Football is almost back in the Southeastern Conference with SEC Media Days being last week and kickoff coming in five weeks’ time. However, Jon Rothstein at CBS Sports is already looking ahead to tip-off for the league when they take the court again following an all-time season.

Rothstein previewed and broke down the SEC last week on ‘Inside College Basketball Now’. He went over several topics, including the release of a preseason power ranking for each of the 16 teams. That’s with interest in the conference being as high as it may have ever been after the Southeastern Conference set records with 14 berths in total into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, half of those going on to reach the Sweet 16, and a pair making and meeting each other in the Final Four with Florida going on to win the national championship.

With that, here’s how Rothstein rated the SEC ahead of its next season in ’25-’26:

Florida, coming off their national title win in Houston, is going to have an all-new backcourt with Boogie Fland, Xavian Lee, and AJ Brown, plus a pair of freshmen, taking the places of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard who were all selected in the NBA Draft. When paired with the returners in the frontcourt, though, in Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Reuben Chinyelu, and Micah Handlogten, the Gators have justified themselves not just as the top team in the conference but among the very best teams in college basketball coming into the year.

“The defending national champions have earned that right,” Rothstein said. “Florida is in the one spot.”

With a controversial, connected duo at two and three, Rothstein would go with Arkansas at second-best in the SEC. That’s with him noting the amount of returning production that the ‘Hogs will have in DJ Wagner, Karter Knox, Trevon Brazile, and Billy Richmond, paired with two top transfer bigs and a trio from a top-five recruiting class, for the ‘Hogs going into year two under Coach Cal.

“At two, I’m going with Arkansas because of the amount of returning personnel that John Calipari has at his disposal…John Calipari has a team, unlike a year ago, that has a base of returning experience,” said Rothstein. “That’s why I have Arkansas with a slight edge at two ahead of Kentucky.”

That then leads into Kentucky in third going into year two for Mark Pope at his alma mater with UK. That said, even with the returns of Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler, and Trent Noah, Rothstein was a little less sure in how it all comes together for the Wildcats with six additions from the number two portal class, a trio of freshmen, and an international recruit all coming to Lexington.

“Kentucky is in the three-hole for me,” said Rothstein. “How many guys is Mark Pope going to be able to play this season? How many guys is Mark Pope going to be able to use on a nightly basis? Because, if you look at it by the numbers – and every team is different, every year is different. But, if you look at it by the numbers right now, last year for Kentucky, Mark Pope played 11 players in double-figure minutes. Same thing could happen in ’25-’26.”

Auburn, after making the Final Four themselves, is also in the top-five for Rothstein at number four. Even so, the Tigers might take some time, unlike last year, to find out what they are with only one notable name back for the team with Tahaad Pettiford to go with multiple new additions, specifically four from a top-ten transfer class.

“In the four-spot, the Auburn Tigers coming off a Final Four appearance for the second time under Bruce Pearl,” said Rothstein. “Auburn last year, entering last season, returned eight players who averaged double-figure minutes, so it was set up for Auburn to enter last season on fire, which (they) did…The only player on Auburn’s roster, in Auburn’s program right now that averaged double-figure minutes that’s returning from the team that lost to Florida in the Final Four is Tahaad Pettiford. Now, I like the other pieces. I like the other pieces in Bruce Pearl’s program…But, if you’re looking big picture now and you’re evaluating Auburn, this is what I want you to remember…Be patient with Auburn early.”

Alabama would then round out the top-five with the Tide having rolled to four appearances in five years in the Sweet 16 with last year leading to an Elite Eight after the one prior got them to the Final Four. ‘Bama will have to have new names emerge, with players returning or coming back who could do that, if they want to continue that run in Tuscaloosa.

“In the five-spot, Alabama and Nate Oats,” Rothstein said. “You lose Sears, you lose Nelson, you lose Omoruyi, you lose Dioubate, you lose Chris Youngblood – but getting back Labaron Philon late in the NBA Draft process was monumental for Nate Oats and company. You also have Aden Holloway back…(and) the guy I think who could be an absolute star for Alabama this year is Aiden Sherrell…Also, remember Latrell Wrightsell, who missed a large portion of last season with an Achilles injury, is expected to return as a shot-maker off the bench.”

Coming out of the top-five is a team that could make a case for that top-five too in Tennessee, who has made two of the three Elite Eights in the program’s history in the past two seasons. Now, Rothstein thinks the Vols, even with their roster turnover leading to adding a top-tier freshman in Nate Ament and a top-ten portal class over the offseason, could be a dark horse out of the conference this year to make their first-ever appearance in the Final Four.

