Pre-Season Top 10 SEC Football Teams In 2024
College football is around the corner and in the South Eastern Conference (SEC) "just means more." As for the new SEC acquisitions, I believe Oklahoma and Texas will be in the top 10. One of them could easily win it. However, you'll notice LSU, South Carolina, and Florida are all missing from the list. I think they'll have decent seasons, but won't compare to the others.
10. Oklahoma
Oklahoma had a great season last year, but they lost their offensive coordinator and have a challenging schedule for the first-year starting quarterback, Jackson Arnold. Arnold was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and could potentially cause a few upsets, but I don't see them being better than any of the teams I have ahead of them this year.
9. Kentucky
Kentucky football team is led by coach Mark Stoops and this year, they have a new transfer quarterback, Brock Vandergriff, from Georgia. Brock is a four-star quarterback who was highly rated coming out of high school. Although the team might suffer four losses by the end of the season, I still expect them to have eight wins and a winning season.
8. Texas A&M
Jimbo Fisher was fired and Mike Elko is taking over at Texas A&M. Elko previously coached at Duke, where he led the team to 9 wins despite dealing with a backup quarterback for part of the season. This year, he will have sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman returning from an injury. I predict that Texas A&M will easily achieve 7 wins under Elko's leadership.
7. Mizzou
Mizzou had an exceptional year last year but lost 12 returning seniors. As a result, I have them at 7. They have a fairly easy schedule and will easily win 8 games. Mizzou still has starting quarterback Brady Cook, so they could have a great season, but I feel they lost too many starters.
6. Auburn
In his first season, Hugh Freeze achieved a 6-7 record with a bowl game loss to Maryland. However, this year, I'm feeling more optimistic about Auburn. I can see them easily winning 8 games, and honestly, winning 9 won't be that difficult with a schedule that starts with 5 home games.
5. Tennessee
Tennessee's quarterback this year is Nico Iamaleava. If he lives up to even half of the hype surrounding him, the team could easily win 9 to 10 games. The over/under for total wins is set at 9, and I would bet on the over. They should be able to at least reach 9 wins, and they are likely to pull off at least one upset to reach 10 wins, continuing their streak under coach Josh Heupel.
4. Ole Miss
Ole Miss has one of the easiest schedules in college football. They are expected to win ten or eleven games, but Lane Kiffin has yet to prove that he can win the big game against Kirby Smart and Georgia. They will be playing Georgia in Oxford this year, so they should be able to pull off the upset at home as a home underdog.
3. Georgia
Georgia now has the best coach in college football with Kirby Smart at the helm and Nick Saban retiring. Some would argue that Georgia deserves a higher ranking than three, but the team will miss Brock Bowers' talent. Despite this, I still believe Georgia will achieve 10 wins, but the schedule isn't as favorable as last year and the team is looking depleted.
2. Alabama
Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban, has officially retired, and Kalen Deboer has taken over. Despite some saying that the Tide has fallen, I'm here to assure you that the Tide isn't going anywhere. Alabama has added Deboer, who was in the National Championship last year and won the PAC with an undefeated season. DeBoer is a winner, and he will continue to lead Alabama to ten or eleven wins next year, securing a spot in the playoffs.
Texas has the number one preseason off their schedule and transfers alone. Ewers with transfer wide receiver, Isaiah Bond, is going to be exciting to watch. It's Texas's first year in the SEC, and they have one of the most favorable schedules in college football.
Texas's biggest matchups are against Georgia and Michigan who might have down seasons compared to previous years. Yes, winning 10 games might be considered a down season, as it was for Alabama two years ago, but I have Texas winning 11 games again with one loss coming against Georgia.
Summary
I have the top four schools in the SEC making the college football playoffs in the first year of the 12-team playoff, with all four teams having at least 10-win seasons. I'm excited about the new SEC and looking forward to the season ahead.
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