Several SEC programs have a chance to win the conference in the 2026-27 college basketball season, but Florida stands above the rest as the "on-paper favorite," according to CBS Sports' panel of Matt Norlander, Gary Parrish and Cameron Salerno.

The Gators sit at No. 1 in Parrish's Top 25 and 1 preseason rankings and return six of their top seven scorers. That returning production matters in this debate because Florida ran away with the SEC regular-season title by three games last year.

Still, anything can happen in college sports, and Parrish isn't penciling in the Orange and Blue as conference champs before the season begins.

"I wouldn't consider Florida a lock to win the SEC, because we've seen a preseason No. 1 team actually miss the entire NCAA Tournament before," Parrish said. "Sports are weird and often unpredictable. An injury or two can obviously derail anybody's season. Nothing is guaranteed once the ball is in the air."

The returning "Big Three" of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu gives Florida one of, if not the best, frontcourts in the game. Haugh is a potential Player of the Year, and Chinyelu was last season's Defensive Player of the Year. Condon has received looks from scouts since his freshman year with Florida, giving the Gators a trio of future pros in the starting lineup.

Standing in their way are Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas. The Longhorns may be the most challenging team for Florida to overcome in the conference.

"The physicality (and some sharp elbows) from a David Punch-Matas Vokietaitis frontcourt duo will raise Texas' floor instantly every night," Isaac Trotter wrote. "... Five-star freshman Marcus Spears Jr. gives Sean Miller an athletic forward who loves to compete and play defense."

Tennessee also revamped its roster with an injection of talent from the transfer portal, backed by a reported $15 million-plus investment. The Vols' goal is to finally get over the hump and reach a Final Four, but an SEC title would be a nice feather in the cap, too.

Kentucky is always a threat, especially with head coach Mark Pope on the hot seat. The Wildcats have to produce this year after putting together the top-ranked transfer class.

Still, a betting man wouldn't pick any team but the Gators here, and it's on the rest of the conference to unseat them as the SEC's best.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: CBS Sports makes the case for Florida to repeat as SEC champions

Source: Yahoo Sports