To the chagrin of coaches in other major conferences, the parity in the SEC is as high as it's been since before Nick Saban took the job at Alabama in 2007. Realistically, a third of the teams in the league could vie for a conference championship, but a few have better shots than others.
SEC preseason power rankings
16. Mississippi St
15. Kentucky
14. Auburn
13. Arkansas
12. Vanderbilt
11. Missouri
There's a massive gap between Mississippi State/Kentucky and the rest of the bottom six. Neither had really great offseasons, and have huge question marks at the quarterback position, more so with Zach Calzada and the Wildcats.
Auburn, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Missouri have pieces that, if they were to step up, could give them shots to move into the top ten.
10. Texas A&M
9. Oklahoma
8. Florida
7. Tennessee
6. South Carolina
South Carolina may be the darlings among the national media, but not for Razorbackers. The Gamecocks still have much to prove to be considered a contender, but they're not far off either. Florida is in the same boat but has a much harder schedule.
With new QBs, Oklahoma and Tennessee are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Sooners appear to be a team that could cause some damage with John Mateer, but the Volunteers suffered a significant setback after Nico Iamaleava left for California.
"Like Baker Mayfield": ESPN's Greg McElroy on OU quarterback John Mateer at SEC Media Days pic.twitter.com/jLqDLfqAmS
— OU Daily Sports (@OUDailySports) July 14, 2025
5. Ole Miss
4. Alabama
3. LSU
2. Georgia
1. Texas
With their talent, all five could reach the SEC championship, and the College Football Playoffs, for that matter. However, Texas is in a much better position, with one of the easier schedules in the SEC. LSU has arguably the best QB in the conference in Garrett Nussmeier, and Georgia is, well, Georgia.
Alabama and Ole Miss are more of a stretch, but Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are always in the mix. Kalen DeBoer may be in his second season at Alabama, but Tide fans are still used to the dominance under Saban, so the pressure is high. By no means is DeBoer on the hot seat, but if they don't break double-digit wins this season, the temperature in Tuscaloosa may start to rise.