The Texas Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian are heading into the 2025 college football season with big expectations and a lot of hype. They are widely expected to be a top-tier national championship contender and many believe that they will also win the SEC.

Over the years, the SEC has been viewed as the toughest conference in college football. While the Big Ten has started making a push, many still believe that the SEC is more difficult.

Looking around the conference, Texas will have its hands full.

With that being said, the question becomes, who could compete with the Longhorns to win the SEC?

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In ESPN’s rankings back in May, the Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators, Texas A&M Aggies, Ole Miss Rebels, and Oklahoma Sooners were all ranked in the top 25.

Paul Finebaum has weighed in on the matter and has revealed who he believes will be the Longhorns’ biggest threat in the SEC.

“I think it’s Alabama,” Finebaum said. “A lot of people amazingly have forgotten about Alabama without Nick Saban. They missed the playoffs, they lost more games than they have since 2007, but I believe they are better at quarterback, and that sounds crazy with Ty Simpson against Jalen Milroe, who was amazing at times but also terrible at times. I think they have elite wide receivers; they have probably the second-best wide receiver in the country in Ryan Williams. Their defense is going to be top-notch. … I think they manage the season very well.”

A lot of the hype surrounding Texas will depend on the performance of first-year starting quarterback Arch Manning. He has been with the program for a good amount of time, but he has yet to be the starter.

Manning played a decent amount last season when filling in for Quinn Ewers. He completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions.

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If he can play up to the hype that has surrounded him, the Longhorns are going to be very difficult to beat.

Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have a very talented roster. They finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record in their first season following Nick Saban’s departure, but are expected to bounce back in 2025.

Expect to see the SEC be extremely competitive once again. While Texas is the clear favorite right now, there are plenty of other teams, including Alabama, who could make a strong run at winning the conference.

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