CFB South: Week 9 Preview
College Football Playoff (CFP) Odds: Top Two
Texas A&M is leading the pack in terms of CFP Odds. The Aggies came into the 2025-26 season with the #21 preseason ranking but have climbed up to #3 heading into Week 9. Their undefeated with a 7-0 overall record and four wins against SEC opponents.
Alabama has completely turned it around after being left out of last year’s CFP. They started the season ranked #4 and have since risen to #4. They have the season opener loss to Florida State as a blemish but their spot in the CFP is all but locked with a 6-1 overall record and 4-0 record against SEC competition.
College Football Playoff (CFP) Odds: Bottom Two
Tennessee and LSU are in the AP’s Top 25 going into Week 9 but their odds of making the CFP are weak. The teams share a 5-2 overall record as well as a 2-2 record against SEC opponents. LSU’ preseason ranking was #9 but they’ve tumbled down to #20. Tennessee’s preseason ranking was #18 and they’ve actually improved to #17 going into Week 9.
Best Scoring Teams
The most prolific scorers have been Tennessee and Texas Tech.
The Volunteers have put up 309 points so far and are averaging 44.1 points per game. They hit a season high in their 72-17 rout of East Tennessee State and their lowest point total was 20 in their Week 8 loss to Alabama.
Texas Tech isn’t far behind with 307 points scored and an average of 43.9 points per game. The Red Raiders hit season highs of 67 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 62 against Kent State. Similar to Tennessee, they hit a floor last week in their 22-26 loss to Arizona State.
Worst Scoring Teams
LSU and Texas have struggled heavily with scoring in 2025-26.
LSU has tallied up a total of 179 points and is averaging 25.6 points per game. They hit lows of 17 points in the Clemson loss and 19 points in the Ole Miss Loss
Texas’ point total through Week 9 is 187 and the Longhorns are averaging 26.7 points per game. Their floor was seven points scored in the season opener loss to Ohio State but outside of that they haven’t scored less than 16 points in a game.
Best Defenses
The region’s two best defenses, among those in the AP Top 25, are Oklahoma and Texas.
Through eight weeks of play, the Oklahoma Sooners’ opponents have scored a collective 66 points, with an average of 9.4 yards per game. They shutout Kent State 44-0 and held Illinois State and Temple to single field goals. Texas fared the best of their opponents so far and dealt them their first loss with a final score of 6-23.
Texas has held opponents to a collective 79 points and an average of 26.7 points per game.
Defense – Impact Plays
Defense: Tackles for Loss
Best: Oklahoma – 75
Worst: Ole Miss – 28
Defense: Sacks
Best: Oklahoma – 28
Worst: Ole Miss – 10
Defense: Interceptions
Best: Louisville – 10
Worst: Texas A&M - 2
Most Accurate Passing Team
Alabama stands out as a team in the passing category. Overall, their accuracy rate is 70.3%. Ty Simpson is having a standout season. Through Week 9 he’s got a 70.2% completion rate on 218 attempts. That’s translated into 1,931 yards, 18 touchdowns and only one interception thrown.
Tennessee isn’t far off from Alabama. Their quarterback, Joey Aguilar, has recorded 1,948 yards through the air, with a 64.6 completion rate on 226 attempts. He’s produced 15 touchdowns but also thrown six interceptions (tied for 1st among the Southern teams in the top 25). Oklahoma’s John Mateer joins him with six interceptions thrown.
Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia has thrown for 1,569 yards with a 70.5% completion rate on 183 attempts. He’s recorded 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Least Accurate Passing Team
And then there’s the Texas situation. They sit at the bottom of the group with a 60.7% completion rate. Arch Manning is still trying to find his was with a 60.3 completion rate on 189 attempts. He’s managed to turn that into 1,449 yards for 12 touchdowns but has unfortunately balanced that out with five interceptions.
Top Four Receivers
Mario Craven (Texas A&M): 36 catches, 674 yards, 4 touchdowns
Chris Bell (Louisville): 44 catches (#1), 638 yards, 6 touchdowns
Chris Brazzell II (Tennessee): 39 catches, 602 yards, 7 touchdowns
Braylon Staley (Tennessee): 41 catches, 523 yards, 3 touchdowns
Top Three Tight Ends
Dae'Quan Wright (Ole Miss): 19 catches, 393 yards, 3 touchdowns
Jaren Kanak (Oklahoma): 24 catches, 364 yards, zero touchdowns
Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt): 28 catches, 355 yards, 2 touchdowns
Best Rushing Team
Texas Tech is on top when it comes to rushing. The Red Raiders have recorded 1,506 yards on the ground through Week 8.
Worst Rushing Team
Louisville has had a very poor go of it with only 694 total rushing yards heading into Week 9.
Most Efficient Rushing Team
Louisville has proven to be the most efficient rushing team with an average of 6.7 yards per carry and a total of 1,491 yards on the ground.
Least Efficient Rushing Teams
Alabama and Oklahoma are both sorely lacking in the rushing efficiency area. Both are averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Oklahoma is in slightly better shape with 905 total rushing yards while Alabama has 879 yards.
Most Utilized Rusher:
Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy is currently the region’s most utilized rusher. Through Week 8, the sophomore has 138 attempts, 618 yards on the ground and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. At a higher level, Lacy is averaging 88.3 rushing yards per game. His season high was 142 rushing yards in Ole Miss’ 24-21 win over Washington State.
Highest Producing Rusher
Texas Tech’s Cameron Dickey is currently the region’s highest producing rusher. He has 631 yards on 100 rush attempts and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. At a higher level, Dickey is averaging 90.1 yards per game on the ground. He hit a monstrous season high of 263 rushing yards in the Red Raiders’ 42-17 win over Kansas.
Best Catching Running Backs
J’Koby Williams (Texas Tech): 16 catches, 235 yards, 1 touchdown
Sedrick Alexander (Vanderbilt): 10 catches, 105 yards, 4 touchdowns
CFB South: Week 8 Review
In-State
There was one in-state game during Week 8.
North/Central Texas neighbors Baylor and TCU matched up against each other and the Horned Frogs walked away with a +6, 42-36, win. It was a pretty even contest from a high level with the total offensive output being 439-427, in favor of Baylor. The passing yard split was 318-231 in favor of the Bears but they also finished the day with three thrown interceptions and one lost fumble, compared with TCU’s one lost fumble. Those kind of details end up making all of the difference.
TCU is now 5-2 overall and 2-2 against Big 12 opponents. Baylor drops to a 4-3 overall record but they are also 2-2 against conference opponents.
Regional
There were four regional games played during Week 8.
Alabama walked away with the biggest regional win. The Crimson Tide dealt the Tennessee Volunteers a +17, 37-20, blow. The loss drops Tennessee to a 5-2 overall record and a 2-2 record against SEC competition. And Alabama continues on its revenge tour for last season’s overall disappointment and the Florida State loss in this season’s opener. They’re 6-1 overall and have knocked off all four of the SEC teams they’ve played up to this point.
