Georgia and Texas face off on Nov. 15. Will they meet again on Dec. 6 in Atlanta?
We saw last year why winning your conference is so important in the 12-team College Football Playoff era.
Which team will do it in the SEC in 2025? Are we headed for a rematch of last year's conference championship game?
In 2024, the top four conference champions got first-round byes. This year, the top four teams in the final set of rankings will be the top four seeds. If a conference champion finishes at No. 7 in the rankings, that team will be the No. 7 seed.
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It's entirely possible that two of those four byes in 2025 could go to SEC teams. But which ones?
SEC championship odds
Texas (+275)
Georgia (+320)
Alabama (+400)
LSU (+700)
Texas A&M (14-1)
Ole Miss (17-1)
South Carolina (18-1)
Florida (20-1)
Tennessee (22-1)
Auburn (22-1)
Oklahoma (25-1)
Missouri (40-1)
Arkansas (150-1)
Vanderbilt (300-1)
Kentucky (300-1)
Mississippi State (500-1)
Could Georgia and Texas play twice within four weeks?
A year ago, Georgia and Texas played each other twice before the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs’ defense smothered Texas in a 30-15 win in Austin in October before Georgia hung on for a 22-19 win in the SEC title game. Texas rushed for 1.1 yards a carry in each of those losses.
This year, their regular-season matchup has been moved from October, setting up the distinct possibility that the two SEC favorites could play each other twice in the span of a month. Texas visits Georgia on Nov. 15 … and then they could meet in Atlanta on Dec. 6 for the SEC championship game.
Georgia probably has the more favorable schedule of the two teams. The Bulldogs get Alabama and Ole Miss at home as well as the Longhorns, and then their longest road trip is a Nov. 8 game at Mississippi State. Contrast it with some of the schedules that West Coast Big Ten and ACC teams have, and Georgia’s schedule feels walkable to every destination.
After opening at Ohio State, Texas has three gimme non-conference games before a trip to Florida on Oct. 4. This year’s rivalry game with Oklahoma could be much closer than last year’s 34-3 blowout if the Sooners are truly improved on offense.
Alabama is looking to get back to the SEC title game for the fourth time in six seasons. The Crimson Tide should be 3-0 ahead of their trip to Georgia on Sept. 27. Alabama played the best half of its season in the first half against the Bulldogs a season ago in Tuscaloosa before needing a long TD pass to Ryan Williams to win the game in the fourth quarter.
That game in Georgia is the first of five in five weeks for the Crimson Tide in a stretch that includes three road games. Vanderbilt and Tennessee come to Alabama while the Tide go to Missouri and South Carolina.
LSU has a case for the best roster in the SEC, but its schedule firmly places it fourth among conference title favorites. The Tigers open at Clemson, play Florida in Week 3 and head to Ole Miss in Week 5. October includes games vs. South Carolina and Texas A&M, and November is bookended by trips to Alabama and Oklahoma.
Who else will get into the playoff and conference race?
Texas A&M’s promising season fell apart in a hurry in November. The Aggies reeled off seven straight wins after losing to Notre Dame in Week 1 and looked very impressive in victories over Missouri and LSU. But that LSU win ended up being the highlight of the season. The Aggies lost three of their final four games — including a four-overtime loss at Auburn — and were eliminated from the conference title race on the final week of the season by Texas in the renewal of their rivalry.
A&M brings back a lot on defense but could stand to find some pass rushers. The Aggies had just 25 sacks last year with Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart on the roster. Marcel Reed enters the season as the starting QB after taking over for good during that LSU win.
Austin Simmons replaces Jaxson Dart at QB for Ole Miss after the Rebels’ 20-17 home loss to Kentucky early in the season ended up keeping them out of last year’s playoff. The Ole Miss defense looks to maintain the high level it achieved in 2024; the Rebels allowed just 14.4 points a game and 2.3 yards a carry. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding got a new contract this offseason.
South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers emerged as one of the best QBs in the conference during the 2024 season and returns with four starters on the offensive line. If the Gamecocks want to capitalize on last year’s 9-4 season, replenishing the defense is imperative. South Carolina needs to replace six of its top seven tacklers and Kyle Kennard, who led the team with 11.5 sacks.
Missouri has won 21 games over the past two seasons and is an intriguing long shot to win the conference at 40-1. The Tigers haven’t decided on a starting QB yet between Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and Sam Horn, and could move all-SEC guard Cayden Green out to left tackle. The defense should be very strong with an influx of talent from the transfer portal like West Virginia LB Josiah Trotter and Georgia edge rusher Damon Wilson II. The schedule is favorable too. Mizzou doesn’t have to face Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee or Florida in 2025.
Coaches who need strong seasons in 2025
It’s highly unlikely there will be a second straight offseason of no coaching turnover. All 14 head coaches from last year return in 2025 and some are facing make-or-break seasons.
We’re high on Oklahoma after its moves through the transfer portal to add Washington State QB John Mateer, Cal RB Jaydn Ott and others in the transfer portal. Mateer arrived in Norman after the school hired Wazzu OC Ben Arbuckle to revitalize an offense that scored just 24 points per game in 2024. Oklahoma has a rough schedule, but eight wins could be necessary to keep Brent Venables from the hot seat. OU has gone 6-7 in two of his three seasons.
Hugh Freeze said at SEC media days that he expected his team to be in the playoff conversation at the end of the season. Fast forward to August and Freeze is now saying that his team could play three quarterbacks in Week 1 against Baylor. Does a three-QB team sound like a postseason contender to you? Jackson Arnold transferred from Oklahoma in the offseason but clearly hasn’t seized the starting job. Auburn hasn’t won more than six games in a season since it went 9-4 in 2019. That was during the Gus Malzahn era.
Arkansas went 9-4 in 2021 but has won 18 games in the past three years under head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks’ September could tell the story of the season in 2025. After Alabama A&M and Arkansas State, Arkansas goes on the road to play at Ole Miss and Memphis before hosting Notre Dame on Sept. 27.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, just wants a win in conference play. The Bulldogs were 0-8 a season ago under new head coach Jeff Lebby and are -115 to go winless in conference play. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are at +230 to go 0-8 and no other team has odds lower than 12-1.
Category: General Sports
