SEC football strength of schedule rankings for 2025 season

Left out of the national championship for the last two seasons, the SEC is eager to reclaim its mantle as the most dominant conference in college football in 2025.

Key to good placement in the College Football Playoff will be how the selection committee views your strength of schedule, and this year is the first time they’ll use advanced metrics to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

The good news for the SEC? The selectors have traditionally already given the conference the benefit of the doubt when considering its schedule, and should again this season when looking over the quality of games coming up this fall.

This week finds the SEC football schedule a subject in the news, as the conference voted to finally add a ninth conference game to its slate, starting in 2026, in an effort to further increase its reputation with the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Let’s take a look at what SEC football teams will have the easiest, and the hardest, schedules looking forward to the coming 2025 season.

SEC football strength of schedule rankings for 2025

Easiest: Missouri

Central Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, UMass, Alabama, at Auburn, at Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, at Oklahoma, at Arkansas

This should be another year where Mizzou makes a run for 10 wins, even considering the team’s personnel losses, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Missouri doesn’t play a road game until the middle of October and has the advantage of playing at least three SEC opponents that should be in the bottom half of the standings.

15. Tennessee

Syracuse, East Tenn. St., Georgia, UAB, at Mississippi State, Arkansas, at Alabama, at Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Mexico St., at Florida, Vanderbilt

Two major road engagements await the Volunteers against Alabama and Florida, both in the second half of the season, but they get rival Georgia at home in Rocky Top in a matchup that will go a long way in measuring if this is a playoff-worthy squad.

And don’t overlook the opener against Syracuse, either. Tennessee should be a healthy favorite and shouldn’t lose this game, but the Orange could challenge the Vols’ defense with what could be some decent quarterback play.

14. Georgia

Marshall, Austin Peay, at Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, at Auburn, Ole Miss, at Florida, at Mississippi State, Texas, Charlotte, at Georgia Tech

Last fall, those three tough road games resulted in a 1-2 mark for the Bulldogs, but it didn’t prevent this team from playing for the SEC Championship and earning a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Now those three games -- against Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss -- are at home between the hedges, and while they take on Tennessee and rival Auburn on the road, the Bulldogs don’t play away from home in consecutive weeks.

13. South Carolina

Virginia Tech, South Carolina St., Vanderbilt, at Missouri, Kentucky, at LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, at Ole Miss, at Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina, Clemson

Coming off a nine-win season, the Gamecocks get three tough road dates against ranked SEC opponents, two of them in consecutive weeks, face off against two other Power Four teams to bookend this schedule.

That slate includes a brutal six-week midseason stretch against LSU, the Sooners, Alabama, Ole Miss, and the Aggies that will reveal exactly what South Carolina is this year.

12. Ole Miss

Georgia Southern, at Kentucky, Arkansas, Tulane, LSU, Washington State, at Georgia, at Oklahoma, South Carolina, The Citadel, Florida, at Mississippi State

This season will test Lane Kiffin’s reign as the Portal King after the Rebels lost the core of a 10-win team, including most of this defense and quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Watch how Ole Miss fares during a run in late October that includes back-to-back road trips against the Bulldogs and the Sooners before heading into a home date against the resurgent Gamecocks.

11. Auburn

at Baylor, Ball State, South Alabama, at Oklahoma, at Texas A&M, Georgia, Missouri, at Arkansas, Kentucky, at Vanderbilt, Mercer, Alabama

Having to play the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs is always an ordeal when you’re Auburn, but at least those two rivals home to The Plains in 2025 to face off against what should be one of the SEC’s more productive receiving rotations this fall.

It all starts on the road against Big 12 hopeful Baylor, a team that finished on a six-game win streak a year ago and returns the core of its offense, and there are two crucial SEC road dates against the Sooners and Aggies heading into the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

10. Alabama

at Florida State, UL Monroe, Wisconsin, at Georgia, Vanderbilt, at Missouri, Tennessee, at South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, Eastern Illinois, at Auburn

What version of the Seminoles will the Tide get in the opener, the ACC champion from two years ago, or the 2-10 disaster from last season? Likely something in the middle of those extremes, but it’s still a road date against a Power Four team to start off.

Road dates against Georgia and South Carolina could be an issue, but Alabama gets Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma at home. Kalen DeBoer can’t win nine games and miss the playoff again without facing a revolt.

