My money is on next year. Every team in the conference, save for Kentucky which I'm iffy about and Mizzou about which I am completely ignorant, looks to either improve or maintain. That's not good for generating an NC contender and like 2007 LSU and Bama this year I think they'll need another miracle year to be able to get in to the game. Now if they make the game I think they win easily.
Alabama will be Alabama. Jammer keeps on Rammering [no change]
LSU - stays stacked with talent, but Offense is the key and their coaching is hit or miss [no change]
Mississippi - Freeze continues to improve the Bears with impressive recruiting [upward]
Miss State - similar story to TSUN, great recruiting but Mullen may have plateaued [no change]
A&M - first year jitters are over, killer recruiting, Sumlin now comfortably in place, still have JFF, [upward]
Arkansas - great coaching hires, may take a while to get the right personnel but unity in effort and lack of distractions will make 13 better than 12 [upward]
Auburn - Half of the team that won their last BCS NC is back in town, sure to be better than last year [upward]
Georgia - Murray is staying, Gurley will be there, great recruiting [no change or upward]
Carolina - Easier schedule, Shaw, Sanders, Thompson and Clowney all still in place [no change or upward]
Florida - Muschamp is a killer recruiter and has improved each year on the mess Urban left him [upward]
Vanderbilt - Franklin, like Mullen, may have hit his ceiling but he doesn't look to get any worse [no change]
Missouri - Ok, I have no idea what that drunk in Columbia-w is up to. They're not even really in the SEC are they? [no idea]
Tennessee - Butch Jones knows how to turn teams around, it may take him a few seasons in Knoxville but it's hard to do worse than they did in 12. Players also won't be blinded by disgusting bright orange pants which is a plus. [slight upward]
Kentucky - PLUS: They hired a Stoops! MINUS: He is, I believe, the third of the Stoops brothers and you've got to figure that the coaching gene weakened with time, he'll also probably choke in bowl games if he gets to one. He was a pretty good DC though. Hard to tell [no change for now]
So I think many of them will get better and their top tier will maintain. We may not see that shake out entirely in the records because there is only so much of the pie to go around but talent, execution and coaching wise I think many will improve and we'll see it in the bowls. Like I said, parity will bite them all in the butt when it comes time to pick the top two for the BCS-NG though.