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The 2025 SEC football season is suddenly right around the corner.
Earlier this month, we officially surpassed the 100-day mark until the first full college football Saturday of 2025. With roughly 3 months remaining before the start of the new season, we decided to ask 100 questions that have a significant impact on the upcoming campaign.
100 questions to define the 2025 SEC season
This is the fourth and final installment of this series. Interested parties can view Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.
Let’s break down the final set of 25 crucial questions entering the 2025 SEC season:
25. Could Auburn have the most underrated WR corps in the country?
Auburn is potentially loaded at wide receiver this year. In a normal year, Cam Coleman’s 2024 season would have landed him at the top of some freshman All-America lists. Eric Singleton is perhaps the best wide receiver who transferred this cycle. The Tigers are also very excited about sophomores like Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons. There’s still a lot of production that needs to be had, but this group has as much upside as any in the country for 2025.
24. If Jackson Arnold struggles early, will we see Deuce Knight?
Earlier in this series, I wrote about the reasons to be optimistic about Jackson Arnold in 2025. But what happens if he struggles again? Oklahoma was pretty quick to pull the plug last season and turn to a true freshman in Michael Hawkins, who was relatively unheralded compared to 5-star Deuce Knight. Auburn has a tough test on the road at Baylor in Week 1. If Arnold collapses in that game, will we see Knight as early as Week 2 against Ball State?
23. What will Tennessee’s offensive line look like with multiple newcomers?
Tennessee is projected to have just 1 returning starter on its offensive line for this fall: left tackle Lance Heard. Sam Pendleton is a transfer from Notre Dame and has some starting experience. The same could be said for Wendell Moe, who arrives in Knoxville after transferring from Arizona. But the rest of the offensive line will be made up of talented-but-inexperienced young players like William Satterwhite, David Sanders, Max Anderson, Gage Ginther, and Bennett Warren. That group of 5 linemen combined for 151 snaps last season.
22. If Vandy has another surprising year, does Clark Lea get a bigger SEC job?
In a previous iteration of this story, I brought up Shane Beamer as a potential candidate to move up the SEC food chain if South Carolina had a good season. The same could potentially be said for Clark Lea, depending on the type of year the Commodores have with Diego Pavia back under center. The Vanderbilt win total at BetMGM is just 4.5, so another bowl appearance would be a loud statement to SEC athletic directors.
21. Will poor returning production metrics matter for Texas?
Texas ranks 82nd in defensive returning production next season, per Bill Connelly’s latest update. That’s certainly not ideal, but it’s also far from a disaster when you recruit the high school ranks as well as Texas does. The problem — if you want to call it that — is also exclusive to the offensive side of the ball, where UT ranks 109th in this category. But with Arch Manning stepping in and plenty of blue-chip options available at other positions, it seems likely Texas will be just fine even without a high level of experience entering the year.
20. Which first-year starting QB will have the best season?
A note up top: I’m not considering players like John Mateer and Jackson Arnold who have starting experience at other schools. With that being said, the candidates are Arch Manning, Austin Simmons, Cutter Boley, Beau Pribula, and Gunner Stockton. Manning and Stockton will be under the most pressure. Simmons is walking into a pretty favorable situation in Lane Kiffin’s offense. If I’m making a prediction, I think I would say Manning, but there are plenty of intriguing candidates this year.
19. Will Texas vs. Georgia feel like a rivalry game in 2025?
Texas and Georgia played 2 very intense games a year ago, including one for the SEC Championship. These programs don’t have much history with one another, but it’s becoming clear they’re both going to be at or near the top of the SEC for the foreseeable future. They’ll meet again on Nov. 15, and despite just 7 previous matchups, I wonder if this will start to have the feel of a rivalry game.
18. What will Colin Simmons have for an encore performance?
Does it feel like Colin Simmons somehow went under-the-radar despite racking up 14 tackles for loss last season as a true freshman for one of the best teams in the SEC? Even if that was the case, it shouldn’t be in 2025. Simmons will be at the top of the scouting report for opposing offenses as they try to take down this vaunted Texas defense.
