The 2025 SEC football season is almost upon us, and as always, expectations are sky-high. With powerhouse programs reloading, coaching chairs warming up, and new names ready to break out, the Southeastern Conference remains the epicenter of college football drama. But while most predictions stick to safe bets, we’re taking a bolder approach. Here are five bold predictions that could reshape the SEC landscape this fall:
1. John Mateer wins the Heisman
There’s always going to be SEC players in the Heisman consideration. Some of the nation's best players come from this conference. This year will be no different. Plenty of chatter of guys like Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, LaNorris Sellers, etc. but one name that doesn’t get brought up enough when it comes to the Heisman is Oklahoma’s new quarterback John Mateer.
John Mateer transferred in from Washington State who followed his OC over to revive this Oklahoma offense. Mateer has that Baker Mayfield type of play style that has swag and will get his teammates ready to run through a brick wall for him. Mix that in with his playmaking ability using his legs, and he has Heisman consideration written all over him. If he brings Oklahoma to win 9-10 games and make the CFP, then the writing is on the wall that he balled out, making a big name for himself in the process. Johnny Football 2.0? 2025 could be a huge year for Mateer.
2. Georgia will NOT make the SEC championship game
Georgia has made the SEC championship game in 4 consecutive years. This goes a little under looked when evaluating this bulldog team and Coach Smart. This is a very impressive feat, especially being one of, if not the hardest, conferences in all of college football. This year, that streak will be snapped. This isn’t so a knock on Georgia but just about how deep the SEC is as a whole this season. Tough schedule mixed with newer QB play under center could lead to an up-and-down type of year for Coach Smart. Now this isn’t saying that they’ll have a “down” year, which some might consider because they’re not in the championship game, but more so just a different season that Georgia fans are used to.
3. No SEC team will have more than 10 wins
The SEC will be tighter than ever this year up until the final week in the season. We saw last year how the second spot for the SEC championship game came down to the last week of the season between Texas and Texas A&M. Expect that and more this year with each week having thrillers along with unexpected results. The depth of the conference is the best we’ve seen in years and this could be in part because of the new NIL and transfer portal rules. Blue blood teams can’t stock pile talent as second and third stringers anymore with players looking to play as soon as possible and get paid more to do so. This is great for college football even if there are rules that need to be tweaked to make it better.
4. Tennessee Volunteers end the season unranked
Tennessee has been pretty consistent over the years under Coach Heupel. This year has led to more questions for this team losing some talent via the draft and the portal. They did also have the whole Nico Iamaleava situation go down during the offseason which added attention to this university no one foresaw coming. They did bring in a QB in the portal in Joey Aguilar from UCLA which ended up being a swap of quarterbacks with Aguilar and Nico headed out west.
The problem wasn’t necessarily losing Iamaleava but, it was the timing of it all. Tennessee was left without many other options to turn to at that time since it was during Spring ball. Mix the uncertainty at the sport's most valuable position and the tough SEC schedule they have at hand into them having a somewhat disappointing season by their standards. Other teams will elevate, and the middle tier of this conference can go in so many different directions.
5. Florida and South Carolina will be the conference's biggest wild cards
Both of these teams are riding high on momentum based on how they finished last year. They both have the biggest boom or bust potential out of any team in this conference and possibly in the nation. DJ Lagway and LaNorris Sellers could both be Heisman hopefuls with the most talent from an arm standpoint, to their athletic abilities. The biggest question for the Gators is the health of their star QB. With one of the hardest schedules in the entire country, rides are in the hands of Lagway. If he misses time and they start to sputter on offense, their season could be over before it even really starts, and then good luck trying to play catch-up later into the season.
For South Carolina, they could very easily have the best offensive and defensive player on the field in every game they play. We talked about Sellers, but Dylan Stewart is a freak off the EDGE in the mold of a Jadeveon Clowney and has future top NFL draft pick written all over him. The Gamecocks' season rides on consistency as a team throughout the season, don’t let the lows be too low. They battle through the tough times and win some close games; they could be a sneaky team to contend in the SEC.
Final Thoughts on the 2025 SEC Football season
The 2025 SEC football season won’t follow the usual script — and that’s exactly why it’ll be must-watch every single week. From unexpected Heisman runs to traditional powers falling short, this year feels like a changing of the guard. The conference is deeper, the gap between contenders and pretenders is thinner, and chaos is no longer a surprise. These bold predictions might seem like long shots now, but don’t be shocked when the SEC delivers another season full of twists, turns, and unforgettable moments. The beauty of SEC football lies in its unpredictability. Every season, a dark horse emerges, a juggernaut stumbles, and a coach or player breaks out in unexpected ways. While some of these predictions may seem outrageous now, remember, bold is the only way to play it in the SEC.
More SEC Football News: