One of the hallmarks of the pre-practice portion of college football is the release of preseason polls – and a prominent one released Monday shows plenty of parity atop the Southeastern Conference.
SEC sites in the 247Sports network predicted a near-tie at the top of the league, with Georgia edging out Texas for the No. 1 spot. The Bulldogs earned seven first-place votes and the Longhorns earned five first-place votes.
The slim margins continued from there, as Ole Miss and Texas A&M tired for third. From there, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Tennessee round out the top eight.
On the other side of the spectrum, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Arkansas round out the bottom of 247Sports’ preseason poll.
Georgia captured the SEC championship last season, downing Alabama 28-7 in the conference title game in Atlanta. The Bulldogs earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff before losing to Ole Miss 39-34 in the CFP quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl.
Texas finished 10-3 and narrowly missed a CFP berth following regular-season losses to unranked Florida and Georgia but downed Michigan 41-27 in the Citrus Bowl.
Georgia, helmed by Heisman Trophy contender Gunner Stockton, opens the 2026 season Sept. 5 against Tennessee State. Led by quarterback Arch Manning, the Longhorns open the 2026 season Sept. 5 against Texas State before taking on Ohio State at home Sept. 12.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
