Final preseason ranking for Alabama Football and the 15 other SEC teams

Maybe Playoff Contenders

• No. 9 - Oklahoma Sooners - It is possible the Sooners will finish in the SEC's top six teams. They might make it to the Red River Shootout at 5-0 and Georgia is not on the schedule. But beginning with the Texas game, the Sooners could drop five games in October and November. Oklahoma is a tough team to mske a solid prediction.

• No. 8 - Texas A&M Aggies - The Aggies are another team that is hard to judge. A&M may need a season to recover from the mediocre coaching of Jimbo Fisher. An immediate turnaround is a lot to ask of Mike Elko, but nationally there has been a slight buzz that the Aggies are underrated. The schedule suggests eight or nine wins might be possible.

• No. 7 - Tennessee Vols - Tennessee has a chance to win nine games if Josh Heupel has cured the ills of his defensive backfield. The offense should be good again, even with the barely tested Nico Iamaleava at QB. My hunch is the Tennessee offense is one Alabama's new defensive system is well structured to contain.

• No. 6 - LSU Bengal Tigers - People talk about how good the QB 'Gunslinger' Garrett Nussmeier will be. Maybe so, he'll get plenty of help from a solid offensive line. Does LSU have the playmakers it needs at wide receiver and a much bigger question; will the defense be much improved? There are many reasons to doubt. LSU has a big schedule advantage, in not having to play Georgia and Texas.