| FTBL FOX Sports: Top 25 for 2022 includes five SEC in the top ten.

1) Alabama - The additions of former Georgia wide receiver Jermaine Burton, LSU cornerback Elias Ricks and Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs highlighted the 2022 Tide recruiting class. While all those players are transfers, two of them (Burton and Ricks) come from programs that are SEC rivals and have proven capable of winning College Football Playoff national titles over the past three seasons.

Much was made of Burton’s decision to leave UGA after he helped the Bulldogs dispatch the Tide to secure the first national title in Athens, Georgia, in four decades. But the move made sense to Saban, considering his team lost wideouts Jameson Williams, John Metchie and Slade Bolden to the NFL Draft.

"He had a fairly productive year at Georgia," Saban said of Burton. "They had a lot of good players at his position. You know, he had some production this year but might’ve seen a better opportunity because we’re a little bit more wide open and throw the ball more with a good quarterback. That may have been his intention, but we feel like we lost both starting receivers and Slade … so to get a more experienced player that has some playing time in this league probably is a good thing for us."

2) - Texas A&M - The Aggies move up to No. 2 in the spring ranking on the strength of their record-setting 2022 recruiting class. Even more impressive is that Jimbo Fisher’s A&M put together a class made almost exclusively from the high school ranks in an era when many recruiting classes are 50 percent (or more) transfers.

With additions such as five-star defensive lineman Shemar Stewart, former Ole Miss defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and former LSU quarterback Max Johnson, A&M fans are looking forward to what could be their best season since the invention of sliced bread.

3) Ohio State

4) Georgia - Losing Burton to Alabama stings. But bringing in the No. 3-ranked class in the 2022 cycle will act as a warm salve.

UGA’s 2021 defense was generational. Odds are it won’t be again in 2022. But five-star safety Malaki Starks has a chance to become the best defensive back to leave Georgia under Smart since 2018 Jim Thorpe Award winner Deandre Baker.

5) Baylor

6) Arkansas - Quarterback KJ Jefferson has an argument for the second-best quarterback in the SEC. And that’s saying something, as the best one is Alabama QB and defending Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.

With Trey Knox edging toward first-round draft selection, he’ll hope to form a partnership with Oklahoma transfer Jadon Haselwood while former Alabama transfer and outside linebacker Drew Sanders helps anchor defensive coordinator Barry Odom’s defense.

The Razorbacks were 9-4 last season, with one of those losses coming 52-51 against Ole Miss and two others against the teams that played in the national title game.

7) Notre Dame

8) Utah

9) Ole Miss - Lane Kiffin lost both coordinators, starting quarterback Matt Corral and multiple running backs to the draft or portal. He responded with one of the most impressive transfer portal hauls of the cycle, with former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart, TCU running back Zach Evans and USC tight end Michael Trigg.

The SEC West is loaded — the four teams in the top 10 of this ranking reflect that — and the Rebels will have to come out of the spring firing to maintain the momentum they had when they received their bid to the Sugar Bowl.

10) Michigan State



22) Kentucky - The Wildcats must replace three starters on their offensive line — including NFL Draft darling Darian Kinnard — and offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who joined the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams as offensive coordinator.

But the biggest concern for Mark Stoops is the loss of a generational talent at wide receiver in Wan’Dale Robinson. With 104 catches and more than 1,300 yards, the Nebraska transfer left Lexington with one of the best individual seasons ever by a Wildcat.

Besides the offensive concerns, Stoops will want to fix his team’s turnover margin, as UK finished 125th in that stat in 2021, despite winning 10 games in a season for the second time in four years and just the third time since 1977.

 
Wait unit y'all see the AP poll when it's released and compare it to his. He's got a few of those who'll show up in their pre-season poll and has a few that won't. I'd guess, when compared to the AP, they'll have six in common (not by ranking.) In fact, Ohio State at #3 seems like the only one that will be the same between the two.
 
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