There are a ton of good teams in the SEC, but is there an elite team capable of winning multiple College Football Playoff games this season and ending the league's national title drought in January? As expected, this conference is beating itself up a bit with the move to a nine-game league schedule through the first half of the regular season. The SEC is one of two conferences within the Power Four without an unbeaten team entering Week 8, a product of the league being closer to the NFL model than any other nationally.
There are nine SEC teams in the latest AP poll, but only two are situated inside the top 10. Handing out midseason grades for every squad is a lesson in futility since any team in the league could take out any other the rest of the way -- well, maybe not Arkansas or Vanderbilt. We've included every school's preseason and current ranking to reflect expectations and actual results.
Record: 5-2, 3-2 | Preseason AP ranking: 13 The Crimson Tide's once handsome start is beginning to fizzle, much like Keelon Russell's significance in the Heisman race. Alabama's sophomore quarterback has been quiet over his last two outings since the multi-touchdown explosion at Mississippi State on Oct. 3 pushed his team toward the top 5. The running game has improved this season, one of the promises Kalen DeBoer made this offseason, but Alabama has underwhelmed up front with the second-most sacks, pressures and tackles for loss allowed in the SEC.
The negative plays hinder an offense that gets by on explosive plays and Russell's ingenuity, and have too often put Alabama's average defense back on the field. Grade: B Record: 3-4, 1-3 | Preseason AP ranking: N/A Something has finally clicked for the Razorbacks over their last two SEC games, easily the best they've looked this season following a one-possession loss to Tennessee and Saturday's win over Vanderbilt. Maybe small strides are being made in Ryan Silverfield's first season, but this remains nowhere near where Arkansas wants to be as a program.
Near the bottom of the SEC in total offense and scoring offense, the Razorbacks must find a way over the second half of the campaign to generate a level up in momentum entering 2027. With only one win right now against Power Four competition and five games left as likely betting underdogs, it could get uglier from here. Grade: D Record: 4-2, 2-2 | Preseason AP ranking: N/A No one's projecting this team to reach the CFP, but it's obvious the Tigers are ahead of schedule under Alex Golesh after Saturday's win at Georgia.
Auburn watched a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter evaporate before forcing a crucial turnover and winning anyway, a high-end level of confidence and execution the last few coaching regimes never experienced against the Bulldogs. In fact, in previous matchups of that magnitude, Auburn would've likely folded. The biggest shock for this team is being in the league's bottom tier defensively despite DJ Durkin's return.
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