2019 SEC College Football Preseason Rankings: Alabama the Team to Beat

2019 SEC College Football Preseason Rankings – Alabama the Team to Beat: Few will argue that the toughest conference in all of College Football continues to be the SEC. Juggernaut Alabama is at the top of the pecking order, but Georgia, LSU and Florida are all top-10 teams with legitimate national title aspirations. You also have teams like Auburn and Texas A&M that can never seem to be counted out. Add it up, and the SEC is essentially guaranteed to be represented in the College Football Playoff, and as we have seen in that past, it is the one conference with a legitimate chance to have two teams competing for the national title. With the 2019 season just around the corner, let’s take a closer look at how the SEC stacks up. Also, be sure and check out our complete 2019 SEC Football predictions for projected record and finish of each team.

2019 SEC College Football Preseason Rankings – Alabama the Team to Beat

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide were embarrassed by Clemson in the national title game, but they still look they class of the deepest conference in the country. Last year’s Heisman runner-up, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, headlines the most explosive offense in the Nick Saban era, and Jerry Jeudy leads the best receiving corps in the country. Najee Harris looks like the next great Alabama running back, and the Crimson Tide are always tough in the trenches. Linebacker Dylan Moses and defensive end Raekwon Davis are just a couple of the standouts on what always seems to be one of the best defenses in the country. A trip to Auburn for the Iron Bowl is always dangerous, but the Crimson Tide should steamroll their way back to the SEC title game.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Led by a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Jake Fromm, one of the best offensive lines in the country, a dynamic running back in D’Andre Swift and an athletic defense, Georgia is one of the most complete teams in the country. Granted, the schedule isn’t a walk in the park, but Notre Dame, Florida and Texas A&M all come to Athens. The Bulldogs have a loaded roster on both sides of the ball and look poised for a third straight trip to the SEC title game and a likely showdown with Alabama. Georgia deserves to be mentioned among the favorites for the national championship, not just the SEC crown.

3. LSU Tigers

Do-it-all safety Grant Delpit is a sleeper Heisman candidate and a Swiss Army knife for one of the deepest defensive units in the country. Of course, LSU has been fielding elite defenses for years. It is scoring points that has been the problem, but the Tigers began making the move to a more fast-paced attack at the end of last season, and they have the athletes at the skill positions to make some big plays. If Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow can provide stability at the quarterback spot, the Tigers could finally have the balance they need to take the next step. With Florida, Auburn and Texas A&M all visiting Death Valley, a road trip to face rival Alabama could decide if LSU gets over the hump, takes back the SEC West and returns to national title contention. In fact, I think the Tigers are the only West team with a shot of dethroning the Crimson Tide this season.

4. Florida Gators

The Gators ended last season on a high note by slaughtering Michigan in the Peach Bowl to cap a 10-win season. The defense has never been a question mark, and Dan Mullen has this team moving in the right direction on the offensive side of the ball. If quarterback Feleipe Franks can take another step forward in his second year in Mullen’s offense, Florida will be a legitimate threat in the SEC East. Drawing LSU and Auburn from the West isn’t ideal, but it could be worse. If the Gators can take down Georgia, they could punch their ticket to the SEC title game and maybe the College Football Playoff.

5. Missouri Tigers

I think Auburn and Texas A&M are both better teams, but while both of those clubs are stuck in the brutal SEC West, Missouri sits in the East and draws one of the friendliest schedules of any team in the conference. The Tigers avoid Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn from the West, and they get to host Florida. Former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant is set to run the offense, and he is running ability should add another dimension to a unit that already boasts one of the best offensive lines and one of the top tight ends in the country in Albert Okwuegbunam. Missouri is currently appealing a one-year postseason ban, but if they win that appeal, the season really comes down to meetings with Georgia and Florida. If the Tigers can just split those games, they could find themselves playing for the conference title.

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