OXFORD – SEC Media Days began Monday, which means college football season is almost here.
As the 2026 season draws closer, here are a few topics of interest for the SEC as a whole.
Can the SEC regain its throne atop college football?
In the first nine seasons of the College Football Playoff era (2014-2022), the SEC won six national championships, the three exceptions being Ohio State and Clemson twice. The Big Ten has won the last three national titles – Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana, respectively – with the Hoosiers recently completing a 16-0 season. An SEC team hasn’t even appeared in the title game since Georgia repeated as champion in 2021 and 2022. The AP preseason top 10 is likely to be flooded with SEC teams; can one break back through?
Is it finally Arch Manning’s year?
Texas’ quarterback entered last season with unreal hype – particularly interesting given he wasn’t even the Longhorns’ regular starting quarterback the prior season. Manning was a preseason Heisman favorite and All-American pick, and Texas was the No. 1 team in the preseason AP Poll. Manning was uneven for parts of the season but finished strong, and Texas won 10 games but just missed the CFP. Manning currently has the second-best Heisman Trophy odds, per DraftKings, and the Longhorns are a lock for a preseason top-10 spot. Will the results match the hype this time around?
Could the SEC really leave the NCAA?
According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, “SEC and Big Ten leaders have been exploring a separation from the NCAA to operate their own governance system, enforcement arm and perhaps even only holding intraconference competition only. It’s a way to set and enforce their own rules and potentially evade antitrust challenges considering their membership size.”
The financial gaps between Power 4 schools and third-party NIL deals are, as usual, a hot-button issue – the Big Ten and SEC have the 10-highest public school budgets, per Dellenger – and that doesn’t necessarily sit right with the other conferences. Should something be done on a national level to even the playing field and prevent the inherent advantages the Big Ten and SEC own, both conferences’ futures in the NCAA could be up in the air, Dellenger reports.
What do the SEC’s first-year coaches have in store?
Ole Miss already has a few games with Pete Golding under its belt, as the former defensive coordinator was elevated to the head post after Lane Kiffin took the LSU job and proceeded to lead the Rebels to the CFP semifinals. There are six coaches entering their first full seasons leading their respective SEC teams – Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas, Alex Golesh at Auburn, Jon Sumrall at Florida, Will Stein at Kentucky, Kiffin at LSU and Golding at Ole Miss. Which team is going to make the most noise on a national level? Also of note: the Rebels play three of these teams (Auburn, Florida, LSU).
Who will surprise in 2026?
Alabama made the CFP a year ago but was unceremoniously trounced by Indiana in the Rose Bowl. The Crimson Tide and Texas are expected to be in the CFP hunt again, as are 2025 CFP participants Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. There are plenty of other questions in the conference regarding the CFP and postseason as a whole.
Vanderbilt is coming off the winningest season in program history but lost Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia; can the Commodores can compete for a CFP spot? Is Kiffin’s LSU squad a legit title contender? The Tigers have plenty of preseason hype. Can Tennessee get back to the CFP after a one-year hiatus with a new quarterback under center? Will Missouri break through into the playoff? Is South Carolina, at the very least, a bowl team in 2026? Will Jeff Lebby get his first winning season at Mississippi State?
What does the nine-game SEC schedule mean on a national level?
The SEC is going from eight league games to nine starting in 2026, which is either a great decision or a terrible one depending on which coach from which conference you’re asking. The bottom line is that there is one more data point for every SEC team this year – the potential for an additional win or loss – that could skew the CFP committee one way or the other when it comes time to unveil the rankings and final bracket.
Can a three-loss SEC team get in the dance? A three-loss team has yet to make the 12-team field, but the additional conference game for everyone makes parity more and more probable throughout the league. There will be some really, really good three-loss SEC teams.
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