The SEC has been the gold standard in college football for decades now, and it’s not just because of tradition or past success. It’s because the top programs keep finding ways to stay on top. These teams don’t rebuild; they reload, and the transfer portal has only made that easier. It’s become a major part of how schools like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Texas keep their rosters stocked with elite talent. Whether it’s standout players from smaller schools looking for a bigger stage and better NIL deals, or entire position groups being overhauled through the portal, the SEC always seems to come out ahead. Roster turnover hits other conferences hard, but the SEC has figured out how to use it to its advantage. In this article, I’ll reveal the second part of my SEC predictions and previews consisting of the following teams: Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, and Mississippi State.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Georgia Bulldogs

8/30 – vs. Marshall – Win

9/6 – vs. Austin Peay – Win

9/13 – @ Tennessee – Win

9/20 – BYE

9/27 – vs. Alabama – Win

10/4 – vs. Kentucky – Win

10/11 – @ Auburn – Loss

10/18 – vs. Ole Miss – Win

10/25 – BYE

11/1 – vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, FL) – Win

11/8 – @ Mississippi State – Win

11/15 – vs. Texas – Win

11/22 – vs. Charlotte – Win

11/28 – @ Georgia Tech – Loss

Final Record: 10-2 (7-1)

Georgia has arguably been the most dominant team in the country since 2021 behind the genius of Kirby Smart, but even after winning last year’s SEC title, they weren’t quite as dominant as before. The Bulldogs lost an early heartbreaker to Alabama and got crushed in Oxford by Ole Miss, and they had close calls against Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia Tech in an eight-overtime battle.

The offense, led by Mike Bobo, missed Carson Beck in their 26-13 Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame, and they’ll miss Beck even more now that he’s at Miami. Enter Gunner Stockton, a former five-star recruit who finally received his opportunity in the second half of the SEC Championship, and even without Trevor Etienne in the backfield, he’ll have leading rusher Nate Frazier back as well as two huge power backs in Roderick Robinson II and Illinois transfer Josh McCray. At wide receiver, Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett went pro, but a new duo arrives in USC’s Zachariah Branch and Texas A&M’s Noah Thomas, who join Dillon Bell and Colbie Young. The tight end room has been the secret strength on the offense as of late, and it’ll be solid again with both Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie back. The offensive line will be the second-biggest question mark behind quarterback as four starters are gone, but Georgia always manages to have giants with NFL potential waiting in the wings.

Glenn Schumann also returns as defensive coordinator, and although he lost three stars in the first round of the NFL Draft including the duo of Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker that combined for 11.5 sacks in 2024, his unit is always loaded with former five-star talent. Army transfer Elo Modozie is an athletic freak that took over games last year, and Gabe Harris Jr. possesses solid size and pass-rushing skills. Christen Miller is a solid interior player, but someone needs to step up beside him to make the line great once again. At linebacker, they always produce the best-of-the-best, and next up are run stoppers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson, who are solid replacements for Smael Mondon Jr. and Chaz Chambliss. The secondary might’ve lost the nation’s best safety in Malaki Starks, but it has the most on-field experience with Daylen Everette back at corner and KJ Bolden at safety following a big-time freshman campaign.

Their non-conference schedule doesn’t have any challenges until rivalry week against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but even with Tennessee and Auburn on the road and Florida in Jacksonville, their biggest games are at home against Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas.

The Dawgs should find themselves in the same boat this year with a couple of tough losses on the road, but they’ll find ways to earn big home wins and pave the way for their fifth-straight SEC Championship appearance and fourth College Football Playoff spot in five years.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Kentucky Wildcats

8/30 – vs. Toledo – Win

9/6 – vs. Ole Miss – Loss

9/13 – vs. Eastern Michigan – Win

9/20 – BYE

9/27 – @ South Carolina – Loss

10/4 – @ Georgia – Loss

10/11 – BYE

10/18 – vs. Texas – Loss

10/25 – vs. Tennessee – Win

11/1 – @ Auburn – Loss

11/8 – vs. Florida – Loss

11/15 – vs. Tennessee Tech – Win

11/22 – @ Vanderbilt – Loss

11/29 – @ Louisville – Loss

Final Record: 4-8 (1-7)

For much of the past decade, Mark Stoops built Kentucky into a gritty, overachieving program that consistently punched above its weight in the SEC. But in 2024, all that momentum unraveled. The Wildcats stumbled to a 4-8 record—their worst since 2015—and showed troubling signs across the board. They pulled off a surprise win at Ole Miss, but were otherwise overwhelmed by contenders like Texas, Tennessee, and South Carolina, and even more damaging were home losses to Auburn and Vanderbilt, two teams struggling to stay afloat themselves. Kentucky’s defense lost its edge, the offense lacked rhythm, and the identity Stoops had carefully crafted seemed to vanish overnight. Heading into 2025, Stoops faces as much pressure as he ever has in Lexington.

