Rece Davis Predicts 2025 SEC Champion Without Hesitation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 8:46 PM ET

The college football season is finally here, and as Week 1 kicks off Thursday night and runs through the weekend, predictions are already rolling in for how the 2025 campaign might unfold.

On Monday’s new episode of the "College GameDay" podcast, ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel broke down a series of preseason forecasts—including who they expect to hoist the SEC crown.

Thamel stuck with the familiar pick, rolling with Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. Davis, however, went in another direction, siding with a program that may be flying slightly under the radar compared to usual: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“I believe in all these teams. All of them could win… I think Alabama’s gonna win the SEC,” Davis said. “I think Alabama is loaded on the offensive line, they’re loaded on defense… it all comes down to how Ty Simpson is going to play, and I think he’s going to play very well.

“So I’m gonna take Alabama beating Texas in the SEC Championship Game. But Alabama won’t get through the season unscathed—they’ll probably have a couple of losses.”

Alabama enters the 2025 season as one of the more intriguing teams in college football, with Kalen DeBoer set to begin his second year at the helm.

The Crimson Tide missed the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff last year—a result widely considered a major disappointment in Tuscaloosa, where the standard remains SEC titles and national championships.

Still, DeBoer has built a roster stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. As Rece Davis noted, though, much of Alabama’s success will depend on quarterback Ty Simpson, who makes his first start on Saturday when the Tide open the season on the road against Florida State in Tallahassee.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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