College football’s deepest conference is stronger than ever this year
Published
Twelve teams, with five conference winners and seven wild cards.
This year, college football ushers in a new playoff era, and though the selection committee won’t have to leave an undefeated power conference champion out like it did with Florida State last year, there still figures to be plenty up for debate between now and December.
The SEC is at the forefront of the conversation. College football’s deepest conference is stronger than ever this year, and Texas, which migrated from the Big 12 over the off-season, currently hovers atop a group of six undefeated teams – five of which are currently odds-on favourites at FanDuel to reach the playoff.
Texas (-700 odds to reach College Football Playoff on FanDuel)
AP Ranking: 1
The Longhorns’ 31-12 win at the Big House in Week 2 was one of the biggest in the early going this season, but things get more challenging from here on out.
Texas opens its first season in SEC on Saturday against Mississippi State, then faces Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry before what could be the biggest game on college football’s slate this season – a home meeting with Georgia, in what could be a preview of the SEC Championship as well as the National Championship.
Quinn Ewers could miss his second straight game with an oblique injury this weekend, but he should be back when Texas’ conference schedule ramps up in a week. Though the Longhorns haven’t skipped a beat with Arch Manning against lesser competition, they’re eager to get their Heisman candidate back for their inaugural run through the SEC.
Georgia (-480)
AP Ranking: 2
Kirby Smart’s team narrowly avoided disaster in its SEC opener two weeks ago, a 13-12 road win against unranked Kentucky – a game in which the Bulldogs didn’t hold a lead until the final 12:20 of the fourth quarter.
On Saturday they renew hostilities with Alabama, eager to avenge the loss in last year’s conference championship game that cost them a spot in the four-team playoff.
This weekend’s meeting with the Crimson Tide opens a grueling stretch for Georgia. After that visit to top-ranked Texas next month, the Bulldogs play on the road against sixth-ranked Ole Miss on Nov. 9, then host fifth-ranked Tennessee a week later.
Georgia’s offence hasn’t its stride with Carson Beck yet this season – he was limited to 160 passing yards against Kentucky, the least since taking over as the starter last year – but the defence has allowed just 18 points in three games, including a 34-3 win over Clemson in Week 1.
Alabama (-350)
AP Ranking: 4
The Crimson Tide is the only team to beat Georgia since 2021 (a stretch spanning 47 games), and they’ve done it twice – both times in the SEC Championship.
On Saturday, new head coach Kalen DeBoer gets his first shot at college football’s current dynasty, in his first real test after taking the reins from the legendary Nick Saban, who retired following Alabama’s run to the Rose Bowl last year.
Jalen Milroe has picked up where he left off, throwing eight touchdowns and running for six more in Alabama’s first three games, vaulting himself back into the Heisman conversation after finishing sixth in voting last season. After making easy work of Wisconsin in a 42-10 win last week, he’ll get the first SEC test this weekend, before a three-game stretch next month that includes games against Tennessee, Missouri and LSU.
Tennessee (-350)
AP Ranking: 5
The Vols already have a pair of notable wins this season, crushing then-ranked NC State by 41 points in a neutral site game in Charlotte in Week 2, then storming into Oklahoma to beat the Sooners 25-15 last weekend.
Still not convinced? They’ll have opportunities to really sell themselves as national championship contenders in a home meeting with Alabama on Oct. 19, and then again when they face Georgia in Athens on Nov. 16.
Like the three teams above them on this list (as well as the one to follow), Tennessee has a genuine Heisman candidate at quarterback in redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava. But the Vols’ biggest strength might be on the other side of the field, where they boast what might be college football’s strongest defensive front, headed by edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who is a projected top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
Ole Miss (-310)
AP Ranking: 6
Quarterback Jaxson Dart leads all FBS passers with 1,554 passing yards, albeit against weak opposition – through four weeks, Ole Miss ranks 131st out of 134 teams in strength of schedule. But the Rebels did just what they were supposed to do against teams like Furman, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest and Georgia Southern – win, and they did it in a big way, outscoring them 220-22.
Lane Kiffin’s team hasn’t just picked teams apart in the passing game. Defensively, it’s allowed the fewest number of rushing yards in the nation, and is third with 25 tackles for a loss.
Kentucky will likely put that to the test in their meeting on Saturday, assuming it employs the same run-heavy formula (45 attempts and 170 yards) as it did in that near-win against Georgia in Week 3.
Missouri (+135)
AP Ranking: 11
Missouri outscored Murray State and Buffalo 89-0 in its first two games and had a gritty win over then-ranked Boston College in Week 3, before narrowly avoiding disaster in a double-overtime win over Vanderbilt in its SEC opener last Saturday.
Despite possessing one of college football’s most dynamic pass-catchers in Luther Burden III, the Tigers have struggled on plays downfield, with quarterback Brady Cook having completed just three passes of 20-plus yards through the air.
The Tigers still have a pretty direct path to the playoff, thanks to a relatively soft schedule – of the teams above them on this list, they only face Alabama – but they can’t afford a slip-up next weekend in College Station against Texas A&M.