SEC Power Rankings for 2019 preseason: Should Vols start in bottom tier?

Preseason SEC Power Rankings for 2019: Should Vols start in bottom tier?

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images /

Was there any doubt about this one? The Arkansas Razorbacks remained at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings throughout all of last year, and that’s how they are going to start this year. There are plenty of reasons for this.

We knew it was going to be a difficult transition from Bret Bielema’s run-heavy offense to Chad Morris’s spread. But 2018 was an epic disaster, as the Hogs went 2-10 and failed to win a conference game.

The last two times we saw them on the field, they lost 52-6 to the Mississippi State Bulldogs and 38-0 to the Missouri Tigers. Now, the good news is they do return about 60 percent of their production on both sides of the ball. They also were ahead of five other teams in the league in recruiting this past year.

But their class was still ranked No. 61. And they’re outside of the top 70 in returning production. So those things combined with how bad they were last year makes it impossible to move them outside of this spot for now. The only saving grace is maybe, by being in the middle of the pack with returning talent, they replaced the guys who were a horrible fit for the system.

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