“In the six-spot, I’ve got Tennessee, coached by Rick Barnes who has led the Vols to back-to-back appearances in the Elite Eight,” Rothstein said. “Looking now at Tennessee, I think Tennessee is a dark horse Final Four team.

At seven is one of two teams in the conference under a new tenure with Texas as Sean Miller takes over in Austin. He’ll do so with a roster that will be infused with the top portal class in the country but one which does return players like Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope, and Chendall Weaver.

“In the seven-spot, you’ve got the Texas Longhorns, who are being coached by Sean Miller now, taking over for Rodney Terry,” said Rothstein. “This is a team that has elements of continuity.”

Mississippi State made it into the top half of the conference, and just ahead of their in-state opponent, coming off of three appearances in the NCAA Tournament in three seasons under Chris Jans. Rothstein now expects the Bulldogs to be right back in March Madness, namely after the return of Josh Hubbard to go with six additions in a portal class that rated in the Top-25 nationally.

“Eight, Mississippi State,” said Rothstein. “Chris Jans should have another NCAA Tournament team.”

Beginning the back half of the league is then Ole Miss, who returned to the NCAA Tournament last spring in year two under Chris Beard. He’ll now try to get the Rebels back into it for back-to-back berths for the first time since the turn of the century with an essentially all-new roster with seven additions from a portal class which rated in the Top-20.

“In the nine-spot, I’m going with Chris Beard and Ole Miss, which is an incredibly low spot to put a Chris Beard-coached team but, again, that reiterates the quality of this league,” noted Rothstein.

Texas A&M is the other program under new leadership with Bucky McMillan taking over for Buzz Williams in College Station. Still, the Aggies made it into the top-ten for Rothstein with a completely new roster coming out of last season which has double-digit additions to it going into his debut with the school.

“In the ten-spot, I have Texas A&M,” said Rothstein. “Bucky McMillan has quietly done a really nice job building out his roster via the transfer portal.”

Missouri, coming off a bounce-back season in year three under Dennis Gates, would then come in at eleventh for Rothstein. He again expects them to be in position to be in the bracket again with his next team that’ll be led again by Mark Mitchell.

“In the eleven-spot, I’m going with Missouri,” said Rothstein. “Missouri again should compete for an NCAA Tournament berth.”

Oklahoma played its way into the NCAA Tournament to make it into the field for the first time in the tenure of Porter Moser. They’ll now try to do so again amidst the roster turnover that saw several key names leave but four portal pickups as a top-ten transfer class, which Rothstein appreciated, arrive in Norman.

“Then, at the twelve-spot, you have Porter Moser and Oklahoma,” said Rothstein. “Porter Moser has adapted to this portal world and really, in my opinion, got some guys who are very under the radar because they’re guys who, again, at one point in time were very, very highly sought after…(They) give Oklahoma a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many years.”

Vanderbilt overachieved last season in their debut under Mark Byington by posting their best record in thirteen years and returning for the first time in eight years to the NCAA Tournament. Now, despite having them this low, Rothstein won’t be discounting the Commodores again going into this season.

“I don’t want to dismiss this next team because, again, I had this team as well during the NCAA Tournament. This, to me, was one of the great stories last year in college basketball…I talked to Mark Byington last week. He likes his team, he likes the depth of his team. You have to like the fact that there are a couple of players back…You also have to like some of the players that were added,” Rothstein said. “It wouldn’t shock me to see Vanderbilt back in the NCAA Tournament picture.”

Georgia, the final team of the fourteen teams on this list who made the field a year ago, won enough games by the end of last year to have their best record under Mike White, and best overall in a decade, and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in ten years. However, the Bulldogs have a lot to replace after losing pieces to the NBA Draft as well as the NCAA Transfer Portal.

“Georgia is in the fourteen-spot after losing, obviously, Asa Newell and Silas Demery as a transfer to UConn,” Rothstein noted.

LSU was one of the two teams in the conference who didn’t make the field last year after going 14-18 in year three under Matt McMahon. That said, Rothstein thinks there’s enough there for both of the bottom teams in the conference to be better this year, including the Tigers who brought in seven transfers this offseason.

“LSU and South Carolina are 15, 16,” said Rothstein. “I’m looking at LSU and South Carolina and I think one story in the SEC is the teams at the bottom of this conference are going to be better in ’25-’26 than they were in ’24-’25

The same applies for South Carolina after being 12-20 in year three for Lamont Paris. That’s with the Gamecocks having some retention and bringing in six additions from a Top-25 transfer class to Columbia.

