The college football world is not talking enough about how fun it will be to have Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt in the College Football Playoff.
OK, technically speaking, nothing is assured. Vanderbilt’s Playoff odds are still only 28 percent. The Commodores still have to beat Kentucky — and wow, what in the name of Motivated Mark Stoops is suddenly happening there — and then win at Tennessee. However, if they win those two games, they will be 10-2 with the only two losses at Alabama and Texas.
They are absolutely in the Playoff in that scenario — or there should be an immediate expansion to 16 teams just to make it happen.
Pavia, with his swagger, scrambling, throwing and cursing, is great for college football. Send him and his team — a pretty good one even without him — to play a first-round game somewhere: Texas Tech, Oregon, Notre Dame, whatever. A year after four duds in the first round, we need to make up for it. Pavia would be appointment viewing.
And if it does happen, Vanderbilt would still just be the fifth SEC team in the field. Thus, the vibes in the conference office in Birmingham: high, though growing annoyed, realizing that its sixth, seventh and eighth teams may all end up ranked higher than the champions from the ACC and Group of 5, but will miss out because of the format.
In fact, there’s a not-unreasonable scenario in which the SEC has seven teams with two losses or fewer. Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Texas can all win out without causing Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M or Ole Miss to reach three losses if each wins its other games. Have fun with all that, everyone who hates the activation of the SEC media apparatus.
But that’s a whole other column. These are the SEC vibes rankings, which, per the requisite reminder, are not a straight-up ranking of each team. They seek to rank the overall feel around the teams and programs, taking into account fan sentiment, momentum and hope.
1. Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0)
Result: Won at Missouri, 38-17
Last week: 1
This week: South Carolina
Just chugging along. The only question is how high the playoff seeding will be. Mike Elko should be SEC coach of the year. He was second to Shane Beamer last year, which was fair. It shouldn’t be close this year. Unless …
2. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2)
Result: Won vs. Auburn, 45-38 (OT)
Last week: 6
This week: Bye
Clark Lea’s team needed overtime to win at home against a team that just fired its coach, so feel free to say we’re overreacting here. However, again, this is not a pure ranking; it’s the vibes. It’s Vanderbilt. And it’s winning. And it’s Pavia.
3. Georgia (8-1, 6-1)
Result: Won at Mississippi State, 41-21
Last week: 4
This week: Texas
Yes, consider the opponent. But a) that opponent nearly beat Texas and Tennessee on the same field, and did beat Arizona State, and b) Georgia blew out that opponent in a way it had not anybody but Kentucky in SEC play. That’s a great trajectory for this team. The offense being explosive, running and passing. The defense going into shutdown mode after giving up the customary opening-drive touchdown.
That doesn’t mean Georgia is about to roll over Texas and the rest of its schedule. It also doesn’t mean the Bulldogs won’t do that, either.
Alabama won a low-scoring game against LSU on Saturday and has a 90 percent chance to make the Playoff. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
4. Alabama (8-1, 6-0)
Result: Won vs. LSU, 20-9
Last week: 2
This week: Oklahoma
Was it the most impressive victory? Nah. Is it slightly worrisome coming off the South Carolina game, which required a late rally? Yes, slightly worrisome. There could be a late-season sleepwalking effect going on here. A revived and dangerous Oklahoma team coming to town this week should be a better measurement for whether there’s cause for concern.
5. Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1)
Result: Won vs. The Citadel, 49-0
Last week: 3
This week: Florida
Took care of business, will be heavy favorites in the final two regular-season games, Playoff ticket basically assured: Great vibes.
The sought-after head coach is still sought after: Nervous vibes.
6. Texas (7-2, 4-1)
Result: Bye
Last week: 5
This week: at Georgia
The Longhorns sat at home and watched their next opponent (Georgia) finally put together a complete game, and their final opponent (Texas A&M) still looked extremely tough. But before all that, the Longhorns saw the CFP committee rank them No. 11, leading to the realization that 9-3 could be enough for the Longhorns to get in. One cautionary note: That loss at Florida is going to be a real problem.
7. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2)
Result: Bye
Last week: 7
This week: at Alabama
All apologies to our previous hyperventilating about Vanderbilt. The Sooners are the Playoff contender none of us are talking about. If the Sooners go into Tuscaloosa and win on Saturday, look out. Their final two games are home against a Missouri team on its third-string QB and LSU with its interim coach.
8. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3)
Result: Bye
Last week: 10
This week: New Mexico State
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit came to coach Josh Heupel’s defense this week, which seemed unnecessary until it was pointed out that some Tennessee fans are grumbling. Even though this was not considered a Playoff team after the Nico Iamaleava news. Even though Tennessee is a missed field goal versus Georgia from being 7-2. Even though the program was in serious arrears when Heupel arrived. And even though the grumbling is probably from a small segment of the fan base amplified by the joys of 2025 social media.
9. Missouri (6-3, 2-3)
Result: Lost to Texas A&M, 38-17
Last week: 9
This week: Mississippi State
Any fleeting Playoff hopes have fleeted away. Now the attention turns, without distraction or pull of a Playoff run, to holding on to Eli Drinkwitz. How much the timing matters, whether schools want to wait out other coaches going through the Playoff, is hard to tell because this is the first year of the January transfer portal. Also unknown: Who wants Drinkwitz, and does Drinkwitz want them, or prefer Mizzou? It’s not clear on all fronts.
10. Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5)
Result: Lost to Georgia, 41-21
Last week: 8
This week: at Missouri
A season of good wins and competitive losses at home, then … well, not so much Saturday. Still, it took until Game 10 for the Fightin’ Cowbells to be essentially out of the game at halftime. Another marker of improvement.
11. Auburn (4-6, 1-6)
Result: Lost at Vanderbilt, 45-38 (OT)
Last week: 15
This week: Bye
It may not be classy to keep kicking dirt on former coach Hugh Freeze, but the vibes aren’t classy. Auburn waking up on offense Saturday was yet another indictment of Freeze. Feeding Cam Coleman (143 yards receiving): Huh, who could’ve predicted that would work? It should also encourage Auburn faithful that the program is close. As athletic director John Cohen put it last week when meeting the media about Freeze’s firing: “If we had an average SEC offense, there’s no telling what our record would be, and maybe I’m not standing up here in front of you right now.”
Kentucky has spent most of the season near the bottom of the vibes, but back-to-back wins have things looking up. (Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
12 Kentucky (4-5, 2-5)
Result: Won vs. Florida, 38-7
Last week: 14
This week: Tennessee Tech
Well, well, well. The vibes have been down on Stoops for a while. He seemed to be in an irreversible rut. Now we don’t know what to think. Stoops, you rascal, once again reminding us why you’re the dean of SEC coaches.
13. Florida (3-6, 2-4)
Result: Lost at Kentucky, 38-7
Last week: 11
This week: at Ole Miss
Bleh. Just … bleh. The excitement of coaching search possibilities still has the Gators’ program vibes in a better spot than a few weeks ago. But what happens on the field still matters a little, and that might have been the ugliest Gator result in years, which is saying something. Bleh.
14. South Carolina (3-6, 1-6)
Result: Bye
Last week: 12
This week: at Texas A&M
Beamer told me in March that as excited as he was about 2025, he thought his 2026 team had a chance to be even better based on who’s projected to return. What he forgot to say: That will depend on who I hire as offensive coordinator, because for some reason I hired Mike Shula for 2025 and will think better of that before the season is over.
South Carolina program vibes based on 2025 results: not good.
South Carolina program vibes based on Beamer moves: slightly more optimistic.
15. LSU (5-4, 2-4)
Result: Lost at Alabama, 20-9
Last week: 16
This week: Arkansas
Off the field, the week began with more LSU melodrama, this time over whether the athletic director was just the interim, or the permanent, or the acting, or … we still don’t know. On the field, the week ends with the once-and-maybe-still-NFL prospect Garrett Nussmeier being benched for Michael Van Buren Jr., and where this goes from here … we don’t know. It’s chaotic, but at least it’s interesting.
16. Arkansas (2-7, 0-5)
Result: Bye
Last week: 13
This week: at LSU
This spot in the basement is because of program vibes. This is a proud program with aspirations of regular CFP contention, which isn’t unreasonable. But not only is it watching other teams win more this season — and other seasons — its coaching vacancy is being overshadowed by three others in the SEC, and potentially more in the greater Big 12/ACC region. Maybe athletic director Hunter Yurachek can overcome that and nail this hire. For now, though, Razorback fans can feel understandable anxiety about their team’s future.