Contrary to popular belief, the sky is not falling in the SEC.
It may certainly feel that way in the land where it just means more, but going two years without a national title does not equate to some internal crisis of confidence.
That’s not to say this small slippage from atop the mountain in college football hasn’t gone unnoticed. When you could pencil in one SEC program taking home a trophy, that covered up a lot of flaws and ended a lot of arguments.
This conference is still flat out good. It’s loaded this season with some of the best rosters in the game, a half-dozen of the best coaches, some top-notch quarterbacks and a consistent drive to succeed that is unmatched by any of their peers (in the Big Ten or otherwise). For whatever foibles in the postseason of late, it remains the best league in the sport. Heck, you can no longer even count on playing Vanderbilt as a gimme anymore—just ask Alabama.
So, could 2025 be the season where the empire strikes back and the SEC reigns supreme in the College Football Playoff? It’s certainly in the cards given the teams vying for the title this season.
There might just be a little more angst around the region until the confetti falls in Miami next January. If it doesn’t involve an SEC team holding up the golden trophy, then maybe there could be something up with that sky falling mentality starting to take hold next season.
CFP contenders
Texas
The No. 1 team in the preseason polls for the first time ever, there’s undeniable pressure on the Longhorns in 2025 thanks almost solely to their new starting quarterback, Arch Manning. There are question marks in front of him (four new offensive linemen), and maybe at wideout outside of Ryan Wingo, but you still trust Steve Sarkisian to figure out the offense with a generational signal-caller. The defense should be stacked with one of the best back sevens in the country complemented by a revamped defensive line. The Longhorns have a decent schedule, if they can get past Ohio State.
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Georgia
It was a very up and down 2024 season for Kirby Smart, and the Bulldogs still won the SEC. There are plenty of new faces around a roster which has been freshly turned over with four- and five-stars, but this very much feels like a team that remains one of the league’s best. Success will come down to new-ish QB Gunner Stockton making plays in big moments. There’s more unknown about Georgia than it feels like in the past few years, but few are going to doubt their track record when it comes to contending.
Alabama
You wouldn’t be foolish if you thought the Tide had the best roster in the sport between known quantities on defense like safety Keon Sabb and linebacker Deontae Lawson or all-world wideout Ryan Williams on offense. The question about Bama centers on the quarterback position, in which newly installed starter Ty Simpson likely determines whether or not this is a group that can not only get back to the CFP, but make some noise through multiple rounds. You would tend to trust head coach Kalen DeBoer when it comes to developing that position, especially with co-OC Ryan Grubb back in the fold after a brief stop in the NFL.
LSU
The pressure is on for Brian Kelly to deliver on the reason why he made the move to Baton Rouge, and he just might have the team to do it given how much more aggressive he was in the portal this offseason. There’s a key building block back in QB Garrett Nussmeier (4,052 yards, 29 TDs in 2024) and the speedy receiving corps got even deeper with the addition of Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson and Kentucky’s Barion Brown. The defense has made strides under coordinator Blake Baker, but it’s difficult to see the unit taking the leap to becoming elite despite having so many great players like LB Whit Weeks around. The team is 0–3 under Kelly in openers and has a measuring-stick game against Clemson to stamp the group as either a true contender or playing from behind the rest of 2025.
Florida
It’s a big if, but if QB DJ Lagway can stay healthy, the Gators at least have a shot at making some noise despite playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules. There are great linemen like tackle Austin Barber back, a tailback in Jadan Baugh who is just scratching the surface at what he can do and a defense that is low on big names but heavy on dependable play every down. Billy Napier is firmly on the hot seat, but if Florida can catch a few breaks and play closer to its ceiling than its floor, this could be a fringe CFP squad.
MORE: Eight SEC Coaches Enter Season on the Hot Seat
Texas A&M
How much growth will the Aggies get out of sophomore signal-caller Marcel Reed? If the answer is a big jump, don’t discount A&M being a threat to make it to Atlanta like it did last year (and perhaps go further). There’s a lot of underrated skill-position talent back and pretty much all of the offensive line remains intact. The defense needs to be a little more consistent from week to week, but if you trust Mike Elko to do anything, especially with the resources and talent, it’s making a leap on that side. This isn’t the flashiest team in the league, but it might be the most overlooked.
Team on the rise
Auburn
It felt like if there was anything the Tigers could do to lose a game last season, they did it amid what seemed like a weekly self-implosion on national TV to the dismay of Hugh Freeze. Yet for all the bad luck and terrible losses, there’s still a lot of talent on the Plains and it could be primed for a massive breakout campaign. Cam Coleman and ex-Georgia Tech star Eric Singleton Jr. are one of the best receiver tandems in the league. There’s high hopes that Jackson Arnold solves the issues at quarterback and gets back to the form that made him a top recruit. Keldric Faulk has all the makings of a top-10 pick on defense. The schedule might be the only thing that truly holds Auburn back from making a leap this season.
