Final 2023 SEC football power rankings
The SEC will not win a national championship for the first time since 2018 after the Michigan Wolverines knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff.
Overall, the SEC went 5-4 in bowl games in what was a down season for the conference. Georgia, Missouri and Ole Miss won their New Year’s Six bowl games in impressive fashion. These three programs will have significant momentum heading into the 2024 college football season.
How do we rank every college football team in the SEC after bowl season?
Vanderbilt Commodores
Record: 2-10
Bowl game: none
Vanderbilt is the worst team in the SEC once again. The Commodores have not won a conference game since 2022 and have already lost a bunch of talent to the transfer portal.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Record: 5-7
Bowl game: none
Mississippi State hired Jeff Lebby as its head coach after a rough season in 2023. Lebby, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, will have a great challenge building a competitive roster.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Record: 4-8
Bowl game: none
The Razorbacks suffered a number of one-score earlier this season, but ended the year with two consecutive blowout losses against Power Five opponents. The Razorbacks are holding on to coach Sam Pittman, but they did not have a successful 2023 campaign.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Record: 5-7
Bowl game: none
South Carolina entered the 2023 college football season with a significant amount of optimism surrounding their program. However, the Gamecocks went 3-5 in SEC play and lost key nonconference games to North Carolina and Clemson.
Florida Gators
Record: 5-7
Bowl game: none
Florida played a tough schedule this year, but simply did not get the job done. Florida head coach Billy Napier will start the 2024 season on the hot seat.
Auburn Tigers
Record: 6-7
Music City Bowl: Maryland 31, Auburn 13
Auburn has not finished with a winning season since 2020. The Tigers’ last bowl victory came in 2018. Auburn suffered the SEC’s worst bowl loss and does not carry much momentum into 2024.
Texas A&M Aggies
Record: 7-6
Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23
Texas A&M has gone 12-13 over the past two seasons despite having one of the most talented rosters in the nation. The Aggies hired Duke coach Mike Elko and have all the resources it takes to succeed, but Texas A&M has already seen some of its premier talent leave via the transfer portal.
Kentucky Wildcats
Record: 7-6
Gator Bowl: Clemson 38, Kentucky 35
Kentucky will have a new look in 2024 under head coach Mark Stoops. The Wildcats, who suffered a bowl loss thanks to a wild fourth quarter, added a couple of key transfers from Georgia: quarterback Brock Vandagriff and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
Tennessee Volunteers
Record: 9-4
Citrus Bowl: Tennessee 35, Iowa 0
Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit, had an impressive starting debut. He scored four total touchdowns against a physical Iowa defense. The Volunteers shut out Iowa’s inept offense and have plenty of reasons for optimism entering 2024.
LSU
Record: 10-3
ReliaQuest Bowl: LSU 35, Wisconsin 31
LSU Tigers star quarterback Jayden Daniels sat out the ReliaQuest Bowl after winning the Heisman. The Tigers are in good hands with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who helped LSU come back from a 14-point deficit against Wisconsin. LSU enters 2024 with questions about its defense, but should have a strong offense against next season.
Ole Miss Rebels
Record: 11-2
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss 38, Penn State 25
Ole Miss earned a huge Peach Bowl win over Penn State to cap one of its best seasons. The Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin have one of the best incoming transfer classes in the country and are a contender in the SEC entering 2024.
Missouri Tigers
Record: 11-2
Cotton Bowl: Missouri 14, Ohio State 3
Missouri put the clamps on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl en route to one of the best years in program history. Missouri extended head coach Eli Drinkwitz and should return one of the better teams in the SEC next year.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 12-2
Rose Bowl (College Football Playoff): Michigan 27, Alabama 20
Jalen Milroe and Alabama’s dream season was derailed in the Rose Bowl. The Crimson Tide could not get a clutch play when they needed it against Michigan. We think the Georgia Bulldogs would beat Alabama on a neutral field, despite what happened in the SEC championship, so we have Georgia ranked No. 1 over the Crimson Tide.
Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 13-1
Orange Bowl: Georgia 63, Florida State 3
Georgia’s dominant display in the Orange Bowl combined with the Bulldogs being the only SEC team to finish with one loss is a big reason we have Georgia at No. 1. The Bulldogs did not deserve to make the College Football Playoff, but are clearly one of the four best teams in college football.
