Out of all Power Four conferences, the SEC is the most tightly-knit conference in a geographical sense, which has helped their overall competitiveness with in-state and regional rivalries in the conference being more than just games on a schedule. Some of them are even personal, emotional, and deeply rooted in tradition, so whether it’s the longstanding in-state hatred between Alabama and Auburn, the border battles between schools like Georgia and Florida, or even the underrated nastiness between Tennessee and Kentucky, the conference has thrived on bad blood for decades. With that in mind, now that realignment is reshaping the league, new chapters are being written as old in-state tensions like Texas-Texas A&M are finally being rekindled under the same banner, while fresh sparks are flying between original members and newcomers. Some of these matchups might not have the same historical bite quite yet, but the stakes, brands, and personalities involved make it easy to see them turning into modern classics, proving that the conference is all about evolving legacies in addition to preserving them. In this article, I will reveal the final part of my SEC predictions and previews consisting of the following teams: Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.

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

Tennessee Volunteers

8/30 – vs. Syracuse (in Atlanta, GA) – Win

9/6 – vs. ETSU – Win

9/13 – vs. Georgia – Loss

9/20 – vs. UAB – Win

9/27 – @ Mississippi State – Win

10/4 – BYE

10/11 – vs. Arkansas – Win

10/18 – @ Alabama – Loss

10/25 – @ Kentucky – Loss

11/1 – vs. Oklahoma – Win

11/8 – BYE

11/15 – vs. New Mexico State – Win

11/22 – @ Florida – Loss

11/29 – vs. Vanderbilt – Win

Final Record: 8-4 (4-4)

Tennessee is coming off their first College Football Playoff appearance, but after a blowout loss to Ohio State and the departure of several key contributors to the NFL and transfer portal, Josh Heupel understands the urgency of getting his newcomers and returning players quickly back on track.

The offense, led by third-year coordinator Joey Halzle, experienced major change after quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferred late to UCLA. In response, the Vols added former Appalachian State signal caller Joey Aguilar, who originally committed to the Bruins, and while he isn’t as physically talented as Iamaleava, he can be effective if he limits turnovers, a key issue for him last season. With Donte Thornton Jr. and Bru McCoy now in the NFL and Squirrel White at Florida State, Aguilar will work with a younger receiving corps outside of Chris Brazzell II, including sophomore Mike Matthews and redshirt freshman Braylon Staley, two guys that bring plenty of upside. Tight end Miles Kitselman returns as a steady pass catcher for Aguilar and run blocker for a revamped backfield that, with Dylan Sampson, Duke transfer Star Thomas steps in and joins promising sophomores DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis in the rotation. On the offensive line, Lance Heard is the lone returning starter. He’ll be joined by top high school recruit David Sanders at tackle and transfers Sam Pendleton from Notre Dame and Wendell Moe from Arizona inside.

While Josh Heupel’s teams are known for offense, Tennessee’s defense shined last season under Tim Banks and returns solid experience despite some key losses. The biggest departure is first-round edge rusher James Pearce Jr., so it’ll be up to Joshua Josephs, Tyre West, Dominic Bailey, and Caleb Herring to keep that position productive. On the interior, Omari Thomas and Omarr Norman-Lott are also gone, but Bryson Eason returns alongside breakout candidates Daevin Hobbs and Jaxson Moi. The linebacker group is arguably the deepest unit, led by top tackler Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander, with young talent behind them. In the secondary, Jermod McCoy is gaining first-round buzz at corner, while Colorado transfer Colton Hood competes on the other side with Rickey Gibson III. At safety, Andre Turrentine and Boo Carter return, but Tennessee must replace Will Brooks and find someone to step up with both Jakobe Thomas and Christian Charles entering the portal.

Tennessee opens with a nonconference test against Syracuse in Atlanta, then faces Georgia at home two weeks later. The rest of the slate remains tough, with road trips to Alabama and Florida and a challenging home matchup against a much-improved Oklahoma team.

With everything that’s happened since their CFP loss, including major roster changes, I expect some regression in Knoxville this season. This year will be more about developing young talent, building chemistry, and keeping the program aligned with its long-term goals as Josh Heupel works to steady the ship and prepare for future success.

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

Texas Longhorns

8/30 – @ Ohio State – Win

9/6 – vs. San José State – Win

9/13 – vs. UTEP – Win

9/20 – BYE

9/27 – vs. Sam Houston – Win

10/4 – @ Florida – Win

10/11 – vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas, TX) – Win

10/18 – @ Kentucky – Win

10/25 – @ Mississippi State – Win

11/1 – vs. Vanderbilt – Win

11/8 – BYE

11/15 – @ Georgia – Loss

11/22 – vs. Arkansas – Win

11/28 – vs. Texas A&M – Win

Final Record: 11-1 (7-1)

Texas looks fully back after two straight CFP semifinal runs and enters 2025 as a national title favorite. Steve Sarkisian deserves credit, but the Longhorns have benefited most from the transfer portal and NIL era, which has helped them land elite talent and stay ahead of the competition.

