After attending this year’s SEC Media Days, I was given the opportunity to vote on the Media All-SEC team and the predicted order of finish for the conference in the 2025 season.

The SEC will once again be a gauntlet this season, making these predictions very difficult. A team like Florida could finish 9-3 and make the playoffs, but just as easily could finish 6-6 and play in the Alamo Bowl. With all that being said, here are my predictions for the finishing order of the SEC in the 2025 season.

16. Mississippi State

Mississippi State finished last year without a win in conference play and finished 2-10 overall. To be fair, it was head coach Jeff Lebby’s first year, and his starting quarterback, Blake Shapen, was out for the year with a shoulder injury after just four games.

With that being said, the Bulldogs did not make any huge splashes in the portal and only ranked No. 13 in the conference for incoming freshmen. A lackluster year last year and no major changes do not point towards massive growth, and though I could see the Bulldogs stealing a game or two in Lebby’s second year, the Bulldogs will once again be amongst the bottom feeders of this conference.

15. Kentucky

For me, Kentucky is in the same boat as Mississippi State. They had a bad year last season and added some good players in the portal like Alex Wollschlaeger and Shiyazh Pete, who both had all-conference seasons last year in the MAC and Conference USA, respectively. However, they also lost some key players, like Barion Brown, who was a threat to score a touchdown from anywhere on the field.

This lack of improvement after an unsuccessful season points towards another disappointing year. Especially when all your easiest games come on the road, however, motivated Mark Stoops loves to prove doubters wrong, so maybe transfer quarterback Zach Calzada will find a home on his third SEC team, and the Wildcats will shock some people.

14. Arkansas

The Razorbacks’ success will hinge on the progression of quarterback Taylen Green. After transferring in from Boise State, Green had 3,154 passing yards and threw for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also added 602 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Some analysts think Green will make the jump this year and be a dark horse Heisman candidate, and others (including me) don’t see it that way.

If Green has a similar year to last year, the Razorbacks will be in trouble thanks to one of the toughest schedules in the nation. The out-of-conference schedule includes Notre Dame and Memphis, who combined to go 25-4 last season. This is on top of a road conference schedule that includes Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas and LSU, all teams projected to be in the top 25.

The Razorbacks should be able to get some wins at home, where they face a much easier schedule, but will most likely struggle to find wins outside of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Barring a Heisman contention season from Green, the Razorbacks will be towards the bottom of the SEC.

13. Auburn

One of the most historic schools in the SEC is going through its worst stretch of football since the 1940s, and that most likely won’t stop this season. The Tigers or War Eagles, depending on what mascot they feel like choosing that day, went out and got former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold in the transfer portal. The former five-star struggled at Oklahoma last season and hit what he said was “rock bottom.”

Head coach Hugh Freeze said Arnold needed to get his confidence back in order to return to his former self. However, confidence is hard to come by in the toughest conference in the nation, known for its defenses.

A week four return to Norman, Oklahoma, could be a make-or-break moment early in the season for Arnold. And with a sport that revolves around the quarterback, this game is a must-win for Arnold and the Tigers. I fear if they lose that game, the season could end up looking similar to the past few seasons.

12. Vanderbilt

Despite only finishing 3-5 in the SEC, a 7-6 finish with a win over Alabama marked a successful season for Vanderbilt, which usually spends its time at the very bottom of the conference’s standings.

The return of Diego Pavia is huge for this team. The New Mexico State transfer was integral to the Commodores’ success last season, throwing for 2,293 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 800 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Pavia was the heart and soul of this team, and getting him back should help this team find some success in their 2025 campaign.

With that being said, Vanderbilt’s meter for success is still much lower than many other teams, so a 12th-place finish and maybe another big home win would go down as a good year for the Commodores.

11. Texas A&M

The 11th spot is where things start to get weird. I believe this is the next tier of teams. All of the teams under this, other than maybe Auburn, I am pretty confident about finishing there, but any team ranked from here to the No. 4 spot could finish in any order.

The progression of quarterback Marcel Reed will be integral to the Aggies’ success. With over 2,000 total yards and 22 touchdowns in his sophomore year, hopes are high for the Aggies’ quarterback. Especially with transfer portal additions like wide receiver KC Concepion from NC State to help him out.

I think Reed and the weapons around him will help the Aggies have a good offense next year. However, their defense is why I have them at the bottom of this second tier in the SEC. Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner were all drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. It is extremely difficult to replace that kind of talent and production in just one year. If they can do it, they will find themselves much higher than No. 11, but I don’t see that happening right now.

10. Oklahoma

After a rough start in the SEC, finishing 2-6 in conference play and 6-7 overall, Brent Venables and his squad will be looking to return to some of the dominance they found in the Big 12. The team has a lot of talent, like incoming transfer John Mateer. The former Washington State quarterback had almost 4,000 all-purpose yards and 44 touchdowns in a breakout year.

The talent the Sooners have mixed with their history of playing winning football is why I have them making a small jump in year two in the SEC, but their grueling schedule is why they will not make a crazy jump.

An out-of-conference matchup with Michigan in week two will be a huge test for the Sooners before they go into a gauntlet of a conference slate. Matchups at Alabama and Texas headline what is one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

9. Missouri

Missouri made a lot of noise last year, finishing fourth in the SEC with a 10-3 record overall. This was the Tigers’ second straight ten-win season. If they can put together another similar season, people will have to start respecting head coach Eliah Drinkwitz and his squad.

