The college football season isn’t too far away so there’s not better time than now to dive into On3’s full fledged SEC preview! We’re talking CFP favorites, power rankings and more!

If you’re looking for what to bet on and what to watch for this season, you can scroll below. We start with the toughest schedules in the SEC.

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In the SEC, it just means more right? Well, we’ve got your comprehensive preview at On3 so be sure to scroll, read and subscribe below for everything you need to know about the conference in 2026.

Toughest schedules in SEC

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1. Texas
Not only does Texas have the most difficult non-conference game in the league when it takes on Ohio State at home in Week 2, but the Longhorns face seven teams ranked among On3’s Way-too-early top 25 teams for the 2026 season.

2. Oklahoma
Good luck finding anybody in the league that faces a more difficult schedule away from home, which is why Oklahoma is a close second to Texas on this list. 

3. Arkansas
Ryan Silverfield’s welcoming gift as an SEC head coach is six games against teams in On3’s Way-too-early top 25 rankings, which includes one of the more challenging non-conference road games in the league against Utah in Week 2.

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Top QBs in SEC

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1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Chambliss, a sixth-year senior who turns 24 in August, had to win a temporary injunction in court to be eligible. It was a huge win for the Rebels, as he’s one of the most difficult players in college football to defend with his ability to avoid pressure and make big plays.

2. Arch Manning, Texas
 This will be Manning’s second season as the starter. He had a rough go of it a year ago to start the season and just never seemed comfortable. But in his last eight games, he accounted for 20 touchdowns and turned it over just twice while leading Texas to three wins over top-10 teams.

3. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Stockton enters his second season as Georgia’s starter and fifth year on campus after redshirting in 2022. He goes out of his way to avoid the spotlight, but the players in the Bulldogs’ locker room swear by him and his willingness to do anything on Saturdays to win football games.

4. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Mateer wasn’t as effective throwing the ball down the field, as expected, following the surgery, but still finished with 22 total touchdowns (14 passing and eight rushing). Nobody will question his toughness, and when healthy, he’s a nightmare for defenses with his ability to both run and pass.

5. Sam Leavitt, LSU
(He) appears perfectly suited for Lane Kiffin’s system, and if completely healthy, should prosper with Charlie Weis Jr. calling plays. The only concern with Leavitt, although Kiffin said he would be 100 percent for the start of preseason camp, is the Lisfranc foot injury Leavitt suffered last season at Arizona State that caused him to miss the final five games.

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Ranking SEC’s Best Transfers

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1. Cam Coleman, WR – Texas
 There’s a reason Texas quarterback Arch Manning let out a few loud screams when he received a text from Coleman in January that read simply, “Let’s do this.”

2. Sam Leavitt, QB – LSU
One of Kiffin’s priorities upon taking the job at LSU was landing a top-tier quarterback, and the Tigers paid big money (reportedly $6 million) to get Sam Leavitt away from Arizona State. Kiffin even flew to Knoxville to up the ante and close the deal after Leavitt visited Tennessee.

3. Byrum Brown, QB – Auburn
He and new Auburn coach Alex Golesh are going into their fourth season together. Brown has started in 32 career games, the fifth most among active FBS quarterbacks. He was the only FBS player last season to pass for more than 3,000 yards (3,158) and rush for more than 1,000 yards (1,008) and completed 66.3 percent of his passes as opposed to seven interceptions in 341 passing attempts

4. Rasheem Biles, LB – Texas
Rasheem Biles is the kind of playmaking linebacker who would make an immediate impact on any defense. He played three seasons at Pittsburgh, the last two as a starter, and led the Panthers last season with 101 tackles, including 17 for loss.

5. Jordan Seaton, OT – LSU
His NIL deal is worth $4 million, the largest ever for an offensive tackle. The Tigers need him to be a force right away after struggling in the offensive line last season.

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Top SEC Coaches

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1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
The top spot was a no-brainer. Granted, Georgia is 0-for-2 in its last two College Football Playoff appearances, but no current head coach in the country has established the kind of winning culture Smart has. 

2. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
This was the toughest call: Sarkisian or Lane Kiffin at No. 2? Sarkisian gets the nod based on a 13-3 regular-season conference record in his first two seasons in the SEC.

3. Lane Kiffin, LSU
No coach has been more of a commodity than Kiffin, who had his choice of Florida and LSU this past offseason … Kiffin will always be a pariah in Oxford because of the manner in which he left, and his shtick isn’t for everybody.

4. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Having to replace not only a legend, but arguably the greatest to ever do it, is the kind of task not everybody signs up for. But DeBoer did just that a year removed from taking Washington to the national championship game in 2023. 

5. Mike Elko, Texas A&M
In his second season at Texas A&M, Elko took the Aggies to their first College Football Playoff. Texas A&M wasn’t going to risk losing Elko to Penn State and locked him up with a new extension last November, paying him an average of $11.5 million.

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SEC Power Rankings

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1. Texas
The Longhorns started the season a year ago ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll and missed the playoff. This could be Steve Sarkisian’s most talented team yet.

2. Georgia
Kirby Smart would never say it, but 2024 was a bit of a bridge season for the Bulldogs, who still won the SEC championship and earned a first-round bye in the playoff. 

3. Ole Miss
A good place to start if you’re looking to make a return to the playoff is bringing back the premier quarterback-running back combo in college football. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy combined for 54 touchdowns last season.

4. Oklahoma
The Sooners took the step everyone was hoping for in Year 4 under Brent Venables and made the playoff. They return 14 starters from that team, most of them key players, and there’s confidence in Norman that the next step will be a deep run in the playoff.

5. Texas A&M
Mike Elko’s teams have been built on toughness and player development, and the 2026 version of the Aggies should be no different.

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CFP Best Bets

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Texas: Even with the challenging non-conference test at home against Ohio State in Week 2, the Longhorns won’t have any excuses if they miss the playoff for a second straight year.

Georgia: The Bulldogs have been to the playoff every year but one going back to the 2021 season, and the year they didn’t go during that stretch (2023) came on the heels of winning 29 straight games and then losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. 

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