There are just over two weeks until the SEC teams start their 2024 season, and several teams have chances to make the championship game. During the last month, the media could not agree on whether Ole Miss should be ranked higher than Alabama.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his preseason SEC power rankings, with Ole Miss at No.3, followed by Alabama at No.4. Like many SEC rankings, the Rebels and Crimson Tide can not be separated, with some having Alabama over Ole Miss at the three spot.
.@BCrawford247's preseason SEC power rankings are here 📈 Who should be higher?
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 14, 2024
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It's not just the SEC power rankings; Ole Miss and Alabama switch back and forth from the No.5 and No.6 positions in the media's top 25 ranking predictions. Georgia and Texas are the other two SEC teams ranked above the two in every media ranking.
In previous seasons under former head coach Nick Saban, Alabama was undoubtedly ranked ahead of Ole Miss, even with the roster Lane Kiffin has put together for the 2024 season. With the change of the guard in Tuscaloosa and the Rebels improving drastically under Kiffin, these two teams are much closer in people's minds.
The schedules are very different, which may be on the minds of media analysts when compiling their rankings. Ole Miss plays Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma from the AP Poll top 25. Alabama has Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, and Oklahoma.
Alabama could still be a juggernaut under new head coach Kalen DeBoer; we will learn more when SEC play gets underway. Despite Saban's departure as head coach, the media still believes the fall will be manageable, maybe with just a few teething problems early on.
Without Ole Miss and Alabama facing off during the regular season, we will see at the end which media analysts had it right when ranking the two teams.