It’s finally here, folks! The 2022 college football season starts on Saturday, with a total of 11 games involving FBS teams on the schedule for Aug. 27.

One of those matchups involves an SEC team, as Vanderbilt will participate in the nightcap at Hawaii, with a kickoff time set for 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

The rest of the league will take the field for the first time in Week 1, wrapping up with LSU and Florida State playing in New Orleans on Sunday, Sept. 4.

So, with a new season comes new power rankings. Without further ado, let’s dive into the preseason SEC power rankings:

14. Vanderbilt

I fully expect the Commodores to go to Hawaii and win on Saturday night (and I’ll be staying up late to watch that game), but it’s going to be another long year at Vanderbilt. This team hasn’t won an SEC contest since 2019, and I don’t see that changing this year, barring a major upset at Mizzou on Oct. 22 or vs. South Carolina on Nov. 5.

That doesn’t mean it’ll be another terrible year for the Commodores, though, as there’s a real chance Clark Lea’s squad could go 4-0 in nonconference play. Win at Hawaii and vs. Elon in Week 1 and there’s your 2-0 start. In Week 2, No. 22 Wake Forest comes to Nashville, but will almost certainly be without star QB Sam Hartman, who is unfortunately out with a non-football related medical issue. A Week 3 trip to Northern Illinois will be difficult, but it’s a game an SEC squad should win.

Give me the Commodores taking a step forward in 2022 and picking up 3 or 4 wins.

13. Mizzou

Mizzou is riding with Brady Cook as its starting quarterback entering 2022 and that’s a big decision for coach Eli Drinkwitz. The Tigers tried to land JT Daniels, Jayden Daniels, Gerry Bohanon and others out of the transfer portal, but didn’t get any of them.

The Tigers also have a talented offensive line and receiving corps, the latter featuring 5-star freshman Luther Burden and former Ohio State WR Mookie Cooper. That duo, combined with Dominic Lovett, Tauskie Dove and Barrett Banister, could be a real strength for the Tigers if the quarterback situation is solid and Cook can get the ball in their hands.

Defensively, the Tigers can’t be much worse against the run. That’s not a compliment – more of a fact. We’ll see if the transfers Drinkwitz brought in and the switch to Blake Baker at defensive coordinator pays off. If all goes well, this could be a 7-5 team in 2022.

12. Auburn

The Tigers have yet to settle on a starting quarterback for the 2022 campaign, with TJ Finley, Zach Calzada and Robby Ashford still battling it out for the title of QB1. The defense, as always, has playmakers, including edge rusher Derick Hall. The backfield has perhaps the best tandem in the SEC in Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter. TE John Samuel Shenker had a breakout year in 2021.

I only really have questions about quarterback and wide receiver. But, in today’s college football, those are 2 very concerning areas to have question marks about entering a season. We’ll see if the Tigers can overcome them. The good news? They’ll have plenty of home cooking to start the year, as their first game away from Jordan-Hare Stadium isn’t until Oct. 8 at Georgia.

11. Florida

Florida fans aren’t used to seeing their team down in the double digits of preseason SEC power rankings. But, while I like the Billy Napier hire and believe the Gators will be back to competing with Georgia for SEC East titles sooner rather than later, I think 2022 will be rough in Gainesville.

Anthony Richardson is a dynamic quarterback, yes. There’s plenty of talent on this roster, including a pair of guys Napier brought over from Louisiana (OL O’Cyrus Torrence and RB Montrell Johnson Jr.) and defenders like DL Gervon Dexter, LB Ventrell Miller and others.

But, a Week 1 home game against Utah is tough. Kentucky coming to The Swamp in Week 2 is also a tricky early season game. And, a road trip to Rocky Top to play Tennessee in Week 4 won’t be as easy as it might have been a couple of years ago. I expect some growing pains to start the Napier era.

10. Mississippi State

This is the team I’m not sure what to do with. The Bulldogs have a great quarterback in Will Rogers and the defense should be fine under DC Zach Arnett, but losing top-10 draft pick Charles Cross on the offensive line will hurt.

Rogers doesn’t hold the ball for very long in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, so perhaps they can mitigate the lack of an elite left tackle. But, without Makai Polk, who led the SEC with 105 catches last year for 1,049 yards and 9 touchdowns, the offense could take a step back.

We’ll learn a lot about this team in the first 3 weeks of the season: home vs. Memphis, at Arizona and at LSU.

9. South Carolina

The Gamecocks exceeded expectations by going 7-6 in Shane Beamer’s first season at the helm of the program. They added QB Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma, TE Austin Stogner (also from Oklahoma), RB Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest), WR Corey Rucker (Arkansas State) and WR Antwane Wells Jr. (James Madison) via the transfer portal.

