SEC Rankings – Syndication Server

Where does Saturday Down South rank Jackson Arnold among SEC quarterbacks?

Where did Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold land in Saturday Down South’s SEC quarterback rankings after week one?

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] had a strong home debut for the Oklahoma Sooners. He didn’t put up the big yardage numbers that some of his [autotag]SEC[/autotag] counterparts did, but he threw for four touchdowns and had an adjusted completion percentage (taking away drops and throwaways) of 83.3%.

He showed off his arm on the first drive of the game, connecting with Jalil Farooq on a 47-yard strike before finding Bauer Sharp for his first passing touchdown of the day.

Later, he connected with transfer wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] on three beautiful touchdown throws to highlight Arnold’s day. After his performance, and with what happened across the SEC, Saturday Down South’s Matt Hinton moved Arnold up one spot to No. 8 in his SEC quarterback power rankings.

Good luck trying to discern much from Arnold’s Week 1 line against Temple, which you could describe as prolific (4 touchdowns!) or underwhelming (5.6 yards per attempt?) depending on which stat you prefer to linger on. In real time the verdict was more straightforward: Kid can sling it. – Hinton, Saturday Down South

Arnold comes in just behind Garrett Nussmeier of LSU at No. 7, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava at No. 6 and Missouri’s Brady Cook at No. 5.

Nussmeier played really well in the Tigers’ loss to USC right up to his final two plays on a critical drive late in the game. But still, he showed he’s more than capable of directing LSU’s offense.

Like Arnold, Iamaleava was making his first home start as the Volunteers starting quarterback. He wowed those in attendance with 300 yards and three touchdowns. Like Arnold, Iamaleava was a five-star quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class. The pair will likely be forever linked as they’re on a similar timeline.

Then there’s Cook, who, like Arnold, wasn’t asked to do a whole lot for the Tigers in their win over Murray State. But he accounted for a pair of touchdowns and is one of the more important players in the country. If he continues to play like he did in 2023, the Tigers could be in for a playoff berth.

Arnold no doubt has the talent to be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, but with just two starts under his belt, there’s still a lot to prove for the former five-star prospect.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Florida football rises in 247Sports’ SEC poll after South Carolina upset

Florida Gators rise in 247Sports’ SEC poll after upset over South Carolina

The Florida Gators found their magic again last weekend and took down the South Carolina Gamecocks in last-minute fashion.

It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the Gators, taking two substantial road losses to the Utah Utes in Week 1 and the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 5, both ending with double-digit deficits.

But the Orange and Blue were able to scrape away a few victories along the way, with the upset over Tennessee taking the cake for what might be the best win of the year (so far).

247Sports released its weekly SEC poll Tuesday and the results show the Gators rising two spots to No. 7.

The Gators were at No. 6 the week after taking down the Tennessee Volunteers at home but fell to No. 9 after squeaking by the Charlotte 49ers, 22-7, and being blown out by the Kentucky Wildcats, 33-14, in the week after.

Here’s how the top 10 looks in the 247Sports SEC poll.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

3. Ole Miss Rebels

4. LSU Tigers

5. Tennessee Volunteers

6. Missouri Tigers

7. Florida Gators

8. Texas A&M Aggies

9. Kentucky Wildcats

10. Arkansas Razorbacks

The Gators are enjoying a bye week before facing the challenge of going face-to-face with No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 28. The Bulldogs are ranked at the top of the mountain in essentially every media poll.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

College Football Rankings, Season Predictions: SEC Spring Version 2022

SEC college football rankings and predictions with realistic best and worst case records and quick analysis – the 2022 spring version.

SEC college football rankings and predictions with the realistic best and worst case records and quick analysis – the 2022 spring version.

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As always, the SEC is going to be loaded with talent, full of teams in the College Football Playoff chase, and there’s a shot at least 12 of the 14 teams end up going bowling.

And then Alabama and Georgia will show off how awesome they are – again.

However, Tennessee has improved. Florida will be better. Texas A&M is terrific, Ole Miss reloaded through the transfer portal, and whatever team really is 7th-best in the SEC West could probably fight for most other division titles in college football.

There will be more transfers, more big personnel changes, and several other parts to the SEC puzzle, but for now, this 2022 looks even better than 2021.

The rankings are based on how good the teams should be and not the final projected records. Keeping in mind that this all could/might/will change when we make the final calls in August …

– 2022 College Football Schedules By Teams: All 131 Schools

SEC East Rankings: Spring Version

1. Georgia Bulldogs

2020: 8-2 2019: 12-2 2018: 11-3

No, this won’t be 2020 LSU falling off the map after a historic national championship season, but no one loses that much NFL talent – especially off the defense – and gets better. However, there’s still more than enough talent coming back to be in the national championship mix.

