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2021 SEC football season preview: Predicted order of finish, best players, breakout stars

By Ethan Lee

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Nick Saban, running back Najee Harris #22 and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood #70 of the Alabama Crimson Tide hold up the SEC Championship trophy at the conclusion of the game against the Florida Gators during the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Nick Saban, running back Najee Harris #22 and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood #70 of the Alabama Crimson Tide hold up the SEC Championship trophy at the conclusion of the game against the Florida Gators during the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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2021 SEC football season preview, including predicting whether Alabama can repeat as national champions, the Tide’s biggest threat, Heisman contenders and breakout players.

Following the conclusion of an odd 2020 season, several schools went out and brought in new coaching staffs to move forward, meaning there are plenty of new faces in the SEC.

And on the note of new faces, plenty of attention this offseason has gone to the fact that the SEC will be expanding and adding a couple of new members in the somewhat near future. Both the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns expressed interest in making a move out of the Big 12 and the SEC welcomed them with open arms. The two will be in the SEC by 2025 unless they find a way out of their current contracts.

But, before all of that unfolds, there’s actual football set to be played in the SEC. We’re getting closer and closer to the start of the 2021 college football season, which means the focus will no longer be on conference realignment but rather on what’s happening on the field. So, let’s take a look at the current SEC and what this upcoming season holds.

SEC football predicted order of finish

SEC East

  1. Georgia
  2. Florida
  3. Kentucky
  4. Missouri
  5. Tennessee
  6. South Carolina
  7. Vanderbilt

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs came close to winning the SEC East a season ago, but there will be no excuses for not winning this year. With Florida having to rebuild and Georgia quarterback JT Daniels having a full season to run Todd Monken’s offense, the Dawgs should make it to Atlanta.

Who will replace Kyle Pitts and Kyle Trask for the Florida Gators? Dan Mullen will have some work to do when it comes to retooling his offense, but talented quarterback Emory Jones has been patiently waiting. After last year, the Gators should be asking some questions about Todd Grantham’s defense, but Mullen should still be able to guide this team to a good season. It just probably isn’t a championship sort of season.

Can Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats bounce back after a bumpy 2020?

Kentucky has momentum after ending the season with a couple of wins, one being in a bowl game over then-No. 23 North Carolina State. Stoops is a solid coach and he gets the most out of his players. He should be able to do that again and get UK moving in a positive direction once more.

Eliah Drinkwitz is heading into his third year as a head coach, and his second season in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers are seeking to build upon the foundation that was set in 2020. It’s difficult to win in the SEC and Drinkwitz learned that a bit last year, but Mizzou has some fascinating players (such as defensive lineman Trajan Jeffcoat) who could elevate the Tigers’ level of success this year.

Tennessee’s new staff has its work cut out for it, but they hired a brilliant offensive mind to oversee things. Josh Heupel has dabbled around with multiple offensive systems throughout his career, including the Air Raid, and the UCF Knights flourished on offense under his guidance. The first year of a head coach’s tenure can definitely have its ups and downs and I expect this year to be like that for Tennessee.

The South Carolina Gamecocks needed a fresh start and Shane Beamer offers that for them. This is his first time as a head coach, so there might need to be a bit of an adjustment period for Beamer and South Carolina. Given the job he inherited and how challenging it can be to win in Columbia, I wouldn’t expect this season to be magical for South Carolina fans. But, there is potential for future success further down the line.

Vanderbilt is still Vanderbilt. They made an intriguing hire in Clark Lea, but this is such a hard place to win at. The Commodores just simply don’t win much, so Lea and his staff are fighting an uphill battle. This is a team that went winless last season, so any wins they get this year would be a decent bit of improvement over last year, even if those wins come against non-conference foes.

SEC West

  1. Alabama
  2. Texas A&M
  3. Ole Miss
  4. Auburn
  5. LSU
  6. Mississippi State
  7. Arkansas

Alabama is the best team in the SEC and could very well be the best team in the country again if first-year starting quarterback Bryce Young lives up to his prodigious hype. It’s not unreasonable to expect the Crimson Tide to come out on top each and every season that Nick Saban is there.

Over in College Station, Jimbo Fisher’s team appears solid, but it will be interesting to see who replaces Kellen Mond at quarterback. The Aggies will need to get solid production there to be able to legitimately challenge Alabama for the SEC West crown.

Make sure you keep an eye on Lane Kiffin’s offense because the Rebels will be able to score touchdowns by the dozen with his schemes. A lack of defense will almost certainly catch up to Ole Miss at some point, but this should be a solid season for Kiffin’s team.

I think Auburn is in for a bit of an up and down season with a first-year head coach, but I suspect the Tigers will be very good in the somewhat near future. Moving on from Gus Malzahn was a bit of an odd move from the outside looking in, but Bryan Harsin was a very good hire. It may not always be fun for Auburn fans this year, but it will be fascinating to see how Harsin’s Tigers look against the better teams in the SEC this year.

LSU has too much talent to be truly bad, right? Ed Orgeron needs to get his team going in the right direction again, but it remains to be seen if the Tigers will do that. Another meddling season and Orgeron might be looking for a new job, which is bizarre considering the man just won a national championship back in 2019.

I’m not entirely sure of what to expect out of Mississippi State this season, but I do expect a significant step up from last year in terms of what this team’s ceiling can be. What will be interesting to keep track of is how consistent MSU can be. Leach’s teams often lose to foes they shouldn’t, but they also pull off unlikely upsets.

The Razorbacks ended the 2020 season on a rough skid and they’ve got tough multi-week stretches at multiple times this season. We’ll see if Sam Pittman’s team is able to manage having a rather difficult schedule.