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SEC

The Standard

Can anyone in the SEC produce the kind of defense-first, run-it-in-January championship run that Indiana used to beat them — or does the bracket stay crowded while the trophy moves to another conference again?

SEC carries real selection-room weight with 9 teams inside the top 25 and Georgia driving a legitimate national ceiling.

#1overall

#1in FBS

+11.4RR50

+15.6upper strength

16teams

9top-25 teams

SEC, at a glance.

Top 10 by power rating — last season final records.

Team Power Record RR50

Georgia

0-0 +19.9

Texas

0-0 +18.3

Ole Miss

0-0 +17.3

Texas A&M

0-0 +17.3

Alabama

0-0 +16.2

LSU

0-0 +14.6

Tennessee

0-0 +13.1

Oklahoma

0-0 +12.8

Missouri

0-0 +12.5

South Carolina

0-0 +12.1

Power snapshot Projected 2026 standing

The Standard

The SEC has placed five or more teams in the CFP field every year since the bracket expanded to 12 — but in 2025, Indiana (Big Ten) ended the conference's title run. The SEC still dominates the bracket depth chart. It just doesn't own the trophy anymore.

9 top-25 teams.

The depth argument for this conference rests on how many credible opponents are clustered behind the leader. The gap between the top and bottom is narrow — a sign of genuine parity.

The question heading into 2026.

Tools Matchup Simulator Compare Teams Playoff Forecast Style map Head to head Power map

The Reclaimer

Georgia Is Built to Win It Back

Georgia won back-to-back CFP titles in 2022-23 and still holds the SEC's highest power rating entering 2026. They didn't lose the conference because of talent — they lost the bracket because the schedule caught up with them. Georgia's 2026 schedule includes the games that could define whether this program is a dynasty or a window that's closing.

Why it matters →

The Coaching Story

Vanderbilt's Rise Has Changed What's Possible

Vanderbilt went 10-3 in 2025 with a recruiting class ranked #76 nationally — the biggest coaching premium in the conference. Clark Lea's program has gone from conference doormat to legitimate nine-win contender in three seasons. What they do against Georgia and Alabama in 2026 will tell us whether it's a trend or a year.

Why it matters →

The Question

Can Alabama Find Its Ceiling Again?

Alabama finished 2025 with an 11-4 record and an SP+ rank (#31) that doesn't match a recruiting class ranked #3 nationally. The gap between raw talent and on-field production is the defining question for the program in the post-Saban era. If the coaching catches up to the talent in 2026, the SEC reclaims the conversation.

Why it matters →

Active arcs our read

Hot8wk ago

Tennessee lands David Gabriel Georges, believed to be first $2M-a-year RB recrui

How will Ohio State recover from losing a top running back prospect to Tennessee?

Tennessee

Hot8wk ago

Alabama secures 3-star offensive lineman for class of 2027

Can Alabama sustain its recruiting success into future classes?

AlabamaSouth Carolina

Hot7wk ago

Georgia and Florida State set for 2028 game in Nashville

How will Georgia and Florida State prepare for their 2028 matchup?

Georgia

Hot3wk ago

Ole Miss faces key questions as fall camp begins

How will Ole Miss address its biggest challenges entering fall camp?

Ole Miss

Hot1wk ago

Ole Miss sues two LSU players over alleged unpaid buyout money

Will Ole Miss succeed in collecting the $1 million in alleged unpaid buyouts from the two players?

Ole MissLSU

All arcs →

Fan pulse Last 30 days · 7,675 mentions

14% positive 51% neutral 35% negative

Texas

1,213

→ neutral

Georgia

957

↓ negative

Alabama

937

↓ negative

Texas A&M

669

↓ negative

Oklahoma

633

↓ negative

Florida

572

→ neutral

Fan confidence — FBS percentile

Where each SEC program stands nationally in fan sentiment (100th = most positive in FBS, 0 = least). Conference median: 17th percentile.

Bullish-8

Leaning-30

Mixed-28

Mixed-25

Mixed-7

Mixed-15

Souring-26

Souring-26

Souring-33

Souring-31

Souring-15

Souring-15

Souring-35

Souring-40

Souring-9

Souring+6

Rivalry face-offs

The coaching premium

Recruiting class rank vs. SP+ performance — where coaches add or subtract value

Above line = coaching premium

Below line = underperforming

Gap = recruiting rank minus SP+ rank

Positive gap means the coaching staff won more than the recruiting class predicted. Data: SEC teams, 16 programs.

Standings

2026 final — sorted by power rating. Stature tag = interim Zeitgeist calibration (medium confidence).

#	Team	Record	RR50	Resume
1	Georgia Blue Blood#3	0-0	+19.9	+98.6
2	Texas Power Program I#9	0-0	+18.3	+97.6
3	Ole Miss Power Program I#14	0-0	+17.3	+97.2
4	Texas A&M Power Program II#17	0-0	+17.3	+96.9
5	Alabama Blue Blood#1	0-0	+16.2	+96.5
6	LSU Blue Blood#10	0-0	+14.6	+94.8
7	Tennessee Power Program II#19	0-0	+13.1	+94.5
8	Oklahoma Power Program I#8	0-0	+12.8	+93.4
9	Missouri Power Program III#28	0-0	+12.5	+92.7
10	South Carolina Power Program III#31	0-0	+12.1	+91.0
11	Auburn Power Program II#22	0-0	+10.8	+88.6
12	Florida Power Program II#16	0-0	+10.2	+87.2
13	Vanderbilt Regional Program I#76	0-0	+9.9	+86.5
14	Kentucky National Program II#53	0-0	+5.9	+74.0
15	Arkansas National Program II#52	0-0	+5.9	+73.7
16	Mississippi State National Program II#56	0-0	+2.7	+65.4

Projected Standings · SEC · 2026

Win Projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.

#	Team	W–L	PWR	AVG	≥9	≥8	≥7	≥6	≥5	≥4	≥3	≥2	≥1
Favorites
1	Georgia	6–3	+7.4	6.1	3	16	41	68	88	97	99	✓	✓
2	Texas	6–3	+5.8	5.7	1	9	29	56	80	94	99	✓	✓
3	Ole Miss	6–3	+4.9	5.5	1	8	25	51	77	92	98	✓	✓
Challengers
4	Texas A&M	6–3	+4.8	5.4	1	7	23	49	74	91	98	✓	✓
5	Alabama	5–4	+3.7	5.3	1	6	21	46	72	90	97	✓	✓
6	LSU	5–4	+2.2	5.0		4	15	36	63	85	96	99	✓
7	Tennessee	5–4	+0.6	4.7		2	11	29	55	79	93	99	✓
8	Oklahoma	5–4	+0.3	4.5		2	8	25	51	76	92	98	✓
The Field
9	South Carolina	5–4	-0.4	4.6		2	10	28	54	79	93	99	✓
10	Missouri	5–4	+0.1	4.6		2	9	27	53	78	93	99	✓
11	Auburn	4–5	-1.7	4.2		1	5	17	41	68	88	97	✓
12	Vanderbilt	4–5	-2.5	4.2		1	5	18	41	67	88	97	✓
13	Florida	4–5	-2.2	3.8			3	13	32	59	82	95	99
Rebuilding
14	Kentucky	3–6	-6.6	3.0			1	4	14	34	62	86	98
15	Arkansas	3–6	-6.6	2.9			1	3	12	32	60	84	97
16	Mississippi State	2–7	-9.8	2.4				1	6	20	45	75	94

How they play

Six advanced-stat dimensions per team, ranked against all 134 FBS programs, 2025 season. Every column reads higher-is-better. Click a column to sort.

ScoringConvertsBig playsDefensePacePass rate

Team	Scoring	Converts	Big plays	Defense	Pace	Pass rate	Identity
Georgia	+0.24	46.6%	+1.18	-0.08	70.9	42.0%	No explosive plays
Texas	+0.19	40.6%	+1.39	-0.09	64.8	49.8%	Big-play offense
Ole Miss	+0.31	48.5%	+1.30	-0.09	73.0	47.8%	Efficient offense
Texas A&M	+0.24	45.5%	+1.24	-0.11	69.5	45.2%	Balanced
Alabama	+0.20	42.8%	+1.30	-0.06	65.9	52.9%	Balanced
LSU	+0.09	39.5%	+1.23	-0.07	62.7	54.4%	Balanced
Tennessee	+0.32	50.1%	+1.27	-0.15	71.4	47.1%	Efficient offense
Oklahoma	+0.10	40.0%	+1.28	+0.04	66.5	49.9%	Lockdown defense
Missouri	+0.20	44.8%	+1.23	-0.03	70.5	39.4%	Lockdown defense
South Carolina	+0.10	37.9%	+1.34	-0.08	62.5	45.6%	Can't sustain drives
Auburn	+0.18	43.5%	+1.16	-0.05	67.9	44.4%	No explosive plays
Florida	+0.14	42.2%	+1.11	-0.15	63.2	49.3%	No explosive plays
Vanderbilt	+0.41	49.8%	+1.43	-0.18	61.7	49.9%	Big-play offense
Kentucky	+0.08	42.7%	+1.13	-0.17	66.5	46.0%	No explosive plays
Arkansas	+0.29	48.6%	+1.33	-0.25	65.3	48.6%	Efficient offense
Mississippi State	+0.17	42.6%	+1.29	-0.19	72.3	41.5%	Balanced

Identity is the single dimension where a team is most above or below the FBS average (pace, defense, big plays, or converting drives) — "Balanced" means nothing stands out either way. CFBD 2025 advanced stats, excludes garbage time.

Top players

SEC's highest CFB Index Scores, 2025 season.

#	Player	Team	National
1	William EcholesIDL	Ole Miss	#2 of 330
2	Colin SimmonsLB	Texas	#3 of 583
3	Diego PaviaQB	Vanderbilt	#1 of 146
4	Xavier AtkinsLB	Auburn	#5 of 583
5	Zxavian HarrisIDL	Ole Miss	#4 of 330
6	Ahmad HardyRB	Missouri	#3 of 326
7	Princewill UmanmielenEDGE	Ole Miss	#8 of 420
8	Trinidad ChamblissQB	Ole Miss	#2 of 146
9	Damon Wilson Jr.EDGE	Missouri	#11 of 420
10	Taylor WeinEDGE	Oklahoma	#13 of 420

Where SEC stands nationally

Conference strength by RR50 (round-robin adjusted power).

1 SEC SEC

+11.4

2 B10 Big Ten

+10.1

3 IND FBS Independents

+9.4

4 B12 Big 12

+8.3

5 ACC ACC

+8.2

6 P12 Pac-12

+5.3

7 AAC American Athletic

+5.3

8 MW Mountain West

+4.0

9 SB Sun Belt

+3.7

10 CUSA Conference USA

+3.6

SEC title odds

Best available American odds · sportsbook consensus.

#	Team	Odds
1	Georgia	+260
2	Texas	+300
3	Texas A&M	+800
4	Alabama	+800
5	LSU	+600
6	Ole Miss	+900
7	Oklahoma	+900
8	Tennessee	+1800
9	Florida	+2000
10	Missouri	+3000