The 2020 season may have just ended, but the 2021 spring season is already just around the corner.

Then, after a long, football-less summer, the 2021 campaign will begin in earnest. So, which teams should we be watching out for as potential title contenders this fall?

Sporting News analyst Bill Bender put together his way-too-early 2021 top-25 rankings and, as you can see below, 7 SEC teams made the cut:

  • No. 1 — Alabama
  • No. 5 — Georgia
  • No. 7 — Texas A&M
  • No. 8 — Florida
  • No. 12 — LSU
  • No. 21 — Ole Miss
  • No. 22 — Auburn

Will those 7 teams indeed be the class of the league, or will a surprise team like Mizzou or Kentucky (or someone else) enter the top 25 mix? Will the 2021 national champion come from the SEC?

We’ll find out starting this spring when we get our first looks at these teams!