Final preseason ranking for Alabama Football and the 15 other SEC teams
By Ronald Evans
Just days away from Game Week 1 for Alabama Football, let's take a final preseason dive into how SEC teams should be ranked. The rankings below are not intended to be a traditional 'Power Ranking' because of differences in schedule difficulties. Florida's tough schedule drives down the ranking for the Gators. LSU, Missouri, and Ole Miss get a rankings boost based on their easier-than-most schedules.
Even the SEC teams with the less demanding schedules will have no cake walk. No team will reach December unscathed. Maybe there will be a 1-loss team, but five, six and maybe seven teams having either two or three losses seems a likely outcome. If the CFB Playoff Selection Committee is too timid to choose five SEC teams, two or more very unhappy fanbases will result.
The 2024 SEC Football Bottom Rung
- No. 16 - Vanderbilt Commodores - Maybe the Dores can go to Kentucky in October or to Auburn in November and get a win. I doubt it. Whether you are a Vandy fan or not, another 0-for-the-SEC season is sad.
- No. 15 - Mississippi State Bulldogs - Away games in Austin, Athens, Knoxville, and Oxford spell doom for the Bulldogs. The late October home game against Arkansas will determine the SEC's 14th-best team.
- No. 14 - Arkansas Razorbacks - The Hogs could lose eight games to close out Sam Pittman's head coaching career. That will make for another sad, SEC result for maybe the SEC's best-liked head coach.
- No. 13 - South Carolina Gamecocks - A pivotal game comes early for South Carolina. Week 2 in Lexington is a must-win because the Gamecocks could well lose five of their next six games.