Five SEC football storylines to watch

It just means more in the SEC and 2024 is primed to be one of the most noteworthy years in conference history. The SEC didn’t just expand, it added two of the greatest football programs in the nation. Oklahoma and Texas are in, Nick Saban is gone and the College Football Playoff has expanded. Buckle up, this should be fun.

Here are the five biggest storylines to watch in 2024.

1. How does Alabama fare with Kalen DeBoer as head coach?

For 17 years, Nick Saban dominated as Alabama’s head coach. He won six national championships and nine SEC titles before retiring after the 2023 season. In his place is former Washington head coach, Kalen DeBoer. 

DeBoer led Washington to the national championship game in 2023 and earned numerous National Coach of the Year Awards. But he’s never held a job as big as this. Following in Saban’s footsteps is no easy task. 

As expected, multiple players departed the program after Saban retired, but the Tide’s 15 commits still earned the program a No. 3 overall ranking by 247 Sports. Trips to Wisconsin, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma dot the 2024 schedule.

2. Are Texas and Oklahoma ready for the SEC?

Oklahoma won 14 Big 12 championships and Texas won four from 1996 to 2023. The rest of the conference combined to win 10. The two schools were the cream of the crop in a respectable Big 12, but what will things look like in the SEC? Texas is picked to finish second, while Oklahoma is picked eighth. For both schools, the move also renews multiple rivalries with old conference foes.

3. Is Missouri ready for an encore?

The Tigers were a surprise story last season, finishing 11-2 and defeating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his team are dark-horse contenders to win the SEC and grab a CFP spot, but they will need quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III to be at their best. It’s also imperative the Tigers fill the gap left by graduated running back Cody Schrader.

4. Can Mike Elko get Texas A&M back on track?

Texas A&M hired former head coach Jimbo Fisher in hopes he could lead them to a national championship, but things never worked out that way. Other than a 9-1 season in 2020, Fisher’s Aggies were mostly mediocre, plagued by poor offensive play. 

A&M parted ways with Fisher in 2023 and hired former Duke head coach Mike Elko in his place. Elko served as A&M’s defensive coordinator before his time at Duke. He did well in the transfer portal with a class ranked fourth in the nation. 

5. Will Georgia return to the top?

The Bulldogs missed the College Football Playoff last season after back-to-back national championships. This year, quarterback Carson Beck is a Heisman contender and head coach Kirby Smart is bringing in the top-rated recruiting class. 

Saban’s departure also makes Smart the clear-cut best coach in the conference. Trips to Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss highlight the schedule.