Final SEC Power Rankings of 2025

Well, folks — that’s a wrap on the regular season.

And what a regular season it was.

Ole Miss had a historic 11-win campaign and then, well… and then we won’t get into what happened after that.

After all was said and done, we get yet another exciting Alabama vs. Georgia matchup in the SEC Championship Game. Those 2 teams, along with Ole Miss and Texas A&M, are shoo-ins for the Playoff. Oklahoma seems like a lock, too. Can Vanderbilt make the 12-team field? That might be a tougher hill to climb.

At the very least, Diego Pavia should represent the SEC at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in a couple of weeks.

As for the power rankings? Let’s dive into the 1-16 rankings one last time this year, shall we?

16. Arkansas (2-10 overall, 0-8 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 31-17 L vs. Mizzou

Arkansas only allowed 25 pass yards to Mizzou and still lost by 14 points. Yikes. The Hogs didn’t win an SEC game this year. They hired Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield as their new head coach after losing out on Alex Golesh at the 11th hour. A bunch of fans protested. What a mess.

15. South Carolina (4-8, 1-7)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 28-14 L vs. Clemson

South Carolina didn’t have anything to play for but pride on Saturday against Clemson. It’s just unfortunate that Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks couldn’t dial up a bit more of that pride in front of their home fans. This was an unsatisfying end to an absolutely terrible season for a team that entered the year with legitimate College Football Playoff hopes.

14. Auburn (5-7, 1-7)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 27-20 L vs. No. 10 Alabama

Yeah, I bumped Auburn up a spot for keeping things interesting in the Iron Bowl. The Tigers have more talent on their roster than South Carolina, in my opinion. Now that they’ve hired Alex Golesh as their head coach, can they finally get back to the top tier of the SEC? We’ll find out starting next fall.

13. Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 38-19 L vs. No. 7 Ole Miss

Losing like that at home in the Egg Bowl was tough to stomach. Ole Miss thoroughly controlled Mississippi State in what turned out to be Lane Kiffin’s last game with the Rebels. The bright spot? Kamario Taylor continues to impress. We’ll see if he gets the full-time QB1 job next year.

12. Florida (4-8, 2-6)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 40-21 W vs. Florida State

Florida beat one of its biggest rivals. That’s a nice end to the season for interim coach Billy Gonzales, who deserved to go out on a high note. Now it’s on to the Jon Sumrall era. Not much more to say about the Gators.

11. Kentucky (5-7, 2-6)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 41-0 L at Louisville

I kept Kentucky ahead of Florida because of the head-to-head. Kentucky absolutely smoked Florida just a couple of weeks ago, and that has to count for something. I do find it interesting that the Wildcats let Jon Sumrall, heir-apparent to Mark Stoops, go to Florida. That might come back to haunt Kentucky in the coming years.

10. LSU (7-5, 3-5)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 17-13 L at No. 8 Oklahoma

In the ACC, a 7-5 Duke team is playing for a conference championship. That has nothing to do with LSU. I just find it funny. LSU got Lane Kiffin, though. So that’s something.

9. Tennessee (8-4, 4-4)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 45-24 L vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt

When your cornerbacks are out for all but half of 1 game, you’re not going to be a great defensive team. There were deeper issues on defense, yeah, but Tennessee was doomed from the start. Joey Aguilar had a heck of a year, but it’s unfortunate that it’ll end without a Playoff berth. This will be a season of what could have been. The offense was great. The defense was absolutely horrible.

8. Mizzou (8-4, 4-4)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 31-17 W at Arkansas

Mizzou won despite only passing for 25 yards. My question? Why even pass for 25 yards? I would have loved to see if Mizzou could win by running it on every single down. Go full service academy on the Hogs. Alas. Maybe next year.

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7. Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 38-19 W at Mississippi State

Look, I think losing Lane Kiffin is going to crush this team. It sucks what is happening to the Rebels right now, but if this team, as currently constructed, were to face any of the 6 teams in front of it on a neutral field tomorrow, I think it would lose. Ole Miss has every right to be mad. But whatever else you call him, Kiffin also has to be called an offensive genius. That genius is off to Baton Rouge now and the Rebels are worse off for it.

6. Texas (9-3, 6-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 27-17 W vs. No. 3 Texas A&M

If Texas didn’t lose at Florida, this would be a Playoff team. It’s that simple. Steve Sarkisian can bring up the wins all he wants, but that loss at Florida was a killer. The Longhorns need to reload along the offensive line and try to get off to a better start in 2026 now that Arch Manning has his footing.

5. Vanderbilt (10-2, 6-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 45-24 W at No. 19 Tennessee

I know Texas holds the head-to-head over Vanderbilt, but if that game was played on a neutral field, I think the Commodores win. Plus, the top 5 spots here are reserved for Playoff contenders that still have their head coaches. It’s silly to me that Vanderbilt isn’t a lock for a Playoff berth. Going 10-2 has to mean something in the SEC. Diego Pavia deserves to go to New York City for the Heisman ceremony, win or lose.

4. Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 17-13 W vs. LSU

The Oklahoma offense needs to play a lot better to compete in the College Football Playoff. But this defense? Well, that’s a championship-caliber defense for Brent Venables and company. This is a team worthy of hosting a first-round CFP matchup.

3. Alabama (10-2, 7-1)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 27-20 W at Auburn

Alabama has something special in this Isaiah Horton-Ty Simpson connection. Now the only question is: Does Ryan Williams still exist? It’s interesting that a matchup with Georgia awaits in Atlanta, as Williams made one of the best catch-and-run TDs in college football history against the Bulldogs last year.

2. Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 27-17 L at No. 16 Texas

No, Texas A&M isn’t heading to Atlanta. Do I still think the Aggies could beat the Tide on a neutral field tomorrow? Yes. That’s why A&M is No. 2 this week. Mike Elko still has a very talented bunch. Depending on the College Football Playoff draw, the Aggies will have a great shot of winning the whole thing as long as Marcel Reed’s ankle injury isn’t too bad.

1. Georgia (11-1, 7-1)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 16-9 W over No. 23 Georgia Tech (in Atlanta)

Was it pretty? No. Has Georgia had many pretty wins this year? Also no. Does it matter? For a third time, no. Kirby Smart and company continue to win. That’s all that matters. What will happen in Atlanta this weekend against Alabama in the SEC title game? Probably an ugly game! But Georgia will likely be right there with a chance to win in the 4th quarter. That’s what has defined this year’s Bulldogs.