17. What happens if the Red River Rivalry is uncompetitive again?
Things could get ugly for Brent Venables if the Red River Rivalry is another Texas blowout. That would mean 3 blowouts in 4 years against the rival Longhorns, with the only exception being a miracle comeback led by Dillon Gabriel in 2023. Regardless, we should know a lot about the future in Norman by the time mid-October rolls around.
16. Can Texas take advantage of its relatively easy schedule?
While Oklahoma has arguably the hardest schedule in the SEC this season, Texas has the easiest. At least on paper. UT is scheduled to face Mississippi State, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. Those are likely to be the worst 4 SEC teams, although this league usually has a surprise or two. The nonconference schedule starts with a game against Ohio State, but beyond the Buckeyes, Texas won’t be tested there either. There are really only 4 games to potentially worry about in SEC play: Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas A&M. Even if Texas loses to Ohio State to open the year, I expect the Longhorns to go at least 3-1 in those tough SEC games and still finish above their win total of 9.5
15. Will Jaydn Ott get back to 2023 levels of health (and production)?
Two years ago, Jadyn Ott was one of the most electric running backs in college football. After an injury-plagued year at Cal, he’s now poised to become the lead running back at Oklahoma following a transfer during the spring window. When healthy, Ott is one of the very best running backs in the country. He could help transform an Oklahoma offense that was absolutely dreadful a year ago.
14. Is this the end of the 8-game conference schedule era?
Chatter about the future of college football has been rampant this week. The support for a 9-game conference schedule in the SEC seems to be growing, although it’s not official yet. Still, it’s possible this will be the end of the 8-game SEC schedule era. That’s worth remembering when you wake up on a Saturday in late November and realize that Alabama is playing Eastern Illinois on the same day as Oregon vs. USC and Penn State vs. Nebraska.
13. Will Dylan Stewart go up another level or have a sophomore slump?
Dylan Stewart turned in a monster true freshman season last year as he racked up 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. There are seemingly 2 possible pathways from here: He could level up again and be a contender for multiple national awards or he could endure a sophomore slump. Kyle Kennard is gone from South Carolina’s defensive line and he certainly took up a lot of attention from opposing offenses last season. With Stewart now at the top of the scouting report, will he still be able to produce?
12. Can KC Concepcion get back to an All-America trajectory?
KC Concepcion’s transfer to Texas A&M went under the radar due to his sophomore slump in 2024, but he could end up having a huge impact this fall. Concepcion burst onto the scene as a true freshman with NC State in 2023, when he totaled more than 800 receiving yards. From almost Day 1, it was clear he was NC State’s best offensive player. Now in Year 3, can he bring that sort of playmaking ability to Texas A&M?
11. Which SEC coordinators are most likely to leave for a head-coaching position?
Each year, numerous SEC coordinators end up leaving for head coaching jobs. Who could be a target this year, either for a Group of 5 job or perhaps even a power conference gig? Georgia’s Glenn Schumann should probably be at the top of the list, although Oklahoma’s Ben Arbuckle won’t be far behind if the Sooners exceed expectations this year. Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski will almost certainly receive interest.
10. Is this a make-or-break year for Kirby Moore?
Mizzou offensive coordinator Kirby Moore would have been in the conversation for the previous question a year ago, but I’m not so sure after a lackluster 2024. The Tigers brought back a ton of production last season but saw their yards-per-play average drop from 6.46 to 5.49. Some of that was injury-related, sure. But Moore will need to have a bounce-back season in 2025 to regain some of his coaching stock.
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9. What happens to Florida if DJ Lagway’s health concerns linger into the season?
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway has been dealing with injuries this offseason. Bill Napier has consistently said he’ll be ready with plenty of time to go before the season begins, but what if his shoulder issues linger? Florida plays LSU, Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M all before mid-October. Graham Mertz is gone, so there’s not much of a safety blanket if Lagway is forced out of the lineup. Like it or not, Napier is betting his tenure on a healthy season from Lagway.
