Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas will only play four teams ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll. Texas made the semi-finals of the College Football Playoff in 2024 while Alabama and South Carolina were on the outside looking in with 9-3 records after suffering upset losses in SEC play.

Last season, Clemson went 10-4 overall, captured a record 22nd ACC title, and returned to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. It was a significant turnaround after a three-year Playoff drought that had many questioning the trajectory of the program.

Nine SEC teams are ranked in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. Think the playoff committee will care about that? They didn't last year.