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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

The SEC Teams with the Easiest Roads to the CFP in 2025

Conference maintains schedule from previous season with only sites, dates changed

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By Micheal Germanese

After the regular season concluded in 2024, a narrative started almost immediately about which teams belonged in the first 12-team playoff. The argument was that strength of the schedule should matter more than the number of wins and losses. That argument was pushed by Southeastern Conference defenders, whose rationale was that it’s just harder to win in the SEC.

Indiana faced the brunt of the criticism because of their weak non-conference schedule and also missing most of the top teams in the Big Ten. Texas, whose regular season mirrored that of the Hoosiers, faced none of the same scrutiny. And make no mistake: Come this November, this same argument will certainly show up again.

There are certain teams the argument applies to, while others have no claim to it. The SEC is no different than the Big Ten because of the elimination of divisions and expanded conferences make a balanced league schedule impossible. It’s even more true when you play the exact conference schedule from the previous year, making the elimination of divisions pointless.

Here are the four SEC teams with the easiest roads to the CFP in 2025.

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Missouri Tigers

Home 

Aug. 30 Central Arkansas

Sept. 6 Kansas 

Sept. 13 Louisiana 

Sept. 20 South Carolina 

Sept. 27 UMass

Oct. 11 Alabama

Nov. 8 Texas A&M

Nov. 15 Mississippi State

Away

Oct. 18 Auburn

Oct. 25 Vanderbilt

Nov. 22 Oklahoma

Nov. 29 Arkansas

Bye Weeks: Oct. 4, Nov. 1.

Missouri is coming off a 10-3 season, yet it still has a disappointing feel. That’s because the Tigers sat at 7-2 with three games left and were part of the playoff conversation. But after a 34-30 road loss to South Carolina, that conversation officially came to an end. The Tigers get to play the same conference schedule, and after a weak non-conference slate should find themselves right back in that conversation again.

Missouri only goes on the road four times this season, with their most challenging game coming in Norman, Oklahoma. The Auburn matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium is one game to keep your eye on if Auburn gets off to a hot start.

The non-conference portion of the schedule isn’t difficult to say the very least. Missouri does play Kansas on Sept. 6. The Jayhawks are coming off a 5-7 season and don’t do anything to improve Missouri’s strength of schedule. Add in matchups against Central Arkansas, Louisiana and UMass and the Tigers should have four relatively easy wins.

Missouri doesn’t leave the familiar confines of Faurot Field for the first seven games of the season. Missouri plays South Carolina, Alabama and Texas A&M at home this season unlike in 2024 when Missouri lost to all three on the road.

Missing Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU for a second straight year gives Missouri a golden opportunity in 2025. Will 2025 be the year Missouri makes its first CFP appearance? They definitely have the schedule to do it.

Ole Miss Rebels

Home 

Aug. 30 Georgia State 

Sept. 13 Arkansas 

Sept. 20 Tulane 

Sept. 27 LSU 

Oct. 11 Washington State

Nov. 1 South Carolina

Nov. 8 The Citadel

Nov. 15 Florida

Away

Sept. 6 Kentucky

Oct. 18 Georgia

Oct. 25 Oklahoma

Nov. 29 Mississippi State

Bye Weeks: Oct. 4, Nov. 22

Ole Miss finished fifth in the SEC last season after going 10-2 and just missed making the playoffs. The Rebels beat Duke 52-20 in the Gator Bowl to finish the season 10-3. In 2024

Ole Miss had the playoffs in their sights and controlled their own ability to get in. But after a disappointing 24-17 loss to Florida, control was then in the committee’s hands and they were left out. The good news: The Rebels will find themselves in the playoff mix again in 2025 for a second straight year.

Unlike the Tigers in 2025, Ole Miss plays zero Power 4 teams in the non-conference schedule. Ole Miss also gets five of their first six games at home. Those two factors should have The Rebels at 7-0 when they play Georgia on Oct. 18 in Athens.

