Greg McElroy Reveals How Many Teams Can Win the SEC

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The SEC has been one of the premier conferences in college football over the past two decades. However, since 1999, only five different teams have won the conference: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

While the SEC has consistently ranked as one of the top conferences in the sport, it has often been easy to predict the conference champion, as the winner usually comes from one of those five teams. This year, however, may be different.

On his radio show, "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning," ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes that this season, there are eight teams capable of winning the conference championship, and four of those teams could potentially be first-time winners since 1999.

"I think there are eight teams that can win the SEC this year," McElroy said. "I'm not saying that to give people false hope. I'm saying that because I genuinely believe it."

McElroy outlined his predictions for the teams he believes can win the conference. He began with Georgia, Texas and Alabama, then added LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M to his list.

Some of these teams shouldn't come as a surprise. Georgia and Texas played in the SEC championship last season, while Tennessee made the College Football Playoff in 2024. Alabama has consistently been a contender for the conference title.

However, Auburn's performance last season, finishing with a record of 5-7, marked its fourth consecutive losing season. South Carolina had a strong year with a 9-4 record, but it hasn't achieved back-to-back nine-win seasons since 2011-13. LSU has received significant hype this offseason, so its inclusion isn't surprising. On the other hand, Texas A&M has never played for an SEC championship since joining the conference in 2012.

McElroy anticipates that this season will be particularly intriguing, noting that it wouldn’t surprise him if, by Nov. 1, there are still 8-9 teams in contention for the title. McElroy pointed out that teams like Texas and Georgia have significant question marks heading into the season, contributing to the overall uncertainty.

For now, he believes that several teams have the potential to win the SEC championship and secure an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff.

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

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