The 2024-25 season was historic for the SEC. Fourteen teams reached the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which broke the record (previously held by the Big East in 2011) for the most teams to qualify for the Big Dance from a single conference. Auburn and Florida reached the Final Four in San Antonio, and the Gators were the last team standing after a dramatic win over Houston in the title game.
The stars are aligning for the SEC to once again make some serious noise in March. Florida is projected to open the season as the preseason AP Top 25 top-ranked team. Texas and Kentucky will likely be ranked somewhere within the top 10, while Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama are near locks to land somewhere in the initial top 25.
Florida is the team to beat in the SEC and has arguably the best "Big Three" in the sport: Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. Texas has loaded up in the transfer portal heading into Year 2 of the Sean Miller era. The Longhorns supplemented its roster with a key addition late after Marcus Spears Jr., the top-ranked player in the 2027 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, reclassified to join the Texas program in time for this season.
Kentucky will be a popular pick to finish at the top of the SEC after landing Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic and, most recently, former Missouri star Mark Mitchell, after he was granted an additional year through a temporary restraining order. The Wildcats have the top-ranked transfer class in the 247Sports rankings.
Florida is currently No. 1 in Gary Parrish's Top 25 and 1 and will be the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC, but there could always be drama and chaos.
Our CBS Sports writers are making the case for the top SEC contenders and why/how they would win the conference in 2027.
Making the case for Florida
I wouldn't consider Florida a lock to win the SEC, because we've seen a preseason No. 1 team actually miss the entire NCAA Tournament before. Sports are weird and often unpredictable. An injury or two can obviously derail anybody's season. Nothing is guaranteed once the ball is in the air.
But, with that acknowledged, the Gators should clearly be the on-paper favorite this preseason after returning six of the top seven scorers from a team that won the SEC by three games and secured a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The only player Florida lost who averaged more than 4.1 points was Xaivian Lee.
So the roster-retention in Gainesville is strong, and now Todd Golden has a real chance -- thanks to a loaded frontcourt headlined by Thomas Haugh, the 23 year-old senior whom coaches recently predicted would be the best player in college basketball this season via our Candid Coaches series -- to join John Wooden, Jay Wright and just 15 others on the list of coaches who have won multiple national championships in the history of Division I men's basketball. -- Gary Parrish
Making the case for Texas
Betting against that Florida team is a fool's errand, but Texas has a makeup of a team that is going to be ridiculously annoying to play against. The physicality (and some sharp elbows) from a David Punch-Matas Vokietaitis frontcourt duo will raise Texas' floor instantly every night. Texas is going to consistently gobble up rebounds when Punch and Vokietaitis are on the floor. Texas is going to consistently generate trips to the foul line with Punch and Vokietaitis consistently putting pressure on the rim. Both were excellent foul-drawers last year.
Oh, and then if the future NBA players start turning that potential into production, Texas' ceiling starts to get really, really high. Five-star freshman Marcus Spears Jