For the third straight season, the SEC failed to make the College Football Playoff national championship game. And for the third straight season, the Big Ten emerged as national champions after Indiana beat Miami in a classic.
The SEC had five teams in the College Football Playoff. Only Ole Mademoiselle reached the semi-finals. Much of this was due to how the field was split, which forced rematches between SEC foes Oklahoma and Alabama in the first round, and Ole Miss and Georgia in the second round.
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Although the Big Ten can claim its recent success, it still has a long way to go to catch up to the SEC, which won 14 national titles in 17 seasons before the last three years.
With the season behind us, here’s a look at how the The SEC finished in the USA TODAY Sports rankings 1-136 by college football writer Paul Myerberg.
3. Ole Miss Rebels
Austin Simmons: Ole Miss at Missouri. He was injured in the second game this season, opening the door for Trinidad Chambliss to become a starter.
Despite all the drama surrounding Lane Kiffin’s departure, Ole Miss had a great season. Pete Golding and Trinidad Chambliss held the team together long enough to make a deep playoff run and were a game or two away from playing in the national championship game. Now, all eyes turn to the courts where Chambliss hopes he can earn another year of eligibility.
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The most consistent program in the country couldn’t close out the Ole Miss Rebels in a classic in the College Football Playoff. Yet Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs won their third straight SEC championship with one of the youngest teams in the conference. Gunner Stockton will return to build on what was an excellent first season leading the Georgia offense.
Texas A&M had a good season but left a lot to be desired in its 10-3 loss to Miami and a blowout loss to Texas. Marcel Reed is back and will need to have a better season for the Aggies to take the next step.
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 01: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns throws a touchdown pass to CJ Baxter #4 (not pictured) during the first quarter of the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 01, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
Texas didn’t live up to the preseason hype. Sure, they’ve had a number of high-profile victories, but Arch Manning and the Longhorns suffered a disappointment against Florida that kept them out of the College Football Playoff. Steve Sarkisian and the Horns entered the transfer portal with an aggressive mindset and added a number of key weapons, including Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers.
12. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama emptied the tank to beat the Sooners in Norman and didn’t have much left for its trip to the Rose Bowl to face the Indiana Hoosiers. They will be dealing with quarterback turnover for the third year in a row and that will be the biggest question of the offseason facing Kalen DeBoer.
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13. Oklahoma’s Earliest
December 19, 2025; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) scores a touchdown in the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family OK Memorial Stadium. Mandatory credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
The Oklahoma Sooners had a golden opportunity to advance in the College Football Playoff, but unforced errors allowed the Alabama Crimson Tide to get back into the game, and by the time the Sooners recovered, it was too late. Oklahoma has been aggressive this offseason in improving the roster, hoping to make a return to the playoffs in 2026.
Clark Lea and Diego Pavia had the Vanderbilt Commodores on the verge of making the College Football Playoff. A weak non-conference schedule was the only thing keeping them out. Lea used that 10-win season to topple Georgia’s Jared Curtis. Huge things are happening in Nashville.
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Although the quarterback was the biggest story of the offseason, it was the Tennessee Volunteers’ defense that was the biggest problem. In their four losses, the defense has allowed 36 points per game.
December 27, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, United States; Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy (29) runs the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images
Missouri started the season 6-1 and with a three-point loss to Alabama. But they’ve gone just 2-3 in their last five games despite featuring one of the best players in college football in Ahmad Hardy. Was 2025 a return to reality for Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers after back-to-back 10-win seasons, or just a bump in the road.
LSU went 7-5, fired Brian Kelly and still came out on top, hiring Lane Kiffin to take over in Baton Rouge. Kiffin’s first big win was signing transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt. The Tigers should be back in contention in 2026.
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71. Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby’s second season in Starkville was improved from his first. After going 2-10 in 2024, Lebby and the Bulldogs picked up a win over Arizona State in non-conference play, then picked up their first SEC win to improve to 5-7 and make a bowl game. Can he build on what he did in two seasons at Starkvegas?
80. Kentucky Wildcats
Mark Stoops was the longest-tenured coach in the SEC, but couldn’t overcome a second straight losing season. Now, Kentucky will go with the architect of Oregon’s offense, Will Stein, to try to get the Wildcats back to bowl eligibility, and hopefully more.
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81. Auburn Tigers
Hugh Freeze couldn’t find a quarterback to play with consistency during his time at Auburn, and it cost him dearly. Alex Golesh hopes to have the same success as Curt Cignetti, bringing in a number of key players from Golesh’s days in South Florida.
82. Florida Gators
Billy Napier did not survive the season and there is turnover in Gainesville in Jon Sumrall’s first offseason at the helm. Even though it was a tough schedule, facing a 4-8 in the swamp is never acceptable. Sumrall is a good coach, but he will have to rebuild the Gators brand.
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October 19, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, United States; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) looks to pass as Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Gracen Halton (56) defends during the second half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
South Carolina was probably the most disappointing team in the SEC in 2025. After a nine-win season in 2024, the Gamecocks were expected to compete in the SEC and have a Heisman contender in LaNorris Sellers. Neither happened and Shane Beamer is back in the hot seat in Colombia.
108. Arkansas Razorbacks
There was a lot of potential for Arkansas in 2025 with the return of Taylen Green. But the bottom fell out pretty quickly and they fired Sam Pittman after an embarrassing home loss. Things don’t look very rosy for the Razorbacks. It may take some time to turn things around for Ryan Silverfield.
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This article was originally published on Sooners Wire: Where did SEC teams finish in USA TODAY Sports’ final 1-136 rankings?
