College Football News recently unveiled its post-spring rankings for all 128 FBS programs, and six SEC teams are listed inside the top 25, including a surprising new No. 1 overall team.
It’s LSU.
“You know how everyone was gushing over all the Ohio State players being taken throughout the 2015 NFL Draft? Next year it’s going to be LSU that keeps the pros stocked with fresh bodies, especially in the first round,” wrote Pete Fiutak. “The 2016 Tigers really are that good.
“It might be hard to see considering how flaky they were last season, but this year they’re so deep, so talented, and so solid now that Les Miles survived his brush with coaching death that it should all come together in what should be a dream season.”
What might be even more surprising is what follows. Tennessee enters May as CFB News’ No. 3 team with defending national champion Alabama close behind at No. 4. That is quite the bold prediction, considering the Crimson Tide’s dominance in the polls over the last seven years, having won four titles during that span.
Georgia is the fourth SEC team to make an appearance in the top 10, as first-year coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs grab some serious respect at No. 8, while Ole Miss (No. 12) and Florida (No. 21) round out the top 25.
Not listed in the top 25: Arkansas (No. 26), Texas A&M (No. 31), Auburn (No. 32), Missouri (No. 37), Mississippi State (No. 39), South Carolina (No. 48), Kentucky (No. 58), and Vanderbilt (No. 69).
Here are College Football News’ complete post-spring top 25 rankings:
1. LSU
2. Clemson
3. Tennessee
4. Alabama
5. Ohio State
6. Oklahoma
7. Florida State
8. Georgia
9. Notre Dame
10. Michigan
11. Louisville
12. Ole Miss
13. Baylor
14. Michigan State
15. Wisconsin
16. UCLA
17. Oregon
18. Oklahoma State
19. USC
20. Houston
21. Florida
22. Miami (Fla.)
23. Stanford
24. Nebraska
25. Iowa
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
