Nov 29, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban shakes hands with Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn (left) after defeating the Tigers 55-44 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2015 season opening kickoff just days away, defending champ Alabama is No. 1 on our pre-season SEC power rankings.
It’s been a long summer of predictions, quarterback competitions, and unfortunate fall camp injuries. We’ve gathered as much information as possible without the actual benefit of games, and the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter and brighter by the day.
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After a long offseason, the 2015 college football season is finally underway. It’s officially game week and the first SEC football games of the year kick off this Thursday when South Carolina and North Carolina tussle in Charlotte and Vanderbilt hosts Western Kentucky.
We’ve finally made it everybody. And as we prepare for 2015, it’s time for the first edition of our weekly SEC power rankings.
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When preparing our Week 1 rankings, it’s important to try to look beyond what happened last year. Yes, past performance is important, but because of annual roster turnover and the constant coaching carousel, the college football landscape has the potential to change quickly from year to year.
Therefore, just because Missouri went 11-3 and won the SEC East for the second year in a row doesn’t mean the Tigers are worthy of a spot in the top three. The same can be said for 10-win Mississippi State, who spent much of the 2014 season atop the national polls.
But one thing remains: Alabama is No. 1. The defending SEC champions have just as many questions to answer as Missouri, Mississippi State and the rest of the league, but the Crimson Tide has an edge in the two most important criteria in college football: talent and coaching. As long as Nick Saban is around to coach his collection of former five-star/future first round players, Alabama is the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference.
But what about the rest of the SEC? Let’s explore our preseason SEC football power rankings.
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