How many SEC programs will enter the 2016 season ranked in the Associated Press’ top 10?

ESPN analyst Phil Steele projects three teams to fit that mold, with two teams ranked in the top five. Remember, this isn’t Steele’s preseason top 10; it’s how he projects the AP top 10 entering the season.

Defending College Football Playoff champion Alabama should enter the season No. 1, while the LSU Tigers could be in the top five. One program on the rise to watch in 2016 is the Tennessee Volunteers, who, according to Steele, will be ranked in the top 10.

Here’s how Steele expects the AP preseason top 10 to look in August:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. LSU
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan
8. Baylor
9. Stanford
10. Tennessee

Alabama-LSU is a great rivalry, and to throw Tennessee into the mix, Alabama will play both teams this coming season. Although the Big Ten hasn’t been great in recent history, with Michigan on the rise, Jim Harbaugh will give Ohio State and Urban Meyer all they want in the near future.