It Just Means More. The Southeastern Conference is the self-styled summit of the college football mountain, regularly providing College Football Playoff-contending teams. Yet, the conference has now gone two seasons without producing the national champion. Could that “drought” be broken this fall? Our 2025 SEC Power Rankings evaluate the 16 contenders.
16) Mississippi State Bulldogs
After going 2-10 and winless in the SEC last fall, the Mississippi State Bulldogs enter the 2025 season staring up from the basement of the SEC power rankings. In Year 1 under Jeff Lebby, the program finished among the bottom five SEC teams in all three team-specific PFSN College metrics, ranking last for College Defense+ with a 65.4 (D) grade that was 119th nationally.
The program made moves to address the defensive deficiencies over the offseason. As many as five transfers, led by NC State’s Red Hibbler and Miami’s Jamil Burroughs, are projected to earn starting roles. Yet, there are still more questions than answers regarding a Year 2 leap under this coaching staff and there is little optimism about a turnaround coming soon in Starkville.
After missing most of last season, quarterback Blake Shapen returns to the program, offering some familiarity even if most Bulldogs fans would have preferred not to let promising young passer Michael Van Buren Jr. out the door. The capture of running back Fluff Bothwell should boost a ground game that ranked 14th in the SEC for yards per game last fall (137.92), per CFB Stats.
Mississippi State’s schedule features seven preseason-ranked teams, including four that played in the College Football Playoff in 2024, resulting in a strength of schedule deemed the fourth-most difficult in the nation ahead of the season. Brutal.
15) Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats recorded their worst record since 2013 and the second-worst of the Mark Stoops era last fall. That ended a run of eight consecutive bowl game appearances, a program record. In some ways, Stoops became a victim of his own success, with an elevated sense of expectation for a football program that has historically played second fiddle to basketball.
The offseason was the lowest-ranked in the SEC last season, earning a 76.88 (C) grade, per PFSN College Offense+. An influx of highly regarded Group of Five offensive linemen (notably Alex Wollschlaeger and Shiyazh Pete) and former Oregon and Nebraska rusher Dante Dowdell should be the foundation of any turnaround on that side of the ball.
However, the biggest roll of the dice will be gambling on Zach Calzada’s ability to replicate his FCS form on his return to the SEC. The former Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback put up phenomenal numbers for Incarnate Word in 2024, but the last time he was in the SEC, he received a 69.1 (D+) PFSN College QB+ grade after throwing for 2,185 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The defense graded marginally better (80.80, B-), but no player with two or more sacks last fall returns, with sack-leader J.J. Weaver gone. The Wildcats face an early test against Ole Miss while consecutive road games at South Carolina and Georgia are potential will-breakers as September turns to October. Kentucky has the third-hardest strength of schedule in the country.
14) Arkansas Razorbacks
Sam Pittman set such a high standard in his second season with the Arkansas Razorbacks that everything that has come after has been seen almost as a disappointment. Arkansas hasn’t been ranked since late September 2022, and it would be a surprise to see the program break that streak this fall after recording just three wins in conference play during the 2024 season.
There is talent on the team. Taylen Green will give the Razorbacks a fighting chance in any game when healthy, and was the third-highest graded SEC quarterback among those returning to the conference this fall (79.5, C+). Arkansas got him a catch-everything deep threat to weaponize his skill set in O’Mega Blake, and the return of Fernando Carmona is important.
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Yet, the Arkansas defense was the third-worst in the conference a year ago, drawing a 76.76 (C) grade. Pittman added a ton of transfer portal pieces to try to address the issues of a year ago. However, there is little incoming that you’d describe as bona fide difference-makers, and that could be problematic.
Furthermore, navigating a schedule featuring road trips to Ole Miss, Texas, LSU, and Tennessee could hamper any attempt to challenge near the top of the conference. The Razorbacks have the seventh-most difficult strength of schedule in the country.
13) Auburn Tigers
After ranking 71st in the country with 27.8 ppg last fall and 14th in the SEC with a 79.19 (C+) PFSN College Offense+ grade, head coach Freeze made upgrading the Auburn Tigers’ offense a key point of business this offseason. Georgia Tech wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. combines with sophomore standout Cam Coleman to give them a dangerous one-two punch at wide receiver.
Getting them the ball could prove to be problematic. Jackson Arnold gets a fresh start on the Plains after a torrid campaign with the Oklahoma Sooners a year ago and appears to be a solid upgrade on what the Tigers rolled out in 2024. However, Arnold ranked 133rd among qualifying quarterbacks last year with a 68.8 (D+) grade that propped up the conference.
