From recruiting to winning national titles to producing NFL players, the SEC has been college football’s premier conference for more than a decade.

Just about every SEC team has been littered with premium talent, and this year will be no different.

So, who are the most talented teams in the SEC right now? We decided to take a look.

5. Florida Gators

Why they made the list: The Gators have been one of the most talented teams in the SEC for a while. Six Gators have become first-round picks in the past four drafts, which helps explain how they’ve won back-to-back SEC East titles.

The Gators will have a nice core of returning players on offense. Junior offensive lineman Martez Ivey has made the move from left guard to left tackle — replacing the departed David Sharpe as the blindside protector. On the opposite side, second-year starter Jawaan Taylor is looking to continue developing his consistency after an impressive freshman season in 2016.

The run game will feature former 4-star Jordan Scarlett — who led the team with 889 rushing yards last season despite sharing the workload early. At 5-10, 213 pounds, he has the size and build to hold up in the SEC. After only receiving 179 carries in 2016, don’t be surprised if he’s earned a larger workload this upcoming season and beyond.

Potential problems: The biggest cause for concern will be the attempt to replace several key defensive starters.

The secondary lost three starters — Marcus Maye, Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor — who were all three second-round NFL Draft picks in April. In addition, the defensive front seven lost DT Caleb Brantley,  DE Bryan Cox and LB Jarrad Davis — a first-round pick by the Detroit Lions.

Another issue to monitor is the quarterback situation. Last year’s starter, Luke Del Rio, missed the spring with a shoulder injury. Once healthy, he will battle Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Malik Zaire — who is reportedly looking to transfer once the SEC changes its rule on graduate transfers.

4. Auburn Tigers

Why they made the list: Auburn could have its best offense since Nick Marshall and Tre Mason tore up SEC defenses en route to a national championship appearance in 2013.

Some critics have said that the hype surrounding the 4-star transfer quarterback Jarrett Stidham has been out of control, but he put the doubters to rest during the annual A-Day game. He finished with 267 yards passing with an 80-percent completion percentage.

The run game returns one of the top rushing tandems in the country with Heisman Trophy candidate Kamryn Pettway and former 4-star Kerryon Johnson. They combined for 2,119 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2016, and they finally have a quarterback who can push the ball downfield to prevent defenses from stacking eight in the box.

Potential problems: Much like the Gators, Auburn will be looking to replace several key starters on defense. The Tigers finished No. 28 overall in defense last season, but they lost their top two sack leaders — Carl Lawson (9.5 sacks) and Montravius Adams (4.0).

They also lost defensive backs Rudy Ford and Josh Holsey — who led the team in interceptions with three. The combination of losing your two most productive pass-rushers and two of your biggest contributors in the secondary could turn out to be their Achilles’ heal this year.

3. LSU Tigers

Why they made the list: There are two key factors that led to LSU sitting this high on the list: 1) edge rusher Arden Key and 2) RB Derrius Guice.

Outside of Florida State’s Derwin James, there might not be a more talented defensive player than Key right now. He did leave the program in February for personal reasons, but many believe he will return to LSU before the start of the season. If he doesn’t, that will be a significant blow to LSU’s chance at an SEC West title in 2017 — yes, he’s that good.

After being the backup to Leonard Fournette, Guice finally got the chance to show what he can do with a heavier workload. He led the SEC in rushing with 1,387 yards — to go with 15 rushing touchdowns. Even more impressive, he did that with only 183 carries — a 7.6 yards per carry average.

These two players automatically put LSU into the conversation, but they aren’t the only two talents on the roster. What could end up being the bigger focus is what LSU lost to the NFL.

Potential problems: Let’s take a quick look at some of the key players that LSU lost from last year’s team.

  • RB Leonard Fournette: No. 4 overall pick to the Jaguars
  • S Jamal Adams: No. 6 overall pick to the Jets
  • CB Tre’Davious White: No. 27 overall pick to the Bills
  • C Ethan Pocic: No. 58 overall pick to the Seahawks
  • LB Duke Riley: No. 75 overall pick to the Falcons
  • LB Kendell Beckwith: No. 107 overall pick to the Buccaneers

It’s hard to argue that any SEC did less with more. That’s a lot of significant talent that has moved on to the NFL. The defense lost six starters — seven if Key doesn’t return. The Tigers have consistently a top 10 recruiting class — top 5 in the SEC — so the hope is that they will continue to reload instead of rebuild.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Why they made the list: Georgia has one of the most talented group of skill players returning on offense in college football.

The offense will continue to be carried by the duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel at running back. Chubb was coming off a gruesome knee injury in 2015, so 2016 didn’t see the same caliber of player — but he was still impressive. He and Michel combined for 2,205 total yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns.

Jacob Eason had an up-and-down freshman season, but he has shown signs of living up to the ridiculous hype that he had coming out of high school. He was the No. 5 overall player — No. 2 pro-style quarterback — in the 2016 recruiting cycle.

The receiving unit lost its leading receiver from last season — Isaiah McKenzie — but return several talented prospects. In addition, former 5-star tight end Isaac Nauta finished his freshman season with the fifth-most receiving yards from a tight end in the SEC (361 yards). He’ll look to continue to build on those numbers.

Potential problems: One of the biggest question marks will be determining who will protect Eason up front.

Tyler Catalina — a graduate transfer from Rhode Island — started 12 out of 13 games last season at left tackle, but he’s gone. Even worse, after appearing in 39 straight games from 2014-16, former center Brandon Kublanow has moved on as well.

Now, the Bulldogs did land one of — if not — the best offensive line classes in the country. Three 4-star prospects and one 5-star prospect — Isaiah Wilson — will look to boost the depth. The problem is trying to determine if any of those players are ready to contribute right away.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

Why they made the list: Is there anyone who would doubt Alabama’s place at the top of this list? The Tide returns the SEC Player of the Year at quarterback — Jalen Hurts — in addition to their top five rushing leaders from 2016.

On top of that, the Tide added two more studs at running back in 5-star Najee Harris and 4-star Brian Robinson. There will be no shortage of runners to wear down defenses, but the passing game should see noticeable improvement as well.

Hurts’ biggest weakness as a passer — his ability to push the ball downfield — could emerge as a strength this season. He consistently showed a big arm during the Tide’s annual A-Day game in April, and with three former 5-star receivers in the mix — Calvin Ridley, Robert Foster and Jerry Jeudy — it’s possible that Hurts could become a Heisman favorite.

Alabama will field one of the best offenses in college football, but there are questions surrounding the defense.

Potential problems: Alabama lost more defensive talent than any other team in the SEC. The Tide lost their leading tackler Reuben Foster (115 tackles) and top three sack leaders — Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson.

Making things worse, the defense also lost Marlon Humphrey, Eddie Jackson and Dalvin Tomlinson. It’ll be tough to replace their production, and the pass rush is by far the biggest question mark heading into this season.

Alabama has reeled in the No. 1 recruiting class the past seven years, so talent won’t be an issue. It rarely is; the Tide has had eight first-round picks in the past four years. If anything keeps Alabama out of the college football playoffs in 2016, it’ll be a lack of experience