Life has never been easy in the SEC, but it got a whole lot tougher in 2024 as the conference tried to grow and succeed at the same time. The league expanded with two blue bloods with the theory being the SEC could secure more spots in a larger College Football Playoff with Oklahoma and Texas strengthening the already-strong schedule. Instead, it backfired and the SEC ultimately fell short of preseason expectations.
Some believed the conference could land as many as five teams in the 12-team playoff, but teams beat up on each other and only secured three bids after contenders Alabama and Ole Miss recorded three losses.
Not all is lost, of course. The SEC can still win a national title, of course, but most teams fell short of lofty goals as the 16-team league experienced growing pains.
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, let's take a look back at the season and grade each team — and contextualize their challenges — with our post-season grades for the SEC.
Alabama
Kalen DeBoer had the impossible task of following the greatest coach of all time. He won nine games and sweated out a spot in the playoff until Selection Sunday, when the committee opted for ACC runner-up SMU over the three-loss Tide. Alabama seemed so much better in spurts, but never quite capable of putting it all together for four quarters. They came close to proving worthy of consideration as the nation's best team against Georgia, exploding to a 28-point lead, but then had to score a late touchdown to hold on for a 41-34 win against the eventual SEC champs. As much as we'll remember the 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt, it's the 24-3 blowout at Oklahoma that is inexcusable. Grade: B-
Arkansas
Sam Pittman saved his job by beating then-No. 4 Tennessee in a defensive slugfest in September, but he didn't capitalize on the momentum with another hallmark win down the stretch, losing three home games against ranked opponents by double digits. The Hogs won six games and advanced to the Liberty Bowl, which is a success after a four-win season a year ago, but it was the bare minimum expected in Pittman's fifth season. Just skating by won't cut it in 2025. The Hogs lose their top four receivers from Bobby Petrino's offense, making it imperative the Hogs secure one of the SEC's best transfer portal classes if they want to win big in 2025. Grade: C
Auburn
The Tigers were a popular pick to finish with eight wins or more in Hugh Freeze's second season, but they fell well short of expectations and were arguably worse than they were in Year 1. Losses at home to Arkansas and Oklahoma are unacceptable, and Freeze's third head-to-head loss to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was the icing on the soggy cake. That shouldn't happen at a place like Auburn, where the offensive line is leaky, the quarterback is incredibly inconsistent and receivers are not provided enough opportunities to excel. That should — should — change in 2025 with two elite recruiting classes on campus and what many believe will be a fantastic transfer portal haul. Auburn desperately needs a blue-chip quarterback. Grade: D-
Florida
Admit it: you wrote off Billy Napier before September ended. I think we all did. Florida rallied from blowout losses to Miami and Texas A&M to somehow win seven games, a program-high in the Napier Era, against arguably the toughest schedule in the country. The murder's row of games in the final month were instead incredible opportunities for the Gators, who knocked off LSU and ended Ole Miss' playoff hopes. Meanwhile, phenom DJ Lagway stepped up and provided more hope for the Gators after Graham Mertz was lost to injury. Might the Gators be a top 15 team in the 2025 preseason polls? Grade: A-
Georgia
Georgia's season didn't go exactly as planned, but it ended with another SEC title and strip to the College Football Playoff unlike last season. Losses to Ole Miss and Alabama on the road pushed the Bulldogs' backs against the wall in November and they responded, including a thrilling eight-overtime win against rival Georgia Tech. The team was uneven week to week, and the defense was most certainly not what it was in past years, but they looked great in spurts — Clemson, Texas (twice). Carson Beck was a mess in October, recording as many touchdowns as he did interceptions (5), but he also bounced back in November. Now we wait to see whether he's healthy and available for the CFP after suffering an elbow injury in the SEC title game. If not, expectations may change again. Grade: A
Kentucky
Mark Stoops was this close to becoming Texas A&M's next head coach, but that didn't quite work out, so he returned to Lexington and had an utterly disappointing season that had some wondering whether he should retire. Yikes. Kentucky upset Ole Miss in late September but the Wildcats followed that up with four consecutive losses, including two to unranked teams. The offense was abysmal, ranking 119th in scoring (20.6) and the turnover margin didn't help either (109th). The 4-8 record is Stoops' worst since his first season, when he was 2-10 in 2013. Grade: F
LSU
Chip Kelly usually hits his high watermark in Year 3 (undefeated regular seasons at Cincinnati and Notre Dame), but that didn't happen at LSU and it got us thinking: will his best year actually be his debut season in the bayou? The Tigers shelled out big bucks to make Blake Baker the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country and it didn't necessarily pay off with consistent improvement through the season. Losses to Texas A&M and Florida were frustrating, particularly the struggles by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the second half against the Aggies. Grade: C+
Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby promised points and didn't deliver. He also didn't win all that much in his debut season. The Bulldogs' 10 losses tied for the program's worst total in school history (1988 and 2003) and they were winless in the SEC for the first time in 22 years. Lebby gets a pass in Year 1, even with a double-digit home loss to a MAC team, but improvements need to be made immediately. Landing Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold, who Lebby recruited for the Sooners, would be a nice start. Grade: F
