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There have now been four football coaches fired in the SEC in 2025, with still four more weeks left in the regular season. Auburn’s Hugh Freeze became the latest victim on Sunday, joining Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, Florida’s Billy Napier and LSU’s Brian Kelly in the unemployment line. We said goodbye to the Tennessee Volunteers as a playoff contender this past weekend, and also saw Mississippi State and Kentucky pick up their first SEC wins of the year. The wild coaching carousel has taken a bit of the shine off what has been an interesting season in the SEC, which is looking to get four teams in the College Football Playoff after receiving “only” three bids a year ago. We’ll see the first CFP rankings of 2025 on Tuesday night, and get a better idea of how the SEC is perceived against the rest of the country. So how do the teams in the SEC stack up heading into Week 11 of the 2025 season? Here’s the latest edition of AL.com’s SEC football power rankings for 2025 (all times Central and all games Saturday unless noted): 16. Arkansas (2-7, 0-5) Last week’s ranking: 15 Last week’s game: Lost to Mississippi State, 38-35 This week’s game: Open date It seems pretty safe to say Bobby Petrino is not going to get the full-time head-coaching job after an 0-3 start that includes losses to Auburn and Mississippi State — both previously winless in SEC play. The Razorbacks have wasted one of the more-exciting players in the league in quarterback Taylen Green, and clinched their second losing season in three years after Saturday’s debacle, which included 18 penalties for 193 yards. Arkansas has an open date before finishing up with LSU, Texas and Missouri, so an 0-8 SEC record seems pretty likely. 15. Auburn (4-5, 1-5) Last week’s ranking: 12 Last week’s game: Lost to Kentucky, 10-3 This week’s game: at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m., SEC Network For the third time in five years, the Tigers find themselves with an interim coach. The Hugh Freeze experiment failed miserably, ending with a whimper after another pathetic offensive performance, this one against one of the worst defenses in the SEC. DJ Durkin has done an excellent job with Auburn’s defense this season, and we’ll see if he can salvage anything from the remaining four games. One silver lining in Freeze’s firing is that he won’t be subject to a fourth consecutive loss to Diego Pavia. 14. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5) Last week’s ranking: 16 Last week’s game: Beat Auburn, 10-3 This week’s game: vs. Florida, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network The Wildcats aren’t the worst team in the SEC after all (or at least not the most poorly-coached). Kentucky ended Auburn’s misery on Saturday night, sacking Tigers quarterbacks seven times and running Hugh Freeze right out of town. The offense didn’t do much, but the defense piled up seven sacks and that was enough. Mark Stoops’ team has an outside shot at a bowl game, but almost certainly has to beat Florida on Saturday night at Kroger Field to get there. 13. South Carolina (3-6, 1-6) Last week’s ranking: 13 Last week’s game: Lost to Ole Miss, 30-14 This week’s game: Open date There was one other notable coach firing on Sunday, as Shane Beamer pulled the plug on offensive coordinator Mike Shula after less than one full season. The Gamecocks put up less than 200 yards of offense against Ole Miss, and ranked last in the SEC (and in the bottom 15-20 nationally) in numerous categories. South Carolina wasted a generational quarterback in LaNorris Sellers, and now needs to win out vs. Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina and Clemson just to make a bowl game. 12. Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4) Last week’s ranking: 14 Last week’s game: Beat Arkansas, 38-35 This week’s game: vs. Georgia, 11 a.m., ESPN The Bulldogs finally won an SEC game for the first time in more than two years after several near-misses, scoring the game’s final 17 points to steal a victory from Arkansas and snap a four-game losing streak. Mississippi State will be an underdog in all of its final three games — vs. Georgia, at Missouri and vs. Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, so there’s still some work to do to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2022. 11. Florida (3-5, 2-3) Last week’s ranking: 11 Last week’s game: Lost to Georgia, 24-20 This week’s game: at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network The Gators hung in there vs. Georgia as they generally do, and played hard for Billy Gonzales as teams in their first game with an interim coach typically do. Florida must now get on with the rest of its season, which isn’t totally lost yet (though standout freshman receiver Dallas Wilson is out for the year). The Gators are likely to be favored against Kentucky on Saturday night and in the season finale against Florida State, but might have to steal one vs. Ole Miss or Tennessee to go bowling this year. 10. LSU (5-3, 2-3) Last week’s ranking: 10 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: at Alabama, 6:30 p.m., ABC The typical “now they tell us” stories surfaced last week in the wake of Brian Kelly’s firing, with anybody and everything associated with the LSU program eager to let the world know just how disliked the former head coach was. Interim coach Frank Wilson — a Louisiana institution — takes over, and will try to inspire the Tigers into what would be a monumental upset in Tuscaloosa. LSU still has Arkansas and Western Kentucky on its schedule, so a bowl berth at least looks highly likely this year. However, if any SEC team this year is in danger of mass postseason “opt-outs,” it’s LSU. 9. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3) Last week’s ranking: 6 Last week’s game: Lost to Oklahoma, 33-27 This week’s game: Open date A second straight trip to the College Football Playoff doesn’t appear to be in the cards for the Volunteers after they gagged away a highly winnable game at home vs. Oklahoma. Three turnovers were the killer, a fumble returned for a touchdown and two interceptions that led to field goals. Josh Heupel has restored stability to Tennessee football, but has not been able to get over the hump to become one of the SEC’s truly elite programs in his five seasons. After an open date, the Volunteers face New Mexico State, Florida and Vanderbilt, and will need to win all three to reach 10 victories again. 