Second-year offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan inherits a group that’s undergone serious turnover. Former five-star quarterback Devin Leary is gone, and the starting job likely falls to Incarnate Word transfer Zach Calzada, best known for his 2021 win over Alabama while at Texas A&M. Redshirt freshman Cutter Boley will push him after showing flashes late last season. The backfield looks deeper with Nebraska transfer Dante Dowdell and New Mexico State’s Seth McGowan, who rushed for over 800 yards last season. At receiver, the Wildcats lost stars Barion Brown and Dane Key to the portal, leaving former Alabama wideout Kendrick Law to lead a group that also includes Ja’Mori Maclin and Hardley Gilmore IV. The offensive line—surprisingly one of the team’s weak points in 2024—adds help in the form of transfers Shiyazh Pete, Joshua Braun, and Alex Wollschlaeger. Tight ends Willie Rodriguez and Josh Kattus will be leaned on for stability.

On defense, seventh-year coordinator Brad White has his work cut out for him. Kentucky lost standout edge JJ Weaver and linemen Deone Walker, Tre’vonn Rybka, and Octavious Oxendine, leaving Khalil Saunders as the lone returning presence up front, who’ll be joined by transfers Mi’Quise Grace and David Gusta. Kam Olds brings edge rushing ability from Kent State, while Alex Afari Jr. returns as one of Stoops’s more athletic linebackers. The secondary was hit hard too—Maxwell Hairston and Zion Childress are both NFL-bound, returning safety Jordan Lovett will be counted on to anchor the back end with Jonquis Hardaway and DJ Waller Jr. stepping up at the corner spots.

Kentucky’s schedule won’t make any sort of bounce-back easy. The Wildcats open with a tricky game against Group of Five power Toledo and host Ole Miss early in the year. Later stretches include road trips to South Carolina and Georgia, and a brutal November that features Texas, Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida. They’ll also close the year at high-powered Louisville, who flattened the Wildcats a year ago.

With heavy roster turnover and one of the toughest slates in the country, Kentucky looks poised to struggle again in 2025. If things don’t turn quickly, Stoops’ long-standing run in Lexington could start running thin.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

LSU Tigers

8/30 – @ Clemson – Loss

9/6 – vs. Louisiana Tech – Win

9/13 – vs. Florida – Win

9/20 – vs. Southeast Louisiana – Win

9/27 – @ Ole Miss – Win

10/4 – BYE

10/11 – vs. South Carolina – Win

10/18 – @ Vanderbilt – Win

10/25 – vs. Texas A&M – Win

11/1 – BYE

11/8 – @ Alabama – Loss

11/15 – vs. Arkansas – Win

11/22 – vs. Western Kentucky – Win

11/29 – @ Oklahoma – Loss

Final Record: 9-3 (6-2)

LSU hasn’t recaptured the dominance of its 2019 national title run, and even in three seasons under Brian Kelly, the Tigers have battled inconsistency, defensive lapses, and depth concerns. While there have been flashes of promise, they’ve yet to seriously contend for an SEC crown. That could change in 2025 with a roster that looks deeper and more balanced than in recent years, and Kelly may finally have the team to return LSU to national relevance.

Offensively, the Tigers bring back co-coordinators Joe Sloan and Cortez Hankton, and they’ll have plenty of talent all over the field. Following the paths of Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels, Heisman candidate Garrett Nussmeier is back and leads a unit filled with emerging skill talent, and he’ll be joined by a younger, but quietly talented backfields that features sophomore Caden Durham, junior Kaleb Jackson, and five-star freshman Harlem Berry. Despite losing top receivers, they reloaded with Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson and Kentucky’s Barion Brown to complement Aaron Anderson and Chris Hilton Jr., and tight end should remain a strength as well with Trey’Dez Green, joined by Oklahoma’s Bauer Sharp and Texas A&M’s Donovan Green. The offensive line must replace All-American tackle Will Campbell, but they return DJ Chester at center and add experience in Virginia Tech’s Braelin Moore and Northwestern’s Josh Thompson.

