USA Today releases preseason SEC Football rankings ahead of 2025 season

With training camp on the horizon, the anticipation is building for the 2025 college football season. All eyes are on the SEC ahead of an intriguing year, and USA Today has released its preseason rankings.

Despite losing multiple key pieces to the NFL Draft, Texas continues to generate buzz as the favorite in the SEC this year. Of course, the big storyline is at quarterback as Arch Manning takes the reins as the starting quarterback. But a talented running back room coupled with a staunch defense has the Longhorns atop USA Today’s preseason rankings.

The league looks to have plenty of depth once again, though. Here are USA Today’s full SEC preseason rankings ahead of the 2025 college football season.

1. Texas

The quarterback change is just one of the reasons Texas fans are optimistic about the 2025 season. Arch Manning is officially QB1 after sitting behind Quinn Ewers for two years, and he joins an offense that features a loaded running back room – led by Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter.

The Texas defense also looks to be a force once again after last year’s SEC Championship and College Football Playoff semifinal appearances. Safety Michael Taaffe is sure to be one of the leaders once again in the Longhorns’ second season in the conference.

2. Georgia

The reigning SEC champion, Georgia underwent changes this offseason, notably at quarterback. It will be Gunner Stockton’s show after Carson Beck’s departure, and UGA still comes in at No. 2 in USA Today’s preseason rankings.

Stockton will take of the offense full-time after taking over for Beck in the SEC Championship and in the College Football Playoff. CJ Allen will also lead the vaunted Georgia defense as he looks improve his NFL Draft stock during his junior season in Athens.

3. Alabama

Year 2 for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama is shaping up to be a big one. The College Football Playoff is the expectation after the Crimson Tide just missed out a year ago, but the biggest talking point is at quarterback as the competition nears its resolution.

Ty Simpson is the frontrunner to succeed Jalen Milroe as Alabama’s starter, and Ryan Williams is also back for his sophomore season as the top target in the passing game. The Crimson Tide also have strong offensive and defensive lines, giving them an opportunity to make some noise in 2025.

4. LSU

Now in his fourth year at LSU, Brian Kelly will look to finally get over the hump and into the College Football Playoff. He notably has his quarterback returning as Garrett Nussmeier runs it back for Year 2 – a period of success at the position in recent history.

The Tigers also went to work building out the defense this offseason with half of its transfer additions coming on that side of the ball. That will be key for Kelly and Co. following last year’s up-and-down season, and this year starts with a huge matchup against Clemson.

5. Florida

Florida ended 2024 with a surge, giving the Gators plenty of momentum entering 2025. DJ Lagway will begin the year as the starting quarterback after showing flashes of his potential before suffering an injury as a true freshman.

The Gators come in at No. 5 in USA Today’s preseason SEC rankings as they look to develop some of their young pieces around Lagway. It starts with the wide receiver room, which not only has Eugene “Tre” Wilson III returning and J.Michael Sturdivant coming in from the transfer portal.

6. Oklahoma

Ahead of a huge season at Oklahoma, Brent Venables made major changes. He took back defensive play-calling and made a splash by hiring Ben Arbuckle as offensive coordinator – who brought his quarterback with him from Washington State.

John Mateer is now in at quarterback to run an offense which also added former Cal standout running back Jaydn Ott. Additionally, the defense has a strong foundation with R Mason Thomas anchoring the pass rush, making Oklahoma and interesting team in the SEC in 2025.

7. Tennessee

Following a rollercoaster offseason, Tennessee will have some key pieces to replace in 2025. Nico Iamaleava is now at UCLA following his high-profile transfer and Dylan Sampson is off to the NFL – leaving two notable voids on offense.

Josh Heupel said a quarterback competition is underway with Joey Aguilar and Jake Merklinger at the forefront. On defense, Jermod McCoy is set to anchor the secondary once again, which could be important as the Vols go through the SEC schedule.

8. Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin has a slew of new faces at Ole Miss this year as he once again used the transfer portal to reload. The position of consistency, though, is at quarterback as Austin Simmons takes over for Jaxson Dart as the starter.

Simmons now has the keys to an offense that ranked as the SEC’s best a year ago with Dart under center. The defense also flourished under Pete Golding’s leadership and made a notable splash with former Nebraska EDGE Princewill Umanmielen coming in via the portal.

9. Texas A&M

Following a solid showing to start the Mike Elko era, Texas A&M is sure to dominate in the trenches once again this year. The Aggies have a veteran offensive line in 2025 to help protect Marcel Reed, who cemented himself as the starting quarterback at the end of last season.

The focus, however, will be on the defense under the defensive-minded Elko. Texas A&M will look to improve a unit which ranked 12th in the SEC with 367.3 yards allowed per game.

10. Missouri

Missouri is coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons under Eli Drinkwitz and will look to keep that streak in tact in 2025. Notably, the Tigers also have a new quarterback on the way to Columbia in Penn State transfer Beau Pribula.

Mizzou also ranks fifth in returning production on defense with 76% coming back in 2025, according to ESPN. That could help take some of the pressure off the offense this year with experience on both sides of the ball.

Rest of USA Today’s SEC power rankings

11. South Carolina
12. Auburn
13. Vanderbilt
14. Arkansas
15. Kentucky
16. Mississippi State

Training camps will start soon as the 2025 college football season approaches. For the SEC, it’s shaping up to be another interesting year now that Oklahoma and Texas have fully settled in to the league.