(AP) – Southeastern Conference football is experiencing a championship drought.<\/p>\n
The powerhouse league hasn\u2019t won or even played for a national title since the 2022 season. It\u2019s a skid that just means more given the SEC\u2019s nearly two decades of gridiron dominance, which included 13 championships over a 17-year span beginning in 2006.<\/p>\n
But the conference has dipped since \u2014 even with the addition of Big 12 heavyweights Oklahoma and Texas \u2014 and finds itself trying to regain its stronghold in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still feel that the SEC, top to bottom, is as strong as you\u2019ll find,\u201d Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. \u201cWe experienced that last year. We had games where you showed what your ceiling was, but you also had to back it up and play the next week. It showed every team could win on any given Saturday. We want to prove ourselves as a program but also as a league as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, the SEC has something to prove<\/a> for the first time in years.<\/p>\n Were the last two seasons, which ended with Big Ten heavyweights Ohio State and Michigan celebrating on college football\u2019s biggest stage, a fluke or foreshadowing? Did the transfer portal and NIL money level a field that once seemed heavily tilted toward the SEC? Could revenue sharing deliver another blow?<\/p>\n Or will the SEC bounce back with a vengeance?<\/p>\n \u201cLook, the more teams you add to the tournament, there\u2019s greater variance to it,\u201d Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t necessarily think that we\u2019re that far off.\u201d<\/p>\n The SEC looked like it might get shut out of the College Football Playoff in 2023 before one-loss Alabama jumped undefeated Florida State to claim the final spot in the four-team bracket.<\/p>\n The league seemed poised to take advantage of CFP expansion last year. But Georgia, Tennessee and Texas got bounced in the 12-team tournament by double-digit margins, doing little to back up arguments that Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina should have made the field.<\/p>\n Seven months later, the conference has 10 teams ranked in the AP\u2019s preseason college football poll<\/a>, beginning with top-ranked Texas, and expectations of ending its championship slide.<\/p>\n Championship contenders<\/p>\n The Longhorns have star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. anchoring one of the nation\u2019s best defenses and quarterback Arch Manning, the latest from the Manning family tree, stepping in to replace Quinn Ewers.<\/p>\n No one would be surprised to see No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Alabama or No. 9 LSU end up atop the SEC. Those traditional powers have the talent to beat anyone, although the Bulldogs (Gunner Stockton) and Crimson Tide (Ty Simpson) will rely on new starting QBs. The Tigers, meanwhile, have Garrett Nussmeier back under center to go along with the nation\u2019s top portal class.<\/p>\n Capable of a surprise<\/p>\n No. 13 South Carolina and No. 15 Florida were two of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch in 2024, surges that propelled LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) and DJ Lagway (Florida) into the Heisman Trophy conversation this season.<\/p>\n Sellers threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore and ran for seven more scores. Lagway was 6-1 in seven starts as a freshman but has since undergone core-muscle surgery, missed most of spring practice with shoulder soreness and been slowed in camp because of a strained left calf.<\/p>\n \u201cI always say that pressure is a privilege,\u201d Lagway said \u201cOnce you have privilege, that means people are counting on you to do big things. … That\u2019s why I just love the game-day atmosphere because it feels like all eyes are on you and you\u2019ve got to put on a show. That\u2019s what I\u2019m excited for.\u201d<\/p>\n Not to be discounted<\/p>\n Coach Brett Venables hired five new coaches in the offseason at No. 18 Oklahoma, including offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. Arbuckle brought quarterback John Mateer with him from Pullman. Mateer was the only QB in the country to register at least 20 TDs passing and at least 10 TDs rushing.<\/p>\n No. 19 Texas A&M returns 15 starters, including QB Marcel Reed, and all four specialists. No. 21 Ole Miss has just four returning starters, but coach Lane Kiffin loaded up in the portal and says QB Austin Simmons has \u201celite talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Coaching continuity<\/p>\n The SEC has no new head coaches for the first time since 2018 and just the second time since 2005. It\u2019s a testament to the rising cost of buyouts and the need for patience while navigating college football\u2019s ever-changing landscape.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean several SEC coaches can\u2019t land on the proverbial hot seat<\/a>. Venables, Auburn\u2019s Hugh Freeze, Florida\u2019s Billy Napier, Arkansas\u2019 Sam Pittman and Kentucky\u2019s Mark Stoops top the list.<\/p>\n Marquee matchups<\/p>\n No one has to wait long to gauge the SEC\u2019s strength this season<\/a>. The league has five potentially challenging non-conference games in Week 1 alone: Alabama at Florida State; Auburn at Baylor; LSU at No. 4 Clemson; South Carolina versus Virginia Tech in Atlanta; and Texas at No. 3 Ohio State.<\/p>\n Throw in Oklahoma at No. 14 Michigan in Week 2, Texas A&M at sixth-ranked Notre Dame in Week 3 and Florida at No. 10 Miami in Week 4, and the SEC has plenty of chances to reclaim its spot atop the college football world in September.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a>. AP college football: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/a><\/p>\n Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(AP) – Southeastern Conference football is experiencing a championship drought. 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