Lists on lists on lists.

They come in rapid succession this time of year, like an overplayed hit song disguised as media outlets telling you why Coach A is better than Coach B as we near the final hours before kickoff. Your news feed’s clouded with the opinions of many, at times, just to dig and spark controversy.

We’re doing things a little differently at Saturday Down South and ranking this year’s top SEC head coaches using a 2014 season projection only, taking into account end-of-year momentum, preseason expectations and program buzz. Prior coach of the year honors along with recent national titles don’t have as much impact as say, the brightness of a team’s spotlight heading into the fall.

The usual suspects are out front, but the rest may surprise you.

14. BRET BIELEMA, ARKANSAS
Razorbacks record: 3-9
Overall record: 71-33
2013 record: 3-9
The skinny: Bielema could turn things around in Fayetteville with the right pieces, but at the moment, his stock’s on the decline and could go lower if the Razorbacks fail to win a conference game for the second consecutive season. Backed by a smashmouth mindset, he’s a proven winner with a commendable level of optimism, but multiple lopsided losses after a 3-9 won’t keep you employed in the SEC. Bielema’s job is secure at the moment after what he inherited, but the situation must improve since his system’s already been implemented.

13. MARK STOOPS, KENTUCKY
Wildcats record: 2-10
Overall record: 2-10
2013 record: 2-10
The skinny: This offensive guru’s still adjusting to being in the limelight as the face of a franchise albeit coaching a team with 20 losses in its last 24 games. Moving the Wildcats from bottom feeder to worthy East foe isn’t going to happen this fall, but Kentucky’s headed in the right direction with much-improved recruiting success. Expectations are minimal and with that usually comes surprises.

RELATED: Stronger run-game emphasis would help Wildcats

12. BUTCH JONES, TENNESSEE
Vols record: 5-7
Overall record: 55-34
2013 record: 5-7
The skinny: For the most part, folks in Knoxville no longer reminisce on the Phillip Fulmer days and have all but erased the remnants of Derek Dooley from memory. That’s a good thing for Jones who is building what he thinks will be an annual threat in the East perhaps as early as this season through strong player development and recruiting. Plagued by being the butt of jokes in recent years of mediocrity, the Vols are on the way up and Jones is the reason.

11. GARY PINKEL, MIZZOU
Tigers record: 102-63
Overall record: 175-100-3
2013 record: 12-2
The skinny: The SEC’s longest-tenured coach entering his 14th season at Mizzou, Pinkel’s transition to college football’s most competitive league has been an impressive one. In his second season last fall, the Cotton Bowl champs won the East by taking out Georgia, Florida and Tennessee in the process. A win over Texas A&M late sealed Mizzou’s first divisional crown as a member. Pinkel’s offseason handling of Michael Sam’s announcement along with the dismissal of Dorial Green-Beckham were slam dunks in tough situations, decisions other members of the league may not have made.

10. MARK RICHT, GEORGIA
Bulldogs record: 126-45
Overall record: 126-45
2013 record: 8-5
The skinny: Equipped with a junior tailback capable of winning the Heisman and leading the Bulldogs to a division title, Richt doesn’t need to get too cute this season. Yet to capture a national title, Richt’s won 126 games at Georgia since 2001 — the most by any SEC coach at their current stop. Last year’s team had enough talent to compete for a championship, but devastating injuries to several wide receivers commenced the early unraveling of immense expectations. Richt’s always going to be judged on how the Bulldogs perform in Atlanta and Georgia hasn’t won the SEC in nearly a decade.

9. LES MILES, LSU
Tigers record: 95-24
Overall record: 123-45
2013 record: 10-3
The skinny: Miles earned the title of the SEC’s most underrated by colleague Jon Cooper earlier this summer, a coach known for his ego as a risky play-caller and perfectly-timed one-liners. Despite the near decade of success, Miles remains underappreciated in Baton Rouge where a rabid fanbase demands championships. LSU’s won 10 or more games four consecutive seasons under the Mad Hatter’s watch, but the Tigers are a 7-5 campaign away from the whispers beginning. Three years removed from a BCS Championship Game appearance, it seems the Tigers’ Top 10 losses outweigh the victories.

8. DEREK MASON, VANDERBILT
Commodores record: First season
Overall record: 0-0
2013 record: 11-3 (Stanford defensive coordinator)
The skinny: We’re all looking forward to seeing what the ex-Stanford defensive coordinator has in store for the Commodores, a team floating in rare air after back-to-back nine-win seasons. James Franklin’s abrupt departure to Penn State wasn’t a total loss after David Williams — Vanderbilt’s athletic director — cleared the bases as best he could given the circumstances with his hire of Mason. The first-year head coach’s first test was salvaging what he could from a poached signing class in February. He did a decent job, hauling in 19 players of at least three-star caliber.