Vanderbilt is on a different type of revenge tour. They emerged as something more than a joke in the SEC last season with their win over Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat them last weekend 30-14 for their first loss of the season but the Commodore’s took out their hurt on LSU in Week 8. The Commodores served a +7, 31-24, loss to the LSU Tigers and they are now 6-1 overall and 2-1 against SEC opponents. Vanderbilt outproduced LSU 399-325 in total offensive yards and 239-100 in rushing yards. The folks from Baton Rouge are now 5-2 overall, 2-2 against SEC opponents and rumors are spreading that fans are lining up to host crawfish boil fundraisers to support Brian Kelly’s buyout.
Texas A&M eked out a +3, 45-42, win over Arkansas. The Aggies’ fortunes continue to flow in abundance and they are 7-0 overall with four SEC wins. The opposite is true for the Razorbacks. Arkansas is 2-5 overall and 0-3 against SEC competition heading out of Week 8. It wasn’t as much of a blowout as expected and Arkansas outproduced Texas A&M 527-497 in total offensive yards. But you can’t argue with undefeated records, especially this deep into the season.
Texas also pulled off a slim victory during Week 8. They finished with a +3, 16-13, win over Kentucky. That victory bumps the Longhorns’ overall record up to 5-2 and their conference record up to 2-1. Their 2025-26 season is pretty backloaded so we’ll see how things fare out for the program through the stretch. It’s a wash of a season for the Kentucky wildcats who are now 2-4 overall, with all four of those losses coming against SEC opponents.
Out-Region
Four Southern programs played out-region games during Week 8 and only one walked away with a win.
Houston pulled off a slim, +3, 31-38, win over Arizona. The Cougars are having a solid season and are now 6-1 overall and 3-1 against Big 12 opponents.
Texas Tech suffered its first loss of the 2025-26 season. Arizona State dealt the Red Raiders a -4, 22-26, loss at home in Tempe. Texas Tech was outproduced 276-394 in total offensive yards and 167-319 in rushing yards. They’ll now head into the season’s final stretch with a 6-1 overall record and 3-1 record against Big 12 opponents.
I’m pretty sure Auburn is ready for the 2025-26 season to be in their rear view. They are on a four-game losing streak following their -6, 17-23, loss to Missouri. The Tigers started the season with sizeable wins over Baylor, Ball State and South Alabama. But they’ve faced a gauntlet of ranked Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Missouri and don’t have anything positive to show for their efforts. They are heading into the final weeks with a 3-4 overall record and 0-4 in-conference record.
Oklahoma State is probably having the worst go of things in the region. They dropped a whopping, -32, 17-49, loss this week to Cincinnati. The Cowboys are now 1-6 overall and 0-4 against Big 12 opponents. They have Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, UCF and Iowa State left and there’s a very real chance they don’t see another win before they can close out this 2025-26 nightmare.
Southeast
Five teams played opponents located in the Southeast.
Oklahoma pulled of a +19, 26-7, win over South Carolina. That brings them to 6-1 overall and 2-1 against SEC teams. Things get treacherous with Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU left on the schedule so the jury is very much still out on the Sooners.
SMU walked away from Week 8 with a big +11, 35-24, win over Clemson. The Mustangs are 5-2 overall but have beaten all three of the ACC teams they’ve faced up to this point. Clemson unfortunately drops to 3-4 overall and 2-3 against conference competition.
Louisville claimed the biggest upset of the week with a +3, 24-21, win over #2 Miami (FL). The win brings them to 5-1 overall and 2-1 against ACC competition. And while Miami (FL) is 5-1 overall their in-conference record is now only 1-1. There’s a strong possibility that Louisville could win out this season and emerge as a serious ACC contender.
Mississippi State dropped a close, -2, 21-23, game to Florida in Week 8. It’s hard to make heads or tails of what a win or loss to Florida means in 2025-26. This win helps to bring the Bulldogs to 4-3 overall but still 0-3 against SEC opponents. The Gators are 3-4 but 2-2 against SEC teams.
Ole Miss took its first loss of the 2025-26 season in Week 8. They dropped a -8, 35-43, game to Georgia. It was a pretty resounding defeat and the Bulldogs outproduced the Rebels 510-351 in total offensive yards. And most of that disparity is attributed to Georgia putting up 221 yards on the ground and Ole Miss only logging 83 rushing yards. They’re 6-1 overall and 3-1 against SEC opponents, with the odds favoring them winning out through the stretch.
CFB South: Week 7 Review
We’ve gotten over the Week 7 hump of the 2025-26 college football season.
In-State
There weren’t any in-state games during Week 7.
Regional
Houston dealt a massive blow to already reeling Oklahoma State. The Houston Cougars beat the Cowboys 39-17 for a +22 differential. Oklahoma State is now 1-5 overall and 0-3 against Big 12 opponents and their sole win through Week 7 is a 27-7 victory over UT Martin in the season opener. Houston continues its strong start and is now 5-1 overall and 2-1 against Big 12 opponents. Their only loss was am 11-35 letdown against one of this year’s juggernaut teams, Texas Tech.
There was a lot of attention going into this Texas-Oklahoma game, but it turned out to be pretty anticlimactic. Mostly because Texas turned a corner in the 2025-26 season and was able to beat their neighbors to the north 23-6. The Longhorns are now 4-2 overall and 1-1 against SEC competition. We’re halfway through the regular season and it’s still hard to make an assessment about this team. They started things off with a -7 loss to Ohio State (now 6-0) and then they dropped a -8 game to Florida last week. More on the Gators later on. This is the first loss of the season for Oklahoma and they’re now 5-1 overall and 1-1 against conference competition.
Arkansas-Tennessee was a close one, but the Volunteers came up with a +3 win. The final score was 34-31. Tennessee has the one, 41-44, loss to Georgia but is now 5-1 overall and 2-1 against SEC teams. Arkansas is in pretty rough shape heading into the second half of the season. Their record is 2-4 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. There’s always room for things to turn around but the Razorbacks will have to weather six straight conference opponents before they reach the end of 2025-26.
Out-Region
Texas Tech continues to tear through their competition. They finished Week 7 with a +25, 42-17, win over Kansas. The Red Raiders are now 6-0 overall, with half of those victories coming against fellow Big 12 teams.
SMU provided Stanford with some similar punishment. The Mustangs pulled off a +24, 34-10, win over the Cardinal. The SMU picture is still a little unclear seven games into the season. With this win SMU improves to 4-2 overall and 2-0 against ACC opponents. But both of those ACC wins were against Syracuse (now 3-3 overall) and Stanford (now 2-4 overall). They’ve lost their games against good competition, Baylor (45-48) and TCU (24-35), though.
Alabama is on a five-game winning streak with its +3, 27-24 win over Missouri. Things were looking a little shaky in Tuscaloosa after the 17-31 loss to Florida State in the season opener, but they’re a legit contender now.
