ESPN final preseason SEC rankings

ESPN uses SP+ to project the SEC ahead of the 2025 season.

ESPN Final Preseason SEC Rankings

ESPN ranks Alabama atop the SEC in its final preseason order, second in the nation, with Ty Simpson as the starting quarterback and a revised offense led by a new coordinator. The piece notes that Grubb brings a Washington lineage to Alabama and could shape the Tide's approach this fall.

Georgia starts with Gunner Stockton at quarterback after Carson Beck's transfer, while the Bulldogs added playmaking targets in Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas through transfers. Texas sits No 3 in the SEC despite returning only a few offensive starters, with Arch Manning taking the reins and a defense anchored by players like Colin Simmons and Anthony Hill Jr. Ole Miss transitions to Austin Simmons at quarterback, and LSU leans on Garrett Nussmeier with a strong defensive group to support the offense.

Relying on SP+ for preseason rankings shows the pull of analytics, yet it also highlights their limits. A single quarterback change or a new coordinator can tilt a season far more than a static projection suggests. The SEC's depth means surprise results are still very much in play, and transfers or NIL considerations may influence who performs on game day.

As the calendar turns toward conference play, numbers may guide expectations but do not guarantee outcomes. Fans should watch how teams integrate new players, how defenses adapt to new offenses, and how well programs manage the budget and public sentiment around NIL and recruiting in a high stakes race for supremacy.

Highlights

The season will test how well numbers translate from page to practice.