RELATED: Defense-driven Commodores could shock East

7. KEVIN SUMLIN, TEXAS A&M
Aggies record: 20-6
Overall record: 55-23
2013 record: 9-4
The skinny: Texas A&M’s not expecting to win the West despite a preseason Top 25 ranking, but another miserable season defensively isn’t going to sit well with the powers that be in College Station. Sumlin has a bright future as one of college football’s top offensive minds, but a two, possibly three-win difference is a real possibility without the services of Johnny Manziel. Sumlin’s reliance on returning players and his ability to plug in heralded recruits at different skill positions will ultimately determine where the Aggies are in November.

6. DAN MULLEN, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Bulldogs record: 36-28
Overall record: 36-28
2013 record: 7-6
The skinny: Extreme temperature changes can occur rapidly on the coaching hot seat and for Mullen, how he ended the 2013 season with three straight wins squashed an impending meeting with athletic director Scott Stricklin on the future of the program. Few six-loss teams are receiving as much buzz as the Bulldogs, due in large part to quarterback Dak Prescott’s rapid rise to stardom. Can Mississippi State handle the expectations? That part of the equation falls on its head coach who is just 2-21 against ranked teams since taking over in Starkville.

5. WILL MUSCHAMP, FLORIDA
Gators record: 22-16
Overall record: 22-16
2013 record: 4-8
The skinny: No coach in the league has more pressure on him to succeed this season than Muschamp, a fiery leader who is seven wins and a bowl loss away from being shown the door. Injuries decimated last year’s team, but the Georgia Southern loss was inexcusable. Dumping offensive coordinator Brent Pease for Kurt Roper was a step in the right direction and Muschamp’s always had athletic director Jeremy Foley in his corner. He won’t if things blow up again.

RELATED: Muschamp addresses hot seat at SEC Media Days

4. NICK SABAN, ALABAMA
Crimson Tide record: 74-15
Overall record: 165-57-1
2013 record: 11-2
The skinny: It seems unfathomable labeling Saban as the third-best coach in his own division, but that’s where we are heading into 2014 when the ‘what have you done for me lately’ adage carries additional weight and Jacob Coker’s readiness to perform is more important than his coach learning from his own special teams mistakes. Last year’s two-game skid to finish the season was a major letdown and Saban’s still figuring out how to properly contain hurry-up, dual threat quarterback-driven offenses. Saban’s track record speaks for itself as the West’s active wins leader, but if Auburn wins another division title while knocking the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff hunt, more questions will arise pertaining to the fall of a dynasty.

3. HUGH FREEZE, OLE MISS
Rebels record: 15-11
Overall record: 45-18
2013 record: 8-5
The skinny: Something special’s brewing in Oxford thanks to a momentum shift following Freeze’s hiring in December 2011. Since his arrival, the up-tempo coach has infused a championship-level mindset into a program that had fallen into a crater following a 4-8 during Houston Nutt’s final season. Ole Miss garnered respect nationally thanks to an incredible 2013 signing class, but results have come at a slightly slower rate. Freeze has won at every head coaching stop and coming off a respectable 8-5 in Year 2, has the Rebels as a conceivable Western Division darkhorse.

2. STEVE SPURRIER, SOUTH CAROLINA
Gamecock record: 77-39
Overall record: 219-79-2
2013 record: 11-2
The skinny: It appears Spurrier’s getting better with age after leading the Gamecocks to a school-record 33 victories over the last three seasons. He’s within striking distance of Bear Bryant’s SEC-record wins mark of 159 and knows he can get there with another successful recruiting cycle or two. South Carolina’s winningest coach still says his primary focus is grabbing that elusive SEC title in Columbia. For the time being however, five wins over Clemson, three bowl victories and a couple Top 10 finishes since 2009 has been quite satisfying for the success-starved fanbase.

1. GUS MALZAHN, AUBURN
Tigers record: 12-2
Overall record: 21-5
2013 record: 12-2
The skinny: No coach in college football has more momentum than this visor-wearing defending SEC West champ, Auburn’s savior following the train wreck of Gene Chizik. In his first season as a head coach in the SEC, Malzahn led one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history last fall with an appearance in the final BCS Championship Game. Only 48 years old, imagine what the former prep coach turned run-game extraordinaire can build at Auburn over the next decade — a period of success approaching Saban dominance — if he continues to haul in elite-level signing classes. At the moment, Malzahn’s the precious gem of a league that doesn’t need much polishing.