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After three weeks of SEC play, the league divides fairly neatly into 3 tiers. First, there are the no-hopers. Five teams are 1-8 or 0-9 in SEC play. In a 30-game league season, a 1-8 start requires some massive work to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. A .500 record, after all, would require a 14-7 run, which seems like really heavy lifting for 1-8 teams.
Then, there are the hopefuls. Four teams are either 5-4 or 4-5 in SEC play. Solid, but not great.
Finally, there are the 7 potential super-regional hosts. That’s the top 8 teams in the country and while 7 SEC teams probably won’t make up that top 8, these 7 teams have legitimate shots.
So here’s a rundown on the power rankings, broken down by group. Also this time, there’s a note on how many home series battles remain of the 7 SEC weeks left and how many are against the no-hopers.
The No-Hopers
Here are the teams at the bottom of the SEC totem pole:
16. Missouri (10-17, 0-9)
The Tigers remain winless in league play and don’t show any signs of moving up. They’ve lost more games by 7 or more runs than they have by 3 or fewer runs in SEC play. Mizzou has 3 home weeks left and 3 battles with the no-hopers (including Texas A&M and Mississippi State in the season’s last 2 weeks).
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15. Texas A&M (14-14, 1-8)
The good news is A&M won its first SEC game. The bad news is that the Aggies lost a home series to Kentucky, which should give an idea of where they stand. A&M has just 3 home series weekends left in the SEC and only 2 series against no-hopers left on the slate (Missouri and South Carolina).
14. South Carolina (18-12, 1-8)
Carolina got swept at home by Tennessee and has played a tough schedule (as each of the 3 highest ranked no-hopers have). But the Gamecocks have just 3 home weekends left. Carolina does have 3 no-hopers left, with the next 2 weekends being against Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Both are on the road, so South Carolina has work ahead.
13. Mississippi State (17-12, 1-8)
The Bulldogs were swept at LSU, which can happen. State’s chances are a bit better to climb out of a hole because the Bulldogs have 4 home series weeks left. There are 3 weekends against fellow no-hopers including the finale against Missouri.
12. Florida (20-11, 1-8)
The Gators did win a league game, but lost a series at Ole Miss. That said, UF still has 4 home weeks left. There are 3 matchups with no-hopers ahead of the season’s final 2 weeks. Picking up a 7-2 or 8-1 run in those games could lift UF out of the no-hoper division.
The Hopefuls
These are the teams still hoping for more from the 2025 season:
11. Kentucky (17-9, 4-5)
Kentucky did win a series against A&M, but could be the downwardly mobile team in this group. The Wildcats do have 4 more home SEC weekends, but only have 2 of the no-hopers ahead. The last 2 weeks, at home against Oklahoma and at Vandy, could end up deciding Kentucky’s postseason fate.
10. Vanderbilt (21-8, 4-5)
Vandy took a tough home sweep from Arkansas and now is in a fairly difficult spot. There are only 3 home series weekends left in SEC play and only the next series (Florida) comes against one of the no-hopers.
9. Auburn (20-9, 4-5)
The Tigers were swept at Georgia, which isn’t encouraging, but the games were more competitive than the results would suggest. Auburn also has 4 home series weekends remaining and will face 2 of the no-hopers in upcoming action. That’s a decent recipe for a .500ish season and an NCAA Tournament bid.
8. Oklahoma (22-5, 5-4)
This one might be controversial. Oklahoma is a top-10 team in every major poll. But the Sooners come off a series loss to Alabama and have only one of the no-hopers left on the schedule. OU does have 4 home weekends and could well jump into the next tier. But as we stand, here they are.
Potential Super Regional Hosts
These teams are the cream of the crop in a loaded SEC:
7. Ole Miss (22-6, 6-3)
The Rebels come off a series win over Florida. There are only 3 home weekends left, but 2 of the no-hopers remain ahead on Ole Miss’s schedule and only 1 of the other potential super regional hosts is on there. The series at Oklahoma in early May could be key to staying here or falling back a slot.
6. Alabama (26-4, 6-3)
Fresh off a series win over Oklahoma, Alabama also has 3 series matchups ahead with the no-hopers. Go 6-3 in those and a finish in the top handful of SEC teams is imminently reachable. A down note is that only 3 home weekends remain in league play.
5. Texas (23-4, 8-1)
With series wins over Mizzou and Mississippi State, it’s fair to wonder if Texas can live up to its current record. There are 4 home weekends left, which is helpful. Only 2 no-hopers are ahead on the schedule, although both matchups are at home, which positions the Horns well for a nice SEC Tournament seed (and that super regional hosting gig).
4. LSU (27-3, 7-2)
A nice sweep over Mississippi State was welcome. There are only 3 home weekends left in the league and the 2 no-hopers on the schedule fall in the last 3 weeks. If LSU can get there in good shape, the Tigers will do well.
3. Arkansas (27-3, 8-1)
A sweep at Vandy was impressive. So is a slate with 4 more weeks of home league play and matchups with Mizzou and Texas A&M coming within the next 3 weeks. There’s a Florida series after that, which could leave Arkansas well positioned to win the league regular-season title.
2. Georgia (29-2, 8-1)
A sweep of Auburn earns Georgia additional respect. There are only 3 weeks of home league play remaining for the Bulldogs, but Georgia will get Texas A&M and Missouri in the last 3 weeks of the season. Upcoming weekends against Texas and Arkansas will either earn this spot or push the Bulldogs down.
1. Tennessee (27-2, 8-1)
A sweep against South Carolina keeps the UT train rolling. The Vols will be at home in 4 more weekend slates. The only concern here is that Texas A&M this weekend is the only one of the no-hopers ahead on the slate. The Vols have road matchups ahead against Ole Miss, LSU and Arkansas. If the Vols win the regular-season crown, nobody can say they didn’t earn it.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
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