The offense, led by Kyle Flood, is entering a new era without Quinn Ewers, but with Heisman frontrunner Arch Manning taking over at quarterback, the ceiling remains sky-high. While Jaydon Blue is gone, the backfield is loaded with 1,000-yard rusher Quintrevion Wisner, freshman Jerrick Gibson, and a healthy CJ Baxter returning from an ACL tear. The receiver room has breakout potential with Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr., while Stanford transfer Emmett Mosley V rounds out an explosive group featuring freshmen Kaliq Lockett, Jaime Ffrench, and Michael Terry III. With tight end Gunnar Helm off to the NFL, Sarkisian landed Cal’s Jack Endries, who totaled over 1,000 receiving yards in his last two years in Berkeley. The offensive line will shift without Outland Trophy winner Kelvin Banks, but DJ Campbell returns alongside four starters: tackles Trevor Goosby and Brandon Baker, and interior linemen Neto Umeozulu and Cole Hutson. With new faces across key positions, Texas still brings the firepower and depth to remain elite offensively.

On defense, Pete Kwiatkowski’s group was one of the nation’s best in 2024, finishing third in total defense, seventh against the pass, and 14th against the run. Key contributors return, though the interior line changes with Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins gone, so Purdue’s Cole Brevard, Syracuse’s Maraad Watson, and North Carolina’s Travis Shaw will help fill that void. The edge rushers remain elite with Collin Simmons and Ethan Burke, and Trey Moore adds pass-rushing punch at linebacker next to Anthony Hill Jr. and Liona Lefau. In the secondary, Texas will miss Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron, but Malik Muhammad returns, sophomore Kobe Black brings sky-high potential, and Jaylon Guilbeau shores up the nickel as the secondary’s most physical defensive back. In addition, Michael Taaffe and Jelani McDonald hold down the safety spots, and there’s plenty of depth too, with Derek Williams Jr. and five-star freshman Jonah Williams expected to rotate in. With this core, Texas has the talent to field another dominant unit in 2025.

Texas opens with a blockbuster rematch at Ohio State before hitting the road for tough matchups at Florida, Georgia, and Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The regular season wraps up on Black Friday with a high-stakes Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M in what could decide the SEC.

Even though Texas has fallen just short in both CFP Semifinals, this season feels different, with a roster full of elite returners and newcomers ready to take the next step. The Longhorns look poised to finally capture their first national title since the legendary 2006 Rose Bowl Game.

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

Texas A&M Aggies

8/30 – vs. UTSA – Win

9/6 – vs. Utah State – Win

9/13 – @ Notre Dame – Loss

9/20 – BYE

9/27 – vs. Auburn – Win

10/4 – vs. Mississippi State – Win

10/11 – vs. Florida – Loss

10/18 – @ Arkansas – Win

10/25 – @ LSU – Loss

11/1 – BYE

11/8 – @ Missouri – Loss

11/15 – vs. South Carolina – Win

11/22 – vs. Samford – Win

11/28 – @ Texas – Loss

Final Record: 7-5 (4-4)

Since joining the SEC in 2012, Texas A&M has often underachieved despite strong rosters. Mike Elko nearly changed that in his first year, but the Aggies faltered late once again. Now in Year Two, he’ll look to clean up the mistakes and finally push A&M into SEC title contention.

Texas A&M’s offense will once again be led by Collin Klein in his second year, and with most starters returning, the unit should take a big step forward. Marcel Reed, who took over midseason last year, returns as a dynamic dual-threat quarterback, with a strong room behind him and a backfield that’s deep with top rushers Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels back, plus Rueben Owens II returning to full health. The biggest changes come at receiver and tight end, with leading receiver Noah Thomas and tight end Tre Watson both gone. To reload, the Aggies added NC State’s KC Concepcion and Mississippi State’s Mario Craver to join breakout candidate Terry Bussey, while Texas transfer Amari Niblack and Swedish prospect Theo Melin Öhrström will handle tight end duties. The offensive line is the team’s biggest strength, with all five starters returning, led by pro-level talents like tackle Trey Zuhn III and guards Chase Bisontis and Ar’maj Reed-Adams.