Oklahoma
There was a time when many believed Oklahoma was better prepared than Texas for the SEC, but recruiting in the trenches has been an issue and it proved to be the Sooners' downfall in Year 1. The offensive line was a mess, Jackson Arnold was inconsistent and weapons were lacking at receiver. Brent Venables, whose defensive acumen helped as head coach, hasn't quite figured out what will work for the Sooners on offense, and that led to staff changes in the middle of an incredibly disappointing season. Luckily the Sooners still reached bowl eligibility with a win against Alabama, which held the Tide out of the playoff. Next year is crucial for Venables' future in the the SEC's Sooner State. Grade: D
Ole Miss
Ole Miss was Ohio State Jr. entering the season. The Rebels spent big bucks in the portal to secure a roster capable of winning a championship. The defense lived up to the hype, leading the nation in sacks (52), but Lane Kiffin failed to put all the pieces together in must-win games against Kentucky at home and Florida on the road. Jaxson Dart also regressed in those games, failing to show the gamer mentality we all expected in those big moments. He threw a pair of interceptions late in the comeback attempt at Florida. He became the school's winningest quarterback and led the nation in pass efficiency heading into the final week of the regular season, but he'll leave without a championship ring. What's next for the Rebels? That's a great question and a bit of an unknown. Any other season a 9-3 record would have been chalked up as a great year, but when expectations were playoff or bust, falling short with two weeks remaining in the regular season is just too much to overlook. Grade: C+
Missouri
Expectations were high for Mizzou after a breakthrough season in 2023, but the Tigers didn't live up to the hype and struggled in road games, losing two blowouts to Texas A&M and Alabama before suffering a heartbreaker at South Carolina in mid-November. Pinpointing Mizzou's issues is not a simple task, but we'll start with the rushing offense, which played a part in the red-zone offense dropping from third to 17th nationally, and the up-and-down play at receiver, where the Tigers were incredibly talented on paper but not on the field. The Tigers were just slightly worse in several offensive categories from last season, when running back Cody Schrader exploded on the scene as a superstar. Nate Noel did well but didn't quite pop, and receiver Luther Burden didn't meet lofty expectations. Grade: B
South Carolina
The Gamecocks finished the season as one of the nation's hottest teams with a six-game winning streak that included ranked wins against Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Clemson. Shane Beamer had a legitimate argument for inclusion in the playoff as a three-loss team but his team was overshadowed by the Alabama brand name — and a head-to-head, two-point loss to the Tide in early October. South Carolina had a top-15 defense and a top-50 offense, which turned on the jets in the latter part of the schedule with LaNorris Sellers finally healthy at quarterback. South Carolina could be a top-15 team in the preseason in 2025. Grade: A
Tennessee
Tennessee falls just short of an "A" grade because of an offense that trended down after a hot start that included three straight 51-plus scoring efforts. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava had some struggles in big games, particularly on the road at Georgia, where the Vols were shut out in the second half of a 31-17 loss, but Dylan Sampson proved to be the star. He led the SEC in rushing (1,485 yards). The defense was fantastic, recording arguably the school's best season in 24 years with a fantastic third-down defense led by the big men in the trenches. The only big blemish was the 19-14 loss at Arkansas in early October. Now the Vols have an opportunity to make a run in the CFP, but first up is Ohio State, and a win there could spell trouble for Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. Grade: B+
Texas
Texas can still win a national championship, but avoiding Georgia for a third time would probably be in the Longhorns' best interest. Texas didn't have much trouble in its first year in the SEC, dispatching teams with regularity while the defense recorded its best season in 40 years. The problem was the offense led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, who was injured midway through the schedule with an oblique strain, and didn't quite spark the offense upon his return. The Longhorns have been held to 20 points or less in three of their last four games heading into a first-round showdown with ACC champion Clemson in Austin. The 15-point loss at home against Georgia quelled expectations but Texas kept winning and advanced to the SEC title game, where Georgia once again won — this time in overtime. Grade: B+
Texas A&M
Texas A&M controlled its own destiny in the SEC and CFP races heading into the final week of the season, but lost to rival Texas in the 13-year revival of the Lodestar Showdown. The Aggies lost three of their last four games, including a head-scratcher at Auburn. The Aggies have a solid roster to build upon heading into next season. Quarterback Marcel Reed was explosive at times after supplanting Conner Weigman as the starter, but clearly needs more time to develop within the system. The 34-24 win against LSU in late October was the highlight, but the 1-3 finish followed that momentum-building win. Grade: B
Vanderbilt
The Commodores transformed into New Mexico State East with the additions of quarterback Diego Pavia and special assistant Jerry Kill, and delivered the upset of the season when the Commodores knocked off then-No. 1 Alabama in October. Head coach Clark Lea secured the program's first bowl berth in six years but ended the season on a three-game losing streak. Pavia is suing the NCAA in an effort to receive another year of eligibility, so stay tuned to see if the wild ride in Nashville continues in 2025. Either way, the Commodores need to ride this momentum into the offseason and hit up a couple more impact transfers. Grade: A