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6 SEC teams make Yahoo’s college football preseason top 25, including 3 in top 10
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Yahoo Sports has released its annual preseason ranking of the top 25 teams in college football. As expected, a number of SEC teams made the list.
Alabama, the defending national champion, was atop the ranking, compiled by Sam Cooper and Nick Bromberg. Despite losing several key contributors from the team that went undefeated in 2020, along with a change at offensive coordinator as Bill O’Brien replaced now-Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, it’s projected to largely be business as usual for Nick Saban’s squad.
“The offense (under O’Brien) will look different. And it’ll still be very good. Defensively, Alabama can be dominant,” they wrote.
Ranked 3rd was Georgia, whose defense was noted as the team’s strength once more amid questions about the availability of West Virginia transfer Tykee Smith for the season opener against Clemson in Charlotte, as well as some surrounding its offense.
“Will the passing offense be as explosive as it was at the end of the season? If J.T. Daniels is a star, then Georgia has a claim to be the best team in the country,” Cooper and Bromberg wrote.
Texas A&M was ranked 6th, the 3rd SEC team in the top 10. While the Aggies’ quarterback battle and new-look offensive line was brought up, the return of key players such as Isaiah Spiller was featured.
“The biggest game of the season is on Oct. 9 when Alabama comes to College Station. A win there means everything is in play for the Aggies,” they wrote.
Florida (No. 13), LSU (No. 15), and Ole Miss (No. 24) were the other SEC teams that placed inside the ranking.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