There has never been any doubt about Freeze’s ability to recruit, and the Tigers’ defense is stacked with homegrown talent that should help the program be competitive in 2025. They also added one of the top Group of Five cornerbacks in the country — Miami (OH)’s Raion Strader — from the transfer portal to bolster the unit. Subsequently, defense shouldn’t be the issue for this team.
Neither should the schedule be, which is one of the easiest among the SEC teams. Playing both Georgia and the Iron Bowl at home helps contribute to that, as does avoiding Texas. However, an opening clash on the road to the Baylor Bears — a potential Big 12 contender — could set the tone for the 2025 campaign.
12) Vanderbilt Commodores
2024 was something of a dream for the Vanderbilt Commodores, a college football fairytale that enraptured the nation and transported the Nashville-based program back over a decade to a time when James Franklin made being a top-25 team a reality not seen since the 1950s. Franklin had the ‘Dores ranked in successive seasons. Can Clark Lea do the same?
Quarterback Diego Pavia winning his eligibility waiver was easily the biggest offseason event that helped steer the team toward that potential eventuality. Last fall, the Vanderbilt quarterback had the second-highest PFSN College QB+ grade (80.1, B-) among returning SEC quarterbacks despite some offensive line issues that Lea and the coaching staff moved to rectify.
Pavia had to overcome the 16th-ranked offensive line (74.47 PFSN College OL+ grade) and the 15th-ranked defense (73.4, C PFSN College Defense+ grade) a year ago, and despite the return of some high-profile players like Martel Hight and Randon Fontenette, the defense could be the Achilles Heel for this Vanderbilt team again in 2025.
Additionally, the Commodores’ schedule features five potential top 10 teams, three of which they’ll play on the road, in a 12-game slate that ranks as the 10th-most difficult in the country.
11) Florida Gators
The Florida Gators won four games in a row to end the 2024 campaign, relieving pressure on head coach Billy Napier and taking momentum into the 2025 college football campaign. However, what might be perceived as a low positioning in these SEC power rankings is fueled by some legitimate concerns.
Chief among them is the strength of schedule. The Gators face the fifth-hardest path through the 2025 season, starting on the road at LSU and Miami while also facing Texas, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Tennessee. That’s six potential losses as they look to build on an eight-win campaign.
Although Florida lost some pieces from a defensive unit that ranked 10th in the SEC by PFSN Defense+ (82.19, B-), the return of Tyreak Sapp and Caleb Banks is a significant boost. The foundations of an offensive line unit that ranked seventh in PFSN College OL+ (83.68, B), including center Jake Slaughter, also return.
Yet, it’s DJ Lagway’s second-year development that will be key to any success for Florida in 2025. The young quarterback showed flashes in his debut campaign but ultimately ranked 73rd in the country among eligible passers in PFSN College QB+ (74.6, C). Thankfully, he has a top-tier wide receiver room to target, and Jadan Baugh’s presence in the ground game is important.
10) Missouri Tigers
Double-digit win seasons have now become the expectation for the Missouri Tigers under 2023 SEC Coach of the Year Eli Drinkwitz. A schedule that avoids Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ole Miss certainly helps toward that aspiration.
Only two other teams (Tennessee and Ole Miss) have an easier strength of schedule, even though they have to face South Carolina and Alabama. Still, South Carolina and Alabama are no pushovers, and a road trip to Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners is a test that the Tigers have never passed.
Drinkwitz loaded up defensively in the transfer portal, despite the Tigers finishing the 2024 campaign with the eighth-best SEC defense according to PFSN College Defense+ grade (83.71, B). Adding Jalen Catalon to an impressive secondary and Nate Johnson, Damon Wilson II, and Josiah Trotter to the front seven ensures another season of solid defensive play for 2025.
However, the changes on the offensive side of the ball could prove Missouri’s undoing this season. An offensive line that was the fifth-best in the SEC by PFSN College OL+ has three new starters. Although Ahmad Hardy was a significant get at running back, we may be about to see just how instrumental Brady Cook has been for Missouri now that he’s no longer there.
9) Oklahoma Sooners
Just two wins in the conference and a losing season culminating with an Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy wasn’t what anyone expected from Oklahoma, and head coach Brent Venables — who was considered a “hot-seat” coach for large swathes of the 2024 college football campaign — made about as many adjustments to his coaching staff without firing himself as humanly possible.
The pressure’s on entering 2025, but there are some reasons to be optimistic about the team this fall.
Oklahoma had one of the worst offenses in the country a year ago. The unit ranked 97th nationally after averaging 24.0 points per game and finished the year with the second-worst PFSN Offense+ grade (76.87, C) among all SEC teams. The addition of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer (84.9 PFSN College QB+ grade) should spark the Sooners.
