Thanks to the increased strength of the conference, the SEC feels like a virtual shoe-in to put multiple teams in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field. Even so, spots are going to come at a premium, and the level of competition just got significantly more difficult for the SEC’s myriad playoff hopefuls.

Internally, conference stalwarts like Alabama underwent plenty of change. Legendary coach Nick Saban retired, making way for a new regime in Tuscaloosa for the first time in almost two decades. Ex-Washington boss Kalen DeBoer is set to lead the Crimson Tide in this time of immense transition, with championship expectations ever-present around one of college football’s premier programs.

Ahead of a highly anticipated 2024 campaign, each SEC school took the field in March and April for their respective spring practice slates. Most capped the spring window with an exhibition game, giving us a peak at what teams look like in a simulated game setting. Given that the last couple of months provided the first real action of this athletic cycle, there’s plenty to overreact to now that each SEC team has put a bow on its spring practice slate.