The latest ESPN SP+ rankings are out, giving fans an early look at how each SEC team stacks up in efficiency and predictive performance heading into Week 3.
“What is SP+? In a single sentence, it’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency that I originally created at Football Outsiders in 2008,” ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote on Sunday. “SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking (hence the lack of unbeatens near the top), so it does not automatically give credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling — no good predictive system does.”
Alabama rises to No. 3 overall with a 25.4 SP+ rating despite a Week 1 loss, thanks to the strength of schedule and efficiency metrics. Georgia sits at No. 4 (23.4 SP+), while Ole Miss checks in at No. 5 (23.1 SP+).
Tennessee (No. 6, 22.2 SP+), Oklahoma (No. 8, 19.7 SP+) and Missouri (No. 13, 17.2 SP+) continue to impress, with each team undefeated after Week 2. Texas is No. 9 (19.7 SP+), South Carolina holds steady at No. 12 (17.3 SP+), Auburn is No. 15 (16.6 SP+), and Florida drops to No. 24 (15.0 SP+) after a shocking loss to USF on Saturday.
Texas A&M is No. 19 (15.7 SP+), LSU sits at No. 21 (15.3 SP+), and Arkansas is just behind at No.22 (15.3 SP+). Kentucky (No. 43, 7.6 SP+) and Vanderbilt (No. 37, 10.3 SP+) continue to struggle with consistency, though flashes of competitiveness remain. Mississippi State lands at No. 55, (5.6 SP+) but holds a 2-0 record.
SP+ also tracks strength of schedule and resume SP+, offering a predictive lens on which teams are truly performing above expectations. For SEC fans, these rankings provide an early roadmap of contenders and sleepers as the race for College Football Playoff seeding begins to take shape.
ESPN’s SP+ page will continue updating weekly, reflecting game results, efficiency metrics and predictive changes across the SEC and the college football landscape.
