PRE SEASON SEC TIER LIST

Tier 1

The Juggernauts

Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide

Texas

The Longhorns are entering this upcoming season as the national title favorites after 2 straight years of coming short in the College Football Playoffs. Now, in the Arch Manning era, we finally get to find out if his talent and productivity warrant the hype that he’s received since he was in high school.

The backfield will be rounded out with a solid running back room led by Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter, who is back from injury

Texas’s defense is also projected to be one of the best in the country once again this season.

With all the talent they have, and a favorable schedule, it’s now or nothing for Texas, national title or bust. If they don’t win, they’ll just be that burnt orange team that was all hype and no matter what talent they bring, it’ll all be for nothing, and it’ll be “Texas pulled a Texas, AGAIN.”

Alabama

The Crimson Tide is under an immense amount of pressure going into this season, and it starts with head coach Kalen DeBoer. Being the successor to Nick Saban means you have a high standard to meet, and it wasn’t met in 2024. Now in his second season, DeBoer should be in shape for a bounce-back season.

The defense will cause problems for offenses throughout the entire season. Bama brought back 13 of their 19 players who recorded over 200+ snaps, including tackles such as Tim Keenan III and LT Overton. These two, along with the rest of the returning group on defense, will be the backbone of this Alabama team and its success.

The Quarterback is the biggest question, and even though the quarterback is probably the most important position in sports, Bama should be able to have a decent enough offense to keep them winning games against good competition, even if their quarterback is Ty Simpson.

Tier 2

The enigma of the SEC

Georgia

While Georgia will likely have one of the highest floors in the SEC, there are questions about whether they will show the dominance they did to start the decade or if they’ll be a team that’s on upset watch each week.

Another team with elite talent across the roster, with one giant question mark: the quarterback. Gunnar Stockton thrived in the SEC championship game with his rushing ability, but didn’t produce enough to beat Notre Dame in the College Football Playoffs.

It’s another situation where the offense doesn’t need to be elite for this Georgia team to pave its way to another SEC championship birth.

Georgia used the portal to bring in a great balance of talent throughout all positions, highlighted by receiver Zachariah Branch, Safety Zion Branch, receiver Noah Thomas, and running back Josh McCray

With their defense still looking like a reliable unit, Georgia should still be right in the thick of the SEC race, but there are question marks and a chance that they may be in for an underwhelming season with the unproven talent and the unproven offense they have.

Tier 3

This is our year (again)

LSU Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Texas A&M Aggies

LSU

Since Brian Kelly arrived in Death Valley, his tenure with the Tigers has been up and down, losing their first game of the season the last three years in a row, along with a pattern of losing games they shouldn’t at crucial points of the season.

One thing LSU faithful can be confident in is their offense. Under Kelly, LSU has had a top 15 offense each of the last three years. This season shouldn’t be any different; the Tigers have one of the best top-to-bottom offenses in the country, and Heisman hopeful quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads it.

The receiving room is stacked as well with Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson, Chris Hilton Jr, and Zavion Thomas.

The defense could be cause for concern, as while they did get better from 2023 to 2024, it still wasn’t championship caliber. Against teams like Clemson, Florida, and South Carolina, a few games of mediocre defense could ruin a season instantly, and create even more questions around whether Brian Kelly can lead a team to the promised land.

South Carolina

The Gamecocks, led by quarterback Lanorris Sellers, had a breakout season last year after years of irrelevance within the SEC, beating the likes of Clemson, Texas A&M, and Illinois to cap off a 9-4 year. Now, SC has the expectations of a real contender in the SEC, and the hype around this group is as high as it can be.

But will it really be their year this year? Their schedule would suggest that it’ll be a challenging route to a potential SEC championship birth, facing off against preseason-ranked teams such as Alabama, Oklahoma, and LSU, and they conclude the regular season against Clemson. Head coach Shane Beamer will have some added pressure on his plate following last season. Overall, his tenure at South Carolina has but anything but consistent, with a record of 29-22 that’s filled with phenomenal wins and inexcusable losses.

