SEC football power rankings entering the CFP

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The SEC had a college football-most five teams in the College Football Playoff. Two additional SEC teams (Texas and Vanderbilt) had opportunities to make the playoff, but came up just short.

The SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs take our top spot in the SEC power rankings entering the playoff. The Bulldogs have the best national title odds of any team in the SEC and it is easy to see why. Georgia has a bye in the first-round of the playoff and has a complete team that can win in a variety of different ways.

Beyond Georgia, we think Ole Miss is a lock to advance to the quarterfinals of the playoff. One of Alabama and Oklahoma are guaranteed to the make the quarterfinal against Indiana and we think the Alabama-Oklahoma winner will make life difficult for Indiana, but we like Indiana’s strong quarterback play to be the difference.

Overall, 11 SEC teams made bowl games in a up-and-down season for many in the conference. Five SEC teams (LSU, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and Auburn) fired head coaches during the regular season. Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin left for the LSU job in what was one of the SEC’s wildest periods of coaching turmoil in recent memory.

SEC football power rankings ahead of the playoff

1. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1 overall, 7-1 SEC)

Georgia is back-to-back SEC champions. The Bulldogs appear to be peaking at the right time heading into the playoff. Georgia is the only SEC team to earn a bye in the playoff and continue to look like the class of the best conference in college football. The Bulldogs look like the only SEC team capable of winning a national title this season.

Postseason: Sugar Bowl (CFP quarterfinals)

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

Texas A&M began SEC play with a perfect record before losing to Texas with a shot to make the SEC championship for a second straight season. The Aggies are doing well in the coach Mike Elko era and thanks to their 11-0 start, which featured a dramatic comeback against South Carolina, are headed to the playoff.

Postseason: vs. Miami (first-round of playoff)

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

Ole Miss enters the playoff with the best chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of any of the four SEC teams in the first-round of the playoff. Ole Miss is in the middle of arguably the best season in school history and is the No. 6 seed in the playoff, but things still haven’t been great for Ole Miss. Coach Lane Kiffin bolted for the LSU job opening and won’t be coaching the Rebels in the playoff. The Rebels promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach and will hope star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss returns next season.

Postseason: vs. Tulane (first-round of playoff)

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

Oklahoma is 2-0 against Alabama since joining the SEC and will look to make that 3-0 in the playoff. The Sooners have been clicking really well on the defensive side of the ball, but offense will prevent this Oklahoma team from winning a national title. Still, coach Brent Venables has built a contender at Oklahoma.

Postseason: vs. Alabama (first-round of playoff)

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-3, 7-1)

Alabama fell in the SEC championship and got excellent play from quarterback Ty Simpson for much of the season. However, the Crimson Tide have been out of sync at times and are unlikely to go too far in the playoff. Making the playoff is a nice accomplishment for coach Kalen DeBoer, but Alabama fans expect championships.

Postseason: at Oklahoma (first-round of playoff)

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

Texas fell well short of preseason expectations and will have to rebuild a bit entering the 2026 college football season. However, quarterback Arch Manning plans to return for another year, so the Longhorns have a lot to be optimistic about. Losing to Florida crushed Texas’ playoff hopes even though the Longhorns ended the year with a win over Texas A&M.

Postseason: vs. Michigan (Citrus Bowl on Dec. 30)

7. Vanderbilt Commodores (10-2, 6-2)

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finished second in the Heisman voting and helped the Commodores shock several teams in the SEC. It wasn’t enough to make the playoff, but Vanderbilt should be very proud of the season it had. The Commodores no longer look like an SEC doormat.

Postseason: vs. Iowa (ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31)

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

Tennessee did not beat an opponent with a winning record all season. The Volunteers will have a chance to change that in their bowl game against Illinois. Tennessee has won 38 games over the last four seasons under head coach Josh Heupel, who has turned the Volunteers into an SEC contender after years of struggles. Tennessee should be glad about their recent success, but needs to continue to make adjustments to try to compete as a national championship contender.

Postseason: vs. Illinois (Music City Bowl on Dec. 30)

9. Missouri Tigers (8-4, 4-4)

Missouri started the season with a promising 5-0 record. However, the Tigers went 0-4 against ranked opponents and just weren’t able to get over the hump against top opposition. Missouri leaned heavily on All-SEC running back Ahmad Hardy, but the Tigers did not feel the same after quarterback Beau Pribula’s injury.

Postseason: vs. Virginia (Gator Bowl on Dec. 27)

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

A disappointing year resulted in head coach Brian Kelly getting fired. LSU had high preseason expectations and returned quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, but the Tigers never scored over 25 points against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent all season. LSU had a promising season opener win over Clemson, yet this LSU team did not accomplish much. Former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is tasked with curing the Tigers’ offense.

Postseason: vs. Houston (Texas Bowl on Dec. 27)

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

Someone had to be the No. 11 team in the power rankings. Kentucky fired Mark Stoops and owes him a $37.7 million buyout. The Wildcats started the season 2-5 before earning three straight wins. Kentucky lost two blowouts against Vanderbilt and Louisville to end the season on a sour note. New coach Will Stein will stay with Oregon during the playoff as their offensive coordinator.

Postseason: None

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

Offensive struggles plagued this Florida team. Quarterback DJ Lagway could not get much going all season and intends to transfer. Coach Billy Napier was fired midway through the year. The Gators scored over 28 points twice all season (vs. FBS opponents) in a year when the Gators had a solid running back in Jadan Baugh and a defense that played well until the end of the year. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, the new Gators’ coach, has a lot of work to do for Florida.

Postseason: None

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

Of all the teams ranked below No. 10 in the SEC power rankings, Mississippi State had the most positive season. The Bulldogs notched a big nonconference win over Arizona State and won an SEC game after going winless a year ago. Mississippi State was much more competitive than it was a season ago (three one-score SEC losses) and gets to play in a bowl game despite being 5-7. However, the Bulldogs lost their three final games by 19 points or more and need to find some momentum.

Postseason: vs. Wake Forest (Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 2)

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

Auburn certainly was not the 14th most talented team in the SEC, but former coach Hugh Freeze, who was fired, just could not get the job done. The Tigers wasted some nice defensive performances and scored over 21 points just twice in SEC play. Auburn brought in South Florida’s Alex Golesh to be their new head coach. We’ll see if he ends up on the hot seat almost immediately like many of his predecessors.

Postseason: None

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

South Carolina was a preseason darling with many people predicting the Gamecocks to make the College Football Playoff. South Carolina struggled against a really difficult schedule and star quarterback LaNorris Sellers did not live up to high expectations. The Gamecocks are keeping head coach Shane Beamer, but he’ll be on a short leash next fall.

Postseason: None

16. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-10, 0-8)

Arkansas fired head coach Sam Pittman midway through the season and had the SEC’s worst defense by a significant margin. Arkansas wasted a pretty strong season from the offense and quarterback Taylen Green and will have to go back to the drawing board. The Razorbacks hired Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield.

Postseason: None

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: SEC football power rankings before the CFP

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