Ole Miss is turning heads throughout the sport. They finished Week 7 with a +3, 24-21, win over Washington State. The Cougars are only 3-3 overall and things probably shouldn’t have been that close, but you can only argue so much with an undefeated team. Their 6-0 overall and 5-0 conference record will be tested in a different way next week against Georgia.
Southeast
TCU drops to 4-2 overall and 1-2 against Big 12 opponents after its -13, 28-41, loss to Kansas State. It’s the third straight loss to the Wildcats, and Kansas State is only 2-4 overall and 2-2 against Big 12 opponents this season.
Texas A&M improves to 6-0 overall following its +17, 34-17, win over Florida. The Florida Gators earned a marquee, 29-21, win over the Texas Longhorns last week. But after the Aggies avenged their in-state neighbors to the north Florida’s overall record is now 2-4.
LSU has some major flaws but through Week 7 they’re 5-1 overall and 2-1 against SEC competition. They followed up their 19-24 loss to Ole Miss last week with a +10, 20-10, victory over South Carolina.
Auburn dropped a -10, 10-20, loss to Georgia. That locks the Tigers into a three-game losing streak following a 3-0 start to the 2025-26 season. Granted those losses have all been at the hands of ranked opponents, Oklahoma, Texas &M and now the Georgia Bulldogs.
Rankings: Offense - Overall
Texas Tech
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Baylor
Rankings: Defense - Overall
Oklahoma
Texas Tech
Texas
Louisville
Alabama
Rankings: Offense - Passing
Baylor
Texas Tech
TCU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Rankings: Defense - Passing
Oklahoma
Alabama
Louisville
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Rankings: Offense - Rushing
Texas Tech
Arkansas
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Rankings: Defense - Rushing
Texas Tech
Texas
Oklahoma
Auburn
Vanderbilt
CFB South: Week 6 Review
Week 6 of College Football’s 2025-26 season proved to be a particularly crazy one.
Let’s dig through the stats to see how the South’s Power 4 teams faired amidst all of the chaos.
In-State Games
There was only one game between in-state opponents during Week 6. Texas Tech came up with a big +24 (35-11) win over Houston. That puts the Red Raider at 5-0 overall and 2-0 against Big 12 competition. It was Houston’s first loss of the season and they’re now 4-1 overall and 1-1 against Big 12 opponents.
Regional Games
There were only two regional games during Week 6.
Alabama beat Vanderbilt with a sizeable +16 (30-14) win over Vanderbilt. The Commodores weren’t able to follow-up on their 40-35 defeat of the Crimson Tide last season but they’re still punching well above their weight class overall. Vanderbilt is not 5-1 overall and 1-1 against SEC teams. Alabama improves to 4-1 overall and 2-0 against SEC competition.
Texas A&M walks away from Week 6 with a +22 (31-9) win over Mississippi State. There was some hype surrounding the Bulldogs coming out o last weeks somewhat competitive Tennessee matchup but the Aggies killed any of that momentum. Mississippi State is now 4-2 overall but 0-2 in-conference. The Aggies now lay claim to5-0 overall and 2-0 conference records.
Out-Region Games
Five teams faced off against out-region opponents during Week 6.
Oklahoma walloped Kent State with a +44 shutout.
TCU pulled off a somewhat close +14 (35-21) victory over Colorado. The Buffaloes turned the ball over four times and the Horned Frogs didn’t at all, which tends to help out. TCU is now 4-1 overall and 1-1 against Big 12 opponents.
Fellow DFW program, SMU, had a similar experience during Week 6. SMU pulled off a +13 (31-18) win over Syracuse. The Orange out produced the Mustangs in total offense, 389-370 yards but lot the turnover battle 3-1. SMU’s overall record is now 3-2 and they’re 1-0 in-conference with this Syracuse victory.
Baylor squeaked by with a +1 (35-34) win over Kansas State. That brings the Bears to 4-2 overall and 2-1 against Big 12 opponents.
And there’s the Oklahoma State situation. The Cowboys dropped a -28 (13-41) loss to Arizona in Week 6. The dog pile continues and they are now 1-4 overall and 0-2 in-conference. Nothing to see here folks.
Southeast
All of the teams who played opponents located in the nearby Southeast region loss.
Louisville fell -3 (27-30) to Virginia. The Cavaliers aren’t a pushover this season and are now up to 5-1 overall and 3-0 against ACC opponents. This is Louisville’s first loss of the 2025-26 season and they’re now 4-1 overall and 1-1 in-conference.
Texas’ -8 (21-19) loss to Florida has been and will continue to be commentary fodder for the foreseeable future. Unless the Longhorns play worse. They’re now 3-2 overall but only 0-1 against SEC competition. It potentially feels worse than it is in the moment but they also still have Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A&M left on their regular season schedule. Definite room for a much steeper slide.
And Kentucky dropped a -21 (14-35) game against Georgia. It was the rebound game for the Bulldogs after their Week 5 loss to Alabama and puts the Wildcats at 2-3 overall and 0-3 against SEC opponents.
Rankings: Offense - Overall
Texas Tech
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Baylor
Rankings: Defense - Overall
Oklahoma
Texas
Texas Tech
Louisville
Alabama
Rankings: Offense - Passing
Texas Tech
Baylor
Tennessee
Alabama
Ole Miss
Rankings: Offense - Rushing
Arkansas
Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Texas Tech
Texas
Rankings: Defense - Passing
Oklahoma
Alabama
Louisville
Texas
Mississippi State
Rankings: Defense - Rushing
Texas
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
LSU
Auburn
CFB South: Week 5 Review
Week 5 of College Football’s 2025-26 season has wrapped and we can finally start to make some solid judgements about programs. Some of the South’s Power 4 teams started off on extremely shaky grounds but are now going strong. And it’s the opposite for a few.
Let’s take a look at where things stand by focusing on the programs who took the field in Week 5.
In-State Games
There were no in-state games between the South’s Power 4 program during Week 5.
Regional Games
Baylor walked away with one of Week 5’s most sizeable wins. They beat their neighbor to the north, Oklahoma State by a +18 differential (45-27). The Oklahoma State Cowboys are still a Power 4 program because of their Big 12 membership but are now 1-3 overall and 0-1 against conference opponents with this loss to the Bears.
Tennessee pulled of a +7 (41-34) win over Mississippi State. Going into Week 6 both teams are now 4-1. The Volunteers are 1-1 against SEC opponents so far while the Bulldogs are 0-1 in-conference. Mississippi State’s odds for victory weren’t through the roof going into the game and they made a definite statement by dragging Tennessee into overtime even if the outcome wasn’t what they hoped for.
Texas A&M logged a +6 (16-10) win over Auburn. Texas A&M moves up to 4-0 and Auburn is now 3-2. But it wasn’t a particularly pretty game for either team. Auburn was 0-13 in third down conversions and A&M was 3-14. The Aggies offense outproduced the Tigers 414 yards to 177 yards but the Texas team finished with 119 total penalty yards too.
