Preseason SEC power rankings: Can Alabama reclaim its throne? Florida ready to overtake Georgia?

Preseason SEC power rankings see Alabama back in a familiar spot while Georgia may have their toughest test with Florida coming for their SEC East crown.

This season in the SEC is going to be fun. There are storylines all over the conference. It is no longer Alabama and the “ROY” bus. The Crimson Tide have won one conference championship in the last three seasons.

Last season’s national champion, the LSU Tigers, suffered heavy losses to the NFL. This season will test how well Ed Orgeron has recruited. Not only did the Tigers lose players to the league, but they lost passing game coordinator Joe Brady to the NFL as well.

Is it addition by subtraction at Georgia since Jake Fromm declared for the NFL Draft? Not only did head coach Kirby Smart hire Todd Monken as his new offensive coordinator, but he also added two high-profile transfer quarterbacks — JT Daniels and Jamie Newman — via the transfer portal.

Not only is there, intrigue at the top of the conference. There are also exciting stories in the middle of the conference. What will the rebuilds at Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State look like with the shortened offseason?

Can Tennessee and Kentucky take the next step forward in catching up to Georgia in the SEC East? Where will all of these teams finish?

Preseason SEC power rankings see Alabama in a familiar spot

14. Vanderbilt

This could be the last season for Derek Mason as the Vanderbilt football coach is he can’t fix an offense that finished dead-last in the SEC last season.

13. Arkansas

Arkansas breaks in first-year coach Sam Pittman with a schedule that features seven opponents ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. On top of a shortened offseason, don’t expect many wins for the Hogs in 2020. Florida transfer quarterback Feleipe Franks and running back Rakeem Boyd will do their best to stay competitive.

12. Mississippi

The Lane Kiffin experience at Mississippi will be entertaining for sure. He has an outstanding quarterback in John Rhys-Plumlee to run his offense. Jerrion Ealy and Jonathan Mingo are solid pieces at running back and wide receiver. The defense wasn’t that bad either. Can they upset a couple of the better teams in the conference?

11. Mississippi State

To say the Egg Bowl has instantly been elevated into must-see television with Kiffin at Mississippi and Mike Leach at Mississippi State is an understatement. The pressers before the game will be the stuff of legend. Running back Kylin Hill may be the top back in the conference and Stanford quarterback transfer KJ Costello might make them a six-win team.

10. Missouri

The Tigers are an enigma. They will likely start another transfer quarterback — TCU transfer Shawn Robinson. Larry Roundtree returns at running back. The Tigers have a veteran defense returning. The question is talent depth and a brutal schedule for Eliah Drinkwitz’s team to navigate.

9. South Carolina

The Gamecocks start Ryan Hilinksi for the second consecutive year at quarterback. Their defensive line is going to be nasty with five-star freshman Jordan Burch. Will Muschamp is still one of the better defensive coaches and went out and got Mike Bobo as his offensive coordinator. That should translate to a couple of additional wins as they wrestle with another tough schedule.

8. Kentucky

Kentucky is flying under the radar but that is where they love to fly. The Wildcats likely do not have the firepower to take down the teams at the top of the conference with wide receiver-turned-record-setting-quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr. off to the NFL. With arguably the best offensive line in the conference this season, they are sure to win their fair share of games as quarterback Terry Wilson returns.

7. Tennessee

The Volunteers look to build off of their 8-5 season under head coach Jeremy Pruitt. The question for the Vols is quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. He’s played a lot of football in Knoxville, but have we seen him at his ceiling or is there still room for him to grow? If he’s hit his ceiling, look for one of their talented backups to beat him out.

6. Auburn

The Tigers lost so much talent from their defense last season, including first-rounders Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson and Noah Igbinoghene. That’s a lot of quality talent to replace in one offseason. Sophomore quarterback Bo Nix will need to take a big leap and it may be possible with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris running the show on The Plains.

5. Texas A&M

Texas A&M has almost everything in place to make a run to the top of the SEC. Almost. Kellen Mond and Guarantano are rowing the same boat. Both have played lots of football at their respective programs. If we’ve seen the best of Mond, the Aggies will be one of the better 8-9 teams in college football.

4. LSU

The reigning national champion LSU Tigers had one of the most incredible seasons in the history of college football. But that was last year. After losing Heisman-winner Joe Burrow and 14 total NFL Draft picks as well as coordinators Joe Brady and Dave Arranda, LSU will take a sizable step back, but should still be good enough with Ja’Marr Chase, Derek Stingley, Jr. and Myles Brennan to compete for second in the SEC West.

3. Florida

The Gators come into this season the prime threat to Georgia and their reign in the SEC east. They significantly closed the gap after a solid 10-win season last year. They lost some outstanding players like Jonathan Greenard and Van Jefferson. What the Gators have to hope is their offensive line holds together and Kyle Trask can elevate his game.

2. Georgia

This season is the year. This season the Bulldogs are poised to win the SEC and compete for a national championship. They’ve upgraded the quarterback position with Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman who is a better option than Jake Fromm. Georgia has its best offense and Kirby Smart got Todd Monken to install a more aggressive offense. Coach Smart might have an offense to go with that ornery defense.

1. Alabama

It’s hard not to like the Crimson Tide with their backs against the wall. After a two-loss season, the Tide look to return to form on defense with the return of All-American linebacker Dylan Moses who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Tua is gone but Mac Jones looked comfortable under center when he had his opportunity, but if he struggles at all, freshman phenom Bryce Young is ready to step in. Receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III are in the NFL but Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are All-SEC players. Expect to see Alabama back in the SEC Championship Game after a one-year absence and get back in the playoff.