What comes after spring practice for SEC football?

If you answered “nothing,” well, not so fast. Admittedly we’re a couple months from depth charts starting to drift into shape. But after recruiting season and spring practice, the next era of the SEC football calendar is the hype season.

Who’s going all the way? Of course, nobody knows.

RELATED: John Crist’s post-spring SEC power rankings

But if we’re ranking the teams based purely on hype, here are some early trends.

Who’s Down with CFP?

Alabama
LSU
Auburn
Georgia

These four schools are being given a puncher’s chance to bring national title gold back to the SEC.

Of course, Alabama is the favorite.

If you’re looking for an underdog pick arising from the East, Kirby Smart’s Georgia team is available at slightly longer odds.

With Jalen Hurts a Heisman contender, and a long list of returning offensive playmakers, the Tide have the shortest odds in the country to win the title.

If it isn’t Alabama, who is it?

Vegas likes LSU, which can be a national title pick at odds ranging from as low as 14/1 to as high as 20/1. The Tigers were hit hard by the NFL Draft and will enter their first full season under Ed Orgeron still uncertain of a passing game.

The Auburn Tigers are getting slightly longer odds (think 20/1 to 30/1), but look like a slightly better pick from here. Jarrett Stidham is reason for optimism that these Tigers can figure out how to throw and catch a forward pass. They will also play Bama at home, and could well be the spoiler.

If you’re looking for an underdog pick arising from the East, Kirby Smart’s Georgia team is available at slightly longer odds. Sure, the East has shown no signs of catching up with Bama, but UGA won’t face the Tide in the regular season and have enough talent to consider pulling the upset of all upsets in the SEC title game.

SEC Spoilers

Florida
Tennessee
Texas A&M

The next three teams are longer shots, but still get some hype as sleeper picks.

Florida has won the East twice in a row — and can’t be worse on offense.

Of the three, Florida is the only team that might end up being more sizzle than fizzle.

Tennessee has as much talent as anybody who isn’t Alabama, but the people buying at 12/1 odds on the Vols winning the SEC got ahold of the wrong stuff.

A&M is a true long shot because anybody emerging from the West aside from the three teams above would be a shock.

But A&M is in that sort of “fight or flight” mode where they could really shock people — or get their head coach fired.

Of the three, Florida is the only team that might end up being more sizzle than fizzle. Tennessee’s hype is infinitely greater than its chances, and if the same is true of A&M, it’s just because surviving Alabama, Auburn and LSU is a lot tougher than surviving Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

Hoping For a Step Up

South Carolina
Mississippi State
Arkansas
Kentucky

These four teams all made bowls last season, but all are hoping to win another game or two in 2017 that they didn’t win in 2016.

South Carolina and Kentucky both have the shortest track, because both relied on underclass talent and match up in the up-for-grabs East.

Mississippi State commands respect because Nick Fitzgerald is already a better runner than Dak Prescott, and the defense has to improve this year.

Arkansas is the one of this group that’s more hype than hope. Which Razorbacks are real? The ones who crushed Florida last year, or the ones who lost to Missouri? We shall see.

Trying Not to Drown

Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Missouri

Vandy is the lone returning bowl team on this list, but Derek Mason’s work with Xs and Os will have to counter some butt-kickings in the recruiting world of Jimmys and Joes. James Franklin’s players aren’t walking through that Nashville door.

Ole Miss is one bad break from a dumpster fire, with a self-imposed bowl ban already in place and the NCAA buzzards circling overhead.

Missouri ended 2016 well, but there’s a lot more reason to think this team finishes last in the East than to think it improves much.