With 2016 complete, here's 100 words on every SEC team heading into 2017

That’s it. It’s over. It’s all over. The 2016 college football season has come and gone. It’s now officially wait-till-next-year time.

To the surprise of nobody, Alabama made it three trips to the College Football Playoff in three tries. However, many were caught off guard when the Crimson Tide couldn’t hold a 14-point lead on Clemson and failed to win the title.

The SEC won eight national championships in a 10-year span from 2006-15 — including seven in a row at one point — but it’s worth noting that the best conference in America has only scaled to the top of the mountain once in the last four tries. The basketball-centric ACC has actually captured two in that time. Sorry, but it’s true.

Nevertheless, as far as this league is concerned, more ammunition has been added to the argument that it’s little more than ‘Bama and everyone else. A relatively poor showing during bowl season certainly didn’t help matters.

As we turn the page and look ahead to the 2017 campaign, here’s a snapshot for each of the SEC’s 14 member institutions in a hundred words or so.

ALABAMA

Just like the they do every spring, the Crimson Tide will lose their fair share of highly decorated players to the NFL. And just like they do every fall, they’ll still feature the most loaded roster in the country on offense, defense and special teams. Quarterback Jalen Hurts grew some warts over the course of his freshman season, but he still has three years of eligibility left. There’s no reason to think the D will be anything short of dominating once again. More than likely, ‘Bama will be preseason No. 1 in every major poll. This is the dictionary definition of a reload.

Arrow pointing: SIDEWAYS

ARKANSAS

Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Razorbacks went from three to seven to eight victories during the first three seasons of Bret Bielema’s (above) reign, but they took a step back to seven in 2016. It’s fair to wonder if the Hogs have hit their ceiling with him at the controls. Fans in Fayetteville aren’t satisfied with little more than bowl eligibility. They expect to compete in the West. There’s a lot to like about Austin Allen returning at QB as a senior, provided he can be protected better, although his receiving corps needs to be rebuilt. The defense is still lagging behind considerably, as well.

Arrow pointing: DOWN

AUBURN

Coach Gus Malzahn made a fool of himself in Week 1 against eventual national champion Clemson with a three-man rotation at the game’s most important position. Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III were both awful more often than not, but Sean White did play rather well in stretches. Is he the answer in 2017 as a rising junior, or is JUCO transfer Jarrett Stidham a better option? Curiously, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee left for the same position at Connecticut. That’s right, UConn. Still, in the end, it’s Malzahn’s system anyway. First-year defensive coordinator Kevin Steele did a fine job, too.

Arrow pointing: UP

FLORIDA

Perhaps no team in the SEC is more starved for a passer than the Gators, who have somehow won back-to-back East titles with the likes of Treon Harris, Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby taking snaps. While Del Rio is the only one of that trio still on the depth chart, he doesn’t give the fan base a lot of confidence right now. Additionally, the defense that former coach Will Muschamp left behind is almost entirely gone at this point. Going into Year 3, coach Jim McElwain hasn’t proven to anybody that he can recruit yet. FSU owns the Sunshine State these days.

Arrow pointing: DOWN

GEORGIA

The Bulldogs were a bit of a disappointment this past year, posting an 8-5 mark for first-year coach Kirby Smart, but there is a lot to like in Athens going forward. Jacob Eason, the five-star signee, took over almost immediately at quarterback and flashed here and there. While he still has a long way to go, his physical tools weren’t exaggerated on the recruiting trail. Fortunately, he retained the services of running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who both return for their senior seasons. There’s plenty of young talent on defense. Also, National Signing Day looks really promising.

Arrow pointing: UP

KENTUCKY

After entering the year on the hot seat, fourth-year coach Mark Stoops took the Wildcats bowling for the first time. He did so despite his QB, Drew Barker, injuring his back in Week 3 and sitting out the rest of the season. Even if his replacement, Stephen Johnson, looked to be quite limited throwing the ball, he capably directed a reimagined offensive system that focused on the tailback tandem of Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell. Williams left, but Snell didn’t. There will be genuine competition between Barker and Johnson. Stoops continues to recruit well. UK could be a real threat.

