It's Week 0 of the 2026 college football season. We've arrived! Though the Oklahoma Sooners and the rest of the SEC won't play during Week 0, the season is upon us. With that comes USA TODAY Sports' preseason 1-138rankings for 2026.
In Paul Myerberg's rankings, there are eight SEC teams in the top 25 and nine in the top 30. 11 of the conference's 16 programs rank inside the top 50. The race to Atlanta for the SEC championship is going to be a fun one with seven legitimate contenders for the conference title. Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and LSU all rank within the top 18.
The Sooners will have tough sledding along the way, facing nine teams that rank in the top 51, including Michigan at No. 22 and New Mexico at No. 45.
If Oklahoma can manage to get through the schedule with two or fewer losses, they'll be a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff.
With just over a week to go to the start of the 2026 season, here's how the SEC stacks up in USA TODAY Sports' preseason 1-138.
3. Texas Longhorns
Though we go through this every offseason with Texas, they still have a talented team on both sides of the ball. Even if Arch isn't a Heisman winner at the end of the season, the Longhorns have a defense that can play with just about anybody and they have skill talent to create big plays. Like Oklahoma and Alabama, can the offensive line take a big step this season?
Week 1: vs. Texas State
6. Georgia Bulldogs
Few teams have had as much consistency in college football over the last decade as the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart's squad is one of the safest bets to reach the College Football Playoff this season.
Week 1: vs. Tennessee State
7. Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners have a team capable of making noise in 2026 but they'll have to overcome a daunting schedule to achieve what they're capable of. Get that running game going and the Sooners are national title contenders.
Week 1: vs. UTEP
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
Kalen DeBoer named former five-star quarterback Keelon Russell his starting quarterback to open the 2026 season. Russell has big-time talent and the ability to lead Alabama to the playoff, especially with the defense the Tide can deploy when Russell doesn't have the ball. But is their offensive line better? That'll be the question.
Week 1: vs. East Carolina
11. Ole Miss Rebels
Pete Golding just completed his first offseason as head coach after a run to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. It was a drama-filled offseason with tampering accusations flying from Clemson to Ole Miss and from Ole Miss to LSU. Probably more than anyone, Golding is ready for the season to start.
Week 1: vs. Louisville
13. Texas A&M Aggies
Mike Elko has one of the most talented rosters in the country and a returning and ever-improving quarterback in Marcel Reed. But the Aggies are facing a schedule with a much higher degree of difficulty than the one they played last year.
Week 1: vs. Missouri State
18. LSU Tigers
You may not like Lane Kiffin or the way that he's building his roster, but you have to admit he's got a talented roster. The biggest question is can he pull it all together to make the LSU Tigers a contender. Get your popcorn ready because Kiffin has LSU in villain mode.
Week 1: vs. Clemson
19. Tennessee Volunteers
Josh Heupel is going with true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon. The former five-star prospect has all the tools to be great in Heupel's offense and has a run game that will support him, led by DeSean Bishop, who ran for 1,079 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
Week 1: vs. Furman
30. Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers are one of the more intriguing teams in the SEC. If they can keep their quarterback upright for the entire season, there's a chance Eli Drinkwitz can get them to 10 wins and a College Football Playoff berth.
Week 1: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
36. Florida Gators
Jon Sumrall is one of the better football coaches in college football. His time at Tulane proved as much. Now he gets to prove his worth on the big stage at Florida. There's a ton of talent in Gainesville led by running back Jadan Baugh. If Sumrall can get improved offensive line and quarterback play, they could have a huge jump in their win total.
Week 1: vs. Florida Atlantic
40. Vanderbilt Commodores
As much as I admire the job Clark Lea's done to recruit talent to Vanderbilt, I need to see this team win without Diego Pavia before I can believe this isn't the same old Commodores.
Week 1: Austin Peay
51. South Carolina Gamecocks
Last year, South Carolina struggled to block anyone, and they had a hard time scoring points. LaNorris Sellers was hardly the problem, but can he shake off a rough 2025 and rediscover the success that had him the talk of the college football world in 2024? Shane Beamer is banking on offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to be the answer.
Week 1: vs. Kent State
63. Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers are beginning a new era under former Tennessee offensive coordinator and USF head coach Alex Golesh. There's a lot of optimism surrounding his quarterback, Byrum Brown, and the defense will be really good once again. The Tigers could be the most improved team in the SEC in 2026.
Week 1: vs. Baylor
78. Mississippi State Bulldogs
This will be arguably the best roster of the Jeff Lebby era. Though he may not have the experience at quarterback that he had with Blake Shapen, Kamario Taylor offers more upside. Anthony Evans at wide receiver is one of the most electric players in the nation. The Bulldogs will score some points but will they be able to stop anyone?
Week 1: vs. UL Monroe
95. Kentucky Wildcats
The Will Stein era has brought a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. They added some big time talents in the transfer portal, like offensive tackle Lance Heard and are hoping that former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey is able to bring it all together.
Week 1: vs. Youngstown State
97. Arkansas Razorbacks
There aren't a lot of expectations for the Arkansas Razorbacks and Ryan Silverfield but that doesn't mean there isn't any pressure to turn things around. They named K.J. Jackson the starter. The Sophomore showed some potential last season, throwing for over 200 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another score against Texas.
Week 1: vs. North Alabama
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: How does the SEC stacks up in USA TODAY Sports preseason 1-138?
