It’s something about college sports and the South that just hits different. With 86 NCAA national championships in 21 different sports from ‘03-‘13, the Southeastern Conference has set the standard as to what success is at the collegiate level.
There’s a mantra around these parts that states how ‘It just means more’ in the SEC. Something that Commissioner Greg Sankey invented and took the time to address.
“I actually started with our universities and their leadership role in our states over time, remembering the Southeastern Conference was created in the midst of the great depression, the economic, the educational impact, the social, the cultural impact, the sport’s impact, the rallying point that our universities represent in our region.”
Sankey continued by expressing, “It just struck me as having so much more depth and meaning where there might not have been major league baseball teams or NFL teams; it was a college athletics program, a college football team, a college basketball team, history you hear about college baseball and how our baseball has improved.”
Sitting atop that throne, however, is the sport that takes place on the gridiron. One that has become a bit of a religion in its own right—faith, family, and football practiced with no specifications to that order—is what helps create this southern hospitality we’ve come to know.
Starting with the 100 miles of hatred between Starkville and Oxford. Deep through the heart of Tuscaloosa, while bewaring for Dawgs in Athens. Whether you travel north through Knoxville or south through Gainesville, there was never an easy path to take on the road to glory in the SEC.
There are ten teams remaining from the original formation of the SEC in 1933. The first round of realignment started as Arkansas and South Carolina were added in 1991. Missouri & Texas A&M soon came along in 2012, and now here we are 91 years since it all began, and yet with the recent additions of both Texas and Oklahoma, somehow they’ve found a way to give additional meaning to the slogan “It just means more.”.
So with the next era of Southeastern Conference football upon us, we take the time to preview what the 2024 edition could look like:
Team of interest: Missouri
Just one year ago at this time we were having conversations about a Tigers team with a projected win total of just 6.5, having to matchup with the sixth toughest schedule in the nation based on opponents prior season winning percentage.
That same Tigers team was able to pull off just the fourth 11-win season in program history and their most wins in a season since 2014. Now the preverbal cat is out of the bag when it comes to this Missouri team, and the eyes of the college football world are now looking upon Columbia, Missouri.
Replicating that success is certainly plausible, and it starts with the return of QB Brady Cook and WR Luther Burden, whom some consider to be the best receivers in CFB. These two connected for 1197 yards last season, which stated claim as the most for an FBS qb/wr duo.
The offense will have to deal with the loss of Doak Walker finalist Cody Schrader out of the backfield, but adding a semifinalists for the award in his own right in transfer Marcus Carroll from Georgia State should ease some of the blow.
Defensively is where the challenge presents itself for this Missouri program, as not only did they lose defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who departed for LSU in the same role. The Tigers also lost three starters in the secondary, including standout Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
To combat the change defensively, Eli Drinkwitz not only hired veteran coordinator Corey Batoon, formerly of South Alabama, who’s defense finished 15th in the nation in total defense (313.2 ypg) and T-26th with 22 takeaways, a mark that would have led the Southeastern Conference in 2023. The program also added several key defensive pieces along the DL and secondary in the transfer portal.
You couldn’t ask for a better recipe for success this season if you’re this Missouri program. You manage to avoid playing Georgia and LSU, the two losses on your schedule last season; you also avoid Texas and Ole Miss.
You’re virtually guaranteed to win at least nine games, with your only concerns being trips to both College Station against the Aggies and Tuscaloosa against the Tide. Not to mention Oklahoma having to come into your building. With all three being winnable games, the ball is in your court, Missouri; can you capitalize?
Team of Concern: Oklahoma
The thought of the good ole’ Boomer Sooners joining the SEC was always one of college football’s greatest what ifs. However according to both SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and OU athletic director the belief became realistic in 2015, when he presented an analysis to the SEC’s presidents and chancellors of the future of college athletics.
This was during a time period when OU had dominated the Big 12 with 13 Big 12 titles in 19 year span between 2001 and 2020. In 2021 when it was announced that both Texas and Oklahoma would be joining the SEC, a move that is set to take place this upcoming season.
