The SEC is a competitive conference home to 16 teams, with six college football playoff wins and eight bowl game wins just in the 2024-25 season. Before the 2025-26 college football season, 10 SEC teams were listed in the Top 25 preseason poll, according to AP. Those teams are Texas, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Ahead of week four, 11 SEC teams are ranked on the AP Top 25 College Football Poll. As the season has started, almost everything has stayed as projected, with a few unexpected differences. Here is what has happened in the SEC so far.
LSU, Georgia among top teams in the SEC
Entering week four, the No. 3 LSU Tigers is near the top of the SEC with a perfect 3-0 record, including notable wins against the Clemson Tigers and the Florida Gators.
In the win against Florida, LSU fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier finished the game 15 for 27, 220 yards passing and a touchdown. The LSU defense had five interceptions, one being run back for a touchdown by sophomore safety Dashawn Spears.
The LSU Tigers is set to play its second SEC team on Sept. 27 against the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The Rebels has been forced to make adjustments on both sides of the ball for the 2025 season, due to the Rebels having a total of eight players drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, including notable names like first-round draft picks, defensive end Walter Nolen, drafted 16th overall to the Arizona Cardinals, and quarterback Jaxson Dart taken 25th overall to the New York Giants.
Ole Miss played in two SEC matchups so far this season, and won both of the matchups. On Sept. 6, The Rebels defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, 30-23, and the Arkansas Razorbacks, 41-35, this past Saturday.
Just behind LSU on the AP poll is the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia has started the season undefeated after a conference matchup against the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers ending in an overtime win, 44-41.
Georgia redshirt sophomore quarterback Gunner Stockton finished last Saturday's win 23 for 31, 304 yards passing, and two touchdowns
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart spoke on the intensity of SEC matchups.
“When you play in the SEC, and you are in these really tough top 10, top 25 matchups, they can go either way," Smart said. “They’ve played us physically, we've played them physically, and they all have been really tough physical games.”
The No. 8 Texas Longhorns is now 2-1 after wins against San Jose State and UTEP and a loss against No. 1 Ohio State. The Longhorns' first conference game is an away game against the Gators on Oct. 4. in Gainesville.
This past Saturday, the South Carolina Gamecocks fell to 2-1 after opening conference play with a loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores, 31-7. The Gamecocks are set for the second SEC matchup of the season against the No. 23 Missouri Tigers on Sept. 20.
The Commodores was unranked coming into its matchup with South Carolina. But after this win, the Commodores find itself at No. 20 in the AP poll and is 3-0, 1-0 in SEC. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finished the game 18 for 25, 177 yards passing and two touchdowns.
The Commodores' next SEC matchup will be on the road on Oct. 4 against No. 14 Alabama.
The No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners was projected to finish 10th in the SEC in the preseason poll, but has begun the season 3-0, with a notable win against the No. 21 Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 6.
The Sooners will play its first SEC matchup at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma, on Sept. 20 against the No. 22 Auburn Tigers.
“There's a balance with all of it. It's just handling success, staying hungry, staying motivated, staying detailed, staying committed to a process and how you play well,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said.
The No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers received lots of media attention after the notable quarterback switch with UCLA . Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava committed to UCLA in Jan. 2025, and the day after that signing was announced, senior quarterback Joey Aguilar left the Bruins and ultimately signed with the Volunteers.
The Volunteers then went on to win its first two matchups but recently lost a close game at home against the Georgia Bulldogs. Aguilar finished last Saturday's game 24 for 36, 371 yards passing with four touchdowns.
The No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies is currently 3-0 after Saturday’s late fourth-quarter comeback win against No. 24 Notre Dame, 41-40.
“We took one step forward tonight,” Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said regarding Saturday’s win. “Now we've got to rest and get through the bye week, and we've got to get a lot better as we head into SEC play with all of our goals in front of us.”
Texas A&M will play its first SEC matchup on Sept. 27 against the No. 22 Auburn Tigers.
Difference makers in the SEC
The SEC is home to some of the best college football players, as they broke the record with having the most players drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft as well as having the most for 19 consecutive years. The conference also harbors seven of the last ten Heisman trophy winners.
Oklahoma redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer leads the conference in passing yards with 944 yards. This is Mateer’s first year playing in the SEC as he spent the last three years at Washington State.
“It’s a real weapon and keeps defenses in really tough predicaments because he can throw the ball with great ability,” Venables said.
Arkansas redshirt senior quarterback Taylen Green leads the conference with passing touchdowns, with a total of 11. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spoke about Green and how the Rebels approached playing him on Saturday.
"Really dynamic athlete,” Kiffin said. “He’s a problem, and he’s a lot to deal with.”
Missouri sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy, who transferred from Louisiana Monroe and was selected to the 2024 Freshman All-America Team, leads the SEC with 462 rushing yards.
Kentucky senior running back Seth McGowan is leading the conference in rushing touchdowns with six. McGowan previously spent a season with the Sooners and a season with New Mexico State.
Texas A&M sophomore wide receiver Mario Craver, a Mississippi State transfer, is top of the SEC in receiving yards with 443, and Tennessee redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chris Brazzell II leads the SEC with five receiving touchdowns.
Kentucky senior inside linebacker Alex Afari Jr. leads with 26 total tackles, andTexas A&M redshirt senior defensive end Cashius Howell leads with three sacks.
What’s next?
The South Carolina Gamecocks will travel to the No. 23 Missouri Tigers for the Mayor’s Cup. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m, and the game will be streamed on ESPN.