8. Will Kalen DeBoer and Alabama have another unexpected slip-up on the road?
In some circles, Kalen DeBoer is already considered to be on the hot seat after just 1 season at the helm. That’s because Alabama missed the College Football Playoff, yes. But also because the Tide suffered 3 embarrassing road losses, including 2 as heavy favorites to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Here’s a silver lining for Alabama fans: those losses were out-of-character for DeBoer when looking at his previous FBS stops. Between 4 seasons at Washington and Fresno State, DeBoer’s teams were 18-3 straight up when favored by 10 or more. Alabama suffered 3 such losses in 2024-25 alone.
7. Is Brian Kelly really on the hot seat?
If LSU doesn’t reach the Playoff this year, could LSU really look to move on from Brian Kelly? The Tigers would be 0-for-4 in the Playoff department since his arrival, although they have won 10 games twice and took home the SEC West title in his first season. It’s worth noting it would reportedly cost more than $50 million for LSU to fire Kelly before November of 2026. That wouldn’t be an unprecedented buyout (Jimbo Fisher), but it would be pretty steep even for a program like LSU. Unless the Tigers really bottom out this fall, I’d guess Kelly is safe for another season at least.
6. What is the biggest trap game on the schedule for the entire SEC?
Earlier this offseason, I wrote about the biggest trap game on the schedule for each SEC team. If I had to narrow it down to 1 to circle, it would be Ole Miss vs. Tulane on Sept. 20. The reasons are sprinkled throughout each of the 4 sections of this piece. For Jon Sumrall, that’s a massive résumé opportunity. I also have significant questions about the state of Ole Miss’s defense given what it lost this offseason. And that’s to say nothing of the transition from Jaxson Dart to Austin Simmons, which remains to be seen.
5. Does Austin Simmons have Heisman upside?
While Simmons still has plenty to prove, I’d be remiss not to at least acknowledge his Heisman Trophy upside. Any quarterback in a Lane Kiffin offense should be considered a threat. It’s worth noting he looked great in his highest-leverage point of the season against Georgia. When Dart was out of the game with an injury against the Bulldogs, Simmons came in and led a crucial scoring drive just before halftime. Dart ended up finishing the game, but not before Simmons was able to complete 5-of-6 passes for 64 yards. It’s a small sample, of course, but it’s notable he was already prepared to come through in a clutch moment.
4. Will Mike Matthews live up to his 5-star billing in Year 2?
While 2024 was the year of the freshman wide receiver, Mike Matthews didn’t quite live up to his 5-star billing. He caught 7 passes for 90 yards and was mostly an afterthought in the Tennessee offense. The Vols need him to be much more than that this season for Joey Aguilar.
3. Who will lead the SEC in rushing?
The SEC’s returning rushing leader is Texas running back Tre Wisner, who put up 1,064 yards last season. Wisner is certainly a candidate to lead the SEC in rushing this fall, but I think he’ll end up splitting carries with the now-healthy CJ Baxter. Jadan Baugh, Jaydn Ott, Ahmad Hardy, and Caden Durham are the possibilities that come to mind. I think I would back Hardy given that he should have the least competition for carries in his own backfield amongst that group. A Mizzou running back has also led the SEC in rushing yards in 2 of the last 4 seasons.
2. Who will lead the SEC in receiving?
Pop quiz: How many SEC wide receivers cleared 1,000 yards last season? The answer is 2, equaling the total from the COVID-impacted 2020 season. That’s including bowl season. A smart bet would be on LSU, given that the Tigers threw it way more often than any other SEC team last season — more than 40 attempts per game. Nic Anderson or Barion Brown are both candidates there. Ryan Wingo is a sneaky pick at Texas, as is Deion Burks at Oklahoma. Cam Coleman, Mike Matthews, and Zachariah Branch are all worthy of consideration as well. But the obvious pick is Ryan Williams. Alabama should be throwing it a lot more often than it did a year ago and Williams is the Tide’s unquestioned No. 1 in that offense. Probably shouldn’t overthink this one.
1. How many SEC teams will make the College Football Playoff?
Only 3 SEC teams made the Playoff in the first year of the 12-team era. That was the result of a poor nonconference performance by the league. The SEC still nearly got another team or 2 in, but SMU and Indiana snuck in after 11-win regular seasons. This year, I’d set the over/under on SEC teams in the Playoff at 4.5. Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and LSU all have legitimate CFP aspirations, plus a few other programs.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
