5. LSU — Travin Dural & Malachi Dupre

2014 numbers: Dural (37 catches, 758 yards, 7 TDs); Dupre (14 catches, 318 yards, 5 TDs)
Rationale: Before delving into the rationale for placing this duo among the SEC’s top 5 wide receiver tandems, let’s clarify that these rankings only concern receivers and not the quarterbacks throwing them passes. LSU will likely not have a top 5 passing offense in the SEC in 2015, but that’s due more to lack of consistent quarterback play than lack of talent at the receiver position.

Dural is as dangerous a deep threat as anyone in the SEC, and few defensive backs (if any) can stay with him stride for stride down the field. Dupre is a former five-star recruit who plays the ball in the air better than most and has great hands to boot. Their numbers may not blow many away, but these two players complement one another exceptionally well. Dural is the home run hitter, while Dupre is the consistent possession wideout. If only LSU had a quarterback.

4. MISSISSIPPI STATE — De’Runnya Wilson & Fred Ross

2014 numbers: Wilson (47 catches, 680 yards, 9 TDs); Ross (30 catches, 489 yards, 5 TDs)
Rationale: Wilson has a chance to be one of the SEC’s best wideouts in 2015, and he showed flashes of his explosive abilities throughout his sophomore season in 2014. He has a big frame and exceptional leaping abilities stemming from his days as a basketball star, and few players in the nation are better at using their bodies to shield defenders from the ball. Wilson doesn’t have the breakaway speed that some wideouts possess, but he breaks tackles, catches balls in traffic and will win most jump ball battles, especially in the red zone (his nine touchdown catches prove that to be true).

Ross was quietly one of the SEC’s most underrated wide receivers in 2014, finishing third on the team in catches and second only to Wilson in yards and touchdowns. He’ll take on an even greater role in the offense now that Jameon Lewis has graduated, which should help his numbers even more, and he seemed to develop timing with quarterback Dak Prescott as last season wore on (6 catches in his first six games, 24 in his next seven). If Ross and Prescott can improve on that connection even more this offseason, Ross will be a dangerous No. 2 in SEC play this fall.

3. TENNESSEE — Pig Howard & Marquez North/Von Pearson

2014 numbers: Howard (54 catches, 618 yards, 1 TD); North (30 catches, 320 yards, 4 TDs); Pearson (38 catches, 393 yards, 5 TDs)
Rationale: Howard, a former four-star recruit, has only gotten better since arriving in Knoxville, and his numbers improved significantly once Joshua Dobbs took over at quarterback late in the season (30 catches in Justin Worley’s eight starts, 24 catches in Dobbs’ five starts). He’s not a big player at 5-foot-8 and less than 190 pounds, but he plays with the physicality of a much larger player. He needs to improve his play in the red zone, and not being able to go over the top of larger defenders hurts him in those situations. However, as a sharp route runner with a fearless attitude he should find the end zone more often with a full season of Dobbs under center.

North and Pearson put up similar numbers in unofficially sharing the No. 2 wideout role last season. Like Howard, Pearson’s numbers began to skyrocket when Dobbs took over at quarterback (20 of his 38 catches came in Dobbs’ five starts), and the long, 6-foot-3 wideout should be able to assert himself as more of an explosive deep threat and red zone option this fall. North hauled in all 30 of his catches in Tennessee’s first eight games before being limited by injuries, but if he can stay healthy and build a rapport with Dobbs quickly (he was injured by the time Dobbs took over) he, too, should emerge as a dangerous threat on the outside with tremendous size and quickness.

2. OLE MISS — Laquon Treadwell & Cody Core

2014 numbers: Treadwell (48 catches, 632 yards, 5 TDs); Core (41 catches, 558 yards, 6 TDs)
Rationale: Treadwell and Core were already among the SEC’s best tandems when Treadwell suffered a season-ending leg injury in a loss to Auburn last season. So long as Treadwell returns at full strength this fall, and it’s expected he will, the dynamic duo should pick up right where they left off in 2014.

Despite missing the last four games of the year, Treadwell led Ole Miss in receptions for the second year in a row. The rising junior and top wideout from the 2013 recruiting class possesses a big frame with speed to burn and the ability to both break tackles and outrun defenders in open space. He’s difficult to corral once he has the ball in space, and because of his speed, body control and leaping ability he’s as dangerous on a screen pass as he is on a fly route or a crossing route across the middle of the field. It’s not hard to see why Treadwell was open so often during his first two years in Oxford.

Core is a long, lanky receiver who also possesses great speed and leaping ability on the outside. He’s nowhere near as complete a player as Treadwell, but he may be more explosive than his Ole Miss counterpart, which makes him a great fit in the lineup opposite Treadwell. While defenses will shade their coverages Treadwell’s way, Core can use his athleticism to beat one on one coverage for big gains on the other side. That’s the receipe that had the Ole Miss offense cooking last season before Treadwell’s injury, and while defenses may have caught on these complementary pieces are tough to stop even when you know what’s coming.

1. TEXAS A&M — Josh Reynolds & Speedy Noil/Ricky Seals-Jones

2014 numbers: Reynolds (52 catches, 842 yards, 13 TDs); Noil (46 catches, 583 yards, 5 TDs); Seals-Jones (49 catches, 465 yards, 4 TDs)
Rationale: There isn’t an offense in the SEC as committed to throwing the ball as Texas A&M, so it only makes sense the Aggies claim the top wide receiver tandem in the conference as the 2015 season approaches.

Reynolds was a pleasant surprise as a three-star junior college transfer last year, setting a school record with 13 touchdown receptions on the season while also leading the team in catches and yards. He shared touches with a plethora of other productive wideouts in the A&M offense, which actually make his 842 yards through the air even more impressive. Reynolds is quick and shifty in the open field, and few receivers in the country are more dangerous after the catch than Reynolds.

Noil and Seals-Jones were both freshmen last season, and neither needed much time to work his way into the A&M lineup. The two put up similar numbers, although Noil worked more along the outside while Seals-Jones caught a number of passes on underneath routes or across the middle. Both will play vital roles again in 2015, with Noil’s explosiveness and Seals-Jones’ consistency allowing both to maintain their own niches on the offense.