Will the SEC snap a two-year skid and assume its place atop college football’s national championship throne? Can various coaches on warming seats silence naysayers and extend their tenures? While the answers to those questions won’t be found SEC Media Days this week, we have unearthed a bold prediction for every team generated from intel gathered from around the league.
It’s always fun to keep track of how many of these actually hit by season’s end given some of the parity expected within the conference this season.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt notches rare road win over ranked opponent: At some point, Vanderbilt will reappear inside the Top 25 this season. It’ll likely happen following a road win over nationally-ranked South Carolina, Alabama, Texas or Tennessee. The Commodores jumped into the AP poll last October for the first time since 2013 following a 5-2 start before floundering a bit during the season’s second half. Diego Pavia’s national championship aspirations are likely unrealistic, but Vanderbilt does have enough talent to summon a road upset this fall.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Hail State shocks reigning Big 12 champions: Jeff Lebby could use some positive momentum in Starkville, and the concrete structure at Davis Wade Stadium might shake to its core if Mississippi State keeps it close in the fourth quarter against Arizona State in Week 2.
This matchup, the finale of a home-and-home series, stands as one of the trickiest games on the Sun Devils’ schedule this fall — largely because of how difficult it is to win in a hostile SEC environment. Mississippi State also benefits from hosting the game under the lights.
The truth is, we won’t know whether Arizona State can maintain its status among the elite without Cam Skattebo in the backfield. The Sun Devils open against Northern Arizona, so this will be the first true test of the season for a program now viewed as one of college football’s hunted.
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky goes winless in SEC play: The situation is bleak for Mark Stoops at Kentucky.
Losing longtime staffer Vince Marrow to an off-field role at Louisville in June was a significant blow. Marrow, a foundational figure in the program, had been with Stoops since the beginning. Stoops emerged as a top target for Texas A&M in 2023 but said he followed his heart and chose to remain in the Bluegrass. Will he feel the same way in November if the Wildcats are spiraling near the bottom of the SEC?
The program feels far removed from its second 10-win season under Stoops in 2021. Since then, Kentucky is just 7–17 in SEC play, has yet to win another bowl game and is coming off its worst finish since Stoops’ first year in 2013.
Missouri Tigers
Ahmad Hardy is SEC’s most productive RB transfer: Hardly a diamond in the rough, Hardy is a four-star transfer who previously starred at ULM and should have no trouble transitioning to SEC football as a featured back.
The Tigers are expected to be run-heavy in 2025 with former Penn State transfer Beau Pribula taking over at quarterback and top receiving targets Luther Burden and Theo Wease now in the NFL. Hardy will likely see a heavy workload early, as Missouri opens the season with six straight home games before traveling to Auburn in mid-October. By the end of September, Hardy could be the SEC’s leading rusher.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Taylen Green generates first-round 2026 NFL Draft buzz: Arkansas’ 6-foot-6, 225-pound quarterback has been largely overlooked as an NFL Draft prospect next spring — but that could change during his senior season.
He’s not yet listed among the top-tier SEC signal-callers in early draft discussions, which have focused on names like Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers. But offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino believes he has one of the nation’s top players under center. And when Green is at his best, it’s easy to see why.
Green threw for 3,154 yards, rushed for 602 and scored eight touchdowns on the ground last year. He was outstanding in the Razorbacks’ bowl win over Texas Tech and has capitalized on his transfer from Boise State.
He’ll get early opportunities to prove his value with matchups against Memphis, Ole Miss and Notre Dame in the first month of the season.
Ole Miss Rebels
The defense will be the team’s calling card: It’s not that there’s any doubt about quarterback Austin Simmons or Lane Kiffin’s offensive acumen — but Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff hopes will ultimately hinge on Pete Golding’s defense.
The Rebels signed 11 defensive transfers to help replace nine starters, including former LSU edge rusher Da’Shawn Womack, who appeared in 20 games over the last two seasons in Baton Rouge. Former Arkansas All-SEC cornerback Jaylon Braxton was another key addition.
Suntarine Perkins recorded 10.5 sacks last season. He is considered the top pass rusher in the league not named Dylan Stewart or Colin Simmons. A projected top-10 NFL Draft pick, Perkins could generate serious buzz as a potential SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Texas A&M Aggies
Mike Elko’s team finishes the season unranked: One of 10 SEC teams appearing in various preseason polls this summer, Texas A&M finished just one win shy of reaching the conference championship game in Mike Elko’s first season.
Following that strong debut and another top-tier transfer portal class, optimism is high in College Station. But challenges remain. The Aggies must replace three NFL Draft picks along the defensive line, rebuild a wide receiver room that needs to gel quickly and navigate a schedule that could feature as many as five top-20 opponents.
By the program’s emerging standards under Elko, anything short of SEC title contention could be viewed as an underachievement. The Aggies are currently a +1500 bet to win the conference, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina beats a top-10 team and loses to an unranked foe: Shane Beamer believes his roster is capable of reaching the SEC Championship Game this season, but the Gamecocks didn’t get any favors from the league’s scheduling office.
South Carolina is not among our four SEC teams projected to make the expanded College Football Playoff in 2025, and we’re expecting an up-and-down campaign. The schedule includes three preseason top-10 opponents — LSU, Alabama and Clemson — and South Carolina is likely to knock off one of them. However, an unexpected setback against Vanderbilt or Missouri in September could prove deflating.
