The SEC power rankings conversation is lazy this year and it's driving me crazy. everybody just slots Georgia at the top, Texas second, and then throws Alabama third by default like we're still in 2020. Georgia finished 2025 ranked 4th in SP+ and lost their entire starting secondary to the NFL draft. Texas returns a QB who threw for 3,200 yards but their offensive line gave up 28 sacks and they lost two starting tackles. Alabama brought in six portal offensive linemen this spring and nobody wants to talk about how that many new bodies means zero continuity in pass protection.
Florida sits at 11th in the 2027 recruiting rankings with no five-stars and the national media acts like the program is in shambles. The Gators finished 37th in SP+ last year with a roster that had 14 scholarship players in their first year of FBS action. That number drops to 8 this fall. The growth is real and the schedule sets up for a jump nobody is projecting.
Ole Miss is the team everybody is sleeping on in the SEC hierarchy. The Rebels return 70% of their defensive production and their offensive EPA per play was top 15 nationally. They don't have the recruiting star power but the roster continuity is better than anyone in the division outside of maybe Tennessee. The conference is deeper than the top-heavy narrative suggests and Florida's trajectory is better than the 11th place projections imply.