2023 SEC Football Power Rankings: Pre-Camp Edition

How each SEC team stacks up ahead of the 2023 college football season.

The 2023 college football season is just around the corner after a long and eventful offseason following the Georgia Bulldogs' repeat national championship victory.

With lots of departures and exciting new additions alike within rosters across the conference, along with some shakeup within some of the coaching staffs, it is sure to be an interesting year.

Here's a look at how each of the 14 teams in the conference stack up ahead of Week 1:

1. Georgia

College football is entering a new era. Georgia is now the king of college football after Nick Saban and Alabama running the sport for over a decade. 

The Bulldogs are returning 13 starters from last year's team, including their entire interior offensive line, three secondary members, and the best tight end in college football Brock Bowers. Carson Beck is expected to replace two-time national champion Stetson Bennet at quarterback, and Beck will have two transfer receivers to help him. Dominic Lovett from Missouri and RaRa Thomas from Mississippi State arrive in Athens after successful seasons at their previous SEC schools.

2. LSU

The Brian Kelly tenure did not start great, with a loss to Florida State and off-the-field drama. 

However, as the season progressed, it was clear Kelly was up for the job. With wins over Alabama and winning the SEC West, the Tigers are poised to break out this year. They return their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels and their leading receiver, former Mississippi State commit Malik Nabers. The Tigers also return perhaps the best defensive player in the SEC, Harold Perkins.

3. Tennessee

After bursting onto the scene last year, Tennessee is back.

 The Vols lost star quarterback Hendon Hooker, but they are bringing back Joe Milton, who was sprung into action after Hooker tore his ACL. Despite this, Josh Heupel and his high-tempo offense did not miss a beat destroying Clemson 31-14 in the Orange Bowl. They lost a lot of talent from last year's team, but Heupel has shown his offense can work magic.

4. Alabama

Shockingly, Alabama is all the way at four. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have had a choke hold on college football for over a decade, and this is the first time the crack in their armor is evident. 

They are replacing two coordinators, which may not be bad, but there will be a learning curve. The QB battle is ongoing, and there is no talent shortage with Ty Simpson, Jalen Milroe, and Tyler Buchner, a Notre Dame transfer. It has been said before, but the Alabama dynasty is slowly crumbling.

5. Auburn

The Bryan Harsin era at Auburn was nothing short of a mess. The Tigers limped to a 5-7 record this past year, with the last few games being coached by former Auburn star Cadillac Williams. 

This year the Huge Freeze era begins on the Plains, and while Freeze has had his fair share of controversies over his career, his coaching has never been in question. The quarterback position will be the most significant question mark, but the Tigers have returning starter Robbie Ashford and picking up Peyton Thorne from Michigan State out of the portal. 

They return an All-SEC candidate in Jarquez Hunter. First-year head coach Hugh Freeze will have his handful this season, but the Tigers will exceed their low expectations.

6. Mississippi State

Mississippi State finished with a 9-4 record last year and is returning a lot of that production for this season. However, with the passing of Mike Leach, the Bulldogs will be under the leadership of first-year head coach Zach Arnett. 

Arnett was the defensive coordinator under Leach, so he is different from a typical first-year head coach. Will Rogers will be the starter, and this will be his fourth year being the starter. They return their two leading tacklers on defense with Jett Johnson and Bookie Watson. How will the veterans on offense respond to the new scheme Kevin Barbay, the offensive coordinator, is implementing? 

This will be the key to a big season for the Bulldogs with a veteran defense and sticking with the same scheme that is a recipe for a top defense in the conference. If the transition into a new offense is smooth, expect a big year in Starkville.

7. South Carolina

South Carolina finished the regular season with back-to-back statement wins. The Gamecocks beat Tennessee and their in-state rival Clemson. 

Since Shane Beamer arrived in Columbia, he has given the football program a needed energy shot. South Carolina returns the veteran Spencer Rattler at quarterback. Rattle, a former Oklahoma transfer, is rich with talent but has yet to find that consistency. The question this year with South Carolina is which team we see. Do we see the team who beat Clemson 31-30 or who got embarrassed by Florida 38-6?

8. Ole Miss

Ole Miss got off to a hot start last year after winning their first seven games and being ranked inside the top 10. However, the Rebels ended with an 8-5 record, losing three of their last four. As always, their head coach Lane Kiffin was active in the transfer portal. 

It was needed as the Rebels lost their two leading receivers, Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath. They added former Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding to call the defense. Golding struggled in Tuscaloosa with superior talent, and the Ole Miss defense struggled last year. Lane Kiffin will always have an explosive offense, and with Jaxson Dart and Quinshon Judkins returning, that will be a significant boost. Expect the Rebels to finish with a similar record as last year.

9. Kentucky

Kentucky has been a consistent program since Mark Stoops became head coach in 2012. The Wildcats will replace their starting quarterback from a year ago, Will Levis. Levis was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft, but they upgraded to that position via the transfer portal. 

The Wildcats add former NC State quarterback Devin Leary and bring Liam Cohen back on staff as offensive coordinator after a brief NFL stint. They also added transfer running back Ray Davis from Vanderbilt. Davis rushed for over 1000 yards last year and will be the primary back. The Wildcats return 14 starters from last year's team, and they are looking to take a step forward after a 7-6 record last year.

10. Texas A&M

After signing the greatest recruiting class ever, everything went downhill for Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher. The Aggies finished 5-7 last year, including an embarrassing loss to App State at Kyle Field. They brought in Bobby Petrino to be their OC. The Aggies are rich with talent, so can Jimbo Fisher make the most out of that and let Petrino call the offense?

11. Arkansas

The Razorbacks will replace their coordinators, Kendal Briles and Barry Odom. This will be a massive move because the Razorbacks have always had a continuity that has helped them succeed.

They do return KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders. The Razorbacks will struggle this year after having new coordinators for the first time in the Sam Pittman era.

12. Florida

After Florida beat Utah in week one in The Swamp, Billy Napier and the Gators were the talks of college football. The Gators were quickly brought back to earth after losing 26-16 to Kentucky at home. 

They never seemed to recover from that, and the season ended with a loss to their rival Florida State 45-38 and getting embarrassed by Oregon State 30-3 in the Las Vegas bowl. All these struggles came with a top-five pick at quarterback in Anthony Richardson. It remains to be seen if Napier will make it to year three in Gainesville. If this prediction comes true, the Gators will be looking for a new head coach in December.

13. Vanderbilt

It is rare to say a losing season was successful for an SEC program, but last year was a successful season for second-year head coach Clark Lea. The Commodores got upset wins over Florida and Kentucky to finish with a 5-7 record. 

The transfer portal did them no favors as they lost Mike Wright, their starting quarterback for most of the year, to Mississippi State and losing their leading rusher Ray Davis to Kentucky. They are not ready to make the postseason yet, but the Vanderbilt football program is slowly improving.

14. Missouri

Missouri got off to a hot start joining the SEC by winning back-to-back East titles.

Since then, the Tigers have struggled and are at a dead end with fourth-year head coach Eli Drinkwitz. After a 6-7 finish last year, Drinkwitz is firmly on the hot seat and probably will be fired at year's end if this prediction holds.