The SEC has always been one of the top conferences in college football, but the Big Ten has won back-to-back national championships in the last two years. The SEC is still one of the top conferences, but has not produced as many elite teams recently. This year, the Texas Longhorns are poised to be the top team, and I expect Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina could all be good teams as well in the SEC. For this article, we are going to look at three SEC teams who could take a step back next year.
o. 1: Ole Miss Rebelsā
Ole Miss has won 11 and 10 games in the last two years, which is outstanding for a program that has never sustained a high level in the SEC. To Lane Kiffin's credit, he has maintained a high level of success, but next year could be a slight step back. Ole Miss will lose three-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart and several other key contributors from last year's team. They also have a tougher SEC schedule next year. They have a three-game stretch in October that could rival anyone in the country.The Rebels will play Georgia on the road on Oct. 18, at Oklahoma Oct. 25 and then face South Carolina at home on Nov. 1. Georgia and South Carolina are both expected to be good teams this year, and Oklahoma should be better. Plus, they face LSU at home and must visit Kentucky, whom they lost to at home last year. Add in the fact they are breaking in a new a quarterback, a 7-9 win season looks like it is in store.
No. 2: Missouri Tigersā
Missouri is another team coming off 11 wins and 10 wins, as Eli Drinkwitz has built a solid program in Columbia, Mo. Like Ole Miss, they face a difficult schedule, and winning 10 games seems difficult to happen. They face a difficult schedule for three weeks in October.They play Alabama at home, then visit Auburn and Vanderbilt in back-to-back weeks. Vanderbilt was a much-improved team last year and brought a ton back, and seemed poised to be a solid team again next year. Missouri, I do not think, will fall back much, but I see an eight- or nine-win team next season.
No. 3: Georgia Bulldogsā
This might be a stretch as Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches in college football, but they have a huge question mark at quarterback with first-year starter Gunner Stockton. They are also losing a ton of players off last year's team to the NFL Draft.The Bulldogs are usually able to reload, but they could fall back slightly on defense after losing top-flight defenders in Malaki Starks, Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker. Their schedule is never easy, and this year is no different since they have road games at Tennessee and Auburn. They also face Florida in Jacksonville, and most expect the Gators to be a much-improved team. Plus, they will face Texas at home with first-year starter Arch Manning. They went 10-2 last year in the regular season and I can see them winning similar games or dropping back to 9-3. If Stockton plays at a high level, a 10- or 11-win regular season is in order; if he struggles, they could fall back and win nine games.
