6 SEC teams ranked in ‘Way-Too-Early’ Top 25 for 2020 from Athlon Sports

While LSU and Clemson are preparing for the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, the rest of college football is looking toward the future.

With that in mind, Athlon Sports released its “Way-Too-Early Top 25 College Football Rankings” for 2020 on Thursday, giving an idea of how the top teams in the country could stack up at the beginning of next season. And it’s not surprising to see some of the same teams at the top.

Clemson is ranked No. 1 as it will return quarterback Trevor Lawrence next season, while LSU, which will lose Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, is ranked No. 4. The Tigers aren’t the highest SEC team on the list, as Alabama comes in at No. 3.

The Crimson Tide will lose quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and some other key players, but Mac Jones gained experience at the end of the 2019 season and could play well in his first full season as a starter. Plus, the Tide will return several strong defensive players, including linebacker Dylan Moses, who opted to return for his senior season after missing all of 2019 due to injury.

Here are the full rankings (SEC teams in bold):

1. Clemson
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. Penn State
7. Florida
8. Georgia
9. Notre Dame
10. Wisconsin
11. Oregon
12. Michigan
13. Minnesota
14. Texas
15. Texas A&M
16. Auburn
17. Cincinnati
18. Boise State
19. Oklahoma State
20. Virginia Tech
21. Iowa
22. North Carolina
23. Iowa State
24. Memphis
25. Baylor

Jake Rill

Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.