Florida Gators
Offense produces first 1,000-yard receiver since 2002: Taylor Jacobs remains the last Florida pass catcher to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, finishing with 1,088 yards more than two decades ago. The Gators are expected to air it out this fall with D.J. Lagway under center, and this unit features several receivers capable of reaching a milestone that only Ricky Pearsall, Kadarius Toney, Riley Cooper and Dallas Baker have come close to matching since Jacobs.
Whether it’s Eugene Wilson, transfer J. Michael Sturdivant or one of Florida’s two elite freshmen in Vernell Brown III or Dallas Wilson — someone from this group has a strong chance to finally break through.
Auburn Tigers
Second-half surge saves Hugh Freeze after rocky start: Auburn is likely to be outside the AP Top 25 and sitting at 3–3 when Missouri visits Jordan-Hare Stadium on Oct. 18 — a reflection of a brutal early-season schedule that includes road games at Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, followed by a showdown with reigning SEC champion Georgia.
But the Tigers’ fortunes should shift once the schedule eases up. They could enter the Iron Bowl riding a five-game SEC winning streak and firmly nestled in the rankings when Alabama comes to The Plains.
Oklahoma Sooners
Jim Nagy will be tabbed as the SEC’s top offseason hire: How often does someone in an off-the-field role take center stage in the SEC? The general manager position is rapidly gaining importance in college football. We’re likely to see that evolution accelerate this season, thanks in part to the success already shown by Oklahoma with the arrival of Jim Nagy. He brings nearly two decades of personnel and scouting experience to Norman, drawn from the NFL and his time as executive director of the Senior Bowl.
Most importantly, Nagy is coach Brent Venables’ designated talent evaluator — tasked with managing the roster and identifying the right personnel fits for what Oklahoma wants to build on both sides of the ball.
After posting its second losing season in three years — the program’s worst stretch since before Bob Stoops was hired in 1999 — Oklahoma needed to connect on this hire. And with Nagy, the Sooners might have hit a home run.
Tennessee Volunteers
Multiple quarterbacks start games for the Vols early: Tennessee fans hoping Joey Aguilar will be a program savior, following Nico Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA, may want to temper their expectations. The Vols’ decision to part ways with the quarterback who helped lead them to the CFP last season was one of the most surprising and potentially damaging moves across the Power Four this offseason — and it could backfire in Knoxville.
Heupel has downplayed Iamaleava’s departure and shifted focus to the three quarterbacks on the roster, but this is a pressure-filled situation. Tennessee opens the season with a challenging stretch, facing Syracuse and Georgia within the first three weeks.
LSU Tigers
Brian Kelly makes second SEC Championship Game appearance en route to playoff berth: We’ve been high on the Tigers since February, so the SEC Media Days hype — while refreshing — is just another summer drink in Baton Rouge.
Brian Kelly has pushed all his chips to the center of the table this offseason, with substantial buy-in from both fans and boosters. He appears to have his best team yet at LSU and has taken a different approach ahead of the Tigers’ seismic season opener at Clemson. Kelly knows the pressure will be on if the Tigers don’t impress early.
Les Miles and Ed Orgeron each won national titles in Year 3 at LSU, while it took Nick Saban four seasons. Kelly would be just fine with that timeline.
Georgia Bulldogs
Bulldogs backfield poised to be one of league’s most-improved units: For much of the 2024 season Georgia’s backfield lacked the hard-nosed, talent-driven rushing attack that has become a hallmark of Kirby Smart’s tenure. The physical edge wasn’t there, and the Bulldogs averaged just 124.4 rushing yards per game — second-worst in the SEC.
That’s expected to change in 2025, thanks to the addition of Illinois transfer Josh McCray and the anticipated breakout from Nate Frazier. Frazier averaged five yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns as a freshman, forming the second half of a dynamic one-two punch with Trevor Etienne.
With Gunner Stockton taking over as the starting quarterback, Georgia is shifting away from the high-risk, pass-heavy approach seen at times under Carson Beck. The Bulldogs appear poised to return to a more rugged, run-first identity — one that emphasizes physicality and playing behind the pads.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Kalen DeBoer loses once in regular season yet misses out on Atlanta: A best-case scenario could unfold for Alabama this fall if its only loss comes against LSU in November. In that situation, the Tigers would win the head-to-head tiebreaker and reach the SEC Championship Game, while the Crimson Tide would still lock in a CFP berth with extra time to rest and prepare. It would mirror the path Ohio State took last season after watching from home while Oregon and Penn State played in the Big Ten title game.
No coach in college football has a better career winning percentage against ranked opponents than Kalen DeBoer, and he’s poised to flex that this fall. Year 1 in Tuscaloosa was a bump in the road for a proven program leader who now enters 2025 with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb back by his side and one of the league’s deepest defenses.
Texas Longhorns
Ryan Wingo produces program’s best individual receiving season since Devin Duvernay in 2019: Arch Manning needs a budding star he can trust downfield, and former five-star receiver Ryan Wingo is poised to fill that role in a big way this season.
Wingo averaged 16.2 yards per reception as a freshman in 2024 but saw limited snaps late in the year as Texas leaned on preferred targets Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Gunnar Helm. With all three now in the NFL, Wingo steps into a leadership role in the Longhorns’ receiving room.
Expect fireworks from this high-powered offense, with Wingo projected to approach 1,300 receiving yards and reach double-digit touchdowns.
Read the full article here
