From the top of the league to the bottom, the Southeastern Conference never fails to be the most competitive in college football every year.
In the SEC, any given Saturday is an opportunity for a program to stake its claim at the forefront of college football’s most historically elite conference. Since its formation in 1933, the league has secured more national titles than any other conference in football. That is a testament to the coaches, staff and players that travel from all distances for the chance to take part in dominance.
Like most years, the 2025 campaign will feature drama, upsets and a display of some of the nation’s top talent. After joining the league last season, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners have a chip on their shoulder to prove they belong, while also gearing up for what could be the most electric Red River Showdown in recent memory. Out east, the Georgia Bulldogs are looking to repeat last year’s success with another SEC Championship appearance under head coach Kirby Smart. However, teams like Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas and Florida may have something to say about that.
On the Plains, Hugh Freeze is looking to turn around the Auburn program in the midst of unknowns at the quarterback position, with Sooner transfer Jackson Arnold looking to lead the Tigers back to the promised land. Programs like Mark Stoops’ Wildcats and Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks need success quickly if they seek to keep their tenured head coaches, who are on two of the hottest seats in football.
With Week 1 of college football set to kick off on Thursday, here is how each SEC program will finish the 2025 campaign:
1. Georgia Bulldogs (12-0, 8-0 in SEC)
Regardless of the unknowns with Gunner Stockton set to lead the Bulldogs at quarterback this season, Georgia remains at the top of the throne until someone can officially knock them down a step or two. Smart brought in USC transfer wideout Zachariah Branch and Texas A&M’s Noah Thomas to help provide his young gunslinger with some of the best players at the position. Expect Georgia to rule over the SEC this season, especially facing both Texas and Alabama in Athens.
2. Texas (11-1, 7-1 in SEC)
Arguably, the biggest storyline entering this season is what to expect from Arch Manning as he leads the Longhorns on the gridiron as a starter for the first time. The Longhorns face the reigning national champions Ohio State Buckeyes, to kick off this year’s ventures. While most are seemingly focused on Manning’s performance in his first road start, the Texas defense will be the key to success on Saturday, opening the season with a massive victory. They drop one game to Georgia, but that is the only strike in the loss column for Sarkisian’s crew in 2025.
3. LSU Tigers (10-2, 7-1 in SEC)
If LSU can finally shake the season-opening curse and start calling Baton Rouge against Clemson, every team in the country should be on the lookout for these Tigers. Garrett Nussmeier returns as the most experienced quarterback in the SEC, with plenty of targets around him to compete against the best defensive units in college football, like they will face in Week 1. It will be sink or swim for Brian Kelly’s crew against Clemson this Saturday. If they topple Dabo Sweeney’s squad and stake their claim as the real Death Valley, it could be LSU’s year to make a run.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2, 6-2 in SEC)
While some Crimson Tide fans have thrown in the towel on Kalen DeBoer after last season’s 9-4 record and failure to make the playoffs, Alabama has the talent to surpass expectations and get back to its normal winning ways. Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Williams lit the college football landscape on fire with his unreal athleticism and highlight-worthy performances. With a new sheriff in town at the helm in Ty Simpson, there will be some adjusting early, but this year’s Bama squad could be scary good if the pieces come together.
5. Texas A&M (10-2, 6-2 in SEC)
Throw aside that top-ranked class in 2021, this year’s Aggie squad is the most talented team since the 2012-2013 rosters that featured former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Second-year head coach Mike Elko has one of the most dangerous running back tandems in the Southeastern Conference with Le’Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II, while also bringing in former ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year wide receiver KC Concepcion from NC State and Mario Craver from Mississippi State. The schedule is daunting, but expect A&M to break the AP Poll Curse in 2025.
6. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3, 6-2 in SEC)
One of the most underrated teams in the SEC this season is Shane Beamer’s crew in Columbia, South Carolina. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers returns to lead the Gamecocks this season, while one of the NFL’s top prospects, EDGE Dylan Stewart, is looking to wreak havoc and up his stock. This South Carolina team is going to pull off multiple upsets, including against Alabama at Williams-Bryce Stadium later in the year. Beamer Ball is going to be difficult to stop this season.
7. Oklahoma Sooners (8-4, 4-4 in SEC)
A new-look Oklahoma Sooners still has one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. Ben Arbuckle was hired as the new offensive coordinator from Washington State and brought with him an experienced gunslinger in John Mateer. While the Sooners still have some holes to fill at wide receiver and the offensive line, having Mateer automatically gives the program a chance. The defense showed flashes last season, and the running back room is not anything to ignore. I expect Brent Venerables’ squad to struggle at times, but still have a successful year in Norman.