9. Kentucky

Toledo, Ole Miss, Eastern Michigan, at South Carolina, at Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, at Auburn, Florida, Tenn. Tech, at Vanderbilt, at Louisville

Mark Stoops is the SEC’s longest-tenured head coach, but he’s also 28-62 in conference games, a record that will be tough to improve on this coming season when facing a schedule that includes two road trips against ranked teams and home dates against even tougher opposition.

Ole Miss, SEC favorite Texas, and ‘24 playoff team Tennessee come to Kroger Field in matchups that UK fans will eagerly anticipate, but can’t be too confident the Wildcats will be able to dominate in.

8. Texas

at Ohio State, San Jose State, UTEP, Sam Houston, at Florida, Oklahoma, at Kentucky, at Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, at Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M

One of college football’s toughest dates finds the Longhorns on the road against the reigning champion Buckeyes in a rematch of the CFP semifinal that includes the debut of Arch Manning as the starting quarterback.

He and what looks like a very solid Texas defense play intriguing road games against Florida and Georgia and get the Aggies on the Forty Acres.

7. LSU

at Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Florida, Southeastern Louisiana, at Ole Miss, South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, at Alabama, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, at Oklahoma

Brian Kelly hasn’t won the first game in any of his three seasons at LSU, and he won’t be favored to reverse that trend against the reigning ACC champions on the road.

A win there provides a much firmer foundation for LSU looking ahead to road dates against Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma, with home meetings against the Gamecocks and Aggies. Also, watch for that Vandy game after hosting Carolina.

6. Texas A&M

UTSA, Utah State, at Notre Dame, Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida, at Arkansas, at LSU, at Missouri, South Carolina, Samford, at Texas

A&M faces two College Football Playoff teams from a year ago, both on the road against the Irish and the rival Longhorns, and that’s in addition to three straight road trips against the Hogs, Brian Kelly and the Tigers, and a good Missouri team.

5. Florida

Long Island, USF, at LSU, at Miami, Texas, at Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Georgia, at Kentucky, at Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida State

Once again, the Gators face a gauntlet with two early road dates against the Tigers and Hurricanes that could either propel or derail this team, and then going right into a home date against the Longhorns with a trip to the Aggies right after that.

Billy Napier got a reprieve last season that inspired this team to go on a solid win streak to end the year with wins against ranked LSU and Ole Miss, ending both those teams’ playoff hopes. Can they do it again?

4. Oklahoma

Illinois State, Michigan, at Temple, Auburn, Kent State, Texas, at South Carolina, Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Missouri, LSU

Oklahoma should be 4-1 at worst going into the Red River Shootout, but we like the Sooners to win against Michigan at home, so we’ll say 5-0 on the back of what should be a much better offense with signal caller John Mateer at the helm.

They’ll need to be looking ahead to a seven-game stretch right through to the end of the season that could define Brent Venables’ tenure at the school, for good or ill.

3. Arkansas

Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, at Ole Miss, at Memphis, Notre Dame, at Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, Mississippi State, at LSU, at Texas, Missouri

Fans can debate whether Sam Pittman is sitting on a hot seat coming into this season, but there’s no question he’ll feel some warmth basically from late September on.

We’re almost certain the Razorbacks will be favored against Mississippi State over that span, but where else? Drawing both Memphis, arguably the class of the Group of Six, and the national championship runner-up is tough on top of this SEC slate.

2. Mississippi State

at Southern Miss, Arizona State, Alcorn State, Northern Illinois, Tennessee, at Texas A&M, at Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, at Missouri, Ole Miss

Jeff Lebby didn’t win a game against SEC competition in his debut as the Bulldogs’ head coach a year ago, and it’s very likely he won’t again in his second go-round, facing four teams that were in the College Football Playoff last season.

Arkansas could be MSU’s best hope, but even the first two non-conference games will be tough, especially against Big 12 champion Arizona State. This is a better overall team, but it’s tough to see where it’ll be favored after Week 4.

Hardest: Vanderbilt

Charleston Southern, at Virginia Tech, at South Carolina, Georgia Southern, Utah State, at Alabama, LSU, Missouri, at Texas, Auburn, Kentucky, at Tennessee

Vandy returns nearly 80 percent of last season’s production on a team that upset Alabama and played Texas very close in a loss a year ago. There’ll be rematches in those contests, but both of them are on the road. The second half of this slate could keep the Commodores out of a bowl game this year.

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