Overrated or underrated? Our thoughts on SEC football preseason rankings
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The SEC might not possess the best football team, but it has the deepest conference “by far.” That’s commissioner Greg Sankey’s opinion.
Athlon Sports doesn’t seem to agree.
The preseason magazine had Ohio State No. 1 in its preseason rankings, and the Big Ten tied the SEC with eight teams in its top 25.
The SEC did gain a feather in its cap with five teams tucked inside the top 10.
No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Texas gave the SEC representation inside the top five.
But, how many of those teams are overrated? And, which SEC teams did Athlon underrate?
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams serve up their overrated and underrated SEC teams from this batch of rankings.
2. Georgia
Adams: Overrated. A No. 2 ranking registers as belief in Kirby Smart. No argument there, but I see Gunner Stockton as more of a good quarterback than elite. Georgia isn’t elite at wide receiver, either.
Toppmeyer: Ranked about right. Now’s the time for Smart’s No. 1-ranked 2024 recruiting class to show its muscle. Those once-ballyhooed recruits are third-year players now. Stockton is good enough for Georgia to reach a national championship game, if he gets steady support.
No. 3 Texas
Adams: Ranked about right. No SEC team has a better collection of talent than Texas.
Toppmeyer: Overrated. Maybe I’m living in the past (Texas was overrated last season), but No. 3 seems too lofty for a team that lost three times last season — and almost lost five times. Plus, the schedule is rugged.
No. 8 Oklahoma
Adams: Overrated. Three words: Too much schedule.
Toppmeyer: Overrated. Too much schedule, and a lot of holes to fill off last year’s playoff defense.
No. 9 Texas A&M
Adams: Ranked about right. Aggies are a playoff contender.
Toppmeyer: Ranked about right. Lot of weapons on offense. Solid enough defense.
No. 10 LSU
Adams: Ranked about right. Lane Kiffin hit another home run in the portal.
Toppmeyer: Ranked about right … if Sam Leavitt gets healthy and returns to peak form.
No. 11 Ole Miss
Adams: Underrated. Trinidad Chambliss is one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Kewan Lacy is a premier running back. Ole Miss can go deep into the playoff again.
Toppmeyer: Overrated. Kudos to Pete Golding for rallying the team after Lane Kiffin’s exit. But, throughout an entire season, I expect the exit of Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. to be more noticeable.
No. 15 Alabama
Adams: Ranked about right. Too many questions, including at quarterback, to rank any higher.
Toppmeyer: Underrated. I’m buying into redshirt freshman Keelon Russell’s upside. If I’m wrong, the Tide will be overrated. If I’m right, they’re underrated.
No. 21 Tennessee
Adams: Ranked about right. Uncertainty at quarterback, but the Vols will take care of the beatable opponents to finish in nine-win territory.
Toppmeyer: Ranked about right. Ditto to what Adams said. The defense should improve with new coordinator Jim Knowles in charge.
Unranked Auburn
Adams: Underrated. The South Florida players Alex Golesh brought with him, including quarterback Byrum Brown, should make for a smooth coaching transition.
Toppmeyer: Underrated. Auburn wasn’t as bad as Hugh Freeze (and Bryan Harsin before him) and AU quarterbacks made the Tigers look. Golesh, Brown and the USF transfer haul could spur a top 25 finish.
Also in this episode
∎ Tennessee gave quarterback Brendan Sorsby a sniff. LSU heavily courted the Cincinnati transfer. Sorsby chose Texas Tech. Then, the floor fell out. The NCAA learned Sorsby placed thousands of bets on sports and declared him ineligible. Now, a Texas judge has granted Sorsby an injunction that’ll block the NCAA from enforcing its gambling rules and allow Sorsby to play this season. Will SEC teams like LSU and Tennessee regret missing on Sorsby, or did they dodge a troublesome situation? The hosts sound off on the Sorsby saga.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SEC football preseason rankings: Oklahoma overrated. Split on Georgia, Alabama
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