By Brett Daniels
For all but two teams, the 2024 College Football Season is in the books. For the second year in a row, the SEC will not have a representative in the National Championship game after a streak of 10 years (Ohio State v. Oregon in 2014). The top of the conference underachieved relative to the preseason expectations, however, there were many bright spots with several teams outperforming their preseason win projections.
Teams are listed in order of conference finish (records are regular season + championship game)
1. Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)-The Bulldogs had high preseason expectations coming off their third straight undefeated SEC regular season, a 63-3 drubbing of Florida State in the Orange Bowl, and returning QB Carson Beck. Georgia also had to navigate arguably the hardest schedule in the nation and replace a lot of production that went to the NFL on both sides of the ball. An SEC Championship and first-round bye in the Playoff would constitute a successful season for most programs. Still, when you have won 2 of the last 3 National Championships it seems like a bit of a disappointment. GRADE: A-
2. Texas Longhorns (11-2)-Texas had a wildly successful first season as a member of the SEC winning 11 games and making an appearance in the conference championship game. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, they couldn’t solve their “Georgia” problem, losing to the Bulldogs twice, once at home in Austin and again in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. Coach Steve Sarkisian’s squad would earn a home playoff game against the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers and win the Peach Bowl against Arizona State before falling in the national semifinals to Ohio State. Texas had one of the best defenses in the nation but never could get the offense on track. GRADE: A-
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3. Tennessee Volunteers (10-2)-Coach Josh Heupel was forced to evolve this season after the offense failed to produce at the high-flying/high-speed tempo the Vols are known for, and the defense became the bedrock of the team along with a strong running game. Tennessee just missed making the SEC Championship Game and went on the road in the first round of the playoff, where they were soundly beaten by Ohio State. With a roster that is still just a tick below Georgia, Alabama, and Texas, it was a major accomplishment for the Vols to make the field of 12. GRADE: A
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3)-You never want to be the “guy” that follows the “guy” and Kalen DeBoer found that out the hard way in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide hadn’t lost three regular season games since Nick Saban’s first year (2007). Alabama came into the season with the second-ranked roster in the Blue-Chip Index behind Ohio State. With QB Jalen Milroe returning, the expectation was a National Championship or at worst a playoff berth. An early season shootout with Georgia seemed to announce that the Tide was on track to continue their dominance of the sport. Road losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma quickly dashed those hopes. A bowl loss to Michigan where the team looked unprepared and uninterested has led to a winter of discontent in the Yellowhammer state. GRADE: C
5. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3)-The “Portal King” Lane Kiffin was given a large NIL budget and a mandate to get the Rebels to the College Football Playoff. Coming off the school’s first 11-win season, Ole Miss was poised to take the next step and compete for the SEC and potentially the National Championship with the level of talent returning to Oxford along with the incoming portal additions. Spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave, Kiffin was able to bring in the top defensive tackle, defensive end, linebacker, wide receiver, and running back out of the portal. Unfortunately for the Rebels, it doesn’t matter if you beat Georgia when you lose to Kentucky, LSU, and Florida. GRADE: C
6. Missouri Tigers (9-3)-The Tigers had playoff aspirations after a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State to finish the 2023 season with QB Brady Cook and WR Luther Burden III returning along with a very manageable schedule. Rising as high as #9 in the AP Poll, Mizzou looked to have a great chance to make the 12-team field early in the season. After losing to Texas A&M and Alabama, the Tigers never made it out of the high-teens/low-20s ranking and were never a team considered for the bracket. A late loss to South Carolina would seal their fate. GRADE: C
7. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3)-The Gamecocks were a team that overachieved all preseason expectations where most pundits had them finishing at the bottom of the conference. A 2-3 record with losses against LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama seemed to have South Carolina fulfilling the preseason prognostications before the Gamecocks went on a seven-game winning streak, beating three ranked teams during that streak. By the end of the season, South Carolina was the hottest team in the country. Retaining QB LaNorris Sellers and LB Dylan Stewart was a top priority for Shane Beamer this offseason. GRADE: A
