Way-too-early 2024 SEC football power rankings without Nick Saban
By Sam Fariss
No more Nick Saban. Following his retirement announcement, fans cried tears of sorrow and joy. Saban’s long-running reign in the SEC has led to the rest of the conference frequently falling short of success.
With Saban gone from Alabama’s program, how will the Crimson Tide and the rest of the SEC fair in 2024? Not to mention the conference adding the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in the mix.
Here’s my take on where the 16 teams in the Southeastern Conference will fall at the end of next season:
16. Vanderbilt Commodores
Vandy has a tough schedule ahead of them in 2024. Not only do they have to play at Auburn and LSU, but the Commodores also have to face Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Outside of conference play, Vanderbilt has to host Virginia Tech which is no walk in the park.
The team landed at the bottom of the pack in 2023 at 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the conference. The Commodores are currently on a 10-game losing streak.
Head coach Clark Lea brought in a relatively good class of recruits, sitting at 40th nationally, but I don’t think it’s enough to turn the program around in just one year.