One of Athlon Sports’ best content pieces every preseason is coaches talking anonymously about other programs.

Piggy-backing off the idea, Sports Illustrated has asked opposing coaches to provide anonymous scouting reports on every team within its preseason Top 25.

What’s been said about the SEC’s eight featured teams is quite interesting.

(h/t Sports Illustrated)

No. 2 Auburn

They’ve got the best offensive line in the SEC. They’re big, they’re physical, they move people, they do a good job on double teams … With Jeremy Johnson at quarterback, there may not be as many quarterback runs, but from a formation standpoint, it’ll be the same thing. You’ll still have to play your eight-man fronts to stop the running game … Jeremy is a bit more of a quarterback. They’re going to probably have more of a passing game, with play-action off the running game. That will end up bringing a different dimension to their offense … Obviously their No. 1 receiver, Duke Williams, is going to have some big gains because you have to bring eight guys up … They have a talented group of backs. They’re really a two-back offense that likes to run and throw it deep … They do have issues in the secondary, but Will [Muschamp] makes an offense beat him lefthanded—he takes away the things an O does well and makes it hard to score.​

No. 5 Alabama

Their front seven is, hands down, the best in the country. You have to get creative against them, because they’re so hard to move. … They were young last year on the back end. That’s where you could take advantage. But look at (cornerback) Tony Brown — they were playing him as a true freshman. With the coaching he’ll get, you know he’s going to be good. … They’ve done a good job of recruiting to defend every type of offense. If you want to put 10 tight ends in the game, they can match that. If you want to spread it out, they can match that. … You don’t know who the quarterback is going to be or how they will replace Amari Cooper, but what gets overlooked is that offensive line. That line means they’re going to have great backs.

No. 11 Georgia

Brian Schottenheimer is going to be great for them. There’s no substitute for coaching pro football and having to deal with young quarterbacks, and they have to find and develop a quarterback this season … They’re going to have two of the top five running backs (Chubb and Michel) when they both come out in the draft. I’m not sure Chubb has the same home run speed that Todd Gurley had, but he’s so hard to wrap up and tackle … They play two-back or three-wide, so they’re pretty vanilla. They just rely on the talent to make plays … They’re going to miss David Andrews at center. In fact, they’re probably concerned about their depth at offensive line. But Chubb makes them a good line anyway, because he doesn’t force them to hold their blocks that long.

13. Ole Miss

Their front four has got speed, and they’re just all over the place. Robert Nkemdiche can be anything from a noseguard to a defensive end—he’s that big and that athletic … They know how to defend the spread because they see it every day at practice. It’s a unique defense versus the spread. They get that rover safety playing seven yards deep as an addition to the run defense. (Mike Hilton)has moved there from cornerback.] You’ve got to be a physical cat to play that spot … If you get on the edge, they’re going to run you down, but if you run downhill on them, you can open things up and move the ball … Their receivers are tall and rangy, and they come down with a lot of jump balls. If you pack a lot of guys up front to stop the run, they can go deep … They also use a lot of motion, which forces you to be very disciplined.

20. Mizzou

Coach Gary Pinkel and his staff should be getting more credit for their tremendous job of player development. … Maty Mauk is a good quarterback, but he can be streaky. You can’t let him find his rhythm or it’ll be a long day. You’ve got to mix it up on him and make sure you get pressure. If you get him off-balance and thinking, especially with his inexperienced receivers, you’ve got a good chance. … Defensively, they’ll gamble more under new coordinator Barry Odom, but he’ll still turn those guys loose up front, which is what lets them play zone coverage. They’ll need to continue that relentlessness because their ends are so young this year. … With the experience they’ve got at linebacker and on the back end, Odom should be able to roll the dice.

22. Arkansas

The offensive line revels 
in being the strength of the team; they’ll push you until you surrender. To
 me, they show the value
 of having an identity and not wavering from it, even when the results aren’t there [such as during their 17-game SEC losing streak]. It will be interesting to see, with Dan Enos calling the plays, how they evolve on offense. … Those two backs [Williams and Collins] are as good as any pair in the country. Brandon Allen is solid, and his best receiving threat is [junior tight end] Hunter Henry, who made ridiculous catches and is perfect for their play-action game. They love to get him lost behind the linebackers in space. … The D struggled against Auburn and A&M’s pass games last year; as the season went on, they played faster and more confidently, but they’re not designed to win shootouts.

23. LSU

The challenge Leonard Fournette presents is that he’s so fast and so physical, he can run inside and out … LSU’s uncertainty at quarterback was really key last season. Both Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris are very talented, so I think they’ll get it figured out. They have a ton of skill on the outside and a formidable running game. The QBs will get some play-action going and not hurt the team by trying to do too much … They lost some guys in their front seven, but everybody in their back end returns, and they already had an extremely talented secondary. That back four is going to be something to reckon with … I think you’ll see some stuff that’s similar to what Alabama runs with [defensive coordinator Kevin] Steele arriving. He’s a great defensive mind.

25. Mississippi State

Dak Prescott makes it all go. He’s such a threat to run that you can’t go help out on the 6′ 5″ receiver [De’Runnya Wilson] or blitz often to create havoc on a young offensive line. To try and stop Prescott, you need to keep him in the pocket, eliminate escape lanes, take away the shorter passes and force him to throw down the field. He could be more of a factor if they go tempo, because one missed alignment or read and he can get them points very quickly … Defensively, they were as good a front seven as we saw all year. They reminded me a bit of the San Francisco 49ers. Even with what the Bulldogs lost, they’ve still got big, physical guys up front who can run. You need to keep them moving and attack the perimeter; you can’t do a whole lot of straight-ahead running.

For the full top 25, see here.