The Dawgs should be favored in every game with no Alabama or Texas A&M to face from the West. They have to deal with Oregon to start the season, and there should be a slip somewhere along the way, but it’s going to take something major to beat this team twice with this slate.

Realistic Best Case Record: 12-0
Realistic Worst Case Record: 8-4
2022 Georgia Prediction, Spring Football Version: 11-1
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 11-1
Georgia 2021 Final Record: 14-1
– Georgia 2022 Schedule & Analysis

2. Florida Gators

2020: 8-4 2019: 11-2 2018: 10-3

How fast can Billy Napier get this whole thing going? He was always the next IT head coach in college football, and now he gets to finally crank it all up with his amazing rushing offense that puts up big, efficient numbers.

All the work done last year as the Gator offense pivoted styles should pay off with QB Anthony Richardson and Louisiana transfer RB Montrell Johnson about to blow up. The O line should be fine, but the defense that loses seven key starters will need some time. It’s Florida – the athletes are there, and the overall production can’t be less consistent than 2021.

The schedule doesn’t have enough early layups with Utah to start and Kentucky and at Tennessee in September. On the plus side, the team only leaves Florida once before going to Texas A&M in early November, and leaves the state just three times overall.

Realistic Best Case Record: 10-2
Realistic Worst Case Record: 5-7
2022 Florida Prediction, Spring Football Version: 9-3
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 9-3
Florida 2021 Final Record: 6-7
– Florida 2022 Schedule & Analysis

3. Tennessee Volunteers

2020: 3-7 2019: 8-5 2018: 5-7

Is this finally when Tennessee turns the corner and becomes something fantastic? There aren’t a ton of personnel losses, getting QB Hendon Hooker back for another year was huge, and now everyone knows how to work the Josh Heupel offense.

The schedule helps with a manageable start before dealing with Florida, at LSU, and Alabama. Going to Georgia doesn’t help, and sneaky-tough dates at South Carolina and Pitt will make this a bit of a challenge, but anything less than eight wins and a step forward will feel like a disappointment with this team.

Realistic Best Case Record: 10-2
Realistic Worst Case Record: 6-6
2022 Tennessee Prediction, Spring Football Version: 8-4
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 6-6
Tennessee 2021 Final Record: 7-6
– Tennessee 2022 Schedule & Analysis

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4. Kentucky Wildcats

2020: 5-6 2019: 8-5 2018: 10-3

The Wildcats didn’t have massive personnel losses, but the ones who are gone were big. The offensive backfield is loaded, a few transfers will help to fill the holes across the attack, and seven starters should be back on defense. Again, though, it’s going to be partly about quality of returning talent as much as quantity.

The schedule gets a tune-up against Miami University before going to Florida. The non-conference schedule is a relative breeze – Louisville makes the trip over to Lexington – there’s no Alabama, Texas A&M, or LSU from the West, and the Georgia game is at home.

Realistic Best Case Record: 10-2
Realistic Worst Case Record: 5-7
2022 Kentucky Prediction, Spring Football Version: 7-5
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 7-5
Kentucky 2021 Final Record: 10-3
– Kentucky 2022 Schedule & Analysis

5. South Carolina Gamecocks

2020: 2-8 2019: 4-8 2018: 7-6

This just got interesting after a great first season under Shane Beamer. Now the Gamecocks return relatively strong on offense with Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler stepping in behind a veteran line and strong group of target. The D is another story with several big pieces of the front six gone, but the line should be a positive.

It’s going to be a grind, though, with road games at Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, and Arkansas to go along with home dates against Georgia, Texas A&M and Tennessee. November ends with a brutal kick – at Florida, Tennessee, at Clemson – so there’s no margin for error early on.

Realistic Best Case Record: 8-4
Realistic Worst Case Record: 4-8
2022 South Carolina Prediction, Spring Football Version: 6-6
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 5-7
South Carolina 2021 Final Record: 7-6
– South Carolina 2022 Schedule & Analysis

6. Missouri Tigers

2020: 5-5 2019: 6-6 2018: 8-5

Someone apparently likes to use the transfer portal. The Tigers might have lost a slew of parts on both sides of the ball – 13 starters are done – but they filled in the gaps fast, had decent depth to rely on, and they should be okay as long as the lines come together fast.

There’s Louisiana Tech and Abilene Christian early on to tune up. and there are more than enough winnable games to at least get to six wins and a bowl. Throw in the break of not having to face Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, or LSU – and with Georgia coming to Columbia – and this needs to be a step-up season for head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.

