The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has arguably been the top conference in college football since the mid-2000s.
However, its dominance may be waning, as a Big Ten team has won the last two national championships; the Michigan Wolverines claimed victory in 2023, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2024. In both instances, no SEC team made it to the national championship game.
On "The Paul Finebaum Show," SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum addressed the SEC's recent lack of championships. He expressed his belief that Georgia would have defeated Michigan in 2023, but the Bulldogs were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. This year, Finebaum is questioning whether there is an elite team in the SEC.
"The real question is, does the SEC have an elite team this year?" Finebaum said. "We don't know right now."
ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) offers a different perspective on team strength and future performance predictions. According to the FPI, three of the top five favorites for the 2025 national championship are the Texas Longhorns, Georgia and Alabama Crimson Tide.
According to On3, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia are among the most talented teams in college football, as indicated by their blue-chip ratios. Texas has a blue-chip ratio of 72%, Georgia's is 82.14%, and Alabama's stands at 80.95%.
Another SEC team in the top five for blue-chip ratio is the Texas A&M Aggies, with a ratio of 76%. The only team from the Big Ten that ranks in the top five is the Oregon Ducks.
While Finebaum has expressed uncertainty about whether there is an elite team in the SEC, analytics suggest otherwise, as several of these teams rank among the most talented in the sport. Now, they must navigate their schedules this season and strive to reclaim the national championship for the first time since 2022.
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On Monday night, Luka Doncic made an appearance at the game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays (in the Bronx). Doncic was seen with Aaron Judge before the game. Via YES Network: "Aaron Judge and Luka Dončić ✍️:" Doncic was also asked (by Michael Kay of YES Network) about Judge playing basketball. Kay: "Were you surprised by how big Judge was?" Doncic: "Yeah, I was amazed. When you see on TV, he don't look like that." Kay: "Think he can play basketball, or is he too jacked?" Doncic: "He can play. I think power forward." Judge (who is currently hurt) is in the middle of another strong season. He is batting .342 with 37 home runs and 85 RBI's. Via @OptaSTATS: "Aaron Judge is the first player in MLB history to hit 33 or more home runs before the All-Star break in three different seasons (2022, 2024 and 2025)." The Yankees lost to the Rays by a score of 4-2. They are currently the second-place team in the American League East with a 57-49 record. Last season, Judge led the Yankees to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Via The MLB: "Luka Dončić pulled up to Yankee Stadium to meet Aaron Judge and was gifted a pair of Judge's PE "Double Gum" cleats and a game-used bat " As for Doncic, he spent the first six and a half years of his career with the Dallas Mavericks before getting traded to the Lakers last season.
Mason West is a talented prospect of the future for the Chicago Blackhawks, but it appears he may look to leave hockey for big opportunities in football. The Chicago Blackhawks landed Anton Frondell with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but it was perhaps their second first-round pick that drew the most intrigue, as they drafted centre Mason West out of the USHL. That pick was intriguing for many reasons, with the 6-foot-6 centre having potential with his talent and his physicality, but now, the team may be in danger of losing the talented 17-year old. According to a report from The Athletic, the No. 29 overall pick has been drawing interest from several NCAA programs to join their team as a football player. Standing at 6-foot-6, the Minnesota native is a star in both hockey and football, tallying 49 points in 31 games at the high school level while also being a star Quarterback, and after putting up 9 points in 10 USHL games with the Fargo Force, the future is bright for him in both sports. Ultimately, at 17-years of age, the future is very bright whichever way West ends up going, but given that the Blackhawks used a first-round pick on him in this past seasons draft, they're clearly confident that they can not only keep him in hockey, but make a good NHLer out of him moving forward.
Cincinnati Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson has been holding out from training camp as he seeks a new contract, and it does not sound like the two sides are all that close to a deal. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on "SportsCenter" Monday that there has been "some progress" in negotiations between the Bengals and Hendrickson's representatives over the past week or so. The real disagreement has to do with guaranteed money, and Cincinnati's brass is not budging. "Hendrickson wants a stronger guaranteed structure, particularly later in what should be a multiyear deal. In talking to people with the Bengals they feel like, 'Hey, we've probably relented as far as we can go.' So this is a classic stare-off right now, and it's time to buckle up," Fowler said, via Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report. Hendrickson is set to earn $16M in base salary in the final year of his contract this season. He recently said he has shown a willingness to take less than market value on a new deal, but the Bengals do not want to guarantee him money beyond the 2026 season. Based on what he has said, the 30-year-old Hendrickson is not seeking to become the highest-paid defensive player in football. In order to accomplish that, he would have to top the three-year, $123M extension T.J. Watt signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Hendrickson had 35 sacks over the past two seasons, which was the most in the NFL during that span. He had 17.5 sacks each season and finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. The Bengals took care of one major offseason issue on Sunday when they finally signed first-round pick Shemar Stewart to a rookie deal. All it will take is one side to budge in the team's ongoing stalemate with Hendrickson, but all parties seem to be dug in as training camp rolls on.
It certainly seems like the Boston Red Sox are putting their best foot forward to acquire one of the top starting pitchers potentially on the trade block. The Red Sox kicked off a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Monday. It wasn't a great night for Boston full of wild weather, a last-second rain delay, and another walk-off loss. The timing of the series certainly is interesting. The series will end on Wednesday and then Boston will have a day off on Thursday which also is the day of the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline. Boston is getting some face time with the Twins right now and it sounds like the Red Sox are targeting one of the club's All-Stars. The Athletic's Jim Bowen reported a handful of teams are calling Minnesota at an "annoying level" for ace Joe Ryan. "The Red Sox, (New York Yankees), (Toronto Blue Jays), (Philadelphia Phillies), and (Seattle Mariners) are speed dialing the Twins at an annoying level with continued interest in Joe Ryan, basically their whole bullpen, Willi Castro and Harrison Bader," Bowden said. "Twins could end up being the headliner at the deadline as talks heat up according to sources." Ryan has a 2.82 ERA this season across 121 1/3 innings pitched. On top of this, Ryan still has two more seasons of arbitration-eligibility. He's the type of pitcher who could help Boston now and into the future. That's why he's a perfect fit, but he also would cost an arm and a leg, especially with all of the suitors for him.
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