SEC post-spring rankings: Conference has contenders. Does it have a champion?

Three long years have passed since the Football Bowl Subdivision national championship resided in the SEC.

These are painful years, too, especially given who has stepped up to replace the SEC atop the sport. Behind wins from Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana, the Big Ten has become the unquestioned power of the FBS.

Depth hasn’t been missing in the SEC, and that should be the case again in 2026. The conference has as many as eight or nine teams with legitimate College Football Playoff hopes, led by Texas and Georgia.

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But his season will be defined by whether the Longhorns, Bulldogs or another team steps forward to snap this current drought. With spring football wrapping up, let’s rank the SEC from first to worst as the league prepares a nine-game conference schedule:

1. Texas (10-3)

The Longhorns’ portal haul will make things easier on junior quarterback Arch Manning. Texas added major pieces in former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman and former NC State running back Hollywood Smothers to make sure the offense avoids the struggles of last season.

2. Georgia (12-2)

A new and untested receiver room will need to replace a huge chunk of production and help Gunner Stockton take the next step as a senior. Look for second-year players Talyn Taylor, Landon Roldan and Thomas Blackshear to take on increased roles while Georgia Tech transfer Isiah Canion brings some much-needed experience.

The Sooners are a team to watch after taking a leap into the playoff last season. Having already turned the defense into one of the league’s best, Brent Venables now looks for similar growth from an offense that brings back senior quarterback John Mateer and added receiver transfers Trell Harris (Virginia) and Parker Livingstone (Texas) to join established starter Isaiah Sategna III.

A crucial year for coach Kalen DeBoer should be defined by Alabama’s play on the offensive line. With four starters and several backups gone, this group will be reworked around a handful of Power Four transfers. A run game will be needed to support the winner of the quarterback competition between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack.

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5. Texas A&M (11-2)

That Mike Elko stayed in-house to fill both of last year’s coordinator vacancies makes sense given how A&M has improved across Elko’s two seasons. The Aggies replaced offensive coordinator Collin Klein with receivers coach Holmon Wiggins and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman with senior assistant Lyle Hemphill, who previously ran defenses at Wake Forest, Duke and James Madison.

Pete Golding was able to retain running back Kewan Lacy and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted another year of eligibility, giving new offensive coordinator John David Baker the building blocks for another top-ranked offense. But the Rebels are going to look much different on both sides of the ball after losing a truckload of contributors to the NFL and the transfer portal. The pieces are still there for a playoff run.

7. LSU (7-6)

The Lane Kiffin era begins with sky-high goals. LSU brought in the nation’s top-rated transfer class, landing maybe the best available quarterback (Sam Leavitt) and offensive lineman (Jordan Seaton) on the market, and should have the talent and scheme to quickly climb the SEC ladder after a disappointing 2025 season.

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Tennessee has a question mark at quarterback, where redshirt freshman George MacIntyre is expected to eventually beat out true freshman Faizon Brandon for the starting job. But how well the Vols defend the pass under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles might be even more important after ranking near the bottom of the SEC in passing yards and points per game in 2025.

The Gators will have a very strong backfield led by returning starter Jadan Baugh, a potential preseason All-America pick. New coach Jon Sumrall also brought in transfers Evan Pryor (Cincinnati) and London Montgomery (East Carolina) to bolster the group of ball carriers.

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Missouri will aim for at least eight wins for the fourth season in a row against what should be a more difficult conference schedule. The Tigers will take on Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Arkansas on the road, and draw the Florida, Texas A&M, Texas and Kentucky and Oklahoma at home.

One of the SEC’s biggest busts in 2025, South Carolina could hit the ground running with returning quarterback LaNorris Sellers against a friendly first-half schedule. The Gamecocks open with Kent State, Towson and Mississippi State at home before getting Alabama on the road and then hosting Kentucky. The biggest game of the year might be Florida in the Swamp on Oct. 10.

12. Vanderbilt (10-3)

Vanderbilt is a strong bet to reach bowl play for the third year in a row, which would match the program record set under former coach James Franklin from 2011-13. After going 7-6 in 2024 and 10-3 last year, the Commodores could tie or even exceed Franklin’s school-record 24 wins in a three-season span if true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis lives up the hype as the most ballyhooed recruit in program history.

13. Auburn (5-7)

Auburn’s offense could hit the ground running. New coach Alex Golesh brought along former South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown and four of the Bulls’ top five receivers from last season. Immediate dividends could lift the Tigers to their first winning season since 2020.

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14. Mississippi State (5-8)

Sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor will be one of the most dynamic players in the conference. He threw for 629 yards and ran for another 458 yards as the backup last season, including 173 yards and two scores on the ground in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi in his first career start.

15. Kentucky (5-7)

Kentucky hopes 36-year-old head coach Will Stein can provide a spark after a lackluster finish to the Mark Stoops era. Stein added quarterback Kenny Minchey from Notre Dame and overhauled the Wildcats’ receiver rotation behind newcomers such as former Oklahoma and LSU transfer Nic Anderson.

16. Arkansas (2-10)

Expectations are not very high in new coach Ryan Silverfield’s debut. One thing the Razorbacks should get from the start is more consistency on offense after Memphis ranked near the top of the Group of Five in scoring and yards per play in each of Silverfield’s final four seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SEC football post-spring rankings: League is loaded again. Is that enough?

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