Post-Spring SEC Power Rankings

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler

It’s time, I suppose. Everything in my life seems to be going pretty well, so let’s ruin that with some power rankings that I’m sure no one will agree with. Here are my post-spring power rankings for SEC football.

1. Georgia

Any list that doesn’t start with Georgia is an incorrect list. Georgia has won the SEC Championship in back-to-back seasons and played for the title in eight of the last nine years. They return their starting quarterback and the young talent on defense from a year ago is now seasoned and experienced. They’re going to be absolutely loaded on that side of the ball and have enough skill guys on offense to continue being one of the best in the league. What I love more than anything is Kirby Smart, and more importantly, Kirby Smart with a chip on his shoulder.

NEW: Kirby Smart tells @Clowfb Georgia is recruiting differently than other programs:

“If you’re coming here for a paycheck, then you’re coming to the wrong place.”

Smart later added: “We’re trying to motivate them to get the next check, the next level.”… https://t.co/xidDRFYp23 pic.twitter.com/EZ1reczkvi

— On3 (@On3) April 14, 2026

2. Texas

I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid a year ago. I thought it was a bit ridiculous that the team who was 0-2 against Georgia was somehow preseason No. 1 over them in the conference, and the country for that matter. Last year there were a ton of question marks and bodies to replace from back-to-back record years in the NFL Draft. Arch Manning was going into his first year as a starter. There were reasons not to drink the Kool-Aid.

I am drinking the Kool-Aid this year. Texas will have one of the best offenses in the country, and they added some absolute studs in the portal. Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo will feast in this offense, and the defense has enough talent to make new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp happy. Texas is going to be elite this year.

3. LSU

Speaking of drinking the Kool-Aid, I am all in on LSU in year one of Lane Kiffin. I have been wrong before, but I don’t see how this fails. It’s not that they signed the No. 1 portal class. It’s that they signed the No. 1 portal class with three of the top four players overall in the cycle that just so happen to play the three most important positions in the sport. I’m not necessarily sold on Sam Leavitt being the best quarterback in the country, but I am sold on whoever plays that position in Lane Kiffin’s offense putting up video game numbers. We see it every year.

It’s not just the portal. It’s the combination of that and the retention of some of the best players in the country like Whit Weeks and Trey’Dez Green. Combine both of those things with a recruiting class that is bringing in one of the most talented defensive line classes we’ve ever seen. LSU is poised to be one of the best teams in the country, and with the checks that have been written for Kiffin this offseason, they better be.

A couple of QB transactions today in the final few days of the portal’s open window:
– LSU lands former Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt
– Oregon lands former Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola https://t.co/9sVptvLgHy

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 12, 2026

4. Oklahoma

Oklahoma is my surprise team for this season. They lost a lot of draft talent, but they didn’t lose anyone of significance in the portal. The schedule sets up really well for them, and Brent Venables will always field a top tier defense as long as he’s in charge. The biggest difference between last year and this year is John Mateer’s progression as a quarterback in year two as a starter in this league. I thought the jump he made from Washington State to the SEC was impressive considering he only played one Power Four team that entire season in Pullman. Mateer should be really good in year two and most of their playmakers are back around him. I think people are sleeping on Oklahoma this offseason.

5. Alabama

This one could come back to bite me because the schedule is once again pretty brutal. They host Georgia at home and have road trips to LSU and Tennessee. They will have the best secondary in the country, and I think the quarterback situation will be better than people think. The biggest concern for me is their depth at wide receiver and can they run the football. The bar is set very low for that second one. Running for -2 yards in the SEC Championship Game would be an improvement. That’s how bad they were in the run game a season ago. There’s talent everywhere, and the defense will keep them in a lot of games.

Alabama’s projected depth chart for the 2026 season… 🐘🅰️ pic.twitter.com/vp6u0dcE1O

— Roll Tide #18™ 🐘 (@jerrysandersRTR) April 29, 2026

6. Texas A&M

I can hear the groans from College Station. Here’s the deal though – who steps in on the offensive line and who replaces the production of KC Concepcion? I have been dragged at times this offseason suggesting that the Aggies will take a step back, but that feels pretty fair to say considering they went 11-1 last year in the regular season and went to the playoff. I don’t see either of those things happening this season, but they will still be very good. I’m buying as much stock as I can for them in the future with the way Mike Elko is recruiting.

7. Ole Miss

I don’t see it. I love Trinidad Chambliss. I love Kewan Lacy, and I loved watching this team defy the odds in the CFP last season. It’s just hard for me to imagine that they will replicate that kind of season in a year where LSU and Georgia are on the home schedule and Oklahoma and Texas are on the away schedule. Pete Golding is awesome, and he’s aced his first part of the job. I love his laser focus on football and nothing else, and I think he’s a great fit for Oxford, especially after Lane Kiffin. I just wonder if he will go through what every head coach in this league goes through – growing pains.

8. South Carolina

South Carolina is in for a big bounce back season. Last year they underwhelmed everyone after being preseason top 15. This year they made several offseason staff changes for the better and brought in a new offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. Kendal Briles’ offense should be a much better fit for LaNorris Sellers than whatever the hell Mike Shula put out there last year. They have the best defensive player in the country in Dylan Stewart, and they have a two deep with actual quality depth for the first time since Beamer has been there, in my opinion. The defense will once again be one of the best in the SEC, and seven of the ten Power Four teams they play will be breaking in a new quarterback. The roster is constructed very similarly to the 2024 team when they won nine games and almost made the playoffs.

Dylan Stewart is my #2 player in the 2027 draft class, and probably the best EDGE I have evaluated.

Look at him DESTROY a triple team as a TRUE FRESHMAN 😭😭😭

And then there’s the second clip which I can’t even explain.

This is an unreal talent. pic.twitter.com/wZAQhw01jm

— Cam (@42Cyc) April 27, 2026

9. Tennessee

I was higher on Tennessee before Spring than after Spring. The main reasons why are concerns at quarterback and whether or not their biggest offseason acquisition will even suit up this Fall. I think they’ll be okay at quarterback, but starting a freshman in this league is not for the faint of heart. I love the combination of Josh Heupel’s offense and Jim Knowles’ defense. I just worry that it may take a year for Knowles’ scheme to sink in for Vol players, as we’ve seen at previous stops.

10. Missouri

This feels too low to be honest. Missouri is going to be good once again, but losing its two elite edge rushers will definitely hurt. The offense could be the best it’s been in a few years with Austin Simmons at quarterback and the best running back in America Ahmad Hardy. I think they’re a potential eight win team, but I worry about the defensive production they lost.