However during that time frame the trajectory in which this Oklahoma program was headed has taken somewhat of a drastic turn. For starters in 2022 the program suffered its first losing season in the 21st century, finishing 6-7. That was year one of the Brent Venables tenure, now as we head into year three this Sooners regime is faced with its toughest task yet, navigating life in the SEC while bringing a sense of consistency back to Norman.
Offensively for this Sooner bunch, there is a lot of change in place. Starting at the top where former offensive coordinator OC Jeff Lebby was hired as the HC at Mississippi State, Oklahoma replace him by promoting both offensive analysis Seth Littrell and TE coach Joe Jon Finley as Co-OC’s. These two will be tasked with getting sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold prepared in his first full year as a starter.
The Sooners return running back Gavin Sawchuk, who went over 100 yards rushing in each of the teams last five games. Whereas in front of him will be five entirely new offensive linemen. This including the acquisition of potentially the nations best Center in the fundamentally sound Branson Hickson from SMU, who brings some much needed experience to a widely inexperienced group.
As expected with any Brent Venables led team, defensively is where this Oklahoma team will make its hay. Led by the magnificent linebacker core of Danny Stutsman and Kip Lewis, this should be one of the stronger defensive units in all of the Southeastern Conference.
This Oklahoma team isn’t bad by any metric, but given the inexperience at multiple positions along the offense, and a schedule that features you having to travel to Auburn in your first ever SEC road game. Not to mention traveling to Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU. All this while also having Texas in the Red River at the Cotton Bowl, and both Tennessee & Alabama albeit in your house but on deck.
There seems to be no grey area in terms of this season for the Sooners. You can see a window where it goes pretty well Arnold shows continued growth and your defense holds its on through the gauntlet. However you can also see a window where the overall change and the environment it’s taking place in will present significant challenges for Oklahoma year one in the SEC.
Team with most to prove: Georgia
Let the record state that the Georgia Bulldogs are possibly the best team in all of College Football. With the exception of maybe our friends that we discussed prior in Columbus there isn’t a team in the country who can hold a candle to what this Bulldogs team has on display.
To put it in perspective, the roster includes 16 former five-star recruits—15 of them are on defense. While every unit from now until forever will be held to the same metric as the 2021 group, this year’s squad defensively stands head and shoulders above any of their SEC peers.
Coming off a season in which this unit allowed just 15.6 ppg and a three-year stretch where they’ve only allowed 13.4 ppg during that time span, it’s possible this version of the Bulldogs could be the best yet.
Not just defensively, where they are bolstered by the return of Swiss Army knife and number one safety prospect Malaki Starks, Smeal Mondon manning control of the front seven at the linebacker position, and potentially the best NFL available player in all of college football in Mykel Williams. Offensively, this Georgia group is poised to share much of the same success.
Starting with the return of presumed number one quarterback prospect Carson Beck, who ranked third nationally in terms of passing yards with 3,941. Alongside Beck will be the highly anticipated acquisition of Florida transfer Trevor Etienne and the tight end combo of Oscar Delp and former Stanford standout Ben Yurosek. The offensive line is expected to be led by what many consider to be the best interior offensive lineman in the nation in Tate Ratledge.
As you can see, talent is not the issue with this Georgia team, so why should they be considered the team in the SEC with the most to prove? A team with a 42-2 record over the last three seasons and two national championships to show for that success, having something to prove?
Well, we start with the fact that last season’s Bulldog team, the one who didn’t win a championship, faced a much weaker schedule than what is to be expected this time around. You open the season versus a quality Clemson team; you have to travel on the road against three of the top six teams in the AP Preseason Top 25.
Not to mention one of those road games is against a Bama team that you’ve lost 2 of the last 3 against; the only two losses in this 44-game stretch, and this time you have to travel to Tuscaloosa. On paper, this Bulldogs team sits atop the throne known as the Southeastern Conference, but there is a gauntlet that stands between them and immortality. The distance between destiny and dynasty is a fine line few walk, and with the retirement of his mentor, Kirby Smart is set to take the reigns.
Darkhorse: Texas
The year is 2018, and the Longhorns are coming off a victory in the Sugar Bowl against the upstart Georgia Bulldogs. Following the victory, former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger gave us the quote heard around the world.
