SEC Power Rankings: Where all 16 teams stand with a month left until Week 1
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The SEC football season is officially less than a month away! Mizzou hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff to start things off on Sept. 3, but the bulk of the league will play Week 1 games on Saturday, Sept. 5. That means that, by this time next month, every SEC team will have played their first games.
With only a handful of football-less Saturdays left before kickoff, it’s a good time to check back in with where all 16 SEC teams stand compared to one another.
These updated rankings take into account updates from SEC Media Days last month in Tampa as well as early news from fall camps, which are kicking off across the country.
Without further ado, let’s get into the August SEC power rankings:
16. Arkansas
- Previous ranking: 16
I liked what I heard from Ryan Silverfield at SEC Media Days. He was confident and poised. I think he’ll eventually lead the Arkansas Razorbacks out of the SEC cellar, but it’ll take some time.
15. Mississippi State
- Previous ranking: 15
Mississippi State can climb out of this spot if Kamario Taylor is the real deal at QB. He’s going to be one of the most fun players to watch in the entire SEC this season and we’ll see him in his first true test of the year in Week 2 when the Bulldogs head to Minnesota.
14. Vanderbilt
- Previous ranking: 11
I’m bullish on Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt Commodores in the long run, but this year could feature some growing pains from a freshman QB in Jared Curtis. After a fairly manageable nonconference slate, Curtis will have to face a gauntlet for his welcome to the SEC — at Auburn, at Georgia and vs. Ole Miss. That’s a tough stretch for even a seasoned veteran to navigate.
13. Kentucky
- Previous ranking: 14
I’m ready to run through a brick wall for Will Stein. I loved what he had to say at SEC Media Days and the confidence he’s bringing with him to Lexington. Will it translate to wins? Probably not too many in Year 1, but I expect this Kentucky team to at least be dangerous on a weekly basis.
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12. South Carolina
- Previous ranking: 13
I’m bumping South Carolina up a spot because I’m cautiously optimistic about the updates coach Shane Beamer gave about OL Jacarrius Peak and Edge Dylan Stewart. Beamer said both guys are making progress in their recovery from injuries and should be ramping up for fall camp. The Gamecocks will need both of those guys healthy for the majority of the season to improve on a disappointing 2025 campaign.
11. Auburn
- Previous ranking: 12
The more I look at the matchup between Auburn and Baylor in Atlanta in Week 1, the more I think Alex Golesh and company should start the season with a resounding victory. Auburn is clearly the better team on paper on both sides of the ball. Dave Aranda’s seat is one of the hottest in all of college football. All signs point to Auburn starting the year 1-0. Anything less would be a disappointment.
10. Tennessee
- Previous ranking: 10
I’m remaining cautious with Tennessee. I think Josh Heupel is a heck of a coach, but the questions at quarterback and edge rusher have me worried. If I were running the show on Rocky Top, I’d go with freshman Faizon Brandon as my QB1 to build for the future, but we’ll see what happens when Week 1 rolls around.
9. Florida
- Previous ranking: 9
The hype is real surrounding Jon Sumrall. Saturday Down South‘s Neil Blackmon wrote about it last week. Florida is getting some buzz as a dark-horse Playoff contender. I’m not quite there with the Gators yet, but I do believe Sumrall will give the fan base hope this fall.
8. Mizzou
- Previous ranking: 8
Mizzou holds steady at No. 8. Ahmad Hardy is showing progress in his return from a gunshot wound. Eli Drinkwitz has shown that he can keep the Tigers in the middle of the pack in the SEC, at worst. There are some questions defensively, but I trust the infrastructure Drinkwitz has built in CoMo.
7. Alabama
- Previous ranking: 6
Bumping Alabama down to No. 7 is more about the team I moved up to No. 6 than it is about the Tide. But there is a ton of pressure on Kalen DeBoer this year and plenty of question marks. The QB battle between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack is secondary for me. Seeing how the offensive line performs is much more important.
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6. Oklahoma
- Previous ranking: 7
The more I look at the Oklahoma Sooners entering this season, the more I like them. John Mateer is healthy and has weapons around him. Brent Venables gets to lead another stacked defense. The schedule is brutal, and that’s a concern, but I’m confident in this team being a Playoff challenger again.
5. Ole Miss
- Previous ranking: 4
The offense has talent, but it lost its masterminds in Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. That’s going to hurt, even with QB Trinidad Chambliss, RB Kewan Lacy and some key pieces returning to Ole Miss. I still think the Rebels can contend for a Playoff spot under Pete Golding, but the early going could feature some growing pains.
4. Texas A&M
- Previous ranking: 5
My only major area of concern for the Texas A&M Aggies entering this season is the rebuilt offensive line. Otherwise, there’s plenty of talent on this roster to make another push for a Playoff berth.
3. LSU
- Previous ranking: 3
I’m still all-in on Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers. I think Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. will put together a top-2 offense in the SEC, and the defense has enough talent to be a top-5 unit. That combination should result in a Playoff berth and at least 10 regular-season wins.
2. Georgia
- Previous ranking: 2
Full honesty: I flirted with the idea of dropping Georgia to No. 3 in my rankings. But Kirby Smart has earned more respect than that. I have questions about the Georgia offense, but I had many of those same questions last season and all the Dawgs did was win the SEC championship. In order to avoid looking stupid, I’ll keep Georgia at No. 2.
1. Texas
- Previous ranking: 1
I, like Paul Finebaum, believe this is the year for Texas. The Longhorns and coach Steve Sarkisian have a loaded offense to work with, featuring 3 potential 2027 first-round picks in QB Arch Manning, WR Cam Coleman and OL Trevor Goosby. The defense has 2 additional potential Round 1 picks in Colin Simmons and Rasheem Biles. The Longhorns have a tough schedule to navigate, including a nonconference battle against Ohio State, but they have the talent to do so.
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Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
