If you hate the SEC, you may want to close your eyes for a few paragraphs. Each week I do these College Football Playoff bracket projections, and a popular complaint is that too many SEC schools are in the field. If you feel this way, I've got bad news: This could be a banner year for SEC teams included in the CFP.
A year ago, the SEC put a record five teams into the field – Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The conventional wisdom headed into this 2026 season was that number would go down as the SEC moved to a nine-game conference slate. That may prove true as conference play ramps up, but a quarter of the way through the season, the SEC is well positioned to send five or more teams to the field.
A couple of preseason playoff favorites (Oklahoma, Texas A&M) have dropped out of the race, but new contenders -- like Florida and Mississippi State -- have emerged in their place. Texas, Alabama and Georgia have three of the highest odds to make the playoff in the country. Florida, Ole Miss and LSU look like bona fide contenders, and then you have dark horse candidates like Mississippi State and Tennessee.
The CFP Selection Committee incorporating a new strength-of-conference metric should only help the SEC's case come December, too. It'd be a stretch, as four or five teams feels much more likely. But it's not an impossibility, which speaks to the SEC's strength as the calendar turns to October.
As I wrote over the weekend, something feels a bit ... off about this Texas team. Arch Manning hasn't impressed in recent weeks, players have committed some truly dumb penalties in key moments, and the off-field vibes have been bad. But the Longhorns are still undefeated and have the best resume in the country with wins over Ohio State and Tennessee.
It may feel like a loss is looming around the corner, but until it happens, Texas is your No. 1 seed. Previous: 1 The Buckeyes have as good an argument as any team as the most talented team in the country. The loss to Texas, while disappointing given the late collapse, was understandable.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