Like in 2024, Ole Miss won’t see Texas, Tennessee, Missouri and Alabama in 2025, unless it’s in the SEC championship game. Like Missouri, Ole Miss missing a few of the top SEC teams along with a very weak non-conference schedule could come back to bite them again if they drop more than one game.

Tennessee Volunteers

Neutral

Aug. 30 Syracuse (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)

Home 

Sept. 6 ETSU 

Sept. 13 Georgia

Sept. 20 UAB 

Oct. 11 Arkansas 

Nov. 1 Oklahoma

Nov. 15 New Mexico State

Nov. 29 Vanderbilt

Away

Sept. 27 Mississippi State

Oct. 18 Alabama

Oct. 25 Kentucky

Nov. 22 Florida

Bye Weeks: Oct. 4, Nov. 8.

The last time we saw the Vols was in an embarrassing 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the playoffs. Tennessee finished third in the SEC in 2024 and went 10-3 on the season. The Vols will look to take advantage of the SEC using the same schedule from 2024 in 2025.

The Tennessee non-conference slate looks better than some with a matchup against Syracuse in Week 1. Syracuse went 10-3 a year ago with Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord as starting QB. McCord is gone and LSU transfer Rickie Collins is taking over for the Orangemen. Tennessee also plays ETSU, UAB and New Mexico State – not an incredibly difficult group of games.

The Vols conference schedule has Georgia coming to Knoxville on Sept. 13 and head to Alabama on Oct. 18. Those are the two toughest games the Vols play in 2025. If Tennessee can upset one of them, there will be a CFP game at Neyland Stadium. The rest of the SEC schedule looks very manageable considering the notable absences of Texas, Missouri, Ole Miss, LSU and South Carolina yet again.

Tennessee has QB Nico Iamaleava back, a favorable schedule and no excuse not to make the CFP in 2025. In 2024 Iamaleava threw for 2616 yards, 19 touchdowns and only five interceptions. With a year under his belt, he will be even better in 2025.

Texas Longhorns

Neutral

Oct. 11 Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas TX)

Home

Sept. 6 San Jose State 

Sept. 13 UTEP 

Sept. 20 Sam Houston State 

Nov. 1 Vanderbilt 

Nov. 22 Arkansas 

Nov. 29 Texas A&M

Away

Aug. 30 Ohio State

Oct. 4 Florida

Oct. 11 Oklahoma

Oct.18 Kentucky

Oct. 25 Mississippi State

Nov. 15 Georgia

Bye Weeks: Sep. 27, Nov. 8.

Texas played one of the easiest schedules inside the SEC a year ago. They get to do it again in 2025, thanks to the SEC using the 2024 schedule and just flipping the location of the games. Texas took full advantage of its schedule a year ago with a trip to the SEC championship game and a spot in the CFP. The only major changes to the Longhorns schedule in 2025 come in non-conference play.

A year ago, Texas headed to Ann Arbor for a matchup with Michigan. This season it’s Columbus and Ohio State. Ohio State’s offseason has been filled with change from players to coaches, yet the 2025 Buckeyes will be as talented as any team in the country. This game will be a great way to gauge how good both teams are. Texas wraps up the rest of their non-conference schedule against San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston State. When Texas opens SEC play on Oct. 4 against Florida, at worst they should be 3-1.

Besides the trip to Columbus, the other real glaring disadvantage on the Texas schedule is not playing a home game in October. The good news for the Longhorns is the four-game stretch is no murderers row with games against Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Mississippi State.

Their biggest SEC game comes against Georgia in Athens on Nov. 15. The Longhorns played the Bulldogs twice in 2025 and fell short in both games. The battle for the state of Texas will be the last game of the year again in 2025. This season, however, Texas A&M will be heading to Austin for the showdown.

Arch Manning is taking over as the starting QB and will be thrown to the wolves in Week 1 in Columbus. The following three games should give Manning the time needed to develop cohesion with the offense. 

There should be no reason Texas won’t earn a trip to the CFP again in 2025. The question will be: Can Steve Sarkisian finally get Texas over the hump and play for a national championship?

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