They also added former Cal Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott to boost the unit. Although some pieces of a defense that earned the second-highest PFSN Defense+ grade in the SEC a year ago return (89.25, B+), it remains to be seen how Oklahoma performs without the leadership presence of linebacker Danny Stutsman.
8) Texas A&M Aggies
During the Jimbo Fisher era, the Texas A&M Aggies recruited well but never seemed to extract the best out of those players, with preseason expectations often dashed by midseason. Things feel different under former Duke head coach Mike Elko, who led the team to a 7-1 record that fell away down the stretch against strong South Carolina and Texas teams (and Auburn).
Elko’s team returns multiple key players, starting with an offensive line that ranked third by PFSN College OL+ a year ago (87.51, B+). Trey Zuhn III, Chase Bisontis, and Ar’maj Reed-Adams are all names to know, and they should form the foundation for a second-year leap for quarterback Marcel Reed, who was a top-50 passer in the country last fall.
The Aggies dove into the portal to surround Reed with talented pass catchers, snagging KC Concepcion, Mario Craver, and Amari Niblack. However, what had looked like a settled and dangerous running back rotation has been disrupted by some off-field issues for leading rusher Le’Veon Moss (765 yards, 10 touchdowns).
The loss of Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner, and Shemar Stewart is significant. Yet, Cashius Howell, Taurean York, and Scooby Williams headline several top-tier returners, while plugging Tyler Onyedim to the heart of the defense should help. They’ll have to overcome road games at LSU and Texas in the SEC, while an out-of-conference clash with Notre Dame makes for hard work.
7) Tennessee Volunteers
There’ll be a tendency to ding the Tennessee Volunteers in SEC power rankings after their offseason shenanigans at the quarterback position. Still, in all honesty, they may have emerged as the winners of the Iamaleava and Aguilar saga.
The former Mountaineer arrives on Rocky Top via UCLA and has the arm talent to turn heads in the SEC this season. Aguilar actually had a higher PFSN College QB+ grade (78.9, C+) than several returning SEC quarterbacks, and has an intriguing wide receiver room to work with, headlined by Mike Matthews and Chris Brazzell II.
The quarterback position might actually be the least of Tennessee’s concerns moving into the 2025 college football season. Replacing several offensive line pieces (crucially not at left tackle) will be a factor, as will the loss of the SEC’s leading rusher, Dylan Sampson, who ran the rock for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns a year ago.
Then there’s the defense. The Vols had the sixth-highest graded unit by PFSN College Defense+ (87.6, B+) in the SEC in 2024, but lost several headliners, including James Pearce Jr. and Will Brooks (who led the conference in interception yards last fall). Jermod McCoy’s return is significant, but don’t underestimate how much their season hinges on defensive success.
6) Ole Miss Rebels
Lane Kiffin has made the Ole Miss Rebels one of the most must-see teams in college football, and his mastery of the transfer portal has no comparison.
The program added impact makers on both sides of the trenches, at wide receiver, and in the secondary, this offseason, as they look to keep the pressure on at the top of the SEC while tallying a third successive double-digit win campaign — something never done before in Rebels history.
The schedule has some glaring difficulties, such as a three-game span at Georgia and Oklahoma and against South Carolina. Still, overall, Ole Miss has the 56th-ranked strength of schedule, which should give them a runway toward the SEC Championship Game, especially if the defense can perform to the levels of last year (fifth in the country by PFSN College Defense+).
However, this Ole Miss team is likely to ride and die on the development and talent of quarterback Austin Simmons. Replacing Jaxson Dart won’t be easy, but the Rebels at least bolstered the RB room to shoulder the load, and Simmons has a feet-finder against Georgia State to open the campaign.
5) LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers enter the 2025 college football season with the fourth-best odds to win the SEC, as per DraftKings Sportsbook. However, there are some legitimate concerns over what this team can achieve this season, especially with the eighth-most difficult schedule in the nation, headlined by an out-of-conference clash with a Clemson Tigers team carrying national title hopes.
Furthermore, an offensive line that ranked 13th in the nation by PFSN College OL+ lost four of five starters to the NFL. While there is confidence within the team that they have the talent to thrive with a “next man up” attitude, that opening game against a dominant Clemson defensive line could expose this line.
On the plus side, head coach Brian Kelly has one of the top quarterbacks in the country leading his offense. Garrett Nussmeier is the highest-graded returning SEC passer by PFSN College QB+ (84.5, B), and if he can cut down on some interception issues, a trip to New York and the Heisman Trophy ceremony beckons.