8. LSU Tigers (8-4)–Brian Kelly left Notre Dame to have an “easier” path to the National Championship due to the academic restrictions on incoming players in South Bend. LSU had to replace Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels and WR duo Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, Jr. Defensively, the Tigers looked to improve from a unit that was ranked 108th out of 133 teams to end the 2023 season. As has become custom, LSU lost the first game of the season to USC but would go on to win six in a row including an upset victory over Ole Miss. The Tigers would then lose three in a row, effectively ending their season. Meanwhile, Kelly’s old team, Notre Dame, will be playing for the National Championship. GRADE: C-
9. Texas A&M Aggies (8-4)-Under Mike Elko, expectations for the Aggies were tempered but also high as the talent level on the roster was equal to almost everyone else in the conference. QB Connor Weigman was returning from injury and the heralded recruiting class of 2022 were finally upperclassmen. After a season-opening loss to Notre Dame, the Aggies would rip off seven consecutive wins, including an upset of then #9 Missouri. Texas A&M would then limp to the finish line, losing four out of the last five games including the renewal of the Lonestar Rivalry with Texas. GRADE: B
10. Florida Gators (7-5)–Billy Napier probably doesn’t get enough credit for the coaching job that he and his staff pulled off this season. With a schedule that included Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas, LSU, and Florida State, a two-or-three-win season looked like a real possibility. Fortunately for the Gators, QB DJ Lagway was as advertised and the defense had several young players step up and contribute. Upset wins against LSU and Ole Miss, paired with a sound thrashing of a bad FSU team would give Florida an 8-win season that almost no one saw coming. GRADE: A+
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6)-The Hogs were a very up-and-down team losing an early season match-up with Big 12 cellar dweller Oklahoma State, only to bounce back a few weeks later and upset #4 Tennessee. Arkansas couldn’t sustain success and would go on to lose four out of their final six games to finish 6-6. Entering 2025, Coach Sam Pittman will be firmly on the hot seat in Fayetteville. GRADE: C-
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6)-Vandy is another team that the preseason prognosticators got very wrong. Most slated the Commodores for a 2-win season including 0-8 against an SEC slate that featured Alabama, Texas, and LSU. Instead, the Commodores would open with a solid victory against Virginia Tech and an upset of then #1 Alabama in Nashville. An inexplicable loss to Georgia State in week 3 is the only thing that keeps Coach Clark Lea and Vanderbilt from earning an A+ on the season. GRADE: A
13. Oklahoma Sooners (6-6)-When Lincoln Riley was Head Coach at Oklahoma, the Sooners would score points in bunches. Heisman-winning QBs would throw to first-round WRs and light up the scoreboard. The problem was always that the Sooners couldn’t stop anyone on defense. When Riley headed west to USC, Oklahoma hired a defensive-minded coach in Brent Venables. Now the Sooners have a very good defense but struggle to score points. This was evidenced by Oklahoma receiving a rude welcome to the SEC, going 2-6 in conference play. Venables will enter 2025 on the hot seat and will need his team to be competitive next year to keep his job. GRADE: C-
14. Auburn Tigers (5-7)-It’s been a grim few years on the Plains with Auburn wrapping up their fourth consecutive losing season. Hugh Freeze was brought in to turn the program around but has yet to succeed. Many thought this was a team that could win 7 games or more with an unexpected upset or two. Instead, the Tigers regressed on both sides of the ball due to inconsistent QB play and a lack of talent along the line of scrimmage. GRADE: D
15. Kentucky Wildcats (4-8)-The Cats are three years removed from a 10-win season and a top-10 ranking, but now find themselves at the bottom of the SEC. The lone conference win came in upset fashion against Ole Miss after holding then #1 Georgia to 13 points two weeks before. Key injuries and bad QB play doomed the Wildcats against a difficult schedule. Coach Mark Stoops has shown an ability to bounce back from underperforming seasons and will need a strong 2025 to keep his job. GRADE: D
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-10)-The Jeff Lebby era began about how you would expect in Starkville, with the Bulldogs struggling against MAC foe Toledo at home. Mississippi State continued to improve as the season progressed and showed fight in every game they played. Losing QB Micheal Van Buren to LSU was a big blow, but there is a chance that 2024 starter Blake Shapen could receive an extra year of eligibility. If Lebby can continue to upgrade the talent at Mississippi State, the future is bright. GRADE: B+
