Sporting News Pre-Preseason Top 25 for 2019

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The 2018 season has concluded with national champion Clemson's demolition of Alabama on Monday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Per Sporting News’ tradition, it’s never too early to think about next season’s top 25, and that’s the case for 2019 as well. For those who don’t like the process, keep in mind that all the teams in this year’s Playoff opened in our top 10 — with Notre Dame the lowest team, at No. 9.

With that in mind, here’s an early peek at how next year’s rankings might look. Sporting News will update throughout the offseason after transfers, NFL defections and spring football. The 2019 season will be here before you know it.

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Missed the Cut:

SEC

Tennessee didn't make the cut, but we’ll be keeping a close watch on the Vols in the SEC East. They had an excellent recruiting class under second-year coach Jeremy Pruitt. Kentucky is coming off a 10-win season but won’t have Benny Snell or Josh Allen. Mark Stoops will have to prove he can do it again.

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16. Auburn

This is a pivotal season at Auburn for Gus Malzahn, who will be more involved in the offense than he was in 2018. The Tigers have had four or more losses in each of the last five seasons. The good news? Alabama and Georgia must come to The Plains this year. The spring battle between Malik Willis and Joey Gatewood should be heated.

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15. Mississippi State

The Bulldogs won four of their last five regular-season games and offered a glimpse of what could be with second-year coach Joe Moorhead. There are huge losses on the defensive line with Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons, and Nick Fitzgerald was a program-building quarterback — but backup Keytaon Thompson played well when given a chance. If the Bulldogs can get through midseason road trips to Auburn and Tennessee, then November could be a lot of fun in Starkville.

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11. Texas A&M

Jimbo Fisher returns a talented team that includes quarterback Kellen Mond, and the Aggies have enough four- and five-star talent to be an SEC West contender. The Sept. 7 trip to Clemson won’t be easy, and the Oct. 12 matchup with Alabama will again be a measuring stick. Texas A&M will have a tough challenge with consecutive road trips at Georgia and LSU to end the season.

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9. Florida

This is the first of four SEC teams in the top 10. That's not perception. It’s the reality of the conference's depth, and Dan Mullen showed what he can do with an offense in his first year in Gainesville. The quarterback competition between Feleipe Franks and Emory Jones will draw headlines, and the September schedule includes Miami, Kentucky and Tennessee. High expectations are back in Gainesville, and that's a good thing.

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7. LSU

The Tigers had an impressive season under Ed Orgeron, and Joe Burrow, who had a good game against UCF in the Fiesta Bowl, has another year to work in offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger’s system. The defense can offset some NFL Draft depatures around SN All-American safety Grant Delpit. The road trip to Texas and the usual date with Alabama on Nov. 9 will determine the Playoff possibilities, but the rest of the schedule is friendly enough to set up those opportunities.

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3. Georgia

We know about the Sugar Bowl flop against Texas, but that still doesn't change our opinion. The Bulldogs will be ranked in the top three in most polls given the talent around junior quarterback Jake Fromm and running back D'Andre Swift. The defense has another year under its belt, and Kirby Smart has shown this team can compete with Alabama into the fourth quarter. A September matchup with Notre Dame should set the tone for another run toward the SEC championship game.

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1. Alabama

Surprise! We know Clemson won the latest meeting, but Alabama still has a little more depth heading into 2019. The beat goes on for the Crimson Tide, and Tua Tagovailoa will be the Heisman front runner with Biletnikoff Award winner Jerry Jeudy back in the fold. Alabama will have to weather the usual set of NFL defections, new coordinators on offense and defense and a SEC schedule that features road trips to South Carolina, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn. Since when has any of that stopped Nick Saban?

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