© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Post-Spring Practice SEC Power Rankings
Georgia enters 2024 as the favorite in the SEC but Alabama still holds the crown. Where does the rest of the SEC stack up following spring practice?
The SEC will expand to 16 teams this fall as Texas and Oklahoma make their debuts. Who are the contenders, who can shock some folks, and who could already be looking ahead to next season?
Tier 1 - The Elite
1. Georgia - Per DraftKings, Georgia is the odds-on favorite to win the national championship in 2024. The Bulldogs return a ton of offensive talent - including Heisman favorite Carson Beck - and have elite talent on defense. They face a tough schedule, but a 12-team playoff gives the Dawgs a little bit of breathing room.
2. Alabama - This may be high for some folks, but Alabama is still Alabama until proven otherwise. Yes Nick Saban is gone, but this roster is still mainly constructed by players Saban recruited. All new head coach Kalen DeBoer has done is win anywhere he's gone. The Tide are the defending conference champs until someone can knock them off the throne.
3. Texas - As Texas enters SEC play, expectations have never been higher for the Longhorns. Quarterback Quinn Ewers is back for another season along with a great supporting cast. The only hitch for the Longhorns is replacing T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II on the defensive line. If they can find a way to replicate that production, they'll be in the playoff.
Tier 2 - The Contenders
4. Ole Miss
5. LSU
6. Missouri
Each of these teams have a quarterback returning with at least some starting experience and are elite on one side of the ball. LSU and Ole Miss are going to put up a ton of points this fall but have the defenses improved enough? Missouri is coming off of its best year under Eli Drinkwitz, including a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State, but the Tigers have to prove they can replace the production of Cody Schrader who led the league in rushing in 2023. Mizzou has an incredibly managable schedule and could easily reach 11 wins again.
Tier 3 - A lot has to go right
7. Tennessee
8. Kentucky
9. Oklahoma
10. Texas A&M
None of the head coaches for these teams are in danger of being fired if 2024 ends up in disappointing fashion but each of these fanbases have high expectations. 10-11 wins are probably expected for each, but 7-8 would actually be great seasons.
Tier 4 - Creators of Chaos
11. Auburn
12. Florida
13. South Carolina
14. Arkansas
15. Mississippi State
Mississippi State is breaking in its second new head coach in two years, half the Florida fanbase is praying for a miracle, while the other half is just waiting for this fall to be over so they can fire their coach, and Arkansas just brought back Bobby Petrino, a coach they fired not too long ago, to be their OC. They may not be the best, but this group is fun. They're not going to win the conference but you don't look forward to playing them either. Each of these teams is going to beat a team they weren't supposed to.
Tier 5 - Vanderbilt
16. Vanderbilt - This isn't a dig a Vandy. Clark Lea and his staff have the toughest assignment in the conference, but last year was bad. Vanderbilt was the only team in the conference to give up more than 300 points in league play and were outscored by 23 points a game in conference games.