“LSU and South Carolina are 15, 16,” Rothstein said. “I’m looking at a South Carolina team that got Meechie Johnson back and I’m also looking at a South Carolina team that got Myles Stute back…I’m looking at LSU and South Carolina and I think one story in the SEC is the teams at the bottom of this conference are going to be better in ’25-’26 than they were in ’24-’25

Conference USA Media Day kicked off on Tuesday, and Commissioner Judy MacLeod addressed a multitude of topics surrounding the conference. Here are four of the most interesting things she said during her speech.

On the changing times in athletics:

“I don’t think there’s a day goes by that there isn’t something about one of the topics – whether it’s the House Settlement, Congressional activity, eligibility litigation, college sports commission, NIL Go, other litigation, Presidential activity, the College Football Playoff, transfer portal. I could take my entire 10 minutes up here and just rattle off the list, but I’ll stop there.”

“Obviously it’s a new time, it’s a transformational time in college athletics with so much happening so quickly. We need to continue to modernize and evolve. It’s something that college athletics has been slow to do in the past. It’s been forced on us, for good reason. It’s really important that we have standards and we have rules. That’s going to be a challenge going forward. The opportunity to work with young people and have an impact on them, to work with them towards earning a degree, completing a degree, is still going to be very central to our mission.”

“We need things like the College Sports Commission and NIL Go to work. We need that to work. I know there are naysayers, I know there are people that want it to fail out of the gates, but we need that to work. We need Congressional help. We also need to keep including our student athletes and their voice in our decision-making processes moving forward. It’s taken a ton of work to get to this point, it’s going to take a ton more, but I believe college athletics is worth it. It’s going to take everybody to do that. That’s a tall task, but I think those of us involved in it, that have dedicated our lives to it, believe in that and will work hard to achieve those goals.”

On the 2025 football season:

“We are really excited to welcome our two new schools – Delaware and Missouri State. We have a big game week zero, not too far away. We have a conference matchup that could turn into a real critical game for the standings in Sam Houston and WKU.”

“People ask me, ‘Who is going to be your good team this year?’ It’s really hard to tell these days. There’s a stat for everything these days, we have average returning production of 54%, which leads our peers. That tells me we do have a lot of veteran talent coming back that can help guide our teams and help those teams gel a little more quickly.”

“I have a lot of faith in our coaches. We have had some turnover. We have six new coaches this year, that includes the two that are not new to their school, but are new to Conference USA with Delaware and Missouri State. These men get it. They get why they’re doing what they’re doing. They are ultra competitive and have had success at many places. We are confident with that group.”

On the future of the conference:

“Our media package with CBS Sports Network and the ESPN Family of Networks is entering year three. About half of our games will be on linear and half will be on ESPN+. It’s made it very easy for our fans to find our contests. We continue to embrace and build on weekday CUSA. We didn’t want you guys not to have anything to do on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday so we added some games for you. Last year, we had eight games during that period decided by single digits. We also had seven games with 60 or more points. It is a really exciting brand of football. You get to go unopposed. Sometimes you are the only game on TV. That exposure has been really incredible for us as we continue to build the conference.”

On realignment:

“Realignment is hard. I don’t think it ever gets any easier, but I do feel like we’ve done a great job of rebuilding and continuing to position the conference well. I have to give a ton of credit to our Board of Directors which is composed of all our Presidents. They are in charge of membership, and they have been very thoughtful. I do believe the FCS schools that we have brought in to transition have had a lot of success. I’m obviously biased, but I feel like we’ve made a lot of great choices. We have programs that have histories of success. A lot of times it’s a lot easier when you have a program that’s had success at other levels to transition that success forward, but our staff has done a great job with the administrations of each school and really tried to help them. Help them understand what that step is. I don’t know if that’s something we want to be known for – of transitioning schools, but we have had success and we’re excited with the new two that are coming aboard as well.”

“As far as future, we have membership on our board agenda every time we meet. We have a membership committee. It’s active. It’s always looking at different data and doing it for research about what may happen. We are really excited about the 10 we have moving forward. Unfortunately, I can’t predict things. I don’t think anything is going to happen in the time I’m sitting here, but you never know. I put my phone on silent so I wouldn’t get interrupted. You never want to walk out and get surprised, but I do feel very good about our core schools and continuing to grow.”

