SEC remains atop conference power rankings entering 2023
For much of the last two decades, every other conference has been playing catch-up with the SEC.
That trend began during the BCS era and has continued during the time of the College Football Playoff. The last four champions have come from the league, and with three teams in the preseason top five, there’s a good chance that streak will be extended to five this season.
CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee ranked every Power Five conference entering the 2023 season, and he has the SEC in the top spot once again. Interestingly, he also has the Pac-12 as his second-ranked team.
The SEC boasts three legitimate national championship contenders in No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 LSU. What does the beefy middle of the conference look like, though? It’s pretty strong. Tennessee — which spent time at No. 1 in the CFP rankings last year — chimed in at No. 12 in the AP Top 25. Ole Miss (No. 22) and Texas A&M (No. 23) both got some love from the voters, and South Carolina and Arkansas just missed out of cracking the rankings. The poll isn’t the only thing that matters, though. Arkansas’ offense is almost impossible to prepare for with big KJ Jefferson taking the snaps and Raheim Sanders toting the rock. We know just how powerful Tennessee’s offense can be with Josh Heupel running things. Speaking of offense, coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels have running back Quinshon Judkins — a first-team All-American in the recently released CBS Sports All-America Team — behind an offense that will undoubtedly “click” from the time toe meets leather.
It’s a loaded SEC once again, and the Tigers will look to emerge from the pack and compete for a spot in the CFP.
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