Still, the SEC East got a lot better this year, so while this team has the potential to go 8-4 or 9-3, a fourth-place finish in the division is a real possibility in 2022.

8. LSU

LSU still needs to decide between Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier as its starting quarterback. Then, it needs to find some playmakers alongside star WR Kayshon Boutte. I’m not worried about that second part, as LSU churns out great receivers at an incredible rate, but I am a bit concerned about the defense. Losing Eli Ricks to rival Alabama will hurt the secondary in a big way.

I trust Brian Kelly to have success in Baton Rouge. After all, he’s had plenty of success everywhere he’s been before. But, I’m not sure Year 1 will be a great one for Kelly and the Tigers.

7. Arkansas

The Hogs went 9-4 last year and won a bowl game. That was a huge step in the right direction for Sam Pittman and his squad. But, as is always the case, it seems, Arkansas has a brutally tough schedule once again. I like the offense with QB KJ Jefferson. I think WR Jadon Haselwood from Oklahoma is a potential breakout star for this team. The defense will be strong with Jalen Catalon coming back from injury.

But, they host No. 23 Cincinnati to start the year. They play No. 6 Texas A&M in a neutral-site game on Sept. 24 then host No. 1 Alabama the next weekend. They travel to No. 25 BYU on Oct. 15 the week after heading to Mississippi State. That’s a brutal stretch of games, and things don’t get much easier in the back half of the season.

6. Ole Miss

Yes, there has been a lot of turnover at Ole Miss. And yes, Lane Kiffin had to replace both coordinators this offseason. But he has done incredible work on both sides of the ball in the transfer portal. I think Jordan Watkins and Malik Heath will be welcome additions to the receiving corps. TE Michael Trigg should also be an impact player.

Then there’s the RB room, which added Zach Evans from TCU and Ulysses Bentley IV from SMU this offseason. Those guys have the talent to be the top RB tandem in the SEC this fall. The Rebels won 10 games in the regular season last year for the first time in program history. That’s the ceiling for this year’s team, too.

5. Kentucky

The Wildcats would be higher up on my list if there was clarity on the Chris Rodriguez suspension situation. If he misses Week 2 at Florida, that’s a huge absence for the Kentucky offense and I don’t know if the Wildcats could overcome it.

I also have questions about the receiving corps surrounding QB Will Levis. But, the defense should be solid and Mark Stoops has proven he can get the most out of his Kentucky teams. I trust the Wildcats to be a top-3 team in the SEC East.

4. Texas A&M

The Aggies have talent all over the roster. Safety Antonio Johnson is a 2023 NFL Draft first-round pick. OL Layden Robinson will also be in that conversation. Freshman WR Evan Stewart will get first-round buzz in a few years. RB Devon Achane would be a no-brainer first-round pick if NFL teams valued running backs more.

But, I am not sold on the quarterbacks. Haynes King is coming off a severe ankle injury suffered in Week 2 of the 2021 season. Max Johnson, a transfer from LSU, is a solid quarterback, but can he be the quarterback of a College Football Playoff-caliber team? I have concerns.

The Aggies will be under pressure to, at the very least, get to 10 wins in the regular season this year. Can they accomplish that task? We’ll find out soon enough!

3. Tennessee

I’m really high on the Vols this year. I love the continuity on offense, with QB Hendon Hooker, RB Jabari Small and WR Cedric Tillman all returning to Rocky Top. The coaching staff is also largely intact, with Josh Heupel and both the coordinators coming back for 2022.

That matters. So does having one of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football. The defense has some holes, but the schedule is manageable and the momentum is there for the Vols to challenge for 10 wins in 2022.

2. Georgia

No, this Georgia team isn’t as good as last year’s team. But, that doesn’t really matter when you consider the talent this roster still has from top to bottom. Even after losing 5 first-round picks on defense, there are 3 players who are potential first-round talents on this year’s defense – DL Jalen Carter, LB Nolan Smith and CB Kelee Ringo.

If the offense can take a step forward under QB Stetson Bennett this fall, the Bulldogs should once again find their way to the College Football Playoff with a chance to repeat as champions.

1. Alabama

Without question, the Tide enter 2022 as the top team in the SEC. Will they stay in this spot all year? That won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, it’s a team with reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young, elite edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and GOAT coach Nick Saban.

The Tide have continuity at both coordinator spots, which is great for an Alabama team that normally has multiple assistants poached every offseason. And, some key transfer portal additions – Jahmyr Gibbs, Jermaine Burton, Tyler Steen, Tyler Harrell, Eli Ricks, etc. – make this a very formidable roster from top to bottom.

Yes, there are questions about the offensive line, but the Tide should be able to overcome those, especially early in the season. This is the No. 1 team not only in the SEC, but in the entire country as well.