Power Ranking Every 2015 SEC Football Team
The 2015 regular season is in the books, and it's safe to say that this year's SEC season was as wild and as unpredictable as any in recent history.
Auburn, which was selected to win the conference by the assembled members of the media at media days in July, finished last in the SEC West. In its first year under Jim McElwain, Florida steamrolled through the SEC East and teams like Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State came on strong late.
How do the SEC teams rank following the end of the regular season?
Our postseason power rankings based on record, talent and current rosters are in this slideshow.
14. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-9, 1-7 SEC)
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To say it was a tumultuous season in Columbia, South Carolina, would be an understatement.
It was a total mess.
From the early injuries to quarterbacks Connor Mitch and Perry Orth to the abrupt resignation of former head coach Steve Spurrier to offensive line woes and a defense that was a mess, 2015 was a year to forget in Columbia.
The Gamecocks managed just one SEC win—a 19-10 win over Vanderbilt in interim head coach Shawn Elliott's first game—lost their second straight to rival Clemson, got blown out by cross-state rival Georgia and struggled in a win over UCF, which finished 0-12.
But hey, there will always be that season-opening win over ACC Coastal champion and College Football Playoff contender North Carolina.
13. Missouri Tigers (5-7, 1-7 SEC)
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After two straight SEC East titles, this wasn't the way Gary Pinkel wanted to go out. The former Missouri head coach announced that this would be his last season in mid-November, when he revealed that he's fighting non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
His last Tiger squad will be remembered as being one that disproved the old adage that "defense wins championships."
The Tigers finished the season top 10 nationally in total defense, scoring defense, yards per play, tackles for loss and opponents' plays of 20 or more yards. Yet, they won just one SEC game and disappeared from national relevance on the football field.
The offense was a disaster, starting quarterback Maty Mauk was ineffective and eventually suspended, true freshman Drew Lock came in and took his lumps and the Tigers sputtered to a disappointing season.
12. Kentucky Wildcats (5-7, 2-6 SEC)
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For the second straight season, the Kentucky Wildcats suffered a late-season fade route to finish 5-7 and miss a bowl game. Head coach Mark Stoops' crew dropped six of their final seven games and threw away a 24-7 halftime lead to Louisville in the regular-season finale.
Quarterback Patrick Towles struggled down the stretch, eventually lost the job to redshirt freshman Drew Barker and the defense resembled Swiss cheese at times, giving up 5.55 yards per play and 54 plays of 20 or more yards—third-most in the SEC.
This has placed head coach Mark Stoops squarely on the hot seat in 2016.
Late-season struggles and the inability to finish within games are both trends that are too hard for Kentucky fans to ignore, and anything less than a bowl game in 2016 in an SEC East that features three new head coaches should be unacceptable.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
11. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-8, 2-6 SEC)
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Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason didn't take a gigantic leap forward in year two and get back to bowl eligibility, but a small step will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal in year three.
The Commodores notched two conference wins, Mason's defense gave up just 350.5 yards per game and just 28.16 percent of its third-down opportunities and produced 1,152-yards rusher Ralph Webb out of an offense that contained virtually no threat in the passing game.
That's not too shabby.
What's more, Mason looked like he had a firm grasp on how to run a program, which is a far cry from last year's 3-9 debut.
If Vandy can find just a little more balance next season, a bowl game isn't out of the realm of possibility.
10. Auburn Tigers (6-6, 2-6 SEC)
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Auburn was picked to win the entire conference during media days in July, and instead barely slid into bowl eligibility.
From quarterback Jeremy Johnson's struggles to "Buck" Carl Lawson's injury to play-calling that can only be described as "suspect," the 2015 season will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in Auburn history.
With that said, though, there were some bright spots. The defense seemed to click once Lawson came back from his hip injury in late October, running backs Peyton Barber and Jovon Robinson both looked like stars at times and the Tigers did manage to upset Texas A&M on the road in what was the most critical game of the season in terms of the race for bowl eligibility.
If the Tigers can find a quarterback who can make proper reads and perhaps make some plays on the ground, they should get back into contention in 2016.
9. Texas A&M Aggies (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
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Texas A&M was one of the most difficult teams to pinpoint this year.
The defense started out looking like a force against Arizona State, but wasn't consistent enough to overcome what turned out to be prolonged—and more concerning—offensive issues.
Quarterback Kyle Allen was inconsistent, hurt his shoulder, benched in favor of Kyler Murray and then regained his job for a unit under coordinator Jake Spavital that gained just 378.8 yards per game in conference games.
"Final regular season rank for Texas A&M: defense 42nd nationally, offense 49th. That's both telling and damning.
— Mark Passwaters (@mbpRivals) November 29, 2015"
It's a critical offseason for head coach Kevin Sumlin. The talent level in College Station can't be denied, but the play-calling and consistency have been problems for three straight years. That has to change.
8. Georgia Bulldogs (9-3, 5-3 SEC)
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Winning championships wasn't good enough for Georgia, and neither was another nine-win season with the possibility of a 10th coming in a bowl game.
Mark Richt is out as the head coach of the Bulldogs after 15 seasons, and if he wants to place blame on anybody, he should blame it on himself for hiring offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The Bulldogs were absolutely no threat to stretch the field through the air, they averaged just 381.4 yards per game and were plagued by red-zone struggles.
"Richt said "no doubt" he could coach again, and "being more hands on. I miss coaching quarterbacks, I miss calling plays.”
— Seth Emerson (@SethEmersonAJC) November 30, 2015"
Defensively, they were great.
They finished third in the SEC in total defense with 298 yards per game, gave up just 4.7 yards per play and allowed 16.9 points per game.