LSU vs. Ole Miss was one of the most talked about games heading into Week 5. Ole Miss ended up coming out on top with a +5 (24-19) win. While the yells coming from Baton Rouge are loud, the Tigers are only 4-1 overall and 1-1 against SEC opponents. Ole Miss has improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 against conference opponents.
Southeast Games
Kentucky faced off against South Carolina and walked away with a +22 (35-13) win. The Wildcats were definitely the better team but neither program is having the best go of things in 2025-26 season. Kentucky is now 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. South Carolina is 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference competition.
Alabama is bouncing back from its early season woes and made a big step in the right direction with a +3 (24-21) win over Georgia. It was a pretty tight game, with Alabama tallying up 397 yards of total offense and Georgia putting up 357 yards of total offense. The two teams are now both 3-1 with the Crimson Tide being 1-0 in SEC play and the Bulldogs being 1-1 in SEC play.
Out-Region Games
Vanderbilt is on a tear. They pulled off a +20 (55-35) win over Utah State and are now 5-0 overall. Their only SEC opponent so far has been South Carolina, who they beat 31-7. And they also notched a 44-20 win over the ACC’s Virginia Tech.
Louisville finished Week 5 with a +7 (34-27) win over the in-conference opponent Pitt. The Cardinals are now 4-0 overall and 1-0 against ACC competition.
Houston edged out a narrow +3 (27-24) victory over Oregon State. The Cougars are now up to 4-0 overall while the Beavers have fallen to a crippling 0-5 heading into Week 6. The Realignment Wars continue to wreak havoc on the cast-out, former Pac-12 member.
TCU dropped a -3 (24-27) loss to Arizona State. It was the Horned Frog’s first loss of the season and they’re no 3-1, fresh off a big 35-24 win over DFW rival SMU. Arizona State outproduced them with 498 total offensive yards to 269 total offensive yards. This is the third Texas team they’ve beat in a row, with a 27-24 win over Baylor last week and a 34-15 win over Texas State the game before.
The region’s most catastrophic loss was Arkansas’ -43 (13-56) manhandling by Notre Dame. Before Sunday was over, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman had been served his walking papers. Check out my breakdown, from the Notre Dame perspective, over on One Foot Down.
Team Rankings: Offense – Overall
1. Tennessee: 536.4 yards per game
2. Arkansas: 514.6 yards per game
3. Baylor: 504.2 yards per game
4. Vanderbilt: 494.4 yards per game
5. Texas A7M: 463.8 yards per game
Team Rankings: Offense – Passing
1. Baylor: 349 yards per game
2. Tennessee: 337 yards per game
3. Alabama: 322 yards per game
4. TCU: 321 yards per game
5. Arkansas: 301 yards per game
Team Rankings: Offense – Rushing
1. Vanderbilt: 223 yards per game
2. Arkansas: 214 yards per game
3. Mississippi State: 205 yards per game
4. Tennessee: 199 yards per game
5. Kentucky: 188 yards per game
Team Rankings: Defense – Overall
1. Houston: 265.5 yards allowed per game
2. Louisville: 268.3 yards allowed per game
3. Alabama: 274.0 yards allowed per game
4. Vanderbilt: 278.8 yards allowed per game
5. LSU: 293.0 yards allowed per game
Team Rankings: Defense – Passing
1. Alabama: 114 yards allowed per game
2. Houston: 140 yards allowed per game
3. Louisville: 151 yards allowed per game
4. Mississippi State: 170 yards allowed per game
5. Texas A&M: 190 yards allowed per game
Team Rankings: Defense – Rushing
1. Vanderbilt: 80 yards allowed per game
2. LSU: 84 yards allowed per game
3. Auburn: 88 yards allowed per game
4. Tennessee: 114 yards allowed per game
5. Texas A&M: 117 yards allowed per game
CFB South: Week 2 Preview
Intro
We managed to survive a wild Week 1 of College Football’s 2025-26 season. Some teams in the South walked away from their season openers/Week 1 games with a lot to be excited about and others, not so much. Let’s put it all into context through the Week 2 preview lens, though.
Byes
Fort Worth’s TCU probably had one of the biggest opening weekends among the Southern teams. They were gifted with the opportunity of providing NFL legend Bill Belichick with an introduction to CFB coaching and they beat him and his North Carolina Tarheels a in truly decisive way. The final score was 48-14 but the actual performance looked much worse for North Carolina. The Horned-Frogs definitely aren’t going to the College Football Playoff this year but commentators worldwide are reviling in the way that they walked all over Belichick.
And for their efforts, they get a Week 2 bye. Even though that was scheduled long before.
In-State
There are a bunch of in-state games throughout the South in Week 2. And wo of the most noteworthy are going to take place in Texas.
SMU (1-0) will be taking on Baylor (0-1) in a Central-North Texas matchup. The Mustangs are coming off a 42-13 win over East Texas A&M last week. The Baylor Bears suffered a Week 1 defeat at the hands of fellow Southern program, Auburn. It was a decisive victory for the Tigers and Baylor will be looking to bounce back from the 24-38 loss.
The next biggest in-state matchup will be between Houston (1-0) and Rice (1-0). Houston shutout fellow Texas program, Stephen F. Austin, 27-0 in Week 1. And although Rice isn’t a Power 4 team, currently being a member of the American conference, they did come out with a 14-12 win over not scrub Louisiana.
LSU (1-0) and Louisiana Tech (1-0) will duke it out in Baton Rouge’s Tiger Stadium. LSU pulled off a very noteworthy 17-10 win over Clemson while Tech shutout Southeastern Louisiana 24-0 in Week 1.
Arkansas (1-0) will be meeting up with Arkansas State (1-0). The Razorbacks trounced the SWAC’s Alabama A&M 52-7 last week and Arkansas State beat Southeast Missouri 42-24.
Week 2 will see Tennessee (1-0) matching up with East Tennessee State (1-0). The Volunteers ransacked Syracuse 45-26 in Week 1 and the Buccaneers finished their opening week with a 45-17 victory over Murray State.
Cross-State
There are only two interregional games during Week 2.
Alabama (0-1) will be looking for some redemption following their 17-31 loss to Florida State in Week 1. And they’ll likely find it at home against UL Monroe (1-0). The lesser tier Louisiana program shutout Saint Francis 29-0 in their season opener.
We’re getting some early SEC in-conference action! Ole Miss (1-0) is slated to meet Kentucky (1-0) in Lexington, Kentucky. Ole Miss knocked off Georgia State 63-7 in Week 1 and Kentucky beat up on Toledo, 24-16.
Southeast
There are two games where teams from the South’s West and Core will be playing against programs from the region’s East Coast.
Louisville (1-0) will be hosting Virginia’s James Madison (1-0). The Cardinals dealt a real blow, 51-17, to Eastern Kentucky during Week 1 and JMU is coming off a 45-10 victory over Weber State.
