According to the national media, the SEC championship still runs through the Yellowhammer State in 2015.

Alabama (Top 10 in every major poll) and Auburn (average rank: 6.6) are getting all kinds of attention this preseason, as usual. And deservedly so: the Iron Bowl has determined the SEC champion in five of the last six years.

But Georgia looms large in the SEC East. The Bulldogs face the Tide and Tigers in ’15, and are one of just three East Division teams that appear in the preseason Top 25 rankings.

Here’s a chart of how the five major preseason magazines currently in publication rank the SEC teams. USA Today and Sports Illustrated have yet to release their preseason rankings for 2015.

Team ESPN Lindy’s Sporting News Athlon Sports Phil Steele
1. Alabama 7 3 5 2 4
2. Auburn 4 8 3 4 14
3. Georgia 9 10 18 10 6
4. LSU 16 13 14 15 10
5. Tennessee 20 17 22 22 25
6. Ole Miss 14 — 16 11 20
7. Arkansas 21 — 15 16 22
8. Missouri 24 25 23 — 24
9. Texas A&M — 23 — 20 —
10. Mississippi State — — 25 21 —
  • The polls are split between Bama (Lindy’s, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele) and Auburn (ESPN, Sporting News, Phil Steele) as the best team in the SEC for 2015.
  • For perspective, six SEC teams finished the ’14 season ranked in the final Associated Press Top 25: Alabama (No. 4), Georgia (No. 9), Mississippi State (No. 11), Missouri (No. 14), Ole Miss (No. 17) and Auburn (No. 22).
  • Every SEC West team ranks in the Top 25 in at least two of the major preseason magazines. Overall, 10 of 14 SEC teams appear in the polls, with SEC East members South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt representing the lone exceptions.
  • The media has a lot of faith in Tennessee coach Butch Jones. The Vols are one of just five SEC teams to appear in the Top 25 of every major publication. It’s fair to portray UT as the main contenders in the East Division, with UGA installed as a heavy favorite.
  • Ole Miss exhibited the largest range in these rankings. Athlon Sports slotted the Rebels at No. 11 in the country, while Lindy’s doesn’t even think coach Hugh Freeze’s most talented team is worthy of a Top 25 spot.
  • The three SEC East teams ranked in the polls include Missouri, slotted between No. 23 and No. 25 by four publications. The Tigers almost certainly just lost potential All-SEC defensive tackle Harold Brantley for the season following press time for these rankings. After the team dismissed projected starting defensive end Marcus Loud earlier this offseason, Mizzou is down two starting defensive linemen, which likely would affect their spot in those rankings if they were redone today.