The defense has question marks all over the place, losing most of the defensive line from last year. Their secondary is also unproven and young, and could ultimately prove to be a weak point. The other question mark for them is the other side’s line of scrimmage with the offensive line due to the Gamecocks losing a lot of that unit, especially in the interior.

So while there’s talent on the roster and Lanorris Sellers is projected to be one of the best QBs in the conference, there may just be too many question marks on the roster for them to put it all together.

Texas A&M

Going into his second year under the helm at Texas A&M, head coach Mike Elko started his tenure with the Aggies in solid fashion, going 8-5 for the season, and showed promise going into this season with a young quarterback who introduced himself to the college football world last year and was one of the better freshman QB’s in the SEC, Marcel Reed. While most see him as the third or fourth best QB in the SEC last season, he led all freshmen in QBR, but it wasn’t all positive last year for Reed, as he was prone to making mistakes at times during last season. If he can clean it up and be able to manage the game at a high level, then A&M can make real noise.

The offensive line will be one of, if not the best, in the conference, having five seniors returning who will give defensive lines all sorts of problems, just like they did last season. Along with the line returning, the Aggies will also have a dynamic rushing attack with seniors Le’veon Moss and Amari Daniels leading the charge.

A&M also has a pretty favorable schedule; seven of their 12 matchups A&M should comfortably win, facing off against the likes of Auburn, Utah State, Mississippi State, and others. The five matchups that could be dicey for the Aggies are Florida, LSU, Texas, Notre Dame, and South Carolina, all games that should be competitive. If A&M can win just two or three of those games, then they’ll be one of the best teams in the SEC already and potentially in Playoff talk depending on how the rest of the conference shakes out.

Overall, there will be times during the season where A&M is touted as a real National Title contender, but it just feels like a few of those conference games might not bounce their way, and they could be just short of a playoff birth, but it’s not cause they aren’t capable.

Tier 4

High Ceiling, Low Floor

Oklahoma Sooners and Florida Gators

The two hardest schedules in College Football, but the talent could be enough for it not to matter.

Oklahoma

After a second 6-7 season in the last three years, it was clear that change was needed for this Oklahoma team, and primarily on the offensive side. Those changes were met, and now Oklahoma looks to have one of the most balanced rosters in the SEC.

Oklahoma hit the portal hard this offseason, loading up the offensive line, bringing in wide receivers who put up big numbers against lesser competition, and bringing in one of the best running backs available in Cal transfer Jaydn Ott, but there was no bigger acquisition than the #1 quarterback in the portal, John Mateer.

Mateer follows his Washington State OC Ben Arbuckle, who was hired at OU a few months prior to Mateer’s arrival. Last season, he scorched his competition, putting up elite numbers. Just under 4000 total yards, 44 total touchdowns (29 passing, 15 rushing), and only seven interceptions for the season.

The question for Oklahoma is whether they can handle the gauntlet of a schedule they have in front of them. The Sooners will face preseason-ranked teams such as Alabama, South Carolina,  LSU, and Texas, of course, and that’s just three of the six preseason-ranked matchups they have this season.

The Sooners’ defense should give them a chance in every game this season, led by arguably the best defensive line in the SEC. The D-line, featuring studs like R Mason Thomas, transfer Damonic Williams, and Ethan Downs, will create chaos throughout the season. But will it lead to a 9-3 season with a playoff berth, or a 7-5 season playing in the Alamo Bowl? Only time will tell.

Florida

Another situation where the talent and might not match the record when the season ends. Florida undoubtedly has the hardest schedule in the country once again, but head coach Billy Napier may be able to figure it out this season with the group he’s got. The Gators ended the 2024 season on a heater, winning their last four games.

During this win streak, a potential new star in college football was born in quarterback DJ Lagway. Lagway was exceptional in their blazing finish to last season, which snapped a three-season streak of going sub-.500 for the year.