Texas A&M’s defense finished as a bottom-five unit in the SEC last season despite having a defensive-minded head coach, and while coordinator Jay Bateman enters Year Two looking to improve, his group faces more turnover than the offense. On the line, edge rushers Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton, along with tackle Shemar Turner, are gone, but Cashius Howell is expected to step up, joined by transfers TJ Searcy from Florida, Damon Hayes from Rutgers, and possibly Sam M’Pemba from Georgia. Inside, Albert Regis returns with DJ Hicks rotating alongside Iowa State transfer Tyler Onyedim. The linebacker unit is the defense’s strength, led by top tackler Taurean York, veteran Scooby Williams, and depth piece Daymion Sanford. The secondary, which struggled in 2024, should be improved as Will Lee returns at corner, while Dezz Ricks and Georgia transfer Julian Humphrey compete for the other spot. Safety play will be a strength, with Dalton Brooks, Marcus Ratcliffe, and Bryce Anderson all returning to lead a more experienced back end.

It seems like the Aggies draw one of the nation’s toughest schedules every year, and 2025 won’t be any different. They’ll get another shot at Notre Dame in South Bend, and they’ll also travel to LSU, Missouri, and Texas, while hosting Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina, which should give them a big advantage.

However, the SEC should be even tougher this season, and while Texas A&M has one of the league’s more underrated rosters, other teams may simply outperform them. That could leave Aggie fans in College Station waiting yet again for the long-anticipated breakthrough season that ends with a trip to Atlanta.

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

Vanderbilt Commodores

8/30 – vs. Charleston Southern – Win

9/6 – @ Virginia Tech – Loss

9/13 – @ South Carolina – Loss

9/20 – vs. Georgia State – Win

9/27 – vs. Utah State – Win

10/4 – @ Alabama – Loss

10/11 – BYE

10/18 – vs. LSU – Loss

10/25 – vs. Missouri – Win

11/1 – @ Texas – Loss

11/8 – vs. Auburn – Loss

11/15 – BYE

11/22 – vs. Kentucky – Win

11/29 – @ Tennessee – Loss

Final Record: 5-7 (2-6)

After winning just 12 games over five seasons with three conference wins, Clark Lea’s squad shocked everyone by going 7-6 in 2024—beating number-one Alabama, winning at Auburn, edging Georgia Tech for their first bowl win in 11 years, and nearly upsetting Texas, Missouri, and LSU. Now, they’ll aim to build on it.

The Commodores’ offense wasn’t overly explosive, but it avoided turnovers and often found just enough rhythm to light up the scoreboard. Coordinator Tim Beck’s job will be a bit easier with SEC Newcomer of the Year Diego Pavia back under center for a fourth straight season dating to their New Mexico State days. Pavia ran for 800 yards last season and will again lead the ground game, though running back Sedrick Alexander brings enough to keep defenses honest. In the passing game, top wideout Junior Sherrill returns, and Trent Hudson reunites with Beck and Pavia after a year at Mississippi State, alongside Virginia Tech transfer Chance Fitzgerald. Still, no pass-catcher will match the impact of tight end Eli Stowers, who’s expected to be one of the nation’s best at the position. The offensive line returns only one starter in tackle Chase Mitchell, so the group will rely heavily on the portal, with four of the projected starters being incoming transfers looking to gel quickly.

The defense, led by coordinator Steve Gregory, wasn’t dominant last season, but it showed flashes of resilience in big moments. The defensive line brings back three starters in Khordae Sydnor, Yilanan Ouattara, and Miles Capers, with added depth from Alabama’s Keanu Koht and Western Michigan’s Mason Nelson—but the group must improve its backfield disruption. The linebacker corps is the most experienced unit, returning top tacklers Bryan Longwell, Langston Patterson, and Randon Fontenette, along with leading sacker Nick Rinaldi. This quartet could anchor the defense in pass coverage, run support, and blitzing. In the secondary, cornerback Martel Hight is a playmaker with the athleticism to challenge opposing receivers, while Tennessee transfer Jordan Matthews will factor in on the other side. The safety group will need to step up following the departures of CJ Taylor and De’Rickey White. FAU transfer CJ Heard brings physicality and strong tackling ability, but deep coverage responsibilities will fall to Marlen Sewell, who must grow into a reliable last line of defense if this unit is going to make a leap.

Vanderbilt might’ve benefited from hosting their toughest games last year, but this season flips the script. They’ll travel to Virginia Tech early and face South Carolina, Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee on the road. Still, home games against LSU and Auburn give them a few more upset chances.

While I, just like everyone else, want to see Vanderbilt succeed in the SEC, there will simply be too many road bumps to reach a second-straight bowl, but it’ll still be a season Commodore fans shouldn’t be upset about with plenty of close battles throughout 2025.