The 2014 football season is over for the SEC, and for first time since 2006, it came before the National Championship game. Now everyone in the SEC will look to preparations for next season. All will be glued to National Signing Day as the nation’s top prospects sign letters of intent to their school of choice. Many are wondering how 2015 will look for the SEC, and will their dominate appearance remain a threat from outside conferences? If you go by the conference’s bowl resume this past season, the answer is – no.
How will the SEC look in 2015?
This can only be speculated in a way too early SEC Power Rankings.
SEC 2015 Pre-Season Power Rankings
1. LSU Tigers: It is very hard to not say LSU will be a tough team next season. They will be. Their returning 16 starters, including Leonard Fournette. This offense would be a brutal force if Brandon Harris can mold into a fantastic quarterback over the offseason. The Tigers will also return offensive weapons Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural. Defensively, the Tigers will also look fearsome. LSU currently holds the No. 10 ranked 2015 recruiting class. This includes commitments from three five-star and five four-star recruits.
2014 Record: 8-5 (Overall) 4-4 (T4 in SEC West)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide: Last season was considered as rebuilding year for Alabama, and they made an appearance in the first-ever College Football Playoffs. I believe next season will not be much different for Alabama. Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin will be looking for their new quarterback. Will it be Jake Coker this time? Or, will the Tide be looking at the redshirted Cooper Bateman? Alabama will be replacing nine total starters on offense. Besides quarterback, this also includes four offensive linemen and three wide-receivers.
2014 Record: 12-2 (Overall) 7-1 (1st in SEC West)
3. Tennessee Volunteers: Midway through the 2014 season, everyone found out Tennessee was a dangerous team. In 2015, they will return 19 starters, including their newly found quarterback, Josh Dobbs. This maybe the most dangerous receiver core in the SEC next season. The defense accumulated 35 total sacks, and will be bringing in probably the best defensive line recruiting class in the country.
2014 Record: 7-6 (Overall) 3-5 (T4 in SEC East)
4. Ole Miss Rebels: Ole Miss will be returning 20 of their top 22 on offense, and 16 of their top 22 on defense. They will return 16 total starters. However, there will be questions on offense going into the 2015 season at quarterback and the offensive line. The Rebels will look into their 2015 recruiting class for talent in these areas. On defense they are solid, but will be hurting in depth at linebacker. Even though Ole Miss will lose Senquez Golson, their secondary’s depth is so deep with talent there will be little concerns.
2014 Record: 9-4 (Overall) 5-3 (3rd in SEC West)
5. Arkansas Razorbacks:The 2014 wins over LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas were a preview of what to expect from the Razorbacks in the 2015 season. Bret Bielema has everything going for him in Fayetteville. Arkansas will return 15 starters, which includes two 1,000-yard backs. The SEC’s most improved offensive player in 2014, QB Brandon Allen, will return. The defense that held Alabama to 14 points, shutout LSU and Ole Miss, and held Texas to 59 total yards will also be returning. Arkansas currently has the No. 23 ranked 2015 recruiting class, but they don’t need an impressive class to give teams headaches next season. Watch out for Arkansas.
2014 Record: 7-6 (Overall) 2-6 (7th in SEC West)
6. Georgia Bulldogs: Georgia fans will be pissed to find their Bulldogs this far down in a power rankings’ article. But, by the numbers, it is hard to argue they will be nearly halfway down the rankings. Georgia will only be returning 11 starters, however, that will include Nick Chubb. His performance in 2014 makes the loss of Todd Gurley to the NFL Draft more tolerable. During the offseason, Georgia needs to find the right match at quarterback and make drastic improvements with their secondary.
2014 Record: 10-3 (Overall) 6-2 (2nd in SEC East)
7. Auburn Tigers: Yes, the hiring of Will Muschamp as the new defensive coordinator seems enticing, and it maybe the smartest move by Guz Malzahn. But, don’t expect too much out of Florida’s former head coach this coming season. Muschamp will inherit a defense that struggled the second half to the regular season. It seemed they could never get pass the loss to Texas A&M. Auburn will be looking to replace Nick Marshall as well, but never doubt a Malzahn offense. They are going to put points on the board. I think Auburn will see similar results to that of last season.
2014 Record: 8-5 (Overall) 4-4 (T4 in SEC West)
8. Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin will be looking to refresh his defense in 2015 with the hiring of John Chavis, who will be replacing Mark Snyder as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator. No matter who wins the starting role at quarterback, the Aggies are going to be a fierce offense. The biggest concerns will once again be on defense, but Chavis has previously built top-rated defenses at LSU and Tennessee.
2014 Record: 8-5 (Overall) 3-5 (6th in SEC West)
9. South Carolina Gamecocks: Steve Spurrier will have another season ahead of him trying to rebuild his once dominate program. They will be returning much of their starters on defense, but the bad news is that it was one of the worst in the SEC last season. Will Lorenzo Ward remain as Spurrier’s defensive coordinator, or will the Old Ball Coach go with a different scheme. If they can get anything going with wide-receiver Pharoh Cooper next season, the Gamecocks should see slight improvements.
2014 Record: 7-6 (Overall) 3-5 (T4 in SEC East)
10. Florida Gators: Florida is the one team in the SEC that will be starting with a blank canvas in the 2015 season. There will be a brand-new coaching staff, led by new head coach Jim McElwan. He will inherit an overall talented defensive front. The biggest questions will be on offense, and that includes the quarterback role. McElwan will see some success in his first season with the Gators, but don’t expect too much, as this will be the biggest rebuilding program in the SEC.
2014 Record: 7-5 (Overall) 4-4 (3rd in SEC East)
11: Mississippi State Bulldogs: This will be a rebuilding year for Dan Mullen and Mississippi State. They will lose more than half of their starters, but will return a lot of experience players. The biggest returning player will be Dak Prescott, but how effective will he be with a thin offensive line? The Dawgs rotated out 10 players on their offensive line last season, but much of their starters will not be returning. The secondary was a big issue for State last season, and they will look to newly hired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to reshape the gaps on the otherside of the ball.
2014 Record: 10-3 (Overall) 6-2 (2nd in SEC West)
12: Missouri Tigers: Can we for once be right about Missouri in the preseason? For back-to-back seasons, the Tigers finished the season as the SEC East Champions. This maybe the season Mizzou will find themselves rebuilding. The defense will be the biggest areas of concern. They lose Shane Ray to the NFL and Markus Golden will graduate. However, those losses aren’t as severe as now former defensive coordinator Les Steckle, who took over as Missouri State’s head coach.
2014 Record: 11-3 (Overall) 7-1 (1st in SEC East)
13: Kentucky Wildcats: Kentucky started their 2014 season with promise for success, but suffered down the stretch. They finished as one of only two SEC teams not reach bowl eligibility. Overall it was an improved season for the Wildcats who saw three more wins than the previous season. There is room for more success in 2015, but the Wildcats will be faced with everyone else outside Vandy improving in the conference. It will be up to Patrick Towles next season to determine a bowl appearance for the Wildcats. But, I don’t see that happening.
2014 Record: 5-7 (Overall) 2-6 (6th in SEC East)
14: Vanderbilt Commodores: If things couldn’t get any crazier in Nashville, then the recent development of Derek Mason naming himself as defensive coordinator says it all. The Commordores are bleeding and they will be lucky to finish with a couple of wins next season. The end result could lead to the first head coaching vacancy in the SEC for the 2016 season.
2014 Record: 3-9 (Overall) 0-8 (7th in SEC East)