Last season was the first time since 2014 that an SEC team wasn’t a representative in the national championship game. It was the first time since 2004 and 2005 that an SEC team hasn’t been a representative, and if that trend continues, it’ll be since 2000-02 that the drought has lasted that long. Will this year, someone break through?
1. Texas Longhorns (Prediction: 11-1, 7-1)
How many years were Texas fans saying “Texas is back?” Well, now they are—it’s not just a saying that makes other fan bases roll their eyes, the Longhorns, for the third year in a row, are serious contenders for the national title. For those past two national championship runs, the nation had to wonder if Arch Manning was the real deal. Now, the sports world is about to find out for a full season if the Manning prodigy has the chops to perform on the national stage.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian is returning eight players, three on offense and five on defense. For me, the biggest question mark is the defense. Texas will have four new starters on the defensive line. The man of the hour will be edge rusher Colin Simmons. Simmons recorded nine sacks last season as a freshman. He was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award winner, and is the reason why I’m confident that even though Texas returns those three starters, they won’t fall too far from the third-best defense in the nation.
Texas will get every team’s best this season with the huge target placed on the Longhorns’ back—the first test, a trip to Columbus, Ohio, to face the reigning national champions. Then, after three Group of 5 opponents, the Longhorns’ conference play features a road test against Florida, Texas’s only other road game that will be a challenge, and is against Georgia, my prediction for the lone loss on the docket for the Longhorns. The home games are pretty light, with the lone challenge being the annual Lone Star Showdown game against Texas A&M. A return trip to the conference championship game awaits Texas, and a possible trip to the national title game will be on the horizon for ‘Sark and his Longhorns.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (Prediction: 11-1, 7-1)
Head coach Kalen DeBoer has a knack for the second-season boom. In his previous three stops at Washington, Fresno State and even Sioux Falls, his team drastically improved. Now, he looks to turn the trick one more time at his most prestigious destination yet. Fortunately, for DeBoer, he returns 13 starters (six on offense and seven on defense).
Ty Simpson was named the starting quarterback. The former five-star recruit has never started a game in college, and this year won’t be easy at one of the toughest environments and fan bases to play for. Fortunately, he has wide receiver Ryan Williams to throw to. Williams was named First-team All-SEC as a freshman, and even more eye-popping, he was 17. Williams will be a huge key in an offense that ranked just 56th in passing last year. Another key contributor for ‘Bama is returning running back Jam Miller. Miller rushed for just 56 yards per game. With three returning offensive linemen, the Tide’s offense ranked just 42nd last season in total offense. Things should be drastically different this season.
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Defensively, the 21st-best defense in college football last year is bringing back seven starters. The challenge for Alabama is replacing star linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who led the team in tackles. However, as is the case for most Alabama teams, someone is always waiting in the wings. In 2025, it’s going to be linebacker Qua Russaw, who’s now in his third season, and the former five-star recruit is expected to become the next great linebacker in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama will be tested early against an improved Florida State, and then the Tide will wrap up their home-and-home this year with Wisconsin, a team they should have no problem defeating. The conference schedule will present its challenges—Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina and the Iron Bowl against Auburn will all be on the road. Alabama lucks out playing a Georgia team earlier in the season when the Bulldogs are still trying to find their footing, but the game I foresee Bama losing will be an upset against Missouri. Now, the home games are a bit easier against Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Tennessee and LSU. In case you are still curious, Alabama will be making its long-awaited journey back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2021.
3. Georgia Bulldogs (Prediction: 11-1, 7-1)
Kirby Smart has just two losing seasons in his time at Georgia—his first in 2016 and the COVID year in 2020. Now, with a revamped offense and defense, the Bulldogs will be starting over again.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton was a fun story last year, but his world was rocked when he had to go up against the Notre Dame defense in the Sugar Bowl with a trip to the semifinals on the line. Now, with a full offseason to prepare as the starter, the time is for Stockton to return Georgia to the semifinals. With him will be a crop of receivers that need to step up for the Georgia offense to keep being amongst the top passing offenses in the country, a mark that they were ranked 12th in last season. Wide receivers Dillon Bell and Colbie Young will be tasked as Stockton’s leading targets on the outside, along with tight ends Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie. Unfortunately, the passing game isn’t the only part of the Georgia offense that’s in question. The running game was abysmal, posting a 102nd ranking nationally. Running back Nate Frazier flashed last year, but will it be enough?
Defensively, the Bulldogs were 30th-best last season. With Smart as the head man, you can always count on Georgia being a tough team to move the ball against. Replacing Javon Walker and Malaki Starks will be difficult for Georgia. Safety, KJ Bolden should lead the way in the secondary, along with interior defensive lineman Christen Miller and linebacker Raylen Wilson.
