SEC power rankings entering the 2024 college football season
Week 1 of the 2024 college football season is here, and much of the country will kickoff their season just a few days from now. It's a new era for college football's premier conference, as the SEC welcomes Texas and Oklahoma into an already dominant league.
The SEC has nine ranked teams to start the year, including several playoff contenders and the national title favorite in Georgia. This will be an incredible year in the conference.
But how would we rank each team going into the SEC?
Preseason 2024 SEC football power rankings
Here's our power rankings for the SEC entering the 2024 season...
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Of course we lead with Georgia. Carson Beck is one of the nation's best QBs, and the Dawgs have better talent in the trenches than anyone else. You can lock UGA into the playoffs, and the expectation here is to win it all for the third time in four years.
2. Texas Longhorns
Steve Sarkisian did it. Texas is back. The Longhorns enter the SEC as one of the favorites in the league. Quinn Ewers will have the offense humming, but the Horns do have to figure out how to replace their dominant DL duo of T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy.
3. Ole Miss Rebels
Can you portal your way to a SEC title? That's what we'll learn from the Rebels this year. Lane Kiffin's team was already loaded with experience and talent, but now they've got legit dudes in the trenches. That should finally give them a chance at knocking off the SEC's elites.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
Welcome to the post-Saban era in Tuscaloosa. New HC Kalen DeBoer will look to maximize QB Jalen Milroe's talent. Whether or not the defense reloads as well as it always did over the last 15 years will determine whether or not the Tide can once again compete for a national title.
5. Tennessee Volunteers
Feels like '98? Or maybe feels like '22? The Vols are loaded at DL with the league's best pass-rusher in James Pearce Jr. But all eyes will be on freshman sensation QB Nico Iamaleava to get Josh Heupel's high-powered offense lighting up scoreboards again.
6. Missouri Tigers
There's a ton of hype around Mizzou after an 11-win season and much of the team returning. WR Luther Burden should headline a deadly offense, but this team did take some significant losses on the defensive side of the ball.
7. Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners actually have a defense now! LB Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman lead a veteran unit, and if QB Jackson Arnold is who OU coaches believe him to be, the Sooners could be much better than expected entering the SEC.
8. LSU Tigers
LSU has to replace the Heisman winner at QB and a pair of 1st Round WRs, but they might just have enough talent still around on offense to do that. New DC Blake Baker will have to work some major, though, to get the Tigers back to their standard on defense.
9. Texas A&M Aggies
New HC Mike Elko added Purdue-transfer DE Nic Scourton to an already elite DL to wreak havoc on opposing SEC offenses. If QB Conner Weigman can stay healthy, this may actually be the year the Aggies play to their talent level.
10. Auburn Tigers
Auburn looks all around solid going into Hugh Freeze's second year. With some new weapons on offense, including 5-star freshman WR Cam Coleman, we might see a lot more points on the Plains in 2024.
11. Kentucky Wildcats
Mark Stoops has a veteran defense and OL? Well then it just might be a "good Kentucky" year in the SEC. If they can find any sort of passing game with Brock Vandagriff, the Wildcats might be scary.
12. Florida Gators
Billy Napier has been a whipping boy this offseason given his struggles thus far and Florida's gauntlet of the schedule. But the Gators have enough weapons on offense to surprise. Whether or not their defense improves is the bigger question.
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Jeff Lebby should get the Bulldog offense scoring enough points to be competitive and possibly ruin someone's season. But will State be able to stop anyone? That will determine whether or not they go bowling.
14. South Carolina Gamecocks
There's a ton of buzz that freshman QB LaNorris Sellers could lead the Gamecocks to a strong year. But until I see improvement from the OL and defense, I have my doubts.
15. Arkansas Razorbacks
The Hogs should have one of the better D-Lines in the SEC, but other than that, there's not much reason for optimism in Fayetteville. We'll see if Bobby Petrino's return fixes the offense.
16. Vanderbilt Commodores
What is there really to say about Vanderbilt? This is the default bottom team in the league. But Diego Pavia is at least a fun QB capable of leading his team to an upset, so maybe the 'Dores can hope for that.