They say the rich get richer in college football, and in the SEC's case, the usual suspects are expected to stay in the sport's upper hand for the foreseeable future. Our eight-person panel of CFB experts graded teams on five criteria, each given different weights, to determine the three-year outlook of college football's top teams. They used that data to compile the 2016 College Football Future Power Rankings (Insider).
Alabama Crimson Tide: Ranking first in coaching, current talent and recruiting you know the Crimson Tide are sitting pretty when it comes to program stability. Factor in a relatively easy path to the title and a firm foundation for the program to stand on, and it's easy to see why Bama checks in at No. 1.
LSU Tigers: It's the coaching section that really holds the Tigers back, despite landing in the top 10 in other ranking categories. Maybe our panel overreacted to the current coaching climate in Baton Rouge? The Tigers land at No. 6 in our rankings.
Florida Gators: Votes were tallied before athletic director Jeremy Foley announced his retirement, which would certainly have dinged the program in the "foundation" category. For now, the Gators rank eighth in the category, the highest of any of the five criteria. UF checks in at No. 11 in the rankings overall.
Georgia Bulldogs: The unknown is coaching, and that's why the Dawgs rank 24th in that category. Kirby Smart has major shoes to fill even though Mark Richt was seen as a coach that didn't do enough during his 15 years at the helm. UGA sits at No. 12 overall in the rankings.
Tennessee Volunteers: The Vols moved up two spots from last year's rankings with current talent and recruiting being the cornerstones of the team's status in this year's rankings. We're still not sure what to make of the coaching staff, and that holds the future outlook in Knoxville back. Tennessee sits at No. 15 in the rankings.
Auburn Tigers: Gus Malzahn & Co. will always have a tough path to the title in the SEC West, but the coaching category saw a 1.5 point dip. Our panel has questions about the coaching staff's leadership. For now, Auburn is at No. 18 in the rankings.
Ole Miss Rebels: More like Ole Mess. The strength of the team, recruiting, according to the panel could also be seen as a weakness given that is the reason why the NCAA is sniffing around campus. We'll just have to wait and see what becomes of the investigation. While we do that, the Rebels hangout at No. 20 in the rankings.