Schedule-wise, Georgia plays an easier out-of-conference schedule than its other cohorts. The conference schedule, however, is always challenging in the SEC. Tennessee and Auburn will be tough road games, but the more difficult games for the Bulldogs are at home: Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas and then the neutral-site Florida game. Every one of those teams will be ranked coming into Athens, Ga. I predict Alabama will be the lone loss for the Bulldogs in 2025.
4. Ole Miss Rebels (Prediction: 10-2, 6-2)
There’s a buzz surrounding this Ole Miss program that the fan base hasn’t experienced in some time. Head coach Lane Kiffin has the challenge of molding together a team that only returns five players. The Rebels are losing experienced talent, eight players drafted, and all but one offensive lineman (tackle Diego Pounds) is returning this season. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons is an intriguing talent who should be a player to look out for in the SEC this season. Ole Miss was the second-highest-ranked offense last season and the third-highest scoring team. A lot of expectations for Simmons, who appeared sparingly last season.
It’s good that the second-leading receiver last season for the Rebels is back, wide receiver Cayden Lee recorded 57 catches and 874 yards. Joining him is Oklahoma State transfer wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who hauled in 52 catches for 882 yards. Former Penn State wide receiver, Harrison “Tre” Wallace III, who caught 46 passes for 720 yards, will need to take big strides this year to be beneficial for Simmons.
As a defensive unit overall, Ole Miss is just as inexperienced as their offense, but defensive lineman Princewill Umanmielen was one of the top-ranked defensive players to transfer last year. The highlight for me on this Ole Miss team is their two returning linebackers: Suntarine Perkins and TJ Dottery. Both were among the team leaders in tackles, with Perkins tying Princely Umanmielen (Princewill’s brother) in sacks with 10.5.
Ole Miss’s schedule is a mixed bag, as both manageable and tough. LSU and Florida, both being at home, are big advantages for the Rebels. Facing Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi State are pluses as well. The biggest hurdle will be the back-to-back road games against Georgia and Oklahoma. Most likely, these will be the two losses the Rebels suffer.
5. LSU Tigers (Prediction: 9-3, 6-2)
Head coach Brian Kelly has been under the microscope ever since leaving Notre Dame to take over at LSU in hopes of achieving the elusive national championship. After finishing in the top 10 in recruiting over the past three seasons, the national media is stirring as to whether or not this will be the season that Kelly puts it all together.
LSU was the seventh-best passing offense in the country last season. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw for more than 4.043 passing yards, which was second all-time in school history behind Joe Burrow’s 5,671-yard season in 2019. Nussmeier will have a trio of wide receivers, such as last year’s top target, Aaron Anderson, little-used wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr., who’s looking to break out, and wide receiver Zavion Thomas, who will need to make bigger strides this year. The biggest question mark for Nussmeier will be his offensive line—LSU only returns one starter from last season, center DJ Chester. Only one starter is an upperclassman in the expected starting right tackle, Weston Davis.
LSU’s defense only returns two starters on defense, a defense that ranked 61st in the nation. However, with the crop of highly-touted recruits mixed with some top transfer portal signings, the LSU defense should be much improved this year.
To open the season, LSU takes on Clemson in the battle of “Death Valleys.” LSU will be on the road in that game, and Clemson should win their home opener. Kelly has only one win against Dabo Swinney, and didn’t win in his lone trip to Clemson, S.C., back in 2015. Early on, LSU should suffer another loss when they travel to Oxford, Miss., to play Ole Miss, in a matchup that will feature two similar teams. After that, LSU should get on a roll—they’re talented enough, mixed with enough experience, to brush off a tough loss and win their next seven games before they have to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. A three-loss campaign, but two conference losses will make it interesting for CFP voters.
6. Auburn Tigers (Prediction: 9-3, 5-3)
It’s sink or swim time for Hugh Freeze. He hasn’t had a winning season as the Auburn head coach. So why am I assuming he can take a barely eligible bowl team to a possible CFP berth? It’s simple—their schedule is light. Auburn plays Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, all teams expected to be at the bottom of the SEC. Mix in a pair of wins against Texas A&M and Missouri, and you’ve got a team on the brink when they meet Alabama in the Iron Bowl to end the season.
For whatever reason, Jackson Arnold didn’t work out at Oklahoma. Freeze has had success in his coaching career at being a “quarterback whisperer” for quarterbacks that don’t necessarily get the national attention, but they’ve been great collegiate quarterbacks. First, he developed Bo Wallace at Ole Miss into one of the program’s best quarterbacks, then he saved Chad Kelly’s collegiate career, and finally, he turned Malik Willis into a day two draft pick. Now, he’ll turn his attention to Arnold to not only save Freeze’s job at Auburn but also lead this offense, ranked 29th in the country last year, and this team to the doorstep of the CFP.
Defensively, Auburn returns five starters: edge rusher Keldric Faulk was second on the team last season in sacks—he’ll need to lead an inexperienced group of pass rushers this season. Every starter in the secondary is back, and should improve their ranking of being the 52nd-best pass defense from last season. If everything goes according to plan for Auburn, is it enough to be a CFP team?
