8. Texas A&M
The only reason why I have the Aggies so high is that I genuinely believe that Kevin Sumlin is a really good coach. But they lost a ton of talent, most notably Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans (such a beast). Can Kenny Hill play a serviceable brand of quarterback? Put another way, will Sumlin’s Midas touch on quarterbacks continue? I say it will. At least enough to where his offense will be respectable. But if the defense isn’t improved from last year, the Aggies might need that twelfth man to take the field.
7. Mississippi State
In my opinion, a team that could surprise some folks, as Dan Mullen may be on to something in Starkville. Quarterback Dak Prescott is a MAN and on a short list of SEC players who could break out and become national figures by season’s end. He led the team in rushing last year, and this year, he’ll again have his top trio of receivers to choose from, including De’runnya Wilson who is blessed with the second or third best name I’ve ever heard.
6. LSU
I may have LSU a tick too high given how much they lost on offense. You don’t just replace players like Zach Mettenberger, Jeremy Hill and Odell Beckham. Between them, they approached 6,000 yards of total offense. But I just couldn’t help picking them ahead of Mississippi State because Les Miles has done it before. Dan Mullen hasn’t. And while we’re on LSU, you know what former player is suddenly on my radar again thanks to the SEC Network? Analyst Booger McFarland. And that’s not okay. To roll around as a grown man with the nickname Booger.
Oh, I know. He’s probably not responsible, but that’s still no excuse. My family used to call me “Boo” back when I was a kid because my eyes were so big it looked like someone had yelled BOO! at me. And I still remember that Saturday in Kindergarten when I sat my parents down and told them to knock that shit off.
Surely McFarland could do the same thing. I mean, what if you’d been given the nickname Vulva McGillicutty? Would you just sit there and take it? Of course you wouldn’t. Neither should Booger.
But I digress. On with the SEC Power Rankings:
