Where SEC teams rank in various preseason polls
No trip to the grocery store is complete in July without a few minutes spent lingering on the magazine aisle, checking out the latest college football preview magazines.
It doesn’t take too long to flip a magazine open, scan the table of contents for the SEC and check out how your favorite team is predicted to fare this fall.
In case your local store doesn’t stock every magazine, we’ve compiled the list of SEC predictions in these handy tables:
SEC EAST
| School | Athlon | ESPN | FOX | Lindy’s | Media Poll | Phil Steele | Sporting News |
| Tennessee | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Georgia | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Florida | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Vanderbilt | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Missouri | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| South Carolina | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
TENNESSEE
Poll average: 1
Skinny: In a rare moment of agreement, all seven preseason polls have the Volunteers picked first in the SEC East.
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
GEORGIA
Poll average: 2.1
Skinny: Six of the seven picked the Bulldogs to finish second. Only the SEC media have Kirby Smart’s team pegged in third place.
FLORIDA
Poll average: 2.7
Skinny: Phil Steele and the SEC Media have the defending champions in the second spot. Everyone else has the Gators finishing third.
KENTUCKY
Poll average: 5
Skinny: Athlon and the media have the Wildcats as high as fourth place while ESPN and Lindy’s both have Mark Stoops’ squad finishing sixth.
MISSOURI
Poll average: 5
Skinny: Phil Steele and The Sporting News put the Tigers in fourth place, but Athlon and the SEC Media both believe Mizzou is headed for sixth place in the East.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Poll average: 5.7
Skinny: The Gamecocks divided opinion among prognosticators as ESPN and Lindy’s pegged them fourth while Athlon, Phil Steele and the media slotted them in last place.
VANDERBLT
Poll average: 5.9
Skinny: Like South Carolina, there are a wide range of predictions for the Commodores. FOX has them in fourth, but ESPN, Lindy’s and The Sporting News picked them for last place.
SEC WEST
| School | Athlon | ESPN | FOX | Lindy’s | Media Poll | Phil Steele | Sporting News |
| Alabama | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| LSU | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ole Miss | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Arkansas | 4 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Auburn | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| Texas A&M | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Miss. State | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
ALABAMA
Poll average: 1.3
Skinny: Only ESPN and FOX have the Crimson Tide anywhere but first place. Phil Steele has them in a tie with LSU.
I was 1 of 29 who picked Vols to win SEC title game. Maybe only one to pick Alabama 3rd in West. Don't beat Tide this year, you never will.
— Chris Wright (@FilmRoomEditor) July 15, 2016
LSU
Poll average: 1.7
Skinny: The Tigers picked up first-place nods from ESPN and FOX, but The Sporting News pegged them for third.
OLE MISS
Poll average: 2.9
Skinny: The Sporting News tabbed the Rebels for second place while every other outlet had them one slot lower in third. Ole Miss has a two-game winning streak against Alabama.
AUBURN
Poll average: 4.7
Skinny: FOX is high on the Tigers, placing them in a four-way tie for third place, but ESPN and the SEC Media both have them pegged for sixth place in the West. The SEC media picked Auburn first last season but the Tigers finished last.
TEXAS A&M
Poll average: 4.7
Skinny: The Aggies are part of FOX’s logjam in third, but Athlon and The Sporting News each have them slotted in sixth place. TSN must not trust Trevor Knight.
ARKANSAS
Poll average: 4.9
Skinny: In addition to being in FOX’s tie for third, Athlon and The Sporting News have the rebuilt Razorbacks finishing fourth. Lindy’s, on the other hand, has them finishing sixth.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Poll average: 6.7
Skinny: ESPN picking the Bulldogs in fifth place is the lone bright spot, as every other entity has them coming in seventh.