John Calipari believes a Thanksgiving Day game between Arkansas and Duke will make college basketball history. In a recent interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the Razorbacks coach predicted that the matchup would be the most-watched in the past decade.

Calipari pointed to the huge viewership when Arkansas played Illinois last season on Thanksgiving Day. That game averaged 5.1 million viewers, making it the second-most watched regular season game since 2008. With as big of a following as Duke has, the holiday and the fact that it will be televised on CBS, Calipari sees it as a recipe for an even bigger number this season.

“Our game last year with Illinois was the highest-rated regular season game,” the coach said. “This game with Duke, my guess is it might be the highest regular season game in the last decade. When it’s played, where it is, who we’re playing. So I’m excited.”

John Calipari directed Arkansas on a run to the Sweet Sixteen this past year in his inaugural season with the program. They finished with a 22-14 record and have a lot of positive momentum heading into Year 2 of his tenure.

According to ESPN, the Razorbacks have the most returning production of any team in the SEC. That includes guard DJ Wagner and forward Karter Knox, both starters. Arkansas also added a pair of five star freshmen in Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas, as well as several transfers.

With his team much more solidified entering this season, Calipari wanted to create a challenging schedule. In addition to the game against Duke, Arkansas also faces Louisville, Texas Tech, Houston and Michigan State on its nonconference schedule.

“I did that schedule because I felt comfortable with my team,” Calipari said. “Last year, we had a schedule, but I wasn’t so comfortable because I didn’t know the guys. We were trying to figure each other out and we were injured like crazy. Hopefully we stay away from that bug this year. Last year, we practiced with five guys a month. Thank God I had GAs that could still play.”

Calipari has had success everywhere he’s been from Massachusetts to Memphis to Kentucky and now hopes to build a new dynasty in Fayetteville. Part of that is getting attention outside of your own fan base, and a game against a blue blood like Duke on a prime time sports viewing day is a great way to drum it up.

In his remarks to open the ACC’s annual kickoff event in Charlotte, commissioner Jim Phillips emphasized a need for “restraint” and “cooperation” by schools and conferences as college athletics works to create a framework for the future.

Phillips said he has urged coaches and athletics departments to abide by new restrictions imposed in the wake of the House vs. NCAA settlement that allows schools to spend up to $20.5 million annually on direct athlete compensation while also creating oversight of name, image and likeness contracts — effectively putting a soft cap on what athletics department can spend on talent acquisition.

“It’s about setting up a standard with transparency,” Phillips said. “We haven’t had that in the NIL era. Sometimes we can’t help ourselves. People know what the rules are relative to the $20.5. They know what legitimate NIL is. You can play in the gray area if you want but all that does is undermine the new structure.”

Phillips reiterated a need for government oversight, too, and said he continues to advocate for federal legislation that would, among other things, codify that student-athletes are not employees.

Phillips’ comments echoed a larger narrative he pushed Tuesday about a need for a unified vision for the future of college athletics that prioritizes both the enterprise as well as individual schools and conferences.

“I’ve always tried to be part of solutions and collaboration,” Phillips said. “We all have a responsibility to our conference, and I certainly do for the ACC, but I also know we have a responsibility to the enterprise — whether it’s what’s happening now with [the College Football Playoff] or what we do with a new governance structure or how we formulate the [College Sports Commission]. I’m pretty strong in my convictions but try to bring people together. The best way to get a deal done is maybe relent a little bit and give up a few things but keep an eye on what we’re trying to achieve.”

The potential expansion of the College Football Playoff remains one of the biggest sticking points among individual commissioners, with the Big Ten pushing for a model that includes automatic bids for the top four teams in its league, while the SEC and Big 12 have advocated for a 5+11 model that would give berths to five conference champions and 11 wild cards.

Phillips did not support a specific plan, but he said he wants to see conference championships rewarded and is in favor of increased access, suggesting he’d be open to a 14- or 16-team playoff that did not guarantee more than one berth for any conference.

Part of the playoff negotiations is a renewed focus on strength of schedule, with the SEC wanting guarantees from a playoff selection committee on specific metrics that will be utilized to ensure teams with more difficult schedules will be rewarded for playing tougher games. An agreement on those metrics could open the door for the SEC to move to a nine-game conference schedule — similar to the Big Ten and Big 12 — which, Phillips said, could force the ACC to follow suit.

“I like where we’re at with eight games,” Phillips said. “We’ll adjust if we have to, but I think some of those traditional [non-conference] rivalry games that we really enjoy could go away.”