Ranking the SEC Playoff Teams in the 12-Team CFP Era

For all the talk of SEC dominance, this will be the second straight year that there won’t be an SEC team in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Only one SEC team (Texas) made the semifinals last season, and Ole Miss was the last SEC team standing after the quarterfinals this season. The Rebels lost an instant classic to the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, yet they remain the top-performing SEC team in the CFP since the playoff expanded to 12 teams.

1. 2025 Ole Miss Rebels

Kudos to Ole Miss for continually putting off-the-field distractions to the side over the last half of the season. It would have been easy for the Rebels to falter given the circus surrounding Lane Kiffin’s departure, but instead they rallied behind new head coach Pete Golding.

Ole Miss had no trouble against Tulane in Oxford to start the CFP, hammering the Green Wave 41-10. The Rebels then avenged their one regular-season loss by besting Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs got the better of the Rebels at home in the regular season, but Ole Miss scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to get the better of their conference rivals in the rematch.

The Rebels’ run ended against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, but the game was an instant classic that was hotly contested from start to finish. Trinidad Chambliss proved to be phenomenal under center, while Kewan Lacy showed he was one of the best running backs in the nation.

2. 2024 Texas Longhorns

Although the 2025 Texas Longhorns were a disappointment after starting the season ranked No. 1 nationally, the 2024 edition of the Longhorns was one of the best teams in the nation. Texas’s only bugaboo until the CFP was Georgia, as the Longhorns lost to the Bulldogs in the regular season and then again in the SEC Championship Game.

Texas was tied with eventual national champion Ohio State entering the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl last season. The Longhorns were down seven points and had the ball 1st and Goal at the Buckeyes’ one-yard line with less than four minutes remaining, but the offense couldn’t punch it in, eventually resulting in an 83-yard fumble return touchdown for Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer that sealed the outcome. 

3. 2025 Georgia Bulldogs

Kirby Smart led the Georgia Bulldogs to their third SEC Championship in the last four seasons, and his team was ranked No. 3 in the CFP. That gave Georgia a first-round bye, but the Bulldogs stumbled in their rematch with Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs uncharacteristically struggled on both sides of the ball, surrendering 473 total yards on defense, and they averaged just 3.4 YPC against the Rebels. Gunner Stockton was unable to make many plays either, sending the Bulldogs back to the drawing board.

4. 2024 Georgia Bulldogs

A late-season injury to Carson Beck upended Georgia’s national championship hopes in 2024. The Bulldogs were still able to eke out another SEC title despite Gunner Stockton completing 12 of 16 passes for just 71 yards with an interception, but the offense was completely inept against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia could only muster 2.1 YPC, leading to the Bulldogs falling to the Fighting Irish despite a decent performance from Stockton in relief.

5. 2025 Texas A&M Aggies

In the grand scheme of things, the 2025 campaign was a great one for Texas A&M. The Aggies won 11 straight games to start the season and were ranked No. 3 in the CFP over the final month of the regular season. However, there is no doubt that the Aggies were disappointed in how their campaign came to an end.

Texas A&M missed out on an SEC Championship Game berth by losing to arch-rival Texas in their regular-season finale on Black Friday. That dropped the Aggies to No. 7 in the CFP, leading to a difficult matchup with Miami. These two excellent defenses shone, leading to a scoreless tie through the first half. The game was 3-3 for much of the second half before Miami broke the deadlock with a late touchdown. Marcel Reed threw his second interception in the game to end the Aggies’ hopes, but the real issue was the lack of a run game for Texas A&M. They finished with 35 carries for a total of just 89 yards.

6. 2024 Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee had the misfortune of running into a juggernaut in the first round of last year’s CFP. The Volunteers were drawn against Ohio State, and everyone knew just how dangerous the Buckeyes were if they could finally get it together. Ohio State responded with a 42-17 beatdown of Tennessee in Ohio Stadium, but the Vols knew they were beaten by the best a few weeks later when the Buckeyes lifted the CFP National Championship Game Trophy.

7. 2025 Alabama Crimson Tide

Few people argued against Alabama making the CFP field despite losing three games, but it’s clear that the Crimson Tide has been getting the benefit of the doubt. Alabama lost its season opener against a bad Florida State team that failed to have a winning record, and the Crimson Tide were dismantled by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Kalen DeBoer was able to lead the Crimson Tide to a win over Oklahoma despite initially falling behind 17-0 in the first round of the CFP. However, trouble loomed large as Alabama had just 260 total yards in that game and greatly benefited from Oklahoma miscues. Indiana completely exposed Alabama’s flaws in the Rose Bowl, resulting in a 38-3 beatdown that left the fans grumbling about the coaching staff.

8. 2025 Oklahoma Sooners

Victories over Michigan and Auburn early in the season led to John Mateer being the Heisman Trophy favorite at the end of September. Oklahoma rose to as high as No. 5 in the polls, but the Sooners never looked like a true contender despite back-to-back road wins over Tennessee and Alabama in the final month. The offense started to show some real flaws by the end of the regular season, leading to the Sooners having the longest odds to win the CFP outside of Tulane and James Madison before their loss to Alabama.