Ah, it’s almost here!

Soon ‘talking season’ will be over and the games will commence, but first, let’s dive into our ‘Preseason SEC Power Rankings’ for the 2015 campaign as determined by a staff-wide vote, taking into account returning talent, program buzz and overall value as we approach September openers.

Stick around for our game-by-game ‘Crystal Ball’ projections that begin today as well. It’s always fun (and an obvious conversation starter) to track every SEC game before they happen and determine a winner.

Without further ado, our preseason power rankings …

Fighting for bowl eligibility

14. Vanderbilt Commodores
13. Kentucky Wildcats
12. Florida Gators
11. South Carolina Gamecocks

Two teams aren’t like the others … can you guess? Vanderbilt and Kentucky were the SEC’s only squads to finish below .500 and miss out on bowl season last fall, a result of inconsistent play down the stretch for the Wildcats and a nightmarish offense that lasted throughout the fall in Nashville. It may get worse before it gets better for the Commodores who face a challenging non-conference schedule in addition to trying to snap an eight-game league losing skid … Florida and South Carolina can compete for a top-half finish in a wide open Eastern Division, but each team has personnel issues heading into August that need to be worked out prior to the opener. Inexperience up front will likely be the Gators’ Achilles Heel while the Gamecocks are sorting out defensive struggles with new coordinator Jon Hoke and a first-year starter under center. There might be a couple visors thrown early by the Head Ball Coach.

Not quite there

10. Mississippi State Bulldogs
9. Texas A&M Aggies

The Bulldogs haven’t received much love during the preseason despite Dan Mullen’s best efforts at SEC Media Days. Someone has to finish at the bottom of college football’s toughest division and most of us feel Mississippi State will be the program that suffers despite a Heisman candidate senior quarterback. Would it surprise us if Dak Prescott led his team to nine wins and a quality bowl game? No. Is it more likely Mississippi State wins seven and falls to Alabama, Auburn and LSU? Yes … Close to the darkhorse label thanks to the John Chavis acquisition on defense, Texas A&M is a couple wins over ranked teams away from being ‘2014 Mississippi State’ with a chance to throw a wrench in the Western Division title picture, but the Aggies won’t get any breaks on the schedule and could be out of the SEC race before the bye week if they start 0-2 against league competition.

Divisional dark horses

8. Tennessee Volunteers
7. Mizzou Tigers
6. LSU Tigers
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
4. Ole Miss Rebels

How many within this handful of teams could win the SEC this season? In terms of talent, at least three. Ole Miss is expected to have one of the nation’s strongest defenses despite losing two All-Americans in the secondary. Quarterback could be a weakness for Hugh Freeze, but he isn’t the only dark horse facing a dilemma under center. Les Miles will choose between Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings this month to facilitate an LSU offense that runs through Leonard Fournette this season. At Arkansas, the Razorbacks are hoping two 1,000-yard backs and a senior signal caller is enough to navigate through a treacherous slate. Many believe Arkansas will be this year’s Mississippi State in the SEC. Tennessee and Mizzou are expected to duke it out for the title of second-best in the Eastern Division (unless Georgia falls flat as the heavy preseason favorite). The Tigers lost their best defensive player in Harold Brantley before the start of camp, but Maty Mauk’s a competitor and a veteran leader capable of taking this program to its third straight division title.

College Football Playoff Threats

3. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Auburn Tigers
1. Alabama Crimson Tide

It doesn’t sit right with the majority of our staff labeling a team other than Alabama — the defending league champs — as the preseason favorite, but several staff members have jumped aboard the Auburn + Jeremy Johnson hype train on the Plains and I even went out on a limb and tabbed the Bulldogs as my favorite (I picked Alabama last season). All three of these teams, without question, are loaded on both sides of the football and don’t appear to have any fatal flaws that would drop them down a notch amongst others. They’ll all play each other in a round robin-style format during the regular season which will make for must-see TV. We’re expecting a titanic rematch in Atlanta, but your guess as to which team is left standing in the West is as good as ours.