SEC media predicts Texas title, Kentucky next to last — but that’s just another reason to be Motivated
The media has spoken — and the message to Kentucky football fans? Don’t expect much.
In the 2025 SEC Preseason Media Poll released Thursday, Kentucky was picked to finish next to last in the conference, ranking 15th out of 16 teams with just 512 points. The Wildcats though weren’t even close to the 16th spot, with Mississippi State behind by a sizable margin at 343 points. It’s a sobering projection in a league that's continuing to get better and better.
At the top? Texas, the shiny new toy of the SEC, predicted to win the 2025 SEC Championship Game with 96 votes. Georgia followed with 44, and Alabama (29) and LSU (20) rounded out the top tier of contenders. South Carolina picked up five votes, while Oklahoma (3), Vanderbilt (2), Florida (2), Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Auburn each grabbed a single vote.
Still, preseason polls don’t hand out trophies. In fact, only 10 times in 33 years has the media’s pick actually won the SEC Championship Game according to the SEC press release. The league will again pit the top two teams by SEC record against each other in Atlanta on December 6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here’s how the full media prediction for order of finish looks:
1. Texas (3060)
2. Georgia (2957)
3. Alabama (2783)
4. LSU (2668)
5. South Carolina (2109)
6. Florida (1986)
7. Ole Miss (1979)
8. Texas A&M (1892)
9. Tennessee (1700)
10. Oklahoma (1613)
11. Auburn (1272)
12. Missouri (1170)
13. Vanderbilt (936)
14. Arkansas (764)
15. Kentucky (512)
16. Mississippi State (343)
It’s a far cry from where Big Blue Nation believes the program should be — but that’s the beauty of football. No one remembers where you’re picked if you punch above your weight.
Mark Stoops and company are in familiar territory, and they have punched above their weight but also crumbled. This season can go a lot of different ways.
So while the rest of the SEC counts Kentucky out, the ‘Cats may just use that to claw their way up. The bar is low — which makes the climb that much sweeter.