Vanderbilt (1-0) beat Charleston Southern 45-3 and is looking for another win over Virginia Tech (0-1). The Hokies dropped their Week 1 game to South Carolina, 24-11.
Out-Region
There are seven games during Week 2 where teams from the South will play against out-region teams.
Oklahoma (1-0) versus Michigan (1-0) will be of most interest to me. The Sooners toppled Illinois State 35-3 in their season opener and the Wolverines beat New Mexico 34-17. Both teams are set to be in the middle-tip of the pack in their respective conferences.
Mississippi State (1-0) is coming off a 34-17 win over Southern Miss. They’ll be playing against Arizona State (1-0). The Sun Devils made it to the College Football Playoff last season and beat Northern Arizona 38-19 during Week 1.
Oklahoma State (1-0) beat out UT Martin 27-7 to open up the 2025-26 season. They’re set to meet up with #6 ranked Oregon (1-0). The Ducks finished Week 1 with a 59-13 victory over Montana State.
Auburn (1-0) will be playing against Ball State (0-1) in Week 2. Ball State got shutout, 0-31, to bigger in-state program Indiana during Week 1.
Texas Tech (1-0) will also be facing off against a MAC program. The Red Raiders are coming off a 67-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and will hope to go up 2-0 over Kent State. The odds are in their favor. Kent State barely beat Merrimack 21-17 in Week 1.
Two of Texas’ marquee CFB programs will both be playing Mountain West schools during Week 2.
Texas (0-1) is hoping to get back on track with a victory over San Jose State (0-1). The Longhorns’ opponent dropped a 14-16 Week 1 loss to Central Michigan.
Texas A&M (1-0) is planning to notch its second win in a game against Utah State (1-0). The Aggies’ opponent pulled of a 28-16 win over UTEP in Week 1.
CFB South: Texas’ Week 1 Loss
Intro
Week 1 of College Football’s 2025-26 season did not go the way the Texas Longhorns anticipated.
Texas came into the matchup with a #1 preseason ranking and a ton of hype. Ohio State is the defending National Champion with a #3 preseason ranking and a large portion of the CFB world was still calling a Longhorn win. And then there were all of the expectations placed on Heisman hopeful Arch Manning as he was slated to take full control of the Texas offense.
Big Picture
Despite all of that, the Longhorns suffered a 7-14 loss in front of an estimated 107,524 fans up in Columbus, Ohio. From early on in the game, it was apparent that the preseason hype was just a smidge overblown. Especially when it came to Texas’ quarterback situation. So let’s put things in some historical context to see how much the Longhorn fanbase should be hurting.
Historical Context - Overall
The Longhorns’ last season in the Southwest Conference was 1995. They played their first season of Big 12 football in 1996 and that conference run lasted for 28 seasons before they joined the SEC in the 2024 season. This will be their second season opener played in the South’s most competitive CFB conference.
Between 1996 and 2024, the Texas Longhorns had a season opener record of 25-4. A little bit on the opponents during those four losses, prior to this season.
1999: North Carolina State
2015: Notre Dame
2017: Maryland
2018: Maryland
Historical Context – Points Scored
The average points scored by the programs in openers for the entire period was 44.06, with the average being 47.4 for wins and 23.25 in losses.
Texas was well below its overall average of 44.06 points scored per season opener this year. The team’s seven points scored against Ohio State was also well below its average in losses, 23.25. It wasn’t rock bottom, though. That title belongs to their 2015 loss to Notre Dame when the Longhorns only scored three points.
Historical Context – Point Differential
The average point differential during the time period was +28.82, which translates to +35.56 in the wins and -13.25 in the losses.
From this angle, it wasn’t as bad of a day for Texas. They were above the -13.25 average in losses between 1996 and 2024, with a differential of -7. The biggest outlier during the time period was a -35 differential in 2015 against Notre Dame.
Historical Context – Pass Completions
The Longhorns averaged 19.96 pass completions per season opener between 1996 and 2024. The average in their wins was 19.44 and 23.25 in their losses.
Looking from a total completions perspective, the 2025 season opener loss was the second worst outing in recent history. They had 17 completions against Ohio State, compared with an average of 23.25 for all losses and 8 completions in the 2015 loss.
Historical Context – Pass Attempts
Texas averaged 31.27 pass attempts per season opener between 1996 and 2024. The average in their wins was 29.84 and a much higher 40.25 in their losses.
Looking from a total attempts perspective, the 2025 season opener loss was the second worst outing in recent history. They had 30 attempts against Ohio State, compared with an average of 40.25 for all losses and 23 attempts in the 2015 loss.
Historical Context – Pass Accuracy
Between 1996 and 2024, Texas passers completed an average of 63.8% of their passes in season openers. That translates to 65.1% in the wins and 57.7% in the losses.
The Longhorns have seen much worse times in their recent season openers in terms of passing accuracy, when compared with their performance against the Buckeyes. Arch Manning completed 56.7% of his passes, compared with the aggregated 57.5% completion rate for the four losses between 1996 and 2024. The program’s completion rate in the 2018 loss was 53.8% and the rate was 34.8% in the 2015 loss.
Historical Context – Passing Yards
Texas passed for an average of 259.2 yards per season opener between 1996 and 2024. The average in the wins was 258.4 and the average in the losses was 264.25.
Looking from a total passing yardage perspective, the 2025 season opener loss was the second worst outing in recent history. They had 170 passing yards against Ohio State, compared with an average of 264.25 for all losses and 103 passing yards in the 2015 loss.
Historical Context – Quarterback Rating (QBR)
Final Thoughts
It’s definitely not how the South, the SEC, Texas or Arch Manning wanted to get 2025-26 started but there’s a lot of football left to be played. And maybe things will get better now that the external expectations will undoubtedly drop off.
CFB South: Week 1 Preview
Week Zero of College Football’s 2025-26 season is in the books and we can now set our sights squarely on the sport’s major opening weekend. None of the Southern football programs I’m following this season played during the technical first week of games.
Power 4 Opponents: Zero.
None of the in-state games will be played against Power 4 opponents. Even given that context, though, there is probably some viewing potential.
Texas A&M (SEC) will be facing off against UT, San Antonio (American) in College Station, Texas. I don’t imagine the Roadrunners will walk away with a lot from this game but odder things have happened.
Stephen F. Austin (Southland) will drive travel from Nacogdoches to meet up with Houston (Big 12). The odds are probably a little more even in this matchup but still another significant undergo situation for the non Power 4 opponent.
Mississippi State (SEC) will meet up with Southern Miss (Sun Belt) for an in-state contest in Hattiesburg.
SMU (ACC) will be hosting East Texas A&M (Southland) up in Dallas.
And Louisville (ACC) will be acting as host for its Week 1 game against Eastern Kentucky (UAC).
Cross-State Games
There are five games that will be played by teams within the West and Core regions.
