SEC Football Power Rankings: Post-spring football list released by Crain & Cone

Spring football has come and gone quite quickly, and the SEC Power Rankings are getting an update from the fine folks at Crane & Cone. The popular podcast hosts dissected everything that went on this spring to re-rank the conference going forward.

Keep in mind that these SEC power rankings are based on team personnel, not the schedule. So it is not a forward-looking projection of how a team might perform given the slate of opponents it will face.

So who came out on top of the Crain & Cone post-spring SEC power rankings? That would be none other than Georgia. Let’s dive into the entire ranking below.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is coming off a 12-1 regular season that included an SEC Championship Game blowout of Alabama. The Bulldogs then lost in a shootout to Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Could more be in store for 2026?

Crain & Cone: “You’re returning your quarterback. You’re returning a lot of talent. Everybody’s lost somebody that matters, talking about on the field. And off the field, I guess. But you’re returning your coach. I think Georgia No. 1 is no surprise here. No super hot take.”

2. Texas Longhorns

A year removed from back-to-back CFP semifinal appearances, Texas took a slight step back in 2025. But the program returns Arch Manning and spent a bundle of cash in the transfer portal to bolster the roster around him.

Crain & Cone: “You get Ohio State at home. You get Arch Manning with a full year under his belt. We know they brought in Cam Coleman in the transfer portal. We know they’re talented on defense. Blain, this Texas team is as loaded as any team out there.”

3. Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M started the year 11-0 and then suffered back-to-back losses to rival Texas and then Miami in the College Football Playoff. But the Aggies are clearly moving in the right direction, and that’s reflected in the SEC power rankings.

Crain & Cone: “I feel like they are one of the most underrated teams nationally as far as getting talked about to make noise, and they made the playoff last year. And it turns out Miami is pretty damn good, the team they lost to at home. But you bring back your quarterback in Marcel Reed. They’ve done nothing but add talent with Mike Elko, who continues to get every ounce of juice out of his team.”

4. Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss reached the playoff, lost its coach and kept winning. The team went all the way to the CFP semifinal and finds itself near the top of the SEC power rankings as a result of the job Pete Golding did in keeping the roster in pretty good shape.

Crain & Cone: “I don’t want to say reach, I don’t want to say stretch, because you’re bringing back Trinidad Chambliss, you’re bringing back Kewan Lacy, we know you have pieces to compete. And Golding coached in the playoff, so it’s not like he doesn’t know what he’s doing. We’ll see what happens when he has a full season.”

5. LSU Tigers

Lane Kiffin takes over after Brian Kelly was ousted, and he’ll look to continue the remarkable run of success he had at Ole Miss. LSU was as competitive as anyone in the transfer portal this offseason and Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt will take the reins.

Crain & Cone: “You hire Lane Kiffin. I think he killed it in the transfer portal. Biggest question: Sam Leavitt and his foot. Now we’ve heard nothing but good things. You knew he was going to miss spring. He got the pins out, this, that and the other. If we are going under the auspices, and I think we are having them at 5, of Sam Leavitt being the Sam Leavitt that we think he can be in Lane Kiffin’s offense, with the talent around him, I mean, this LSU team, to me, has the biggest move-up ability.”

6. Oklahoma Sooners

Brent Venables turned things around in a major way last season, getting the Sooners to a 10-win season and the College Football Playoff. Can he parlay that into a move even further up the SEC power rankings in 2026?

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Crain & Cone: “I really like this program, and obviously, our buddy Jim Nagy is over there now as the GM, Brent Venables, the type of program he runs. But I just want to say something real quick on John Mateer and the quarterback position. … He’s had a year of SEC play under his belt now. The kid is still an incredible football player. And now because the hype has sort of cooled off after the way last year ended, I think that takes a lot of pressure off him and off this team.”

7. Alabama Crimson Tide

Kalen DeBoer took the Crimson Tide to the SEC title game. And while that was a disappointment in terms of how it played out, he did win a playoff game before running into the Indiana buzzsaw. Can he build off that successful second season, even losing quarterback Ty Simpson?

Crain & Cone: “I will say this, when it comes to quarterbacks and this coaching staff: They don’t miss a lot. Ty Simpson, what they had over at Washington. I believe you have two good ones. I think Keelon Russell is going to be absolutely fantastic. I think Austin Mack doesn’t get enough credit, to be honest.”

8. Missouri Tigers

Missouri took a slight step back in 2025 but still finds itself in the top half of the SEC power rankings. Eli Drinkwitz continues to get a lot out of his talent, and the Tigers have upgraded the talent level considerably.

Crain & Cone: “I still don’t think Drinkwitz has gotten enough respect for the consistency of winning at Missouri. I mean, what he’s done in the last three, four years, they’ve won a lot of games. They may not have any championships, it may not be the sexiest thing ever. But you do get Ahmad Hardy back. We’ve seen what they’ve been able to do in the quarterback room.”

9. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina fell on its face in a big way in the 2025 season, coming off an ultra-successful near-playoff run the year prior. But quarterback LaNorris Sellers is back, as is star pass-rusher Dylan Stewart. Can they lift the play back up to its previous level?

Crain & Cone: “At some point, when you have LaNorris Sellers and Nyckolas Harbor and Dylan Stewart… I know they’ve got like five dragons and really a lot of lambs running around, but at some point with Shane Beamer and this group, they’ve all come back, right? We know that South Carolina has talent in other spots. Damnit, when is Shane Beamer going to put it together? Is it this year?”

10. Florida Gators

Florida won just four games last season, firing coach Billy Napier. Jon Sumrall has stepped in and provided a lot more energy, both on the recruiting trail and in the building. Will that translate to success with a loaded skill position group on offense?

Crain & Cone: “We talked a lot about Aaron Philo, Tramell Jones competition going on. That one’s going to continue to be interesting. … I think this team could end up having a hell of a first year under Jon Sumrall. I love the pieces at wide receiver.”