The Alabama Crimson Tide have owned SEC football over the previous decade, yet which schools are positioned to be the very best over the next ten years?
The SEC has been the best conference in college football over the last decade and promises to be for the next decade as well. Continued dominance from the Alabama Crimson Tide as well as the stability from teams like the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies keep the hope alive that the SEC can still win multiple National Championships in the near future.
Other SEC teams such as the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, and Arkansas Razorbacks look to position themselves among the top programs in the conference over the next decade. Those three programs have been in and out of contention in the SEC over the last few years.
More: 5 SEC teams that will fall short in 2017
With the college football season drawing closer and closer to kickoff, it’s exciting to talk about expectations for now and the near future. To some degree, the blue bloods of the SEC are likely to continue their dominance recruiting, building top-notch facilities and finding themselves top-tier coaches if their current situation does not work out. It’s easier for programs like Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, etc. to land top-tier talent and coaches because of the resources and tradition available to them.
It’s not to say that other programs in the SEC cannot rise to the top of the conference but it’s a lot harder for them to sustain success. For example, the Ole Miss Rebels put together a good run over the past five years but now it is shrouded in scandal. The Missouri Tigers won back to back SEC East Titles in 2013 and 2014 but their run quickly fell apart after race issues and even more scandal in 2015 that derailed all of their momentum.
Now, let’s take a look at projecting the top five SEC football programs over the next decade.
Head coach Gus Malzahn picked things back up for Auburn after a rough going in 2015. Even though the Tigers only finished 8-5 in 2016, they made an appearance in the Sugar Bowl. A lot rests in the hands of Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham to get Auburn back to the top of the SEC.
The SEC West will always be a tough division to consistently succeed in because of teams like LSU, Alabama, and Texas A&M. Even the Arkansas Razorbacks, Ole Miss Rebels, and Mississippi State Bulldogs have put together some solid runs in recent years.
Auburn has been a consistent top 15 ranked team in most preseason polls for 2017. They have the potential to make a solid bid for an SEC Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. The defensive talent has always been there, yet the offense has to come through as well. Stidham has a running back in Kamryn Pettway that not only has NFL potential but is also among the best in the country.
Malzahn competes with the best of the best in the SEC in terms of recruiting each year. The talent will continue to pour into Auburn as the years go by. Making the most of that talent is the biggest challenge at hand for the Tigers.
4
Georgia Bulldogs
Scouting Report
No team in the SEC, outside of possibly Ole Miss, has a brighter future at the quarterback position than the Georgia Bulldogs. Sophomore Jacob Eason was the no. 1 QB recruit in the country in the 2016 recruiting class. After a solid freshman campaign last season, he needs to progress to put himself among the best in the SEC.
Eason and Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson are the future of the SEC at quarterback. Head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia’s long-term success bank on the foundation that Eason builds with the Bulldogs now. If Eason can show how good he really is and lead Georgia back atop the SEC East, the long-term effects will be numerous.
The ability of head coaches to develop quarterbacks and other top recruits shows current prospects how attractive a school can be. Programs like Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson have made names for themselves now as launch pads for great NFL careers. Georgia is a constant performer at the top of the SEC in terms of recruiting. Much like Auburn, Georgia needs to continue making the most of their top recruits to ultimately succeed in the next decade.
3
LSU Tigers
Scouting Report
The Ed Orgeron era is officially under way in Baton Rouge. The Louisiana native looks to take LSU back to the heights that former head coach Les Miles once had the Tigers at in the mid to late 2000’s, including one National Championship. Miles was fired because of the under performing teams that he put out on the field each year over the last five seasons. Offensive struggles defined the end of the Miles era at LSU.
First-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada can build something great with quarterback Danny Etling and running back Derrius Guice if he takes advantage of all the weapons at his disposal. That was something that cost Cam Cameron his job with the Tigers.
LSU is once again a favorite to make a run at the College Football Playoff and the SEC Championship. Expectations are always high among LSU fans. That will not stop anytime soon and pressure on every head coach will continue until LSU is back at the top of the college football landscape.
Top notch defensive players continue to pour out of Baton Rouge at a rate only matched by the Alabama Crimson Tide. The success of the LSU football program over the next decade depends on the success of the offense. If the Tigers can finally put it all together on offense, then they will win a National Championship in the next 10 years.
2
Florida Gators
Scouting Report
No SEC head coach is more underrated than Florida’s Jim McElwain. He took a drowning program after Will Muschamp was fired and turned them into a contender in the conference every single season for the first time since Urban Meyer left the Gators for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Florida claimed back-to-back SEC East Titles in 2015 and 2016. They’re looking to win their third consecutive SEC East Championship to mark themselves as the dominant force in the SEC East. The amount of skill that the Gators possess on both sides of the ball is scary. They just have to figure out the quarterback position.
The one real opportunity Florida had to find a solution at quarterback, Will Grier, is now a West Virginia Mountaineer. McElwain hopes that freshman Feleipe Franks can be the answer to the quarterback problem that plagued the Gators ever since Greir left the program in 2015. If not, redshirt freshman Kyle Trask is ready to take the reins away from Franks.
Keeping up the success that Florida has to established for themselves over the last two years is the biggest key to them being the second best SEC program over the next decade. They might not win a National Championship in the next 10 years but they can continue to rack up division titles in the most notoriously difficult conference in college football.
1
Alabama Crimson Tide
Scouting Report
As long as head coach Nick Saban is the head man at Alabama, they will not only remain the best football program in the SEC but also the best program in the country. The no. 1 overall recruiting classes every single year along with the lock-down defenses that produce NFL talent every season proves how good the Crimson Tide are.
Sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts is the next Alabama quarterback that is very likely to take home a National Championship back to Tuscaloosa. Even after Hurts departs Alabama for the NFL in two or three years, freshman quarterback and former five-star recruit Tua Tagovailoa looks primed and ready to take over the starting position.
Alabama actually has the 50th best recruiting class in the nation for 2018, according to 247Sports. That is sure to change very soon as the season kicks off in less than a month and recruits can be reminded how good the Tide would be for them.
Next: 5 SEC teams that will disappoint in 2017
However, their 2019 recruiting class actually ranks no. 6 in the country with commits like four-star IMG Academy running back Trey Sanders in the mix. The next crop of Alabama stars will ultimately determine if Saban and the Tide stay at the top of the college football world until 2027.