Kelly grabbed two impact-making wide receivers (Barion Brown and Nic Anderson) out of the portal to bolster the offense. Meanwhile, the return of Harold Perkins Jr. and Whit Weeks and portal additions of Jack Pyburn, A.J. Haulcy, and Mansoor Delane could result in the defensive improvements needed to challenge.
4) Alabama Crimson Tide
Kalen DeBoer enters Year 2 with the Alabama Crimson Tide, looking to exorcise the demons of a difficult first season stepping into Nick Saban’s significant shoes. The program again avoids Texas and Ole Miss on the schedule, which is a bonus, but trips to Athens and Columbia to take on Georgia and South Carolina, respectively, offer problematic potential.
Five of Alabama’s opponents are ranked in the preseason, resulting in a strength of schedule that sits within the top 20 most difficult campaigns. But that might not be the most significant stumbling block for the Crimson Tide. Six weeks out from the season, the Crimson Tide’s biggest question mark is who will replace Jalen Milroe.
The former Alabama quarterback had his critics, but Milroe’s dual-threat athleticism will be missed. Alabama had the No.1-graded offense in the SEC last year (84.19, B). Yet, DeBoer hasn’t named a starter with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell vying for QB1 honors. At least wide receiver Ryan Williams has the talent to carry the offense this fall.
The return of linebacker Deontae Lawson is a bonus for the defense, while Domani Jackson should establish himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the conference. Both Zabien Brown and Bray Hubbard also return after tying the team lead with three interceptions in 2024.
3) Georgia Bulldogs
Ruling out a Kirby Smart-led Georgia Bulldogs team is never a good idea. The program has been a bastion of consistency in recent seasons, establishing itself annually as a contender in the conference. An assertion that the program is only the third-best team in the SEC power rankings is likely already pinned to a locker room in Athens as a sign of media disrespect.
However, the reigning SEC champions won’t have an easy run to a repeat, with Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, and a road trip to Tennessee (opening SEC fixture) all on their 2025 schedule.
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Monroe Freeling and Earnest Greene III’s return on the offensive line is significant for a unit that ranked second in the SEC for PFSN College OL+ (87.83, B+). The Bulldogs added dynamic wide receiver Zachariah Branch to the roster, and Nate Frazier leads the Georgia ground game.
Yet, uncertainty over Gunner Stockton’s ability to elevate the offense and a defense that ranked just seventh in the conference by PFSN Defense+ last year (85.96, B) lacks the usual depth of talent factor into what some might consider a lowly ranking in our SEC power rankings.
2) South Carolina Gamecocks
A program on the rise under head coach Shane Beamer, the South Carolina Gamecocks have a legitimate shot at being one of the best teams in the SEC (and the country) this fall.
Although they lost secondary superstar Nick Emmanwori to the NFL, the defense is just as talented as the unit that ranked 12th in the nation, with 18.1 points per game allowed during a standout 2024 campaign. Jalon Kilgore led the team in interceptions last year and returns, while several transfer additions join Freshman All-American Dylan Stewart.
There shouldn’t be a drop-off in defensive performance at all.
Meanwhile, LaNorris Sellers has the potential to win the Heisman Trophy as the leader of the Gamecocks’ offense if Jared Brown and Nyck Harbor step up this fall. His arm talent is eye-opening, while his athleticism allows him to pull off feats of escapology that Michael Vick used to display. He needs to make the leap this fall, but all the talent is there to drive this Gamecocks offense.
Although Beamer’s team has the 12th-most difficult slate of games in the nation, according to our strength of schedule, avoiding Georgia and Texas this fall could be key to an SEC title run. They’re considered an SEC long shot by most bookmakers, but all the pieces are there for South Carolina to make a run to Atlanta.
1) Texas Longhorns
All eyes are on Arch Manning, but you might be looking in the wrong direction if you want to tell the true story of what the 2025 Texas Longhorns could be.
The 2024 defense was comfortably one of the best units in the country, ranking first in the SEC and second nationally in PFSN College Defense+ (92.18, A-), and a good chunk of the pivotal parts of that juggernaut return this fall.
Colin Simmons was a force as a freshman and is set to be one of the top five players in college football this season. Trey Moore has the career sack record in his sight (kind of), and Anthony Hill Jr. is the do-it-all linebacker any team would want on their roster. Michael Taaffe returns to run the secondary, giving the Longhorns a defensive spine to be envious of.
Texas also had the top-ranked SEC offensive line a year ago, and losing significant elements of that unit is suboptimal but not catastrophic. Manning is a more athletic, mobile option under center than Quinn Ewers ever was, which mitigates some of the offensive line losses. The ground game has the potential to be the offensive catalyst for a defensive-led title contender.
