perfect situation. If Beck doesn’t actively lose them games, Georgia should once again win the SEC East comfortably and are probably a lock for the playoff. Georgia opens the season at home against UT Martin on Saturday at 6pm ET on SECN+
2. LSU 0-0
In Brian Kelly’s first year the Tigers surprised everyone and won the SEC West. The core of that team is back. They return what is probably the best QB in the conference in Jayden Daniels, all 5 OL, and some elite playmakers at WR. Kelly realized he needed a RB to help take some pressure off Daniels’ legs and he did just that by bringing in Logan Diggs from Notre Dame. LSU has a lot of moving parts on defense and relying heavily on the portal to fill some holes, but that offense should be elite. LSU opens the season against 8th ranked Florida State in Orlando on Sunday at 7:30pm ET on ABC.
3. Alabama 0-0
The Tide are facing a lot of question marks at QB with Bryce Young and there will be a new OC and a new DC that must find their footing. Alabama still has elite talent all over the field and they still have Nick Saban on the sideline. Last year The Tide were surprisingly sloppy, and I expect that to be rectified now that everyone in the program knows they won’t have an electric talent at QB to bail them out. Saban is a master at galvanizing his team and he usually has to really reach to try and spin Alabama as the disrespected underdog, but he won’t this year. Talking heads are gushing over Kirby Smart and plenty of people are picking Texas to walk into Tuscaloosa and win. I’m not betting against Saban until he gives me a reason to. The Tide open the season against MTSU on Saturday at 7:30pm ET on SECN.
4. Ole Miss 0-0
All aboard the Lane Train. Lane has the best RB in the SEC (and maybe the country) in Quinshon Judkins and they return a lot of experience along the OL. New DC Pete Golding comes in from Alabama to clean up a defense that has a lot of talent but faltered at the end of 2022. The QB position is a question mark, incumbent Jaxson Dart and Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders have been battling it out with no clear winner yet. That competition probably rolls over into the season but whoever wins will have former All-CUSA WR Tre Harris who comes in from Louisiana Tech. If the passing game is just above average to go along with the elite running game Ole Miss could be back in a NY6 Bowl. The Rebels open the season at home against Mercer on Saturday at 2pm ET on SECN+.
5. Tennessee 0-0
Tennessee is looking to replace a lot on what was the best offense in the country in 2022. New QB Joe Milton will look to build off a strong performance in the Orange Bowl and he’ll have a good backfield to help him. Josh Heupel runs a unique offense and will likely still be able to move the ball but even a small step back on that side of the ball could lead to big regression for the Vols. The defense was one of the worst in the country especially against the pass and it’s a big question mark as to whether there will be any improvement on that side of the ball. Tennessee opens the season against Virgnia in Nashville at 12pm ET on Saturday on ABC.
6. Kentucky 0-0
Mark Stoops is looking to get back on track after a disappointing season last year. He’s brought back OC Liam Coen and they’ve dipped into the portal to bring in QB Devin Leary from NC State and RB Ray Davis from Vanderbilt. Kentucky has also revamped one of the worst OL in the country. That unit is still thin after a couple of years of mismanagement and misevaluation but should take a step forward. Stoops has consistently had solid defenses and this year should be no different. If Leary can stay upright the Wildcats could be in line to win 8 or 9 games. Kentucky opens the season at home against Ball State on Saturday at 12pm ET on SECN.
7. Texas A&M 0-0
Things quickly spiraled into a disaster in Aggie Land last season. Lots of money is being thrown around and at 5-7 there was very little to show for it. Jimbo Fisher has a lot of talent at his disposal but there are questions about who is calling plays now that Bobby Petrino is back on the sideline in major CFB. Conner Weigman has won the QB job after a decent stretch to end 2022 and he’ll have one of the better WR groups in the SEC and he’ll have a 5-star RB in Ruben Owens. Defensively the Aggies are an even bigger question as last year they had one of the worst run defenses in the conference and not much better in the secondary. Some of that could be rectified by guys staying healthy but they’ll need big leaps from some of the highly rated recruits their boosters have shelled out big money for. Texas A&M opens the season at home against New Mexico on Saturday at 7pm ET on ESPN.
