Criticism can be loud in college football, especially when a powerhouse conference stumbles. That’s what happened to the SEC after the 2024 season, and suddenly, many were ready to crown other leagues as superior. But is that fair, or just a reaction to a tough year? That question remains.
While the overrated SEC talk continues to echo through debates and online forums, J.D. PicKell has stepped forward with a sharply different view. And if he’s right, college football’s most scrutinized conference could send shockwaves through the 2025 playoff picture with any of four potential teams.
Analyst Slams ‘Overrated’ Talks By Predicting 4 SEC Teams in College Football Playoff
The SEC has long been the gold standard in college football, but after a rocky 2024 season, critics were quick to label the conference as overrated. Georgia, the SEC champion, lost in the CFP quarterfinal to Notre Dame. Texas fell to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl semifinal.
So, there’s no denying that the conference didn’t live up to its usual dominance. Neither SEC team advanced past the semifinals, marking a rare disappointment for the conference that has produced a national championship participant every year since the playoff began.
PicKell also acknowledged the conference’s struggles last year, including surprising losses by Alabama, Ole Miss, and others. “I thought they’d have five teams in the College Football Playoff. That clearly did not happen,” he admitted. But he believes the backlash has gone too far, fueled by what he calls “punchline culture.”
The SEC continues to be the most overrated conference all year. Their dominance was built on a monopoly created by the 4-team playoff system and biased rankings from AP and Coaches Poll voters, many of whom are based in the Southeast. This led to SEC teams consistently being… pic.twitter.com/kqgElI3vRh
— USC J (@USCJ32) December 28, 2024
“The discussion around the SEC right now is that the conference itself is overrated,” PicKell said. “I think that’s probably true” for 2024, but he emphasized that the conversation is missing the bigger picture: the production of NFL prospects. “I don’t know that the SEC is going to be just far and away the best conference in college football, but… the NFL draft still says the SEC is the most talented conference in college football.”
Looking ahead, PicKell sees a resurgence coming. “I think you’ll have four teams from that conference in the College Football Playoff here in 2025,” he predicted. He pointed to rising programs like LSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Florida as potential playoff contenders, alongside traditional powers like Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.
He also noted that the SEC’s depth is what separates it from other leagues. “There’s a large amount of depth in the SEC relative to what the rest of the College Football Playoff could look like,” he said.
Yes, their bold attitude often draws criticism. But the analyst believes that confidence comes from years of proven success. In his view, the results speak louder than the critics.
Looking Back in Time
Now, for comparison, let’s look back over the last 10 years. From 2014 to 2023, the SEC dominated. The conference won six national championships in that span, with Alabama claiming three (2015, 2017, 2020), Georgia taking two (2021, 2022), and LSU adding one (2019).
At least one SEC team has made the College Football Playoff every season since its inception in 2014. The SEC Champion has advanced to the playoff every year of the CFP era. Plus, they consistently produced the most NFL draft picks, including 62 in 2023 alone.
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If you compare those dominant numbers to last season, the gap is noticeable. They were far from the SEC’s usual standard. However, the 2025 NFL Draft featured a record-breaking 79 SEC players selected, the most ever by a single conference. That shattered the previous record of 65 players set in both 2021 and 2022. And nobody is calling that a fluke.
The addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the conference helped boost those draft numbers, with the two schools combining for 14 selections. Texas alone set a school record with 12 players chosen.
The year 2024 was a tough one. But just because a conference stumbles doesn’t mean it won’t bounce back. PicKell also believes the “overrated” label won’t last much longer.
If PicKell’s prediction comes true, those four teams together could make serious noise in the upcoming season. With programs like Georgia, Texas, Alabama, LSU, and even dark horses like South Carolina showing promise, the SEC’s depth could once again prove to be its greatest strength in the expanded playoff format.