Finally, the Last Word On Sports 2015 SEC Preseason Rankings are here!
As fall camps start to open up, it’s time to release the first Last Word On Sports SEC Preseason Rankings. Our group of regular SEC contributors analyzed the conference and voted on how they think the season will pan out. We will revisit these rankings at the end of the season to see how well we did.
The SEC West is seen as a tight race between Auburn and Alabama for the top spot and a virtual toss-up for spots three through six, separated by only eight voting points. Mississippi State, although still a good team, is the seventh ranked team. This uncertainty should make for a great regular season. Interestingly, the SEC West was the unanimous selection as the SEC Champion.
In the SEC East, our voters think things are a little more predictable. Georgia is a solid favorite receiving five of seven first place votes. Teams in the east are bunched in pairs: second and third a few points apart, fourth and fifth four votes apart, and sixth and seventh are almost unanimous in those positions.
Without further discussion, here is the first Last Word on Sports SEC preseason ranking:
LWOS SEC Preseason Rankings: (Team)(Points)
SEC West
1. Auburn (54)
Auburn has to replace a quarterback, but presumed starter Jeremy Johnson has one of the best offensive minds in the game as his head coach. Also, the addition of Will Muschamp might be the reason the Tigers win the SEC West this year – he has a lot of defensive talent to work with and in the right scheme they could vastly improve on last year’s performance. -MAl
2. Alabama (50)
Much to replace for the team who entered last year’s playoffs as the top overall seed, specifically at quarterback and wideout. But as we all know, Nick Saban is a master recruiter who can be counted on more than any other coach in the country to patch holes like this. -MAl
3. LSU (31)
The Tigers retain most of their starters from 2014 so they should be able to build on a mediocre 2014 campaign. But they need improved quarterback play if they are to challenge in the brutal SEC West. -MAk
4. Arkansas (29)
The Hogs gained some serious momentum in 2014 and figure to be a very difficult opponent this fall as well. Unfortunately, the SEC West is absolutely stacked once again. Do not bet too heavily against Bielema’s boys finishing in the top half of the toughest division in college football. -DK
5. Mississippi (26)
Rebels lose inconsistent quarterback Bo Wallace but return stars Treadwell, Tunsil, and Nkemdiche. Can the defense replicate 2014’s dominate performance? If not, this might be the first season of slippage under Hugh Freeze. -TS
6. Texas A&M (23)
The addition of John Chavis at defensive coordinator should help improve a woeful defense while another top-12 recruiting class means this could be the year the Aggies climb back to double-digit wins. -MAk
7. Mississippi State (11)
Someone has to be last place in the SEC West. The return of quarterback Dak Prescott is reason for optimism, but the Bulldogs only return seven total starters. This program might go from a number one national ranking in 2014 to a seventh place divisional finish in 2015. -TS
SEC East
1. Georgia (53)
With a quarterback battle in Athens and high expectations of the defense and running game, Georgia is looking solid heading into the 2015 season. Expect UGA to compete for a spot in the Playoff this year as the Bulldogs don’t have to leave the southeast in the regular season and Nick Chubb carrying the offense. If Georgia avoids their annual slip-up game, they should be Atlanta competing for the conference championship. -MG
2. Tennessee (45)
The wild-card of the East. Is this the year Butch Jones turns the hype into reality in Knoxville. With early season games against Oklahoma and Florida, we will know a lot about this team early. Volunteer fans are experiencing the worst decade in school history. Is the end of the nightmare near in Knoxville? -ML
3. Missouri (42)
The perennial over-acheivers/under-rated (depending on how you look at it) return two key offensive starters but lose a bevy of talent on defense. Can Pinkel pull another SEC East Championship out of his bag of magic tricks? -ML
4. South Carolina (31)
Steve Spurrier turns back to Jon Hoke (Florida, 99-01) to fix a defense that gave up a staggering 36.8 pts/game in 2014. Another SEC team with an uncertain quarterback situation going into fall camp but they do have outstanding wideout Pharaoh Cooper to help lead the way. Spurrier will look to silence critics that say his window is closing. -DW
5. Florida (27)
First year head coach Jim McElwain will rely on the Gators great defense to carry the team until the offense comes around. Still too many questions on offense at key positions of quarterback, offensive line and wide receiver to see a substantial jump from 2014 offensive production. -DW
6. Kentucky (17)
2014 saw great promise for Kentucky; they were competitive and were it not for a blown call at Florida and second half collapse against Louisville would have been the 13th league team bowl-bound. They have a shot at seven or eight wins this year and could be the surprise team out of the SEC East this season. -MG
7. Vanderbilt (9)
2014 was an absolute dumpster fire for the ‘Dores, who failed to find a quarterback all season long. Look for modest improvement in Derek Mason’s second year, but not enough to escape the SEC East cellar. -DK
SEC Champion: Auburn (6 of 8 votes)
What do you think? Leave a comment below with your thoughts or reach out to us @LastWordOnCFB and tell us your thoughts.
About the poll:
Eight writers were polled each voting a team 1-7 in each Division and predicting a conference winner. Teams ranked first received seven points, teams ranked seventh received one point and each team in between received points on a sliding scale 1-7. Poll voters: Mike Loveall (@MikeL_LWOS), Don King (@dbking65), Tony Siracusa (@TonyBruin), Michael Gray (@mgrayuga), Matthew Atkinson (@LWOS_Akie), LB (@LastWordwithLB), David Waters (@GatorDave_SEC), and Mike Allen.
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