While this quote took a bit of time to come to fruition, none of us knew the story this moment was telling at the time. Fast forward to this day and age, as Texas football enters what it considers to be its modern-day prime. That atmosphere, those two teams, and the storyline at hand all foresee the future of what was to become the SEC in 2024.
As Ehlinger is somewhere with a Texas-sized smile on his face, you can truly make the argument that Texas is ‘back’. Following an appearance in the College Football Playoff, the sky seems to be the limit for this Longhorn group. Yet the question has to be posed: is the best that Texas has to offer better than what the SEC has to offer?
When discussing the prospects of this Texas team, all conversations begin with the continued growth of the man under center. Is there a player in the country under more pressure than Quinn Ewers, who was able to take significant strides from year one to year two under the tutelage of Steve Sarkisian?
How he continues to grow depends mostly on how Texas is able to replace the loss of 2,000 yards of WR production. On paper, the job is done. You add Isaiah Bond from Alabama to replace what was lost from AD Mitchell, and you add deep threat Silas Bolden from Oregon State to try to mitigate the loss of Xavier Worthy.
Even at the tight end position, losing Ja’Tavion Sanders to the NFL, you go out and get the underutilized Amari Niblack also from Alabama. Not to mention how well protected Ewers should be with the offensive line returning in its entirety, including LT Kelvin Banks Jr., who could state claim as one of the best in the country.
To say the least, this Texas offense is loaded, but defensively is where many eyes should turn. The secondary wasn’t exactly a strength, ranking 116th last season in passing yards allowed. While this group should be improved, particularly with the continued emergence of Malik Muhammad, a unit that up front may soon become a question mark?
This Texas DL that was stout against the run lost its two biggest reasons why, both literally and figuratively, in T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II. While the pass rush may see some improvement, if Texas hopes to see any success in its first season in the SEC, how they perform defensively may define the entire season.
As the honeymoon phase nears its end, Texas has an opportunity to make a splash year one in the big leagues. Will it be easy? Probably not, especially with injuries piling up at the RB position before the season even starts. But the trajectory, the talent, and the platform are all there for Texas to reclaim its rightful spot amongst CFB’s elite.
Cinderella: Ole Miss
There is a world where Cinderella’s glass slipper was found sitting in the middle of what is described as ‘the holy grail of tailgating sites’ known as The Grove. For this Ole Miss program coming off the first 11-win season in progran history, maybe we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but there’s a chance the encore could be better than the original.
Lane Kiffin and company could be the most prolific offense in all of college football from a skill to schematic standpoint. This unit returns eight starters from last year’s group, including polarizing quarterback prospect Jaxson Dart and his favorite target, Tre Harris. While many will point to the loss of top running back Quinshon Judkins in the transfer portal, with Ulysses Bentley—the former SMU transfer fresh off a 6 ypc (Yards Per Carry) season waiting in the wings—the loss should be minimized.
As for some of the additions made to an already talented Rebel roster, the team bought in four transfers along the offensive line, as well as former South Carolina standout WR Juice Wells. On the defensive side of the ball, however, are where the most noticeable acquisitions were made. Bringing in the former top overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class in transfer Walter Nolan Jr. of Texas A&M and former Florida stud lineman Princely Umanmielen.
These two will be bought in to pair with pass rusher Jared Ivey, who has been responsible for 15.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, and massive DT JJ Pegues, formulating one of the better fronts in the Southeastern Conference. This should help take some pressure off a battle-tested secondary, who were a bit inconsistent this past season.
This Ole Miss program has a chance to strike while the iron is hot. In a season that you avoid playing Bama, Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. The only major road games on the schedule are trips to Gainesville and a matchup against an Arkansas team you narrowly beat last season.
What is believed to be the toughest game on the schedule has Georgia coming into your building, which isn’t a cakewalk by any means, but watching the gauntlet the Bulldogs will face, this could be a prime opportunity. Call me crazy for believing in 12-0 but 11-1 and an appearance in the SEC Championship is certainly in the realm of possibility.
It’s fair to say that this is the most talented team Lane Kiffin has possessed during his time in Oxford. Particularly the talent they’ve been able to acquire along the trenches on both sides of the ball puts this Ole Miss team in position to become perhaps the best in modern program history.
Cover Image Credit: Southeastern Conference
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