Power 4 Opponents: 2*
The big interregional matchup will be between Auburn (SEC) and Baylor (Big 12). It’ll be a rare meeting of the two programs. They’ve only played each other four times prior to this season, with the most recent game being held in 1976. The Baylor Bears lead the series 2-1-1 and they won the most recent matchup 15-14. The Auburn Tigers will hope to log their first win since 1954, when they bested Baylor 33-13. The ESPN analysis is leaning towards Baylor with a 51.8% chance of walking away with the victory.
Two of the interregional games will be played between Power 4 and SWAC (HBCU) teams.
Arkansas (SEC) will he hosting Alabama A&M (SWAC) at home in Fayetteville.
Texas Tech (Big 12) will be hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC) at home in Lubbock.
And the final interregional game will be played by Oklahoma State (Big 12) and UT Martin (OVC-Big South). UT Martin will be making the trek from Tennessee to meet the Cowboys in Lubbock.
Southeast Games
Five games will be played between Core/West teams and programs that are technically in the South but hug the East Coast.
Power 4 Opponents: 3
Two games in this group will be receiving a lot of national attention, mostly because they’'ll be pitting Power 4 opponents against each other to kick off the 2025-26 action.
LSU (SEC) and Clemson (ACC) will be meeting up on Saturday night in South Carolina. It’s kind of surprising that the two big time programs have only played against each other four times. 1959 - LSU (7-0). 1996 - LSU (10-7). 2012 - Clemson (25-24). 2020 - LSU (42-25). ESPN Analytics has the Tigers from Clemson with a 53.8%-46.2% advantage over the Tigers from LSU. Regardless of the outcome, I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of post game conversations fired up in the region.
Another big matchup will be between Alabama (SEC) and Florida State (ACC). Again, it’s surprising that the two programs have only played against each other five times. 1965 - Alabama (21-0). 1967 - Tie (37-37). 1974 - Alabama (8-7). 2007 - Florida State (21-14). 2017 - Alabama (24-7). Both programs will be looking to bounce back from underwhelming 2024-25 seasons and ESPN Analytics has Alabamaba with a 90.6% win probability. Given both fanbase’s histories and tendencies, I kind of just want to skip to the post game reactions.
TCU (Big 12) and North Carolina (ACC) will close out the week 1 slate on Monday night in Chapel Hill.
Ole Miss (SEC) will be hosting Georgia State (Sun Belt) down in Oxford.
Vanderbilt (SEC) will be hosting Charleston Southern (OVC-Big South) in Nashville.
Out-of-Region Games
Four Power 4 teams will be taking on opponents from outside of the South, including the East Coast states.
Power 4 Opponents: 2
There’s another really big time game during Week 1.
Texas (SEC) will be traveling up to Columbus to duke it out with Ohio State (Big Ten). The Longhorns and they Buckeyes have only met four times going into the 2025-26 season. And the series is dead even. 2005 - Texas (25-22). 2006 - Ohio State (24-7). 2009 - Texas (24-21). 2025 - Ohio State (28-14). The Buckeyes walked away with the National Championship last season and somehow the Longhorns earned a #1 preseason ranking. ESPN Analytics has Texas favored with a 53.3% win probability.
Tennessee (SEC) will be playing against Syracuse (ACC) in a neutral game site down in Atlanta’s Merceds-Benz Stadium.
Oklahoma (SEC) with be hosting Illinois State (MVFC) in Norman.
CFB South: Intro The Core
The Geography
The Census Bureau groups 17 states** into the South. And within that big group, there are three regions: The West, The Core and the East.
Geography and Dollars
College football in the U.S. will forever be a primarily regional sport. A big focus of the Multiverse’s first phase emphasized baselining that and so will this phase. And when it comes to the regional context of CFB in 2025, we’re really talking primarily about Dollars and TV Households. So with that in mind, let’s do some baselining of the South’s CFB regions.
The Core
General Context
The final part of our baselining journey takes us to The Core. There are four states located in the South’s Core region. Kentucky and Tennessee are the oldest. Kentucky was ratified as a U.S. state in 1792 and Tennessee followed suit in 1796. Mississippi joined the Union in 1817 and Alabama was ratified in 1819.
In terms of TV market power, Tennessee stands out in the Core region. The state has four major TV markets which lay claim to a collective 2,841,530 TV households.
· Nashville: 1,199,400
· Memphis: 666,300
· Knoxville: 584,100
· Chattanooga: 391,730
Alabama occupies the #2 spot in terms of total TV households with Kentucky coming in a close #3. Alabama has two major markets, Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa (771,860) and Huntsville-Decatur-Florence (452,230) which sum up to 1,224,090 potential viewing households.
Kentucky also has two major markets, Louisville (702,310) and Lexington (517,660) which sum up to 1,219,970 households.
And then there’s Mississippi. The state only has one major TV market. Jackson acts as the state’s capital and also home to the 339,170 TV power points that matter in this Multiverse context.
College Football Context
The South’s Core region is currently home to eight Power 4 football programs. And seven of the eight programs are SEC members so the Core region can make both the geographic and faction cases for being the most “Southern.”
Each state within the region has two Power 4 programs and Kentucky is both the geographical and faction outlier. The jury is still out on whether or not Kentucky should be considered Southern or Midwestern. Geographically, the Midwest claim makes more sense. Kentucky’s borders touch seven other states and only three of those are in the Census Bureau’s Southern group. It shares small borders with West Virginia and Virginia to the east but really only touches Tennessee in a substantial way to the south.
And the University of Kentucky is in the SEC but the state’s other Power 4 program, Louisville, currently owes it allegiances to the ACC. Louisville serves the larger of Kentucky’s two major TV markets. The Louisville TV markets is estimated to have 702,310 TV households. The University of Kentucky is nestled into the Lexington TV market which has 517,660 households.
Tennessee is home to the Core region’s largest TV market, Nashville. The Music City lays claim to an estimated 1,199,400 TV households and Vanderbilt is locates within the market. The University of Tennessee is located in the Knoxville market which has about 584,100 TV households.
Both of Alabama’s Power 4 football programs are located in the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa TV market. That market has an estimated 771,860 households and is home to the University of Alabama and Auburn.
And then there’s the special case of Mississippi. The Magnolia State only has one major TV market, Jackson. There are only around 339,170 households in the market, though. And neither of its Power 4 football programs, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are located within the Jackson market.
CFB South: Intro the West
The 2025-26 college football season is upon us!
It’s been far from an inactive offseason for one of America’s most unstable but beloved pastimes. Still, it feels like there haven’t been really big headlines.
That’s partly because there’s just a ton of other topics that CFB has to duke it out with in order to break into our regular thoughts/headlines. Another factor at play is that we’re all really burned out from last season’s marathon and accompanying theatrics. The inaugural run of the 12-team College Football Playoff format drug the season out in a way that few of us could’ve anticipated. And for me it’s been a struggle to figure out how to organize thoughts around what to expect this season.
