College football in the Southeastern Conference kicks off in 162 days. Most teams have started Spring ball. Spring ball scratches the football itch, the best that it can. But, it ain’t the real thing. So, while you work on your tailgate recipes for the Fall, over the next couple of weeks, Last Word will be taking a look at some of the futures for your favorite SEC Teams. The futures are courtesy of FanDuel. We will get started by looking at the favorites for the 2026 SEC Win Totals.
The league is coming off a “successful” 2025 season. The quote can be read as our sarcasm font. Sure, the league got the most teams in the College Football Playoff. But the performances were ugly. Oklahoma blew a 17-0 lead on Alabama IN NORMAN in the first round of the playoff. Texas A&M forgot that a forward pass was not a penalty in a home loss to “The U” in College Station. Alabama should have Googled BTA, because that’s what happened with Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Georgia and Ole Miss were respectable, but neither played nor won a national championship.
So, as we turn the page and burn the sage on 2025, let’s take a look at who Vegas thinks is the best of the best in the SEC.
2026 SEC Win Totals: The Favorites
CFB Playoff Contenders
The College Football Playoff has yet to select a team that finished the season with nine wins. If that holds true to form in 2026, the SEC is in trouble. Just two SEC win totals are greater than nine: Texas and Georgia. The league has three teams that would have to hit the over to equal the five teams in 2025. Here is a quick reaction on where each of the teams stands heading into 2026.
- Georgia 9.5: Put some respect on Kirby Smart and the Dawgs. They are back-to-back SEC Champions. That used to mean something in this country (and conference). Two Sugar Bowl losses to Notre Dame and Ole Miss have tainted that sentiment. Gunner Stockton and Nate Frazier are back for a strong Georgia offense, but what happened to that vaunted Georgia defense?
- Texas 9.5: Maybe Arch wasn’t a bust? Sure, the young signal caller struggled early in the season, but he was making his first starts against some pretty darn good teams. He got better as the season went on and showed off in the Cheez-It Bowl win over Michigan. Sark went out and added some “Boom” to his defense. Will Muschamp is an elite defensive coordinator and should give Sark and Arch plenty of time in the lab to fix the red-zone offense.
Eight Is Too Low, But So Might Be Nine
- Alabama 8.5: Nobody said it would be easy, but Kalen DeBoer has made life after Saban more difficult. A 20+ loss to an Oklahoma team in year one cost the Tide a playoff berth. Alabama backed into the playoff last year and got handed a loss in the Rose Bowl. Year three can’t be worse, right? DeBoer better hope not.
- LSU 8.5: The Crazy err Lane Train is in Baton Rouge. Kiffin transformed Ole Miss into a playoff team that came damn close to playing for a national championship. Not that he coached it…Regardless, a big NIL dump comes with big expectations, and 9-3 just isn’t going to cut it. Ask, BK.
- Texas A&M 8.5: The Aggies were undefeated most of the season and then had to overcome a 28-point first-half deficit to a hapless South Carolina team before getting beaten for a second year in a row in Austin by the Longhorns. Marcel Reed is back for year two, but there are still questions about whether the Aggies are legit and can contend as we head into year three with Mike Elko.
The Middle Eight: Part 1
Who is in the next tier? The middle eight of the SEC is what separates the SEC from the B1G, Big 12, or ACC. It is the depth and the ability to snipe a team in any week that can get ya.
- Florida 7.5: Jon Sumrall is in. Billy Napier is out. That might be enough for Gators’ fans to celebrate. Sumrall has hit the ground running. He was a fixture at basketball games and talked a good game this offseason. Hiring Buster Faulkner was a baller move at OC. Not having a proven QB is a gamble.
- Oklahoma 7.5: Were the Sooners good in 2025? Sure, they made the playoffs, but this team just seemed different after John Mateer broke his hand early in the season. A lot of defense and an offense that too often couldn’t get out of its own way. BV’s coordinators are intact for the first time since he came to Norman. That continuity better bring more than 7.5 wins, but damn, that number seems about right.
- Ole Miss 7.5: No respect. It’s like the Rebels will lose a transformative coach and then just fall back to mediocrity. Did they not see Pete in the playoffs? That beard. He had an edge; he didn’t do hot yoga! The 7.5 rating seems low, especially with Trinidiad Chambliss coming back, but 2026 will show whether Pete Golding was the right choice to stabilize and elevate the Rebels.
- Tennessee 7.5: Quick, name the Vols starting QB in 2026. Josh Heupel may not even be able to either. Joey Aguilar is out. It’s now a battle between Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and five-star freshman Faizon Brandon. The fastest learner may be the one to bring the Vols back to the Playoffs, especially under a revamped Jim Knowles defense.
Check back next week as we will hit up the other eight…
Main Photo: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
