Oklahoma’s initial foray into the SEC was a disappointment. There’s no other way to put it. At the same time, the SEC’s initial appearance in the 12-team playoff era was also disappointing.
Oklahoma had a losing record for the second time in three seasons. The SEC failed to put a team in the national championship game for the second season in a row. Just disappointment all around, really.
The conference put three teams into the College Football Playoff: Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee. The Longhorns were the only team to win a game, and they needed overtime to beat the Big 12’s lone representative, the Arizona State Sun Devils and Cam Skattebo.
Relative to preseason expectations, several SEC teams disappointed.
Comparing USA TODAY Sports’ 1-134 rankings from the preseason to their final release on Tuesday, 11 of the SEC’s 16 teams dropped from their original ranking back in August. Only Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt exceeded their preseason ranking.
USA TODAY Sports 1-134 Rankings
| Rank | Team | Record | Preseason Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Texas Longhorns | 11-3 | 3 | -2 |
| 6 | Georgia Bulldogs | 11-3 | 1 | -5 |
| 10 | Tennessee Volunteers | 10-3 | 14 | +4 |
| 11 | Ole Miss Rebels | 10-3 | 10 | -1 |
| 21 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 9-4 | 5 | -16 |
| 22 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 9-4 | 69 | +47 |
| 24 | Missouri Tigers | 10-3 | 22 | -2 |
| 27 | LSU Tigers | 9-4 | 6 | -21 |
| 33 | Texas A&M Aggies | 8-5 | 29 | -4 |
| 35 | Florida Gators | 8-5 | 59 | +24 |
| 39 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 7-6 | 68 | +29 |
| 40 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 7-6 | 118 | +78 |
| 64 | Oklahoma Sooners | 6-7 | 12 | -52 |
| 86 | Auburn Tigers | 5-7 | 43 | -43 |
| 89 | Kentucky Wildcats | 4-8 | 39 | -50 |
| 110 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 2-10 | 73 | -37 |
Georgia was considered the No. 1 team in the nation, and Texas was No. 3 heading into the season. Both teams finished outside of the top three, with the Bulldogs finishing outside the top five.
No team suffered a bigger drop than the Oklahoma Sooners, though. Oklahoma entered the season as the No. 12 team in the 1-134 rankings and finished at No. 64, suffering a…
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