Team on the downslope
Kentucky
Results in the commonwealth have backslid since notching 10 wins in 2021. Last season’s version of the Wildcats was downright hard to watch even if they upset Ole Miss and nearly did the same to Georgia. Still, losing six of the final seven is going to cause issues for any coach, and Mark Stoops seems like he’s fully under siege and doesn’t mind telling everybody to back off when given the chance. It’s possible former A&M/Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada can give the team a decent threat on offense along with a host of other transfers. It may still be tough to get back to a bowl game before the page turns to hoops season.
Conference power rankings
- Texas
- Georgia
- Alabama
- LSU
- Florida
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Auburn
- Vanderbilt
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Mississippi State
Heisman contenders
Texas QB Arch Manning (+750 on FanDuel)
Arch Mania is real as the family scion is the favorite to flash the stiff arm in December based on equal parts his last name and the flashes he showed in limited action last season. Truthfully, it may be difficult for Manning to put up the kind of numbers that would match the hype. If he keeps Texas hovering around No. 1 all season, you can probably bank on him making a speech in New York.
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LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (+900)
Nussmeier almost left school after last season and probably would have wound up in the first round. He’s back to finish what he started with the Tigers and already posts some of the benchmark numbers he needs to in order to be in the mix. A high-profile opener should only boost his stock, but Nussmeier probably needs a little help from the rest of the LSU roster if he’s to bring another trophy back to Baton Rouge.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson (+1600)
The Alabama quarterback is typically going to be in the mix for this award given the nature of occupying one of the most high-profile positions on one of the biggest brands in the sport. Simpson has the tools to make it to New York if he takes hold of the position and guides the Tide back into CFP and SEC contention plus has enough playmakers like Williams at receiver that could really enhance his case.
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (+1700)
The bespectacled signal-caller was one of the most fun players to watch down the stretch as he led South Carolina on an impressive flourish to the regular season that boosted his name recognition well beyond his own state. He’s a highlight-reel play waiting to happen with his legs and might have to shoulder even more of the load offensively for the Gamecocks in 2025. There is no shortage of big-name opponents on the schedule. If he can pull a bunch of upsets, there’s a chance he can make a run at the Heisman.
Florida QB DJ Lagway (+2000)
Lagway has to walk by some statues of some Heisman winners all the time and has a decent chance to join them when he’s done with the Gators. Much rides on his health after injuries limited him as a true freshman. When he was on, he was on. He’s a big-play machine with his ability to chuck it down field with impressive touch and his scrambling ability both buys him more time and allows him to create out of nothing.
Transfer talk
Edge Damon Wilson II, Georgia to Missouri
The Tigers have been one of the more underrated defensive teams in the SEC the past few years, but the hope is Wilson could elevate the group with his pass rushing skills to complement a host of others back in the fold.
WR Eric Singleton Jr., Georgia Tech to Auburn
Singleton was considered by most to be the top option in the portal at wide receiver after he did a bit of everything for the Yellow Jackets on his way to earning freshman All-America honors two years ago and becoming a big-play threat again last season. He should be a great fit in Feeze’s system and should garner plenty of touches via the air, on sweeps or even in the return game.
QB John Mateer, Washington State to Oklahoma
Dreadful doesn’t even begin to describe the Sooners offense last season, so they pretty much imported one of the most fun OC-QB tandems from 2024 in Ben Arbuckle and Mateer. The signal-caller is dynamic with his ability to either launch passes downfield or scramble past defenders with ease. He’s a massive upgrade and could be key to getting Oklahoma back into the Top 25.
Edge Patrick Payton, Florida State to LSU
Payton was primed to take off in 2024 after posting seven sacks with the Seminoles the year prior but struggled at times just like his team did in Tallahassee. He’s quick with fantastic length and could be a massive weapon for DC Blake Baker in helping LSU get off the field on third down.
Fab freshmen
Alabama QB Keelon Russell, No. 2 recruit (five stars) in 247 Sports’ composite
Simpson was named the starter, but if he struggles at all, the calls will certainly be made to turn things over to Russell. The Texas native can use his mobility to make big gains, but his size and accuracy for a true freshman should still allow him to see the field early on with the Tide. It’s likely only a matter of time before the blue-chip prospect has a chance to take over at Alabama.
Georgia DL Elijah Griffin, No. 3 recruit (five stars)
Three hundred-plus-pound bodies are not supposed to move like Griffin’s. The Bulldogs have been churning out first-round defensive linemen on an assembly line over the years. This is the latest entrant to the mix up front.
Oklahoma OT Michael Fasusi, No. 5 recruit (five stars)
There was a massive recruiting battle for Fasusi coming out of high school given that he has top-10 tackle upside. He’ll probably start out as a swing tackle for the Sooners initially, but the youngster could wind up as a key starter before too long.
Bottom line
The SEC may have underachieved in recent years when it comes to a certain CFP trophy, but this remains a difficult league that has shown anybody is capable of upsetting anybody. There are three really elite teams and a healthy group of potential additions if things break a certain way. The quarterback play is as good as it has been in recent years. When you pair that with the host of NFL talent that typically shows up on Saturdays, the conference could be well-positioned to make its budding rivals in the Big Ten have a short stay atop college football.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SEC Football Preview: Loaded and Ready to Strike Back.