8. Arkansas 0-0
The Razorbacks have the most important position on the field settled with KJ Jefferson back at QB and he’ll have his RB Raheim Sanders with him. Those two rushed for over 2000 yards and 19 TD last season but everything else around them needs to be replaced. New OC Dan Enos has a big task in front of him but if he can get the pieces to fit Arkansas could be scary. On defense they are one big red flag as they gave up over 30 points a game last year and they play in the brutal SEC West. Arkansas could be a much better football team but only finish 7-5, which is a one game improvement from 2022 but not exactly lighting the world on fire. The Razorbacks open the season in their Little Rock stadium against Western Carolina on Saturday at 1pm ET on SECN+.
9. Missouri 0-0
I’m probably higher on this Missouri team than most. That defense should be nasty with at least 8 starters back on a unit that had some special moments last season. Questions remain on offense after losing their best WR to Georgia. QB Brady Cook will likely get first crack as the returning starter, but transfer Jake Garcia will be on his heels. If the offense is just average, I think Missouri could be a sneaky team in the SEC East. The Tigers open their season at home tonight at 8pm ET on SECN.
10. Florida 0-0
Bill Napier is already starting to feel serious pressure in his 2nd season. Napier has worked overtime to make up the recruiting ground that Dan Mullen conceded, and he’s got a tough schedule to boot. Florida is going to be relying heavily on Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz who looked solidly mediocre in the Spring Game. Florida should have a good running game again and the defense is in transition. The Gators will need some things to break their way (and it’s already started with their Week 1 opponents Utah having injury issues at the QB position) if they want to get to 7 or 8 wins. Florida opens the season tonight on the road to 14th ranked Utah at 8pm ET on ESPN.
11. South Carolina 0-0
I don’t understand the love this South Carolina team is getting. Spencer Rattler is less than stellar, and their coach is beyond cringe. They don’t have a ton of depth at any position and not a ton of playmakers on offense. Defensively they have some talent but not enough to make me think this team is any good. The Gamecocks open the season against 21st ranked UNC in Charlotte at 7:30pm ET on Saturday on ESPN.
12. Mississippi State 0-0
First year HC Zach Arnett steps into a tough spot. The Bulldog offense is returning QB Will Rogers so that should help but transitioning from Leach’s Air Raid to new OC Kevin Barbay’s more pro-style scheme will be interesting. Defensively the Bulldogs have potential to be a very good front 7. Arnett is a good coach but he’s stepping into a real tough spot here with the entire Mississippi State community still reeling from the loss of Mike Leach. The Bulldogs open up the season at home against SE Louisiana at 4pm ET on Saturday on SECN.
13. Auburn 0-0
Auburn fans and administrators are desperate to be relevant again. This has led them to hiring the Uncle Baby Billy Freeman of CFB to be their new HC. Hugh Freeze has decided to do a rebuild on the fly and nobody really knows what to expect. Freeze has brought in a bunch of G5 transfers at OL and WR in hopes to upgrade one of the worst offenses in FBS last season. If those all pan out there should be significant improvement but it feels like a band-aid and Auburn is a year or two away from being serious. The Tigers open up the season at home against UMass on Saturday at 3:30pm ET on ESPN.
14. Vanderbilt 1-0
Vanderbilt is the only SEC team to have already played a game and they held on to beat Hawai’i 35-28. The game was not a great showing for the program as they struggled to slow down Hawai’i as they allowed the Rainbow Warriors to throw for 350 yards. Several Hawai’i drives stalled in the redzone and resulted in no points for and Vandy got a special teams score that ended up being the difference. QB AJ Swann did throw for 3 TD, but he was under far too much pressure and made some poor throws. On the ground the Commodores got virtually nothing which does not bode well for them when they enter SEC play. Up next for the Commodores is Alabama A&M at home on Saturday at 7pm ET on SECN+.