Georgia further proved what was already mentioned in the Missouri slide: Defense doesn't win championships anymore.
7. LSU Tigers (8-3, 5-3 SEC)
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Everything was coming up LSU for the first two months of the season, but it was clear all along that trouble was looming.
The offense struggled to find consistency even when it was winning thanks to the success of running back Leonard Fournette, quarterback Brandon Harris was hidden by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron as much as possible and the defense suffered too many breakdowns—especially down the stretch.
It caught up to head coach Les Miles in November, as the Tigers dropped three straight and Miles needed an eleventh-hour change of heart (and perhaps Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher saying "no") to convince athletics director Joe Alleva to keep Miles in place.
Will the saga that nearly cost Miles his job bring a little more creativity to the LSU offense? It better, because another season like 2015 will finish Miles off if he doesn't adapt.
6. Tennessee Volunteers (8-4, 5-3 SEC)
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The story of the 2015 Tennessee Volunteers should be titled "What Might Have Been."
Sure, the 8-4 record looks solid on paper, and every Tennessee fan in the world would have taken it if promised that record before the season. Yet, it still feels like a disappointment.
Why?
The 4th-and-15 play to cap a late two-touchdown Florida comeback demoralized the Vols. That came just two weeks after the home debacle in which they held another two-touchdown lead over eventual Big 12 champion and likely College Football Playoff participant Oklahoma.
Despite the well-publicized collapses, Tennessee boasted a 1,158-yards rusher in Jalen Hurd, developed the passing game nicely under Joshua Dobbs and led the SEC in third-down defense (27.68 percent).
5. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-5, 5-3 SEC)
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In mid-October, Arkansas was sitting at 2-4 and was staring a Christmas without a bowl game squarely in the face.
A funny thing happened, though. Quarterback Brandon Allen turned into the college football equivalent of Tom Brady, offensive coordinator Dan Enos found his play-calling groove and the Razorback defense began to come up big in certain spots.
That was enough to propel the Hogs to five wins over their last six games, including dramatic overtime wins over Ole Miss and Auburn and the 31-14 demolition of LSU in Baton Rouge.
"Bielema: I’m glad the score stayed 31-14 Saturday so people who didn’t watch the game knew it was a whooping.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) November 16, 2015"
The Hogs will lose Allen and likely draft-eligible running back Alex Collins off this year's squad, but they'll leave a legacy of reestablishing the program as one that's competitive in the SEC West.
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
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Head coach Dan Mullen and quarterback Dak Prescott led Mississippi State to unprecedented heights last season when they were ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history.
What did they do for an encore?
Oh, you know, just evolve into one of the most dangerous teams in the country thanks to Prescott's consistency, a defense that was solid in the red zone and one of the most underrated wide receiving corps in the country led by De'Runnya Wilson and Fred Ross.
It didn't end well thanks to the loss to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, but Mississippi State proved that 2014 was no fluke and Mullen proved that, even in the face of significant roster turnover, his team can contend in the SEC West.
3. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3, 6-2 SEC)
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Ole Miss went from the nation's darling after topping Alabama in Week 3 to an afterthought thanks to a litany of midseason injuries and back to a threat late when it dominated Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
A big reason why they've been so successful is the emergence of dual-threat quarterback Chad Kelly as a legitimate threat downfield through the air and a weapon on the ground. Of course, receivers like Laquon Treadwell, Cody Core, Quincy Adeboyejo and others have helped the junior college transfer adjust.
Defensively, the Rebels weren't as consistent as they have been in the past, but Robert Nkemdiche further solidified himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the country and the Rebels gained 22 turnovers—third-most in the SEC.
Head coach Hugh Freeze might lose several stars off this year's squad, so another step forward in 2016 might be challenging. But long term, the solid recruiting classes over the last three seasons and a culture that has improved under Freeze should keep the Rebels relevant.
2. Florida Gators (10-2, 7-1 SEC)
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No, it wasn't always pretty. At times, you could call the 2015 Florida season ugly.
You also are required to call them "champions," thanks to a hot start and a strong defense that helped first-year head coach Jim McElwain and the Gators claim the 2015 SEC East title.
A defense led by lineman Jonathan Bullard, linebacker Antonio Morrison and defensive backs Vernon Hargreaves and Jalen Tabor was awesome all year long, and allowed the Gator offense to go through some growing pains. Those pains included the absence of any starting quarterback early, the emergence of Will Grier into that role and the sudden year-long suspension to Grier that placed Treon Harris back into the spotlight.
The offense is clearly limping into the Georgia Dome after the 27-2 loss to Florida State and narrow escape from the clutches of Florida Atlantic. But there are 12 other SEC teams that are jealous of that limp, because limping in the Georgia Dome in December is better than not walking into it at all.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
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It might seem commonplace to see the Alabama Crimson Tide playing in the SEC title game this weekend, but nothing about this Crimson Tide team was common.
Head coach Nick Saban's crew entered the season with massive questions in the defensive backfield, started Cooper Bateman at quarterback in place of an ineffective Jake Coker against Ole Miss and suffered that early-season loss to the Rebels at home that left no margin for error.
"I'm certainly very proud of what our team has done," Saban said. "They've had their backs against the wall since the Ole Miss game early in the season and really come through just about every time they needed to in some tough circumstances on the road as well as playing well at home against some very good teams."
The front seven is a force, the running game is led by Heisman Trophy contender Derrick Henry, Coker has settled down nicely and wide receivers ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley have both come up big when asked.
This team earned that SEC West title more than any other Saban-coached team during his tenure at Alabama.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