Now, in a year where the Gators are getting a little more respect from the media on how good they can be, it feels like Florida could turn the tide and finally make some real noise for the

first time in a while.

The question is how they’ll handle their brutal schedule, one that has them playing three preseason top 10 teams in the first six games of the year. The expectation remains sky high based on their talent; it’s a tall task to succeed at that high a rate.

Frisky Wildcards

Tennessee Volunteers and Ole Miss Rebels

Tennessee

The best unit for the Vols last season was their defense; the offense had times where it looked truly elite and times where it looked completely flawed and flat. This very well could end up being the case again this upcoming season.

They’re another SEC team with a new

quarterback and one who’s taking a massive leap in competition level. App State transfer Joey Aguilar had a solid year for the Mountaineers last season, throwing for just over 3000 yards, 23 TDs, and 14 INTs, with a QBR of 65.7. Now, after a whirlwind off-season, transferring to UCLA and then replacing 2024 Vols QB Nico Iamaleava after he transfers to UCLA, Aguilar will face the best defenses in the country now, and only time will tell how he handles this jump in competition, and the questionable talent he’ll have around him.

The defense will be reliable for the Volunteers, returning three healthy defensive backs from last season. Also returning are some of their major disruptors from last season, including Arion Carter, who led the Vols in tackles last season.

With matchups against teams such as Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma within their schedule, this Volunteers group could be in for a season that will include both excitement and frustration.

Ole Miss

The Rebels are in a perplexing spot within the SEC right now. After what feels like a missed opportunity with the 2024 season, not being able to capitalize on the offensive production with the best quarterback in the conference, the Rebels now transition into a new roster filled with portal transfers that have to prove their worth this season.

The offense will be completely revamped with only four players who made starts last season returning, including tight end Dae’Quan Wright and receiver Cayden Lee. After that, the offense is filled with transfers, 17, that is. The Rebels’ transfer class includes Oklahoma State receiver  De’Zhaun Stribling, Penn State receiver Harrison Wallace III, and many other talents from schools like Alabama, Troy, and Missouri.

The quarterback situation will be fascinating to watch as 19-year-old college graduate, Austin Simmons, is set to start for the Rebels in week one. Simmons didn’t provide much of a sample of his work outside of the six throws he made in a huge win against Georgia, but it feels like the offensive talent should cause problems for defenses if he can play at a high enough level. With only a small sample size and being so young, there is plenty of reason to believe that Simmons could have points where there are struggles at times and signs of inconsistency, but if not, the offense will be scary for teams like Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, and Georgia to prepare for.

Bowl Bound, Maybe, we’ll see

Auburn Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores

Auburn

The Tigers had a frustrating season to say the least last year, finishing the year with a 5-7 record and just missing out on being eligible for a bowl game. Now going into the 2025 season, they’ve revamped the roster and have high hopes.

Auburn’s biggest transfer portal addition was former five-star and Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold. Arnold struggled at Oklahoma in 2024, as he was benched in his first conference start against Tennessee. Ultimately, he found his way back into the starting role later in the season, but it didn’t look much better for Arnold than before he got benched. Arnold had the lowest QBR rating in the SEC last season at 47.8. Arnold also had 12 turnovers last season (3 INTs, 9 FUM) while only having 12 touchdowns.

Auburn and head coach Hugh Freeze are hopeful that their offense can bring Arnold back to 5-star form and prove he’s an SEC-caliber QB along the way, but will it lead to contention in the SEC? Probably not.

The receiving core is going to be one of the most talented in the conference, highlighted by Sophomores Malcom Simmons and Cam Coleman, who can light up any defense.

The Tigers’ defense will be a solid unit with a strong unit of defensive backs like Jay Crawford and defensive ends like 2024 standout Keldric Faulk, who had seven sacks in 2024

This Auburn team is filled with talent, but with their schedule including the likes of Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M, and the quarterback being a real question mark going into the year, it will be a daunting task for them to make the six-win mark and go bowling.