Realistic Best Case Record: 8-4
Realistic Worst Case Record: 4-8
2022 Missouri Prediction, Spring Football Version: 6-6
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 7-5
Missouri 2021 Final Record: 6-7
– Missouri 2022 Schedule & Analysis

7. Vanderbilt Commodores

2020: 0-9 2019: 3-9 2018: 6-7

Second year head coach Clark Lea still has a whole lot of work to do., but at least the team returns with plenty of experience. The 2021 team took its usual lumps, but the positive part is all the experience returning back on both sides of the ball. Now the team needs to find more steady playmakers – and find an offense.

Getting to start out the season at Hawaii will at least be a nice way to enjoy a late August Saturday, and there should be enough winnable games to get past the two victories of last season. However, it’s going to take a massive upset for the Commodores to get an SEC win.

Realistic Best Case Record: 5-7
Realistic Worst Case Record: 1-11
2022 Vanderbilt Prediction, Spring Football Version: 3-9
CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 2-10
Vanderbilt 2021 Final Record: 2-10
– Vanderbilt 2022 Schedule & Analysis

SEC West Rankings Spring Version: NEXT

Pages: 12

Where SEC teams land in initial 2022 SP+ metrics

What the computers think about Auburn and the rest of the SEC heading into 2022:

After reviewing the returning production for each team in FBS, we have the metrics from Bill Connolly. His SP+ metric gives us a pretty good idea as to how the analytics see it all playing out. At least in theory, but this is more of a guide than the gospel truth.

According to the initial SP+ metrics (subscription required), the SEC is well represented in the top 50. On Missouri and Vanderbilt were among the schools outside of the top 50, which shows the level of strength in the conference.

Auburn specifically landed in the top 25. The Tigers’ defensive metric shows they have a top 15 unit despite the losses of Roger McCreary, Smoke Monday, and Jakoby McClain, who are all headed to the NFL Combine in March.

The offense needs a bit of work to catch up, but hopefully, the new faces can inject some juice into the unit led by running back Tank Bigsby, who is looking for a bounceback season.

The SP+ metic explained:

Returning Production

The returning production numbers are based on rosters I have updated as much as possible to account for transfers and attrition. The combination of last year’s SP+ ratings and adjustments based on returning production make up more than two-thirds of the projections formula.

Recent Recruiting

This piece informs us of the caliber of a team’s potential replacements (and/or new stars) in the lineup. It is determined by the last few years of recruiting rankings in diminishing order (meaning the most recent class carries the most weight). Beginning in 2022, this category also is impacted a bit by the recruiting rankings of incoming transfers. This is a new thing, and I’m not giving it much weight right away, but it will have a slight impact. This piece makes up about one-fifth of the projections formula.

Recent History:

Using a sliver of information from previous seasons (two to four years ago) gives us a good measure of overall program health. It stands to reason that a team that has played well for one year is less likely to duplicate that effort than a team that has been good for years on end (and vice versa), right? This is a minor piece of the puzzle, but the projections are better with it than without.

This is how the entire SEC shakes out:

Instant Analysis: Takeaways from the LSU Tigers loss to Ole Miss

Five takeaways coming out of LSU’s worst loss of the year

Another game, another rough loss for LSU.

It’s no secret LSU is in a slump. This one though felt different. Up until this point, LSU had taken care of business against teams of Ole Miss’ caliber.

The losses have come to the top 50 teams that will be playing in late March. That’s not what Ole Miss is. LSU came into this game a double-digit favorite and proceeded to play its worst half of basketball all year. At one point in the first half, LSU was down 23. It looked over.

LSU was able to cut the Ole Miss lead to just 13 before half-time before pulling within two in the final seconds. It’s a common trend seen in LSU contests lately. The Tigers dig themselves a whole, just to find hope in the second half, but are not able to close it out in the end.

As the broadcast pointed out, LSU’s NET ranking still had Will Wade’s group in a good position entering the game. It will be interesting to see where things stand now, with this loss coming at home to a team outside the top 100.

For the second game in a row, LSU allowed over 70 points and couldn’t find enough firepower to match it on their end.

Preseason SEC Football Media Poll announced

Auburn received little love from the media.

The annual Preseason SEC Football Media Poll, as well as the preseason All-SEC team, was announced early on Friday morning.

Alabama led the way with 16 representatives on the Preseason All-SEC Team, including eight on the first team – six on defense. Georgia and Auburn had 10 members selected to the Preseason All-SEC Team, while Texas A&M had seven.

Eight times since 1992 has the predicted champion prior to the season proceeded to win the SEC Championship Game.

Let’s take a look at the standings as projected by the media.

SEC Preseason Rankings: CFN College Football Preview 2021

The College Football News 2021 SEC preseason rankings along with a quick take on every team.

The College Football News 2021 SEC preseason rankings along with a quick take on every team.

This is NOT a ranking of where the teams are going to finish. This is based on how good we think the SEC teams are going into the 2021 season.

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