The pre-spring version of the CFN 2021 rankings with a first look at all the SEC teams.
2021 SEC Rankings: Pre-Spring
SEC East
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Why To Be Happy: There’s a nice group of players returning to set the foundation for what should be a stronger year. Start with JT Daniels settling the quarterback situation, continue with RB James Cook and OT Jamaree Salyer to go along with all the high-end receivers and defensive talents returning, and most the players are there to get to the College Football Playoff.
What To Work On: The offense has to be better in the bigger games. The defense was strong all season and will be again, but the O wasn’t consistent enough, especially against Alabama, Florida, and at least on the ground, against Cincinnati.
Bottom Line: Win the SEC East, Georgia. Considering all of the big replacements being made at Alabama, there’s no reason to shoot for anything less than a conference championship.
– 2021 Georgia Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
2. Florida Gators
Why To Be Happy: The Gators might be losing a ton of the key 2020 parts, but several very, very nice prospects are coming in to ease the pain. Clemson RB Demarkcus Bowman was a huge recruit, as were Auburn DT Daquan Newkirk and LSU TE Arik Gilbert. Emory Jones adds more mobility to the quarterback position, and enough starters return on defense to be okay. However …
What To Work On: No, really, Kyle Pitts was Heisman-caliber good numbers-wise. Yes, part of the reason the Gators flopped against Oklahoma was the lack of the star receiver talent, and now TE Kyle Pitts and WRs Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes are gone.
Bottom Line: The Gators are going to reload in a hurry and could be even more dangerous if the receivers rise up right away. However, going into spring football they look like they might be a step or two behind Georgia.
– 2021 Florida Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
3. Missouri Tigers
Why To Be Happy: There were losses in the transfer portal, but the Tigers got plenty of wins. They might have lost star LB Nick Bolton to the NFL, but they picked up a very, very good safety-sized playmaker in Blaze Allredge from Rice. Plug him into the lineup, and with the return of tackles Kobie Whiteside and Markell Utsey for their senior-plus seasons, and now …
What To Work On: The defense has to be a whole lot stronger than it was at the end of the season. Solid at times, it couldn’t handle the bigger boys on the slate and then it all melted down over the last three games.
Bottom Line: RB Larry Rountree is gone, but almost everyone else is back on O, almost everyone is back on D, and head coach Eliah Drinkwitz had a year to get things in place. Mizzou is about to make a jump.
– 2021 Missouri Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
4. Kentucky Wildcats
Why To Be Happy: QB Terry Wilson might be transferring out, but the offense might be more dynamic with either Joey Gatewood or Beau Allen under center. With leading receiver Josh Ali coming back the passing game should be solid, and …
What To Work On: Kentucky loses enough good players to matter. P Max Duffy, LB Jamin Davis and CB Kelvin Joseph are just a few who’ll be missed, the O and D lines need a slew of replacements, and …
Bottom Line: Kentucky will still be Kentucky. It’ll have its style on both sides that will work just enough to be a bother. There will be just enough missing to be a contender, but no one will grind harder or better.
– 2021 Kentucky Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
5. Tennessee Volunteers
Why To Be Happy: Not everyone entered the transfer portal. The Vols were able to bring in Virginia Tech’s talented QB Hendon Hooker and … uhhhhh … Hooker is good. Getting Cade Mays back for the offensive line is terrific, and the defensive front returns enough veterans to be a potential plus.
What To Work On: The offense has got to start moving the ball better. It was a disaster on third downs and everything fell flat except against the weak and the sad. Also, the defense has got to start coming up with third down stops.
Bottom Line: Okay … so almost everyone is apparently entering the transfer portal, but that should change and possibly reverse now that things have settled a bit after hiring Josh Heupel. If nothing else, the offense is about to be a whole lot more fun. No matter what you think about the hire, Tennessee has a direction.
– 2021 Tennessee Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
6. South Carolina Gamecocks
Why To Be Happy: The program is going to get time to grow and get the young parts working, starting with RB Kevin Harris and – most likely – QB Luke Doty behind an O line that might not be all that bad. The new coaching staff has been active on the transfer portal with a whole slew of reinforcements coming in.
What To Work On: Find a passing game right away. Harris is going to be options 1, 2 and 3, but being more dangerous down the field is a must for an offense that sputtered and coughed throughout the second half of the season. The offense needs a higher-octane identity.
Bottom Line: You wanted Will Muschamp gone. Done, now the rebuild begins under Shane Beamer. There’s going to be a “no one believes in us” factor with the Gamecocks for 2021 – the pressure is off. The starting 22 should be okay with a little more help.
– 2021 South Carolina Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
7. Vanderbilt Commodores
Why To Be Happy: Yeah, a slew of Commodores are in the transfer portal, but most of the key ones didn’t play big roles in 2020 after being a bigger part of the 2019 team. Vandy went young, suffered through the problems, and now returns experienced in a few areas to hope for a quick improvement.
What To Work On: Scoring. The Commodores scored 21 points or fewer in eight of their nine games and 17 or fewer in seven of those. Go back to 2019 and the program has scores 17 or fewer in 13 of their last 17 games.
Bottom Line: New head coach Clark Lea has a massive task ahead of him with a total overhaul of a program that went 2-18 against FBS teams over the last two seasons.
