Preseason SEC football power rankings: Alabama and everything after

Eliah Drinkwitz is one of the more interesting coaches in the SEC. He’s only been a head coach for a couple of seasons now, but Drinkwitz is already off to a hot start with the Missouri Tigers. Mizzou has a talented quarterback in Connor Bazelak, but the Tigers really need to see some improvement on defense next season if they’re going to move up in the SEC.

2021 is going to be a huge test for Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers. It wasn’t shocking that 2020 was rough when considering how much the Tigers lost from their 2019 championship-winning team. This is a team that still has a ton of talent and plenty of potential, but Orgeron needs to get wins and losing quarterback Myles Brennan to an injury might hinder that.

Is there a more intriguing team in the SEC than the Ole Miss Rebels? Lane Kiffin’s team had a fascinating season in 2020, but the Rebels only finished with a 5-5 record. This team had one of the best offenses in the country last year, but its defense, like many Ole Miss defenses over the past few seasons, let the Rebels down. Still, this team won four of its last five games and beat No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl.

In 2020, Florida’s offense was thrilling thanks to guys like Kyle Pitts and Kyle Trask. Dan Mullen adapted and moved away from his typical tendencies of running the ball to designing one of the best passing attacks college football has ever seen. It’ll be fascinating to see how Mullen moves forward in 2021 with Emory Jones at the helm, but what will truly be fascinating is seeing how Florida adapts its defense.

Despite all of the firepower Florida had on offense in 2020, the Gators only went 8-4 and those four losses are largely a result of an incredibly vulnerable defense. This is a team that lost to Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama, and Oklahoma. In those four losses, Florida gave up an average of 39.5 points.

Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies are hoping to build off of what was a thrilling season for them in 2020. This is a team that went 9-1 last season and though 2020 was a tumultuous year full of disruptions and distractions, the Aggies were still good enough to beat everyone they faced with the exception of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Aggies are going to have to replace some key contributors, such as quarterback Kellen Mond, but whoever takes over at quarterback will be surrounded by plenty of talent.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are looking to get back into the national championship picture and assembling a thrilling offense might help with that. Pairing an incredibly talented quarterback like JT Daniels with a brilliant offensive coordinator like Todd Monken could lead to a thrilling season for Georgia football fans.

Alabama has all the tools it needs to go out and win another national championship. Nick Saban, the single best head coach in college football, has assembled yet another remarkably talented team that should be able to get right back into title contention once more. Replacing guys like Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones might be tough, but it won’t be totally impossible for a team that consistently recruits better than anyone.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.