On defense, they were quite inconsistent at times and wasn’t quite the dominant group that it used to be from the 2010s. However, Blake Baker enters his second year as coordinator with a stronger, deeper group that they developed and brought in via the portal. Florida State transfer Patrick Payton, Florida’s Jack Pyburn, and Nebraska’s Jimari Butler boost the edge, while Dominick McKinley and Ahmad Breaux anchor the interior. Linebacker could be LSU’s strongest position, led by Whit Weeks and a healthy Harold Perkins Jr.—one of the SEC’s most dynamic duos that could both find themselves going early in next year’s NFL Draft. The secondary also looks promising, with corner Ashton Stamps returning alongside Virginia Tech’s Mansoor Delane and five-star freshman DJ Pickett. Safety lacks experience but still holds potential with Jardin Gilbert, Javien Toviano, Houston’s AJ Haulcy, and NC State’s Tamarcus Cooley.

The schedule, however, is anything but forgiving. LSU opens with a primetime showdown at Clemson in a battle of the Death Valleys. After that, they’ll travel to Ole Miss and later face Alabama and Oklahoma on the road in the back half of the season before Florida, South Carolina, and Texas A&M all visit Baton Rouge in what will be a critical home slate for Kelly and company.

LSU has the talent and depth to be a legitimate contender, but the key will be navigating a brutal schedule and avoiding the defensive lapses that have plagued them in recent years. If Nussmeier plays up to the hype, they’ll be right in the Playoff mix come December.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Mississippi State Bulldogs

8/30 – @ Southern Miss – Win

9/6 – vs. Arizona State – Loss

9/13 – vs. Alcorn State – Win

9/20 – vs. Northern Illinois – Win

9/27 – vs. Tennessee – Loss

10/4 – @ Texas A&M – Loss

10/11 – BYE

10/18 – @ Florida – Loss

10/25 – vs. Texas – Loss

11/1 – @ Arkansas – Loss

11/8 – vs. Georgia – Loss

11/15 – @ Missouri – Loss

11/22 – BYE

11/29 – vs. Ole Miss – Loss

Final Record: 3-9 (0-8)

Mississippi State enters the 2025 season with a revamped roster and a head coach under pressure. After a disastrous 2024 campaign—one of the program’s worst in decades—second-year coach Jeff Lebby knew changes were necessary. While his debut season fell short of expectations, Lebby is still regarded as a promising offensive mind. Now, with more experience and a roster built to his vision, there’s renewed hope he can turn things around and guide the Bulldogs back to a bowl game for the first time since the late Mike Leach’s final season.

Offensively, Lebby will continue calling plays, and although Michael Van Buren transferred to LSU, Blake Shapen returns as a steady veteran presence at quarterback and is finally healthy. His supporting cast will look entirely different, especially at receiver, where SEC transfers Anthony Evans III from Georgia, Brenen Thompson from Oklahoma, and Ayden Williams from Ole Miss join returner Jordan Mosley, and at tight end, Seydou Traore is back, with Cameron Ball stepping in for his brother Justin. The backfield might be the most promising unit on offense, with last year’s leading rusher Davon Booth joined by a young, explosive Fluff Bothwell from South Alabama. Up front, the offensive line must take a step forward for the offense to function. Returnees Jacoby Jackson and Albert Reese IV will be joined by Virginia transfer Blake Steen and Kentucky transfer Koby Keenum, bringing size and much-needed experience and upside.

On the defensive side, coordinator Coleman Hutzler returns for a second year after leading a unit that finished last in the SEC in both scoring and rushing defense. Like the offense, the defense has been rebuilt through the portal. The new-look defensive line includes NC State’s Red Hibbler, Miami’s Jamil Burroughs, and Coastal Carolina’s Will Whitson. At linebacker, sack leader Zakari Tillman and TFL leader Branden Jennings return as productive veterans, and Tennessee transfer Jalen Smith is expected to step into a starting role. The safety group should be a strength, led by leading tackler Isaac Smith and Hunter Washington, with former Alabama five-star Tony Mitchell transferring in. However, the cornerback position lacks proven talent and will be one of the team’s biggest questions.

Mississippi State’s schedule won’t do the revamped roster many favors. A nonconference matchup with Big XII champion Arizona State will be a test, but the SEC slate is brutal. The Bulldogs host Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, and Ole Miss in what will be an absolute gauntlet, and while it seems like the rest of their opponents, including Texas A&M, Florida, Missouri, and Arkansas, seems winnable, it doesn’t help playing all four teams on the road.

If Lebby can steal a road win or two and keep the team competitive, it may be enough to show real progress. Still, with a tough schedule and a roster still in transition, 2025 feels like a make-or-break year for his tenure in Starkville.