SEC Media Days are finally over. Four days that felt more like 14 to those in attendance have come and gone, and with it, we got the one part of media days that truly matters.
The preseason media poll. Yes, unlike those cowards in the Big 12, the SEC still conducts the poll of the slovenly media masses who made their way to Atlanta for the event, asking them for their predicted order of finish.
What stands out immediately in the poll this year is the number of teams to receive first-place votes. There were 11 teams that received at least one first-place vote, including two people who voted for Vanderbilt. So, you know, clearly not everybody takes the process seriously. But they should, because nothing is more serious than a preseason media poll!
SEC predicted order of finish 2025: Media tabs Texas over Georgia, Alabama as league champion
Will Backus
And boy, do I have a few bones to pick with the results! That’s right, it’s time to hurl the words overrated and underrated at some teams.
No. 1 Texas — Kinda overrated but also not?
I mentioned that 11 of the 16 teams in the SEC received first-place votes, but Texas garnered 96 of the 204 available, or 47% of them, which doesn’t come as a surprise. The Longhorns have reached football’s Final Four the last two years and are the betting favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and many others, as well.
Still, I do feel like we’re all a little too confident about this team, considering they have a first-time starter at QB in Arch Manning and must replace a ton of key players along the lines of scrimmage. The Horns have recruited well enough to earn some benefit of the doubt, but it feels like a lot has to go correctly.
That said, while Texas received more than twice as many first-place votes as anybody else (Georgia was second with 44), the fact that they didn’t receive more than half the votes suggests plenty of voters realize they’re far from a sure thing.
No. 2 Georgia — Overrated
This will be taken out of context, and I’m prepared for that. Also, Kirby, there’s no need to thank me for giving you the “nobody believes in us” fodder you crave. I don’t foresee a world in which Georgia isn’t one of the best teams in the country this year, but I’m also not convinced Georgia is the second-best team in the SEC this year.
Kirby Smart explained some of my concerns himself in Atlanta when he mentioned how young and inexperienced his roster is overall. The starters may not have a billion starts to their names, but they’ve been around for a while, at least. After that? There’s a lot of untested freshmen who could be thrust into large roles should injuries hit.
But even if they don’t, it’s a new starter at QB, and a lot of new faces along the lines of scrimmage. That latter part matters a whole hell of a lot in the SEC, where you’re facing NFL monsters on a weekly basis.
No. 4 LSU — Underrated
LSU has the same concerns along the lines of scrimmage as Texas and Georgia, though there’s part of me who wonders if a reset along the defensive line might not be the worst thing. Still, the offensive line is a serious concern.
However, unlike Texas, Georgia and the Alabama team ahead of LSU, there are no questions about Garrett Nussmeier and the receiving corps. There’s also Caden Durham at running back, who was excellent as a freshman and should be better this season.
When I look at the top four teams in the poll, I don’t see a vast difference between any of them, yet LSU doesn’t seem to get nearly the same level of belief. I think this team should be closer to second than fifth.
Listen, I love LaNorris Sellers, and I think South Carolina has been dismissed a bit too heavily by sportsbooks when it comes to SEC title odds. I also think that, when you get to this area of the SEC, the teams five through 10 are all far more similar than they are different.
But South Carolina finishing fifth and being picked to finish fifth are different things.
Dylan Stewart is back on defense, and he’s incredible, but every other significant contributor from last year’s defense is gone. The offensive line lost a bunch of starters, too, and I don’t know who this team’s top option is in the receiver corps. It all might click, and the Gamecocks might be fighting for a playoff spot again if Sellers takes a leap, but there are teams behind them in the poll that I have fewer glaring questions about.
No. 11 Auburn — Underrated
Every single team I’ve talked about has to replace huge swaths of their offensive line. Auburn doesn’t. Every starter returns, and the Tigers have a loaded wide receiver room led by Cam Coleman. They also have a former five-star QB in Jackson Arnold, who struggled at Oklahoma, but I don’t put Oklahoma’s offensive woes last season solely on Arnold.
Also, while the Tigers finished 5-7 last year, they were far more competitive in a few of their losses than the results indicate.
I have questions about the back seven of the defense, and Arnold still has to prove it at QB, but while I don’t look at the Tigers as a team capable of winning the SEC, they’re capable of finishing in the top third of the league.
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