Every week, Evan Vieth and Joe Cook will rank the top 10 teams in the Southeastern Conference. Today, they establish a baseline before each team starts their 2025 campaigns.
Every week, Evan Vieth and Joe Cook will rank the top 10 teams in the Southeastern Conference. Today, they establish a baseline before each team starts their 2025 campaigns.
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Joe Cook’s top 10 in the SEC
1. Texas
Will they still hold the top spot on Monday? My guess is yes considering I picked Texas to win over Ohio State, 27-24.
2. Alabama
The pushback against Ian picking the Crimson Tide as national champions is a bit puzzling to me. No doubt, Ty Simpson is a big question. But what else on that Crimson Tide roster is a question? They won’t need him to be superman, let that be Ryan Williams’ job.
3. Georgia
The roster is a Kirby Smart roster. If their portal additions at wide receiver hit, Gunner Stockton is going to have a big year.
4. LSU
Who is the real Death Valley? Whose band plays Tiger Rag better? Can Brian Kelly win in week one? LSU may lose this one close but it won’t say all that much about them if they do… unless it’s 48-45.
5. Florida
Look, I know there are questions about DJ Lagway and his health. But if he’s playing, and he has that run game to work with, the Gators are going to MAUL people this season.
6. Texas A&M
No change for me on the Aggies. They will beat UTSA, but how many points will they give up?
7. South Carolina
I’m a little down on South Carolina since I last put these rankings together in June. I’m just skeptical of what’s around LaNorris Sellers and what’s around Dylan Stewart.
8. Ole Miss
I could see the Rebels flying up depending on how Austin Simmons looks.
9. Tennessee
Can Tennessee threaten the full field? That’s my main question.
10. Oklahoma
I bumped Auburn out of my top 10, and I did so right before the Tigers kick off against Baylor. I had to find someone, and I found the Sooners. They’ll make the most of a strong defense, but how good is John Mateer?
Evan Vieth’s top 10 in the SEC
1. Texas
They have the best roster in the nation, in my opinion. Whether that leads to a title is something I don’t know, but I do know that they enter the year as the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. The defense will be the best in the country, and Arch Manning only needs to be good for this team to compete for a title. The nice thing is, I think Manning will be great. Maybe even elite. If he is a Heisman-podium-level QB, Texas should be able to win the SEC.
2. Alabama
Bama is ridiculously talented. Elite receivers, Elite offensive line, Elite secondary. Injuries on the DL are concerning, as is the prospect of Ty Simpson needing to lead comeback victories at points in the season, but no one actually knows how good he will be. If he’s just solid, an upper-half SEC QB, Alabama will be in the Championship Game.
3. Georgia
Yes, the mighty Bulldogs aren’t a top-two team. They are supremely talented and have maybe the best player 11-85 in the nation, but they really lack stars. Stockton was unimpressive, the wide receivers are a lot of ‘What Ifs’, and the defense doesn’t have these top-five pick game wreckers like Georgia in the past. Still, they have depth and talent to compete for a title. It is Georgia after all.
4. LSU
The top four feel pretty set, though I am a bit lower on LSU than the consensus. I just need to see it before I believe it with the defense and Brian Kelly. Nussmeier is a baller, but he throws caution to the wind. The run game is one-dimensional. Still, there’s a ton of talent on that team and the offense should be explosive. Maybe Harold Perkins can be an All-SEC player. We can all dream.
5. Texas A&M
I really do think this is the fifth-best roster in the SEC. I also think Elko is a good manager of players. If the talent is there, he can win some games. Maybe they’ll be 9-3! In all seriousness, they are my No. 10 team entering the year. Marcel Reed with a full offseason as the starter will help, and their floor is extremely high. Le’Veon Moss is the best RB in the SEC, their OL is experienced and the defense is really good. They are a strong team.
6. Ole Miss
I don’t love the way Lane Kiffin carries himself on social media. I love how he builds his rosters. He won’t be able to out-recruit the top-four SEC teams, so he out-portals them, and it has worked. He should’ve done more with that roster last year, but there’s still a ton of talent on this year’s team. I think Simmons is going to be the breakout player of the year at QB and they will once again be great on defense.
7. South Carolina
In our roundtable, I said LaNorriss Sellers was the Heisman and No. 1 overall pick by the end of the season. Do I have any confidence in that prediction? Nope. Do I think he has every tool to be the best QB in the country? Absolutely. Sellers + Stewart is a killer combo on both sides of the ball, and there’s some Beamer magic going on in Columbia.
8. Florida
I just can’t fully buy in. Not too long ago, Napier was the laughing stock of the SEC and Gator fans were ready to run him out of town. He’s picked it up a little bit, but is he a top-eight coach in the SEC? Can they win more than 8 games on that insane schedule? With Lagway seemingly always injured, I see them dropping too many games to be anywhere close to the top five.
9. Oklahoma
I’ve come around on Oklahoma a little bit since the last time we did this. Mateer is a gamer, and the defense has legit NFL talent. But half their starting lineup is filled with OR’s and the receiving core is a joke outside of Deion Burks, who should be operating out of their slot. Kanak is TE1? I’ll fade.
10. Tennessee
Yes, the Volunteers return a lot of what got their team to the College Football Playoff in 2024, but that doesn’t include QB1, RB1, WRs 1-2 and a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t like Aguilar as QB1, especially given how late in the cycle he came along. Heupel is a good coach, but the defense is going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Category: General Sports
