SEC ESPN Football Power Index rankings for 2025

The 2025 college football season is upon us. Week zero is six days away, and the Oklahoma Sooners play football in less than two weeks. The Oklahoma Sooners are trending toward a bounce-back season in 2025 on the arm and legs of John Mateer and an improved offensive line. Experts like Josh Pate believe the Sooners are a top 10 team to open the season.

The Sooners are among several SEC teams with a chance to contend in the conference and secure a playoff spot. But it's a deep league, and the Sooners have a tough road ahead.

In the latest update to the ESPN Football Power Index, the Oklahoma Sooners are one of 12 SEC teams in the top 25. Eight of those SEC teams appear on Oklahoma's schedule this season. If you add Michigan, which came in at No. 15, the Sooners have a daunting nine teams inside the top 25 of the ESPN FPI on their schedule.

Here's how the SEC stacks up in the latest Football Power Index compared to where they ranked in the spring.

16. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Overall: 54

Post-Spring Ranking: 52

Projected Win-Loss: 4.4-7.6

Jeff Lebby has a big task in front of him after the Bulldogs finished 2-10 in 2025. At times, Mississippi State was playing competitive football, but there simply wasn't enough talent last year to keep them in games. Quarterback Blake Shapen is back to lead the way and if the offense can take a step, Mississippi State could be contending for bowl eligibility.

15. Vanderbilt Commodores

Overall: 49

Post-Spring Ranking: 56

Projected Win-Loss: 5.1-6.9

Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt stole the show in 2024 when they upset the Alabama Crimson Tide. They were the talk of the SEC in a season that welcomed Texas and Oklahoma to the conference. What do Pavia and head coach Clark Lea have in store for an encore?

14. Kentucky Wildcats

Overall: 43

Post-Spring Ranking: 34

Projected Win-Loss: 5.2-6.8

Kentucky brought in Zach Calzada to give the offense a little life after the Wildcats finished 119th in the nation in points per game. The Wildcats failed to score 20 points in seven of their 12 games last year and scored more than 30 just three times.

13. Arkansas Razorbacks

Overall: 27

Post-Spring Ranking: 22

Projected Win-Loss: 5.9-6.1

After a strong season in 2024, Taylen Green may be one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the conference heading into the season. If he can improve on his breakout season a year ago, which included a win over Tennessee, the Razorbacks could be a lot of fun to watch in 2025.

12. Missouri Tigers

Overall: 23

Post-Spring Ranking: 23

Projected Win-Loss: 7.3-4.8

Missouri is still trying to figure out its quarterback situation. Beau Pribula was expected to be the starter, but Sam Horn has pushed the former Penn State backup, and it's a full-blown quarterback competition. The schedule is manageable as the Tigers play Central Arkansas, Kansas, and Louisiana before hosting South Carolina on Sept. 20.

11. Auburn Tigers

Overall: 21

Post-Spring Ranking: 14

Projected Win-Loss: 6.9-5.1

The Auburn Tigers had the biggest drop of any SEC team from the post-spring Football Power Index to the preseason rankings. Auburn has a big nonconference matchup with Baylor in Waco that could be an indicator of what their season could be.

10. Oklahoma Sooners

Overall: 20

Post-Spring Ranking: 16

Projected Win-Loss: 6.3-5.7

The computer's expectations aren't very high on the Oklahoma Sooners, and a lot of that is due to the limited recent success. Brent Venables and his staff have recruited well, with more than 70% of the roster comprising of blue-chip players. The defense is going to be really good and quarterback John Mateer and the offense will be significantly better in 2025.

9. Florida Gators

Overall: 13

Post-Spring Ranking: 18

Projected Win-Loss: 7.1-4.9

Quarterback D.J. Lagway has been battling some lingering injuries this offseason but the expectation is that he'll be good to go for 2025. However, if he has a hard time staying on the field, the Gators will struggle to win games against one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

8. LSU Tigers

Overall: 12

Post-Spring Ranking: 12

Projected Win-Loss: 7.7-4.3

The computers are lower on the LSU Tigers than a lot of people and it's largely because the defense hasn't been consistent enough to project them much higher. Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense are good to go. They'll be explosive and put up big numbers this year. But if the defense can't find consistent stops in big games, it may put a damper on LSU's championship aspirations.

7. South Carolina Gamecocks

Overall: 11

Post-Spring Ranking: 15

Projected Win-Loss: 7.9-4.2

If the South Carolina Gamecocks are going to improve upon their 9-3 season from 2024, they'll need a big year from quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and the defense will have to replace several impact players.

6. Ole Miss Rebels

Overall: 10

Post-Spring Ranking: 13

Projected Win-Loss: 8.5-3.6

There are high expectations for the Ole Miss Rebels despite the departure of Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris, Chris Paul Jr. Walter Nolen, and Princely Unmanmielen. The Rebels had one of the best defenses in the country last year under Pete Golding. If Austin Simmons is ready to lead the way, Ole Miss will have a chance to exceed their projected win total.

5. Texas A&M Aggies

Overall: 9

Post-Spring Ranking: 8

Projected Win-Loss: 7.9-4.2

Mike Elko's fingerprints are all over this team. They'll run the ball well and play good defense. Marcel Reed has a high ceiling and proved capable of leading the Aggies last season. If he takes a step in his development, he could be the most exciting quarterback in college football this season.

4. Tennessee Volunteers

Overall: 8

Post-Spring Ranking: 10

Projected Win-Loss: 9.0-3.1

Tennessee might be the most overrated team in the Football Power Index. The Volunteers lost a ton of talent from last year's run-heavy squad and projected starting quarterback Joey Aguilar didn't get the benefit of spring ball with the team.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

Overall: 3

Post-Spring Ranking: 3

Projected Win-Loss: 9.5-2.8

Alabama named veteran quarterback Ty Simpson the starter for 2025. The expectation is that Simpson is a better fit for Kalen DeBoer's offense than multi-year starter Jalen Milroe was last year. Alabama may have had a down year in their first season after Nick Saban's retirement, but there's still a bunch of talent on the roster.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Overall: 2

Post-Spring Ranking: 2

Projected Win-Loss: 9.6-2.8

The Georgia Bulldogs projected win total dropped below 10 from the post-spring Football Power Index update. If anything, it highlights the wide-open nature of the college football and SEC landscape heading into 2025. But the Bulldogs are led by the best coach in college football, Kirby Smart, and you can bet the defense will be one of the best in the nation in 2025.

1. Texas Longhorns

Overall: 1

Post-Spring Ranking: 1

Projected Win-Loss: 10.4-2.2

The Texas Longhorns are the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation after taking the top spot in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. The pressure is on for the preseason favorite after back-to-back semifinal exits. Can Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns live up to the hype? We'll get our first answer in week one when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

What is the ESPN Football Power Index?

The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete. - ESPN Football Power Index

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners, SEC teams ranked by ESPN's Football Power Index