For many years, I've written an SEC Football Preview based upon a pair of seven-team divisions. When the league announced it was adding Texas and Oklahoma and doing away with divisional play altogether, I decided to do a three part preview with the lower five, middle five and finally the top six. Here we go, starting with the SEC's five worst teams.
16. Vanderbilt
This one was the easiest choice I had to make. Vandy football hasn't been good consistently since the late 1920s.
In fact the Commodores have claimed a total of six national titles with the most recent coming in 1922....more than a century ago. Vandy has an all-time record of 615-685-50, that's a winning percentage of .492 As Clark Lea enters his third year as head coach, he's 9-27 and prospects for 2024 aren't good at all. Lea is well respected among other coaches but the talent simply isn't there. One coach says it takes 18 good players on offense and another 18 on defense before you can have a solid program. Vandy has between 8 and 12 right now. That may be enough to compete in Conference USA but not the SEC. The 'Dores were 0-8 and in the basement of the league a year ago, and I don't see them getting out of that basement anytime soon.
15. Arkansas
The Razorbacks were 4-8 in 2023 and if Coach Sam Pittman can't greatly improve on that, he will be elsewhere in 2025. The Hogs wound up with the nation's 31st best recruiting class and there are a couple of players who could help right away. Four star pass rusher Charleston Collins is in camp and so is talented quarterback K.J. Jackson but all eyes are on Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green. The dual threat star is likely to flourish under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino who returns to Fayetteville after posting a record of 34-17 as head coach....arguably the best stretch in Arkansas's recent history. Pittman needs a big rejuvenation and he needs it quickly. One positive note regarding the Hogs' schedule is the fact that they don't have to play Alabama for the first time since joining the SEC in 1992.
14. South Carolina
The Gamecocks went in the tank a year ago after a strong finish to the 2022 season. They were 5-7 and this fall they have to replace starting quarterback Spencer Rattler. USC had a solid recruiting season for the third year in a row and while I'm picking them lower than most people in the pre-season standings, they could be considerably better. Replacing Rattler will be red shirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, a 6-3 240 pounder who is said to run like a bull but is also a very accurate passer. He will be a lot different than the slippery Rattler and Gamecock fans are excited to see how he fares. The home portion of the SEC schedule will be tough as they host LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri in Columbia. Those four teams were a combined 39-13 in 2023. This could be a make or break season for Coach Shane Beamer.
13. Mississippi State
For the third time in three years, the Bulldogs have a new head football coach. When Mike Leach passed away following the 2022 season, Mississippi State turned to defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. That lasted one year before they hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby who helped light up the scoreboard for the Sooners. The Bulldogs, who failed to play in a bowl game for the first time since 2009, should be a bit better than last year's 5-7 squad. Coach Lebby has at least five quarterbacks in camp and Baylor transfer Blake Shapen appears to be the guy. Lebby is a rising star in college football and I hope that coaching in Starkville, MS doesn't damage his career. After all, you can only win so many games at MSU. Just ask Dan Mullin.
12. Florida
This will be Billy Napier's third season at the "Swamp" and his seat is every bit as hot as any coach in the SEC. The fact that the Gators have one of the toughest schedules in the country doesn't help anything either. They did sign five-star quarterback D.J. Lagway but they also lost standout running back Trevor Etienne to the Transfer Portal. Etienne is now with rival Georgia. Transfer quarterback Graham Mertz gave Florida some hope last year as he led the SEC in completion percentage but in the Gators' next to last game of the year against Missouri, he suffered a broken collar bone and was done for the year. Florida got off to a 5-2 start a year ago and that included a huge upset win at home over Tennessee. Five straight losses to end the 2023 campaign gave Napier a scorching hot seat to begin the 2024 season with.
Next, we'll preview teams picked 11 through seven.
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