Arrow pointing: UP

LSU

Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Les Miles era is over. It’s time for Ed Orgeron (above) to put his own personal stamp on the Tigers. The addition of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda from Wisconsin last year paid immediate dividends. Coach O is hoping for something similar with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who was hired away from Pittsburgh. He needs a quarterback, though. Brandon Harris hasn’t developed. Danny Etling has a low ceiling. Even if Derrius Guice makes Baton Rouge forget about Leonard Fournette quickly, it’s 2017. An effective passing game is mandatory in order to compete nationally. Everything else appears to be in place.

Arrow pointing: SIDEWAYS

OLE MISS

Expected to compete for the West, the Rebels cratered to 5-7. They were one of only two teams in the conference that wasn’t invited to a bowl game. Coach Hugh Freeze was forced to shake up his staff, hiring new offensive and defensive coordinators. Shea Patterson took over for an injured Chad Kelly and delivered a stirring upset of Texas A&M. But after that, he got blown out by Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. The defense is nothing short of a disaster and needs to be overhauled, despite all the injuries to the secondary. Even worse, possible NCAA sanctions might be keeping recruits away.

Arrow pointing: DOWN

MISSISSIPPI STATE

He’s a flawed passer and depends too much on his running ability to be effective, but QB Nick Fitzgerald plays a results-oriented game. Coach Dan Mullen has a quality track record developing the likes of Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott, so there’s reason to believe that Fitzgerald’s arm can eventually catch up to his legs. He’ll only be a junior in 2017. His skill-position support system must do a better job, too. The Bulldogs dropped a bunch of passes. Hiring defensive coordinator Todd Grantham away from Louisville was a shrewd move by Mullen and may help that side of the ball.

Arrow pointing: UP

MISSOURI

Former coach Gary Pinkel wasn’t given much of a sendoff in his final season with the Tigers. First-year coach Barry Odom didn’t fare much better during his initial campaign. It’s hard to figure out exactly what Mizzou is trying to be as a program right now. Drew Lock has plenty of raw ability as a signal caller, but new offensive coordinator Josh Heupel seemed to make speed more of a priority than precision. It was almost as if Lock and Co. were trying to play too quickly. What was supposed to be a fierce defensive line turned out to be anything but.

Arrow pointing: DOWN

SOUTH CAROLINA

Picked by just about every outlet at Media Days to bring up the rear in the East, the Gamecocks became a different team once Jake Bentley took over the offense. Perry Orth was originally a walk-on for a reason. Brandon McIlwain is more athlete than quarterback. However, Bentley played the position the way it was meant to be played. Young playmakers like Rico Dowdle, Deebo Samuel and Hayden Hurst will all be back. The aforementioned Muschamp has enough of a track record defensively to be confident there, as well. If the division continues to be stuck in neutral, the ‘Cocks can compete.

Arrow pointing: UP

TENNESSEE

Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

If the Volunteers can’t win the East with seemingly everything stacked in their favor, which was the case this past year, then it’s time to wonder if they ever will under coach Butch Jones (above). Yes, injuries were a factor, but Florida’s defense was ravaged, too. While the Gators still put up a fight, the Vols were a sieve. They could afford to be with Joshua Dobbs closing out his career as a dual-threat monster. But now he’s gone, as is pass rusher Derek Barnett and a ton of other talented players. So experienced in 2016, that won’t be the case on Rocky Top next season.

Arrow pointing: DOWN

TEXAS A&M

The Aggies always appear to be contenders in September and October. But once the calendar flips to November, they revert back to pretender mode. Coach Kevin Sumlin is now 7-9 in the month of November the last four years. This season, it resulted in a precipitous fall from No. 4 in the first CFP rankings to out of the polls altogether. The revolving door at quarterback continues to, well, revolve. A defense that couldn’t stop anybody down the stretch will no longer have the services of pass rusher Myles Garrett. Sumlin currently sits on one of the hottest seats in the league.

Arrow pointing: SIDEWAYS

VANDERBILT

The Commodores would’ve gone bowling with a 5-7 record during the regular season based on their APR, but they truly earned it with an upset of Tennessee in the finale to get to 6-6. While it took Stoops four years to take a more gifted Kentucky team to a bowl, coach Derek Mason directed Vandy to a holiday trip in Year 3. Mentioned as a possible replacement for Sonny Dykes at Cal, Mason immediately shot down those rumors. His defense will overachieve so long as he’s in charge. It’s time for the offense to do the same. Getting ball carrier Ralph Webb back will only help.

Arrow pointing: UP

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.