SEC football predictions: Ranking teams from worst to best heading into the 2024 season ft. Georgia

With the 2024 season less than a month away, it's within the range of time to consider preseason rankings. The SEC has two new members and an even better claim as college football's top league. Here's where the 16 SEC squads stack up heading into the 2024 season, ranked below from worst to best.

SEC football predictions-- teams worst to best

#16. Vanderbilt

Clark Lea is 2-22 in SEC play in three seasons. There's not much about this Vanderbilt team that suggests they'll improve that record soon.

#15. Mississippi State

State hasn't had a winning season in league play since 2014. That was four coaches ago, when Dan Mullen was in Starkville. State is now on three coaches in three seasons and doesn't seem likely to leap up the SEC standings this year.

#14. Arkansas

Similarly, Arkansas hasn't posted a winning SEC record since 2015. Sam Pittman starts his fifth season on thin ice and having seen QB KJ Jefferson transfer away. If Pittman does enough to keep his job into 2025, it'll be a surprise.

#13. Florida

Speaking of coaches on this ice, Billy Napier is in real jeopardy in Gainesville. After an 11-14 mark in two seasons, UF needs a solid 2024 campaign or Napier will be gone. There are some skill players here, but the talent level is well below Florida's normal range.

#12. South Carolina

South Carolina has just one winning SEC mark in the last decade of league play. Shane Beamer is just 20-18, but is on better ground than Pittman or Napier. That's good, because Carolina's situation is not particularly strong heading into 2024.

#11. Auburn

After three straight losing seasons, Hugh Freeze is hoping to see things improve at Auburn. Freeze's recruiting and portal additions are helpful, but adding two more excellent teams to the SEC won't do Auburn any favors.

#10. Kentucky

After back-to-back 7-6 seasons, it's fair to wonder if Mark Stoops has hit his ceiling at Kentucky. His recent disaparaging comments toward NIL suggest a coach nearing the end of his rope, even if he is the longest-tenured SEC coach.

#9. Texas A&M

Mike Elko won't lack for resources or talent at A&M, but the Aggies are one of just four SEC teams without a ten-win season in the past decade. If Conner Weigman is solid at QB, the Aggies will be competitive.

#8. Tennessee

A year after an impressive 11-2 campaign, Tennessee fell to 9-4 in 2023. The question is whether the new SEC members will knock Tennessee back to the middle of the pack. The early returns suggest that they might.

#7. Oklahoma

The Sooners will make their SEC debut more quietly than Texas, but should be very competitive. Admittedly, they've never seen a schedule quite like this one. Still, Oklahoma should be good.

#6. Missouri

After an 11-2 season, can Eli Drinkwitz keep the Tigers from sliding back? Missouri probably would have earned a CFP spot, had the 12-team setup been in place last year. But this year, the early guess is that Missouri comes up a game or two short.

#5. LSU

Brian Kelly's teams won 10 games in each of his first two seasons at LSU. If the Tigers get the defense tuned up, they'll be in the thick of the CFP picture this year.

#4. Ole Miss

After a 10-win season in 2021 and an 11-2 mark last year, the Rebels figure to be making their move in the SEC here. Ole Miss is usually one of the lower budget schools in the SEC, but their transfer portal movement suggests urgency. It might be now or never for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in CFP terms.

#3. Texas

The Longhorns are expected to be an SEC title contender in their maiden voyage in the league. After playing in the CFP a year ago, Texas could very well return again. But the Longhorns have never played a schedule quite like this, and an unexpected stumble or two seems almost inevitable.

#2. Alabama

With Nick Saban gone and Kalen DeBoer in, it's a new system and a new coach. It'll probably be the same old Alabama. The Tide still have as much talent as anyone in the nation, and DeBoer can take them far.

#1.Georgia

Georgia is Georgia. They didn't go 42-2 in the last three seasons by accident. Kirby Smart will field the nation's deepest and most talented team, and he won back-to-back titles before last season.

How do you think the SEC stacks up in 2024? Let's hear your thoughts below in our comments section!