For the first time in five seasons, the SEC will not win or compete for a National Championship, as Michigan will face the Washington Huskies in the Title game on Monday, Jan. 8. After Georgia destroyed TCU in last year’s title game, the Bulldogs failed to reach the playoff after falling to Alabama in the SEC Title game, leading to the Crimson Tides’ last OT loss to the Wolverines.
However, several SEC programs are on the rise after bowl season, including Missouri and Ole Miss, who went on to win their respective bowl games by double digits, while Georiga, facing an undermanned Florida State team, obliterated the Seminoles 63-3 on Saturday afternoon.
For Texas A&M, the Jimbo Fisher era has ended. New head coach Mike Elko has already made nearly a dozen acquisitions through the transfer portal, including former Purdue Edge Nic Scourton, who led the Big 10 in sacks (10) in 2023.
After an eventful SEC season while taking a look toward the future, here are the final SEC football rankings to close out the 2023 campaign.
Vanderbilt Commodores
2023 record: 2-10
Failing to reach bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season, the Commodores have also not won an SEC game since the 2022 season, and it won’t get any better in 2024 from the looks of it.
Arkansas Razorbacks
2023 record: 4-8
Arkansas’s 2023 season was plagued by close losses, which resembled Texas A&M’s 2022 campaign but ended the season with blowout losses to Auburn and Missouri by a combined score of 96-24. However, head coach Sam Pittman will be retained and has hired former Texas A&M OC Bobby Petrino to help steer the ship. Star quarterback KJ Jefferson has now transferred to UCF, ending his impressive career in Fayetteville.
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Mississippi State
2023 record: 5-7
The Zach Arnett experiment came to a swift end after just one season at the helm, but will be remembered as the final coach to face Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, which is something, I guess. With new head coach Jeffy Lebby at the helm, the offense will be better, but with now-former Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers transferring to Washington next season, a QB battle will take place this offseason.
South Carolina Gamecocks
2023 record: 5-7
After finishing the 2022 season with an 8-5 record while ranked in the Top 25 with wins over Tennessee and Clemson, the Gamecocks, behind quarterback Spencer Rattler, were supposed to make noise in 2023. Well, due to poor blocking, bad defense, and uneven offensive production, South Carolina stumbled out of the gate, failing to win six games, and finished 3-5 in SEC play.
Florida Gators
2023 record: 5-7
Florida has been underwhelming for quite some time, and under embattled head coach Billy Napier, things will likely get worse in 2024 while facing the toughest SEC schedule, and potentially losing several key 2023 contributors from the transfer portal.
Get more Florida Gators news, analysis, and opinions on GatorWire.
2023 record: 6-7
Bowl game result: 31-17 loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl
Even though Auburn finished the season with a losing record, head coach Hugh Freeze has already recruited at a high level, most notably flipping 2024 five-star WR Cam Coleman from Texas A&M and still having a shot at landing current Alabama commit and five-star WR Ryan Williams.
Get more Auburn Tigers news, analysis, and opinions on AuburnWire.
Kentucky Wildcats
2023 record: 7-6
Bowl game result: 38-35 loss to Clemson in the Gator Bowl.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, who is now remembered as Texas A&M’s head coach for a total of three hours, finished the year losing one of the more exciting bowl games against Clemson in the Gator Bowl. Still, after securing several key transfers last month, the Wildcats are poised to compete in the SEC in 2024, barring who starts at quarterback.
2023 record: 7-5
Bowl game result: 31-23 loss to Oklahoma State in the TaxAct Texas Bowl
The Jimbo Fisher era has ended, and new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is here to hopefully bring the Aggies back to form after several years of painfully mediocre results on the field. In less than two months on the job, Elko and his impressive staff have already landed 10 players from the portal, with more to come.
Tennessee Volunteers
2023 record: 9-4
Bowl results: 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl
Tennesee fans should be ecstatic regarding the future at the quarterback position, as freshman signal-caller and former five-star prospect Nico Lamaleava is the real deal, accounting for four touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the country, as Tennessee blanked Iowa to earn their 9th win on the year.
Get more Tennessee Volunteers news, analysis, and opinions on VolsWire.
2023 record: 10-3
Bowl game record: 35-31 win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl
Despite fielding one of the worst defenses in the program’s industry, LSU senior quarterback Jayden Daniels was an absolute revelation, winning the Heisman trophy and leading the Tigers to 9 wins in the regular season. Sitting out of the bowl game, backup QB Garrett Nussmeier looks to be a solid option in 2024 after helping defeat Wisconsin in the thrilling ReliQuest Bowl.
Get more LSU Tigers news, analysis, and opinions on LSUTigersWire.
Ole Miss Rebels
2023 record: 11-2
Bowl game result: 38-25 win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has now been anointed as the transfer portal king after landing a treasure trove of talent last month, including former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen. Kiffin is now 29-10 in the last three seasons, and with the 12-team playoff starting in 2024, the sky is the limit for the ultra-talented Rebels.
Missouri Tigers
2023 record: 11-2
Bowl game record: 14-3 win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl
Missouri is officially on every SEC team’s watch, as the Tigers, under head coach Eli Drinkowitz, capped off a highly impressive 11-2 campaign after being picked to finish in the bottom half of the conference in the preseason. Star wide receiver Luther Burden III is a legitimate Heisman candidate next season after a stellar sophomore showing.
Georgia Bulldogs
2023 record: 13-1
Bowl game result: 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl
On paper, Georiga looked like the most complete team in the country weekly but had several close calls before eventually pulling away in SEC play. However, Alabama apparently caught the Bulldogs sleeping at the wheel for the first time all season, as their only loss in the SEC Championship game proved to be the one matchup that would define their season. Failing to reach the Championship game after consecutive wins for the first time in two seasons, Georgia will be just fine heading into 2024. They’re already back on track after destroying Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Get more Georgia Bulldogs news, analysis, and opinions on UGAWire.
Alabama Crimson Tide
2023 record: 12-2
Bowl game result: 27-20 OT loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl (College Football Playoff)
If it was for a botched final play on Monday night, we might talk about Alabama and legendary head coach Nick Saban vying for the program’s 19th National Championship. Look, Saban might have lost a number of key players to the transfer portal, but so has every program, and I doubt the Crimson Tide will be outside of the playoff conversation come next season. As always, Saban will re-load, and having quarterback Jalen Milroe return next season will surely help.
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