8. Missouri (6-2, 2-2) Last week’s ranking: 8 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: vs. Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m., ABC The Tigers are still alive for a CFP berth, but will need some help to get there. Vanderbilt losing last weekend helps a bit, and the open date helped freshman quarterback Matt Zollers — in for the injured Beau Pribula — get ready for a challenging stretch run. Missouri hosts the only unbeaten team in the SEC this week, part of a four-game finishing kick that also includes a home game with Mississippi State and trips to Oklahoma and Arkansas. 7. Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2) Last week’s ranking: 5 Last week’s game: Lost to Texas, 34-31 This week’s game: vs. Auburn, 3 p.m., SEC Network A not-as-close-as-the-score loss at Texas puts the Commodores in win-or-else mode in terms of the College Football Playoff, but the fact that we’re even having that conversation about Vanderbilt in November is a win for Clark Lea’s program. Still, Vanderbilt has to get better in pass defense if it means to be a true contender in the SEC and nationally. The Commodores host rudderless Auburn this week before an open date, then face Kentucky before the regular-season finale at Tennessee. Win them all and Vandy might be a playoff team. 6. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2) Last week’s ranking: 7 Last week’s game: Beat Tennessee, 33-27 This week’s game: Open date The Sooners reversed the momentum of their season by winning in Knoxville on Saturday night, forcing mistake-prone Joey Aguilar into … well, enough mistakes to pull off the win. John Mateer was good but not great, which was enough against a porous Tennessee defense. Brent Venables’ team clings to playoff hopes heading into its bye week, then travels to Alabama before finishing up with Missouri and LSU. Oklahoma is among several SEC teams that will need to win out to get into the CFP. 5. Texas (7-2, 4-1) Last week’s ranking: 9 Last week’s game: Beat Vanderbilt, 34-31 This week’s game: Open date Arch Manning emerged from concussion protocol playing as well as he did when he went in, and appears to have turned his season around with that fourth-quarter comeback at Mississippi State two weeks ago. Despite the maddening inconsistency of its offense for most of the season, the Longhorns are still very much in the hunt for the SEC championship as they head into their final open date. Texas’ game at Georgia on Nov. 15 will eliminate the loser from a chance to go to Atlanta; win that one, and the final two vs. Arkansas and Texas A&M in Austin could determine a playoff spot. 4. Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1) Last week’s ranking: 4 Last week’s game: Beat South Carolina, 30-14 This week’s game: vs. The Citadel, noon, ESPN+/SECN+ The Rebels took care of business against the offensively challenged Gamecocks, and probably sent South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Shula back to the NFL. Ole Miss has arguably the easiest remaining schedule of the SEC championship and playoff contenders, with a layup this week vs. an FCS opponent, then Florida at home before an open date leading into the finale against Mississippi State in Starkville. Lane Kiffin’s team lost to the Gators last year, and strange things tend to happen in the Egg Bowl, but an 11-1 finish to the regular season and a trip to Atlanta is within reach for the Rebels. 3. Georgia (7-1, 5-1) Last week’s ranking: 3 Last week’s game: Beat Florida, 24-20 This week’s game: at Mississippi State, 11 a.m., ESPN The Bulldogs continue to do just enough to win (when they’re not playing Alabama, that is), pulling out their fourth come-from-behind victory in SEC play this season. The running game is still not terribly good and the offensive line and defense are banged up, but Kirby Smart’s team is still in good shape for both the SEC championship game and a playoff spot heading into the final four weeks. With Alabama and Texas A&M both still unbeaten in SEC play, Georgia controls its destiny for the College Football Playoff more than it does the conference championship game, but could still get back to Atlanta if either the Crimson Tide or Aggies — or both — slip up down the stretch. 2. Alabama (7-1, 5-0) Last week’s ranking: 2 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: vs. LSU, 6:30 p.m., ABC The Crimson Tide not only is in prime position for both the SEC championship game and the playoff, but gets to face an interim coach in two of its final four games of the season, plus an FCS opponent in the other. It’s anyone’s guess what frame of mind LSU will be in when it visits Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, though it’s possible the Tigers will be more dangerous now that Brian Kelly is gone. Alabama still has a home game with Oklahoma and a trip to Auburn on its schedule, so nothing is yet assured, but Kalen DeBoer’s team has every possible goal within its grasp headed into the home stretch. 1. Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0) Last week’s ranking: 1 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: at Missouri, 2:30 p.m., ABC The Aggies come out of their open date as the SEC’s only unbeaten team and one of just four undefeated teams in the FBS. Ohio State and Indiana would face each other in the Big Ten championship game, so there could be no more than three unbeatens entering the playoff (BYU, a member of the Big 12, is also undefeated). The Aggies don’t have an easy road to the finish line, however, with road games against Missouri this week and vs. Texas in the regular-season finale on Black Friday. Home games with South Carolina and Samford should be more manageable, but we’ve seen numerous Texas A&M teams in the last decade-plus fumble their season in November.