Much of this success will depend on the quarterback situation, which remains undecided after the departure of Brady Cook to the NFL. Enter Beau Pribula, according to On3, the four-star transfer quarterback was given a $1.5 million NIL deal to come to Missouri. However, Drinkwitz says Pribula is still competing for the starting spot with junior Sam Horn, who sat out all of last year because of an injury.

Neither of the quarterbacks possesses much experience starting games, and that will hold back the Tigers’ offense early in the season. They did bring in a bunch of talented transfers, but a program record third straight ten-win season is unlikely.

8. Tennessee

The Volunteers have had one of the more eventful offseasons in the SEC with quarterback Nico Iamaleava demanding more NIL money before leaving in the transfer portal. This has left the Volunteers with a hole at quarterback.

In a conference as tough as the SEC, it is never good to have question marks at the sport’s most important position entering the season. Head coach Josh Heupel will still scheme up one of the SEC’s best rushing attacks, and a young and unpredictable Tennessee team will remain a top threat in the conference.

A tough schedule that includes an early matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs in week three and road matchups against Alabama and Florida will make it hard for the Volunteers to find themselves where they have in the past few years, among the top teams in the SEC.

7. South Carolina

My bold prediction, which isn’t bold at all, is that the Gamecocks will be one of the most fun teams to watch in college football. They have a young core centered around quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart, both of whom were on the SEC All-Freshman team last season.

Sellers is an amazing talent at quarterback and his dual-threat ability already saw him making video game plays in his first season in Columbia. Stewart’s raw athleticism makes him one of the more highly touted edge prospects in the country, and with a year under his belt he could make quarterbacks’ lives hell this season.

There are drawbacks to having arguably your two best players being young. They are bound to make mistakes, and in a conference as competitive as the SEC, small mistakes can mean losses.

6. Ole Miss

The departure of Jaxon Dart from Ole Miss’s offense will be a sad sight for Rebels fans. There is reason to be optimistic. Redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons showed flashes of excellence and maturity in limited opportunities last season, and if there is anyone who knows how to get the most out of their quarterback, it is Head coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin has turned this Ole Miss team into a consistent machine. The offense is bound to be explosive and fun to watch, and the defense has improved in the last few years thanks to some NIL investments.

With all that being said, the Rebels still lost 14 starters from last year’s 10-3 team. It is hard to replace that many starters from a good team in just one year, and because of this, the Rebels will see themselves fall slightly behind last year’s team.

5. Florida

Florida comes in at the top of my tier two teams in the SEC and is the only one of these teams I think could sneak its way into tier one. This is mostly because of one man, DJ Lagway. The former No. 1 quarterback in the nation out of high school had to battle injuries a majority of his freshman year, and if he had been healthy, the Gators’ year could have looked a lot different.

Now with a year of experience under his belt and a full college offseason in the books, Lagway is due for a huge season in year two. The Gators also benefit from a decent amount of roster continuity and enter this coming season with possibly head coach Billy Napier’s highest expectations.

However, like most other SEC teams, the Gators have an incredibly tough schedule, and if Lagway doesn’t live up to expectations, the Gators could see themselves falling down this second tier.

4. Alabama

Despite two bad losses that saw Alabama miss out on a chance at the SEC championship, last season was not a complete failure for head coach Kalen DeBoer. The departure of Nick Saban left a hole that no one was going to fill completely. However, after coming in at a time when players could leave but could not be acquired, DeBoer did an excellent job keeping the Crimson Tide afloat during a transition year.

Now in year two under DeBoer, and despite not having a clear quarterback yet, the Crimson Tide have plenty of talent on the rest of the team to find themselves among the top teams in the SEC again this season.

3. LSU

After a seventh-place finish in the SEC last season, the Tigers see themselves vault up to number three in my predictions, thanks to being one of the few teams in the SEC to return their starting quarterback. Garrett Nussmeier returns after throwing for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Nussmeier’s return allows head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers to continue running the same offense from last year, a luxury most SEC teams don’t have this season. Because of this, the Tigers will find themselves in familiar territory, fighting for an SEC championship.

Matchups against Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss will likely define whether this season is viewed as a success or a failure for Kelly and the Tigers.

2. Texas

Texas has the Heisman favorite and a plethora of talent around him after finishing with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2025. Arch Manning will take over at quarterback for the Longhorns, and he has plenty of lofty expectations set for his first year as a starter.

Manning saw limited action last year as Quinn Ewers’ backup, but showed flashes when Ewers got hurt in the middle of the season. If he can even partially live up to some of the expectations set for him, the Longhorns will once again find themselves competing for a national and SEC championship.

1. Georgia

As usual, the Bulldogs saw a ton of their production from last season leave for the NFL and boast one of head coach Kirby Smart’s youngest teams to date. However, also as usual, that talent is being replaced by highly touted recruits.

One of the replacements is quarterback Gunner Stockton. Stockton saw some action last year after Carson Beck went down in the SEC championship game, and ended up coming back and beating Texas to secure Georgia another SEC title. If Stockton can manage games and allow the talent around him to do the rest, the Bulldogs will continue their dominance of the SEC, and until someone other than Saban can prove they can beat Smart and the Bulldogs, they will be my pick to win the SEC.

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