While it may be a bit ridiculous to name a Preseason Top 5 the day after the National Championship Game, Kirk Herbstreit did us all a favor and took an early stab at it and named two SEC West teams as early contenders for 2017.

Although these rankings should come with a bit of an asterisk, as we don’t currently know all the players and coaches that will be returning for 2017 and only have a few recruits officially signed by each school. Herbstreit acknowledges all this, noting his list is just for fun:

Herbstreit has both Alabama and LSU in his early Top 5 and interestingly enough, his #1 and #2 teams are set to meet in the 2017 season opener in Atlanta. If these rankings hold, what a game that will make to kick off the start of next season.