– 2021 Vanderbilt Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
– 2021 Pre-Spring SEC West
2021 SEC West Rankings: Pre-Spring 8-14
2021 SEC Rankings: Pre-Spring
SEC West
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Why To Be Happy: It’s Alabama. There are more where they came from. Even with the massive personnel losses, normal array of four and five-star talents are still around to keep it all going. The Bryce Young era should kick in at quarterback, Brian Robinson is a big-time back who’ll finally get the spotlight, and there’s a whole ton of big-time talent returning to the defensive side – as always.
What To Work On: You don’t get better after losing a Heisman-winning receiver, the best running back in college football, and a quarterback who had the most efficient passing season in the history of of the sport. DeVonta Smith, Najee Harris and Mac Jones were great, and a whole slew of other Bama stars are off to the NFL, but …
Bottom Line: The season will be rougher, the SEC will be better, and … Alabama is still Alabama. Even with all the talent losses, this is still obviously a powerhouse. Nothing stops.
– 2021 Alabama Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
2. Texas A&M Aggies
Why To Be Happy: A whole lot of good players return, starting with RBs Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith, TE Jalen Wydermyer, and S Leon O’Neal and CB Myles Jones. The recruiting has upped the overall talent level, but …
What To Work On: Replacing Kellen Mond won’t be easy. In a year with all sorts of craziness and with everything out of sorts, having a veteran QB meant the world to the Aggies in 2020. He could’ve returned for another year, but now he’s off to the next level leaving untested Zach Calzada and Haynes King to fight for the gig.
Bottom Line: The entire O line needs reshuffling, a whole slew of key parts are gone, and it’s going to take a great offseason to get back to 2020 form. It’ll still be a great team, but it’s pushing it to be fringe CFP-good in what should be a better SEC.
– 2021 Texas A&M Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
3. LSU Tigers
Why To Be Happy: Unlike last year, LSU isn’t losing an entire team full of stars to the next level. 2020 was the definition of a rebuilding year, and now the offensive line is loaded with veterans, the underclassmen at the skill spots should be stronger, and Derek Stingley Jr. leads yet another terrific Tiger secondary.
What To Work On: All the returning players have to play better. Everyone can be forgiven for how strange last season was, but the pass defense can’t be among the nation’s worst again and the offense has to be far, far more consistent.
Bottom Line: The Tigers should be a whole lot better. The performances at the end of the season against Florida and Ole Miss showed off the potential for what should be the SEC’s biggest wild card.
– 2021 LSU Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
4. Ole Miss Rebels
Why To Be Happy: WR Elijah Moore is gone from the high-powered offense, but that’s about it. The Rebels were able to roll up and down the field – including, to a point, Alabama – and QB Matt Corral leads another phenomenal group. DE Ryder Anderson left for Indiana, but just about everyone else on defense returns.
What To Work On: Yeah … the defense. It was the second-worst in the country allowing 519 yards per game. It was bad against the run, worse against the pass, and it has to be able to hold serve from time to time in the shootouts.
Bottom Line: Ole Miss is going to be a thorn in everyone’s side. There’s too much returning experience to not be better defensively, the offense will be just as strong, and there will be a whole lot of shootouts.
– 2021 Ole Miss Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
5. Auburn Tigers
Why To Be Happy: New head man Bryan Harsin inherits enough experience to start winning right away. The offensive line that wasn’t all that awful gets everyone back to block for Tank Bigsby and a strong group of backs, and QB Bo Nix returns for his third year as the starter. The defense has enough parts back to be okay.
What To Work On: The receiving corps needs new playmakers, and Nix has to be a whole lot better. He had NFL-caliber receivers in Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz, and Eli Stove to work with and the passing attack wasn’t anything special. That has to change without the three great targets.
Bottom Line: It’s going to be a true year of transition to the new coaching staff, and it’s not going to be an SEC championship campaign, but the Tigers will be good enough to at least be competitive against just about everyone.
– 2021 Auburn Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
6. Arkansas Razorbacks
Why To Be Happy: The Razorbacks aren’t losing anyone early to the NFL, the offensive line has the potential to be terrific, and the defense is full of excellent veterans to give the program – potentially – it’s best starting 11 on that side of the ball in a long, long time.
What To Work On: Can KJ Jefferson be the main man at quarterback? Feleipe Franks wasn’t Mac Jones or Kyle Trask, but he was a good, solid veteran who helped the transition to the new coaching staff. Jefferson will run more, but the offense has to be able to wing it around with the QBs in place.
Bottom Line: For all the fun and all the excitement, Arkansas still only went 3-7. There’s enough experience to finish in the top four of the SEC West with a big upset here or there, but it’s still a building job under Sam Pittman.
– 2021 Arkansas Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Why To Be Happy: Most of the top receiving targets are back, QB Will Rogers should be a whole lot better in 2021, and there are just enough offensive linemen returning to be even stronger up front. The offense didn’t have a regular offseason in 2020 to prepare, and now the machine should be a whole lot sharper. Most of the top tacklers are back on defense, but …
What To Work On: Several good defensive players are gone, and the offense has to be a whole lot better just to be okay. The Bulldogs were dead last in the SEC in yards per completion, turnovers, and rushing. All of that has to change.
Bottom Line: With a few months to prepare and with better timing and more consistency, the Bulldogs should be a whole lot better. If the offense can start doing what it’s supposed to under Mike Leach, it can be dangerous enough to lead to team into the top four in the West.
– 2021 Mississippi State Schedule Analysis, Best & Worst Case Scenarios
