Southeastern Conference football is experiencing a championship drought.
The powerhouse league hasn’t won or even played for a national title since the 2022 season. It’s a skid that just means more given the SEC’s nearly two decades of gridiron dominance, which included 13 championships over a 17-year span beginning in 2006.
But the conference has dipped since — even with the addition of Big 12 heavyweights Oklahoma and Texas — and finds itself trying to regain its stronghold in 2025.
“I still feel that the SEC, top to bottom, is as strong as you’ll find,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “We experienced that last year. We had games where you showed what your ceiling was, but you also had to back it up and play the next week. It showed every team could win on any given Saturday. We want to prove ourselves as a program but also as a league as well.”
Indeed, the SEC has something to prove for the first time in years.
Were the last two seasons, which ended with Big Ten heavyweights Ohio State and Michigan celebrating on college football’s biggest stage, a fluke or foreshadowing? Did the transfer portal and NIL money level a field that once seemed heavily tilted toward the SEC? Could revenue sharing deliver another blow?
Or will the SEC bounce back with a vengeance?
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart argues with an official during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Rodolfo Gonzalez
“Look, the more teams you add to the tournament, there’s greater variance to it,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “So I don’t necessarily think that we’re that far off.”
The SEC looked like it might get shut out of the College Football Playoff in 2023 before one-loss Alabama jumped undefeated Florida State to claim the final spot in the four-team bracket.
The league seemed poised to take advantage of CFP expansion last year. But Georgia, Tennessee and Texas got bounced in the 12-team tournament by double-digit margins, doing little to back up arguments that Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina should have made the field.
Seven months later, the conference has 10 teams ranked in the AP’s preseason college football poll, beginning with top-ranked Texas, and expectations of ending its championship slide.
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (2) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Mississippi, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. Credit: AP/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Championship contenders
The Longhorns have star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. anchoring one of the nation’s best defenses and quarterback Arch Manning, the latest from the Manning family tree, stepping in to replace Quinn Ewers.
No one would be surprised to see No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Alabama or No. 9 LSU end up atop the SEC. Those traditional powers have the talent to beat anyone, although the Bulldogs (Gunner Stockton) and Crimson Tide (Ty Simpson) will rely on new starting QBs. The Tigers, meanwhile, have Garrett Nussmeier back under center to go along with the nation’s top portal class.
Capable of a surprise
No. 13 South Carolina and No. 15 Florida were two of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch in 2024, surges that propelled LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) and DJ Lagway (Florida) into the Heisman Trophy conversation this season.
Sellers threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore and ran for seven more scores. Lagway was 6-1 in seven starts as a freshman but has since undergone core-muscle surgery, missed most of spring practice with shoulder soreness and been slowed in camp because of a strained left calf.
“I always say that pressure is a privilege,” Lagway said “Once you have privilege, that means people are counting on you to do big things. … That’s why I just love the game-day atmosphere because it feels like all eyes are on you and you’ve got to put on a show. That’s what I’m excited for.”
Not to be discounted
Coach Brett Venables hired five new coaches in the offseason at No. 18 Oklahoma, including offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. Arbuckle brought quarterback John Mateer with him from Pullman. Mateer was the only QB in the country to register at least 20 TDs passing and at least 10 TDs rushing.
No. 19 Texas A&M returns 15 starters, including QB Marcel Reed, and all four specialists. No. 21 Ole Miss has just four returning starters, but coach Lane Kiffin loaded up in the portal and says QB Austin Simmons has “elite talent.”
Coaching continuity
The SEC has no new head coaches for the first time since 2018 and just the second time since 2005. It’s a testament to the rising cost of buyouts and the need for patience while navigating college football’s ever-changing landscape.
But that doesn’t mean several SEC coaches can’t land on the proverbial hot seat. Venables, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Florida’s Billy Napier, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops top the list.
Marquee matchups
No one has to wait long to gauge the SEC’s strength this season. The league has five potentially challenging non-conference games in Week 1 alone: Alabama at Florida State; Auburn at Baylor; LSU at No. 4 Clemson; South Carolina versus Virginia Tech in Atlanta; and Texas at No. 3 Ohio State.
Throw in Oklahoma at No. 14 Michigan in Week 2, Texas A&M at sixth-ranked Notre Dame in Week 3 and Florida at No. 10 Miami in Week 4, and the SEC has plenty of chances to reclaim its spot atop the college football world in September.