Vanderbilt

One of the surprises of the 2024 season was how fun Vanderbilt was. Their signature win over then #1 ranked Alabama put the whole country on notice that Vandy wasn’t just scraping for wins at the bottom of the conference standings anymore, like they were in years prior. The Commodores posted their first winning season since 2011 in 2024, and now they look to make it two in a row.

Vanderbilt just feels like a five-to-six-win team since they still will have question marks on the offensive line, last season quarterback Deigo Paiva was too willing to take hits when he wasn’t properly protected, and got punished for it, taking 18 sacks for the season. There’s plenty of reason to believe that it could happen again this year. The O-line will be virtually a whole new group of transfers.

The defense should be at least as good as they were last year, which wasn’t too shabby at all with ten interceptions and five fumbles recovered. The Commodores are bringing back 12 of their 16 players who played over 200 snaps.

There could be potential for some highs throughout the season, but ultimately, Vandy will have a low floor and not a particularly high ceiling within the SEC.

Ass, but could have one awesome win

Kentucky Wildcats and Arkansas Razorbacks

Kentucky

After going 4-8 in 2024, the Wildcats didn’t exactly have a picture-perfect offseason when it comes to notable additions to the roster or the staff. The wildcats’ quarterback will be Zach Calzada, a former Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback who balled out in his two seasons outside the SEC, but the level of competition was questionable to say the least, as he played at Incarnate Word, a school I didn’t know existed until writing this article. Calzada tapping into his level of play at IW could create an upset watch for one of their top opponents in their schedule, which is brutal.

Kentucky will face off against teams such as Ole Miss, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida. There’s a real chance that the Wildcats won’t be favored in any of those games, and that’s over half of their schedule.

The defense last season was solid, but not exceptional. The defensive line will look completely different from last year, but they will get a senior back from injury in Josaih Hayes. If the defense can hold up in one of their conference games, then they’ll have one heck of a weekend down in Lexington, but outside of that one weekend, Wildcat fans might want to look away.

Arkansas

Another example of a brutal SEC schedule, but the difference between Arkansas and teams like Florida and Oklahoma is that they don’t have the upside to overcome a gauntlet schedule. They play Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, and Texas.

One piece of the Razorbacks’ core that should be reliable is the offensive line, which will return three starters from last season. The receiving core is completely new, with the Razorbacks bringing in nine new transfers for quarterback Taylen Green to throw to. One of them has one of the most electric names in all of college football, O’Mega Blake.

The offense as a whole, with Green being the gun slinger he is, will show flashes of excitement, but will be unreliable at times as well, leading to more of what Arkansas has shown in the 2020s: inconsistency.

Dumpster Fire

Mississippi State Bulldogs

2024 was a disaster for Mississippi State, and 2025 doesn’t have too much better of an outlook going into the season. The Bulldogs went 2-10 last season and caused head coach Jeff Lebby to add more transfers than any other team in the SEC.

Lebby was previously the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma when they won 10 games with quarterback Dillon Gabriel at the helm. Lebby has always been known for his offensive mind, but in his first year at MSU, it just didn’t translate.

To start, the offensive line didn’t hold up; they allowed an astonishing 38 sacks for the season. If there’s any optimism, it’s that hopefully the transfers they brought in on the line will do any better than last season, surely they will, right? Maybe not.

The offense is led by quarterback Blake Shapen, whose 2024 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. Shapen started the year playing well, with eight touchdowns to only one interception in four games. If he can stay away from turning the ball over and scrambling too much, he could put up great numbers.

The defense could be a problem as the group they have is unproven. The hope is that the defensive line will improve, and that the secondary won’t give up big plays.

There just isn’t much to love here; there’s still a lot of progress to be made, and if you’re a Mississippi State fan, the hope is that the Bulldogs can at least double their win total from last season, from two to four! The sad part is that four wins feels like their ceiling.