I started the CFB Multiverse project with the real big picture in mind. And that lens helped baseline just crazy this sport can be, in the macro/national sense. But to be honest, it got to be a beast to keep a handle on. So we’re going to do some significant specialization for this next phase of the project.
The 2025-26 focus will hone in on college football trends and shenanigans in the South. A lot of the same topics, data and context. Just centered on the CFB programs that call America’s Southern states home. To be clear, this shift isn’t a slight to the teams located in the country’s other regions.
The Midwest has some truly amazing programs and talent.
The Northeast and West field teams.
But the South is home to the most heralded programs and players. So let’s spend this season chronicling them as they chart their ways through the continuing Realignment Wars and radical reshaping of the sport.
The Geography
The Census Bureau groups 17 states** into the South. And within that big group, there are three regions: The West, The Core and the East. For my purposes, I focus on The West and The Core.
Geography and Dollars
College football in the U.S. will forever be a primarily regional sport. A big focus of the Multiverse’s first phase emphasized baselining that and so will this phase. And when it comes to the regional context of CFB in 2025, we’re really talking primarily about Dollars and TV Households. So with that in mind, let’s do some baselining about the South’s CFB regions.
The West
General Context
Our journey will begin in The West. There are four states located in the South’s West region. Louisiana is “technically” the oldest of the group. Louisiana was ratified as a state in 1812, followed by Arkansas in 1836, Texas in 1845 and finally Oklahoma in 1907.
And although it was a little bit late to the West region’s statehood party, Texas is is the undisputed juggernaut of the area today. The Lonestar state’s top 7 TV markets are estimated to command the attention of a total of 9,421,030 TV households. Within the West region those households account for 70% of those in major markets. Compared with all of the South’s top TV markets, Texas accounts for 22%. The median number of households among the seven Texas markets hovers around 1,029,800.
Oklahoma and Louisiana account for the #2 and #3 slots in The West, respectively. The Oklahoma City (762,700) and Tulsa (757,780) markets put Oklahoma’s total count at 1,520,480 TV households.
Louisiana has three major TV markets but the state’s cumulative total sits around 1,403,580 households. New Orleans is estimated to have 672,790 households while the Baton Rouge and Shreveport markets are around 355,000 and 375,000, respectively.
Arkansas has an estimated 943,390 TV households in its two major markets. Little Rock-Pine Bluff has the slight edge with around 590,000 households and Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers has close to 352,000 households.
College Football Context
The South’s West region is currently home to 11 Power 4 football programs. Those programs account for close to 32% of the South’s total Power 4 programs.
And seven of those teams call Texas home.
Note: To keep in line with the “Realignment Wars” theme I refer to college football conferences as factions.
The Big 12 is the dominating faction within Texas. Four programs are Big 12 members: Baylor, Houston, TCU and Texas Tech. SMU has recently retaken its place on CFB’s big stage and is currently a member of the ACC while Texas and Texas A&M’s faction home is the SEC.
TCU and SMU split access to one of the nation’s most significant TV markets, Dallas-Fort Worth. The market is estimated to have a total of 3,264,490 TV households. The University of Houston is in closest proximity to the Houston market, giving it access to an estimated 2,7974,20 households. The University of Texas is in closest proximity to the Austin market, giving it access to an estimated 1,029,800 households in the state’s capital. Baylor sits pretty squarely in the Waco-Temple-Bryan market which has 419,600 TV households. Texas Tech is located in Lubbock far away from any major TV markets. Texas A&M is located in College Station, which is kind of in between Austin and Houston but still a TV household desert.
The University of Oklahoma is headquartered in Norman and Oklahoma State is located in Stillwater to the north. They split the Oklahoma City TV market which has 762,700 households. Oklahoma State’s current faction card is stamped by the Big 12, while Oklahoma’s faction is the SEC.
LSU is Louisiana’s only Power 4 football program and anchored in the state’s #3 TV market. The Baton Rouge market has an estimated 355,760. The Tigers are currently members of the SEC faction.
The University of Arkansas is the state’s only Power 4 football team. The university is located in the Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers TV market, which has 352,410 households. The Razorbacks’ faction allegiances lie with the SEC.
College Football's Too Big Too Fail: Top Cluster
Context
There are several ways to come up with a definition of “Too Big Too Fail” (TBTF) for College Football programs. The big question for this analysis: If we think of modern' college football program’s main purpose as being the provision of talent for the NFL, which ones can’t we afford to go under during the Realignment Wars?
The full dataset included 5,128 NFL Draft picks that were selected between the 2005 and 2024 seasons. From there, the analysis hones in at the program level to identify the most prolific CFB programs.
Big Picture
The full analysis identified six clusters. Cluster 6 includes the 24 College Football programs who the NFL wouldn’t be able to operate without, from a talent perspective.
The 24 programs produced 2,186 total picks, representing 42.6% of all picks in the analysis set.
Conference Summary
It’ll come as no surprise that the SEC dominates the final TBTF list. Programs from down South contributed 41.3% (903) of the group’s total picks. The Big Ten occupied the second spot with 32.9% (719) of the TBTF picks. Programs from the ACC had 21.8% (477) picks. And there was a lone Independent (the ACC-adjacent Notre Dame) that accounted for 4% (87) of the group’s picks.
SEC
Nine SEC programs contributed 903 NFL Draft picks between 2005 and 2024. In terms of conference representation, 56.3% of the SEC’s total programs earned the “Too Big Too Fail” tag.
Big Ten
Eight Big Ten programs contributed 719 NFL Draft picks between 2005 and 2024. In terms of conference representation, 44.4% of the Big Ten’s total programs earned the “Too Big Too Fail” tag.
ACC
Six ACC programs contributed 477 NFL Draft picks between 2005 and 2024. In terms of conference representation, 35.3% of the ACC’s total programs earned the “Too Big Too Fail” tag.
Florida St.: 96 picks
Clemson: 96 picks
Miami (FL): 91 picks
Stanford: 69 picks
Virginia Tech: 63 picks
North Carolina: 62 picks
Independent (ACC-Adjacent)
Notre Dame contributed 87 NFL Draft picks between 2005 and 2024.
NFL Productivity Context
All of the programs in the TBTF analysis’ Cluster 6 had 80 or more Draft picks but there were still levels of productivity on the big NFL stage.
Group 2B - Most Prolific
Total Picks: 534
No shockers here. In addition to being hotbed for high-level professional talent, these four programs claimed 12 of the 20 CFB national champion slots between 2005 and 2024.
Alabama: 19 All Pro selections, 83 Pro Bowl selections, 366 seasons as Primary Starter
LSU: 14 All Pro selections, 68 Pro Bowl selections, 326 seasons as Primary Starter
Ohio St.: 11 All Pro selections, 66 Pro Bowl selections, 298 seasons as Primary Starter
Georgia: 11 All Pro selections, 46 Pro Bowl selections, 236 seasons as Primary Starter
Group 2A
Total Picks: 428
This group has an even SEC-Big Ten split. Picks from Oklahoma had the best collective NFL resume and USC had the second best even though the Trojans logged more picks. Florida and Michigan were what-and-what in all categories.
USC: 9 All Pro selections, 44 Pro Bowl selections, 257 seasons as Primary Starter
Oklahoma: 16 All Pro selections, 64 Pro Bowl selections, 219 seasons as Primary Starter
Florida: 2 All Pro selections, 27 Pro Bowl selections, 198 seasons as Primary Starter
Michigan: 1 All Pro selection, 16 Pro Bowl selections, 160 seasons as Primary Starter
Group 1C
Total Picks: 460
ACC and ACC-adjacent programs reigned supreme in this group. Penn St. (Big Ten) was the only non-ACC program included. And despite the recent letdowns from Florida St., Clemson and Miami (FL), I don’t think there’s any argument that their ability to turn out NFL talent is still strong.
Florida St.: 7 All Pro selections, 37 Pro Bowl selections, 196 seasons as Primary Starter
Clemson: 4 All Pro selections, 18 Pro Bowl selections, 152 seasons as Primary Starter
Miami (FL): 7 All Pro selections, 37 Pro Bowl selections, 183 seasons as Primary Starter
Penn St.: 8 All Pro selections, 23 Pro Bowl selections, 156 seasons as Primary Starter
Notre Dame: 14 All Pro selections, 36 Pro Bowl selections, 178 seasons as Primary Starter
Group 1B
Total Picks: 377
Big Ten and SEC programs made up most of this group. Wisconsin picks had the strongest collective professional resume. Texas, Oregon and Iowa were situated similarly in this regard. Auburn’s 77 picks put them close to the top of the list but the professional resumes leave a bit to be desired.
Texas: 8 All Pro selections, 31 Pro Bowl selections, 188 seasons as Primary Starter
Auburn: 3 All Pro selections, 15 Pro Bowl selections, 137 seasons as Primary Starter
Wisconsin: 19 All Pro selections, 49 Pro Bowl selections, 165 seasons as Primary Starter
Oregon: 6 All Pro selections, 29 Pro Bowl selections, 140 seasons as Primary Starter
Iowa: 8 All Pro selections, 32 Pro Bowl selections, 177 seasons as Primary Starter
Group 1A
Total Picks: 387
Longstanding ACC members, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, joined newcomer Stanford in this group. Stanford picks’ collective professional resumes were also the strongest among the whole group. The SEC’s South Carolina and Texas A&M aren’t surprises but I’m pretty sure new Big Ten member UCLA earning the Too Big Too Fail title will shock some.
Stanford: 8 All Pro selections, 27 Pro Bowl selections, 132 seasons as Primary Starter
UCLA: 4 All Pro selections, 23 Pro Bowl selections, 99 seasons as Primary Starter
South Carolina: 4 All Pro selections, 20 Pro Bowl selections, 114 seasons as Primary Starter
Virginia Tech: 2 All Pro selections, 18 Pro Bowl selections, 111 seasons as Primary Starter
Texas A&M: 7 All Pro selections, 27 Pro Bowl selections, 128 seasons as Primary Starter
North Carolina: 1 All Pro selections, 7 Pro Bowl selections, 90 seasons as Primary Starter
College Football Crossover: SEC Basketball in 2025
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) experienced a very Multiverse thing this year.
The SEC has been the preeminent conference in college football for decades now but it’s never been able to garner the same level of success on the basketball court. At least until this season when the paradigm pulled a complete 180. SEC basketball teams had a truly standout collective performance while the football programs struggled a lot. To be honest, I’d be surprised if any of the conference’s leadership even noticed the run the basketball programs were on as they’ve been festering on the CFB “situation.”
I’m not a basketball guy by any stretch but because this is the Multiverse what’s the harm with taking a slight detour. Let’s lay out the detailed day-night picture of basketball and football for the SEC during 2024-2025.
Big Picture
The 2025 basketball season was statistically the SEC’s best showing in modern history. As a group, the 16 teams went 367-195 (.653). The next strongest season was 2007, when the conference’s 12 teams finished out 253-153 (.623). Some runner ups for strongest season:
1. 2004: 227-138 (.622)
2. 1998: 233-143 (.620)
3. 2001: 237-146 (.619)
Tournament Context
This year’s March Madness was also historic for SEC basketball. They added Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 and ended up sending 14 of their 16 members into the Tournament. The most they’ve ever had earn Tournament bids in prior years was eight (2024, 2023, 2018). The CFP is getting wonkier by the second but I think it’ll be a while before it has anything on how the NCAA mystifies the relationship between the regular season and postseason in basketball.
The two programs who didn’t make the postseason cut were LSU and South Carolina. The Tigers finished their season 14-18 (.438) overall and 3-15 (.167) against conference opponents. The Gamecocks ended 2025 12-20 (.375) overall and 2-16 (.111) against SEC teams.
Auburn and Florida were the major standouts in a year of talented basketball teams from the South. Auburn was the regular season champion and finished 32-6 (.842) overall and 15-3 (.833) against conference opponents. Florida was the conference champion and their overall record was 35-4 (.897) and the conference record was 14-4 (.778). The two teams both landed in the Final Four and the Gators walked away with the 2025 national championship.
And the numbers show that when Florida basketball is good, SEC basketball is good. They’ve claimed two previous titles, the most recent being in 2007, the conference’s second strongest collective season. The Gators also pulled out a National Championship in the 2006 season, when the 12 teams went 240-149 (.617).
Basketball-Football Comparisons
And for the real CFB Multiverse part: the basketball-football comparisons.
2024 Sport Advantage – Football
Only four SEC schools had football teams outperform basketball teams during the 2024-2025 period.
Georgia was the conference’s top performer in this subgroup. The Bulldog’s basketball team entered the Tournament as a 9-seed and exited in Round 1. They earned a First Round bye in the College Football Playoff but lost their first and only game in the Quarterfinals.
Texas’ football program had a steeper advantage over the basketball program. The Longhorns got an 11-seed for the Men’s Tournament but didn’t make it out of the First Four. They earned an at-large bid to the CFP and ended up going all the way to the Semifinal round.
Neither LSU or South Carolina had great basketball or football years. LSU was 14-18 (.438) overall and 3-15 (,167) against SEC teams in basketball. South Carolina finished its 2025 basketball season with a 12-20 (.375) overall record and 2-16 (.111) conference record. The two football programs ended 2024 with identical records. 9-4 overall and 5-3 against SEC competition.
2024 Sport Advantage – Even
Tennessee’s basketball and football programs performed pretty comparably during 2024-2025. The basketball team earned a 2-seed for March Madness and got eliminated in the Elite 8. The Volunteers’ football team found themselves with an at-large bid into the Playoff’s First Round.
2024 Sport Advantage – Basketball
Basketball programs finished with better resumes than football teams for most SEC schools during 2024-2025.