8. Ole Miss Rebels (8-4, 4-4 in SEC)
Like others in the SEC, the Ole Miss Rebels will have a new signal-caller running things on offense in 2025. After sitting behind Jaxson Dart in 2024, Austin Simmons will have his opportunity to lead the Rebels and display what he can do on the gridiron. His deep-ball ability and intelligence, knowing how Lane Kiffin’s system runs, will be a strength of Ole Miss this season, but the schedule still features some challenging contests on the road at Georgia and home games against LSU and South Carolina. Obstacles will trip up the Rebels, especially with the lack of experience following much of the roster departing for the NFL at the end of last season.
9. Tennessee Volunteers (8-4, 4-4)
Tennessee’s team remains one of the most intriguing entering 2025’s campaign. Joey Aguilar was announced as the starting quarterback just a few days ago after a long, hard-fought battle during fall camp. The former Appalachian State Mountaineer transferred to UCLA before transferring to Knoxville once Nico Iamaleava decided to transfer to the Bruins in the spring. Still, there are plenty of other question marks at different positions across the gridiron, including who will be catching the ball for Aguilar. Josh Heupel will have his hands full this season, but he is one of the nation’s best offensive masterminds for a reason.
10. Auburn Tigers (7-5, 4-4 in SEC)
Another SEC team struggling to find its identity at quarterback is the Auburn Tigers. After a disappointing 2024 season, Hugh Freeze is looking to thaw out the offense with one of the best wide receiver groups to come through Auburn in quite some time. The likes of Cam Coleman, transfer Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and returning sophomore Perry Thompson will be massive contributors for the Auburn offense in 2025. However, Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold must show major improvement if the Tigers want to reach eight wins or more for the first time since 2019.
11. Florida Gators (7-5, 3-5 in SEC)
If DJ Lagway were not the quarterback in Gainesville, this would be a completely different story, with a likely brutal concluding chapter. Alas, head coach Billy Napier will likely gain another season of opportunity to push past the barriers after Lagway carries the Gators to seven wins this season. While Lagway’s health remains in question, the Gators could be in trouble without the athletic signal-caller at the helm. Napier might not be the best coach in the conference, but talent like Lagway, running back Jadan Baugh and wideout Eugene Wilson III could help Florida compete with every team on their schedule.
12. Missouri Tigers (6-6, 2-6 in SEC)
The job Eli Drinkwitz has done at Missouri has been incredible to watch, but a quarterback quarrel and tremendous production loss will be the kryptonite for the Tigers in 2025. While Drinkwitz and company will have the opportunity to find their guy with six straight home games to open the campaign, two of those are against opponents ranked in the top 15 (South Carolina and Alabama). Like last season, the opportunity is still on the table for Mizzou to secure another 10-win season, but the strength of scheduled SEC teams will be too much for the new pieces in Columbia.
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7, 1-7 in SEC)
Some people might believe this is an egregious pick considering Mississippi State’s schedule in 2025, but head coach Jeffy Lebby’s squad has the talent to play upset in the SEC this season. The Bulldogs have the opportunity to be undefeated when Tennessee rolls into Starkville in Week 5, which could be one to watch if quarterback Blake Shapen remains healthy. Eventually, Lebby is going to get MSU back to its winning ways, and it starts with massive wins over Arizona State and on the road in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this season.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (5-7, 1-7 in SEC)
Everybody loves an underdog, right? That is exactly what the Commodores got last season when Diego Pavia scratched, clawed and led Vanderbilt to its first bowl game victory since 2013. Pavia has all the potential to do the same things again in 2025, but another grueling road is on hand for the Black and Gold. With Alabama and Auburn both looking for revenge, head coach Clark Lea will need his team to remain focused on the task at hand and let the playmakers do what they do best.
15. Arkansas Razorbacks (4-8, 1-7 in SEC)
As much as I love Pittman, it becomes difficult at a point to look past the talent that Arkansas had in recent years with such little success. Quarterback Taylen Green has all the tangibles to be an elite quarterback in the conference, but the defense has left much to be desired recently, as the unit ranked 15th in the SEC in total defense. In a league with some of the most premier offenses in college football, those defensive performances make a difference. Expect the Razorbacks to put up a fight, but Pittman could be on his way out if he does not succeed this season.
16. Kentucky Wildcats (3-9, 0-8 in SEC)
Blue is the color of the uniforms in Lexington, Kentucky, but it will also be the tears on the faces of Wildcats everywhere when the program only wins three games this season. While Mark Stoops has achieved much at the helm and helped revitalize Kentucky, it is quickly beginning to fade in this new era of college football. I do not see a path to a conference victory with their schedule this year, which would mark the first time since Stoops’ first year as the head coach in 2013 that the Wildcats did not win a single SEC contest.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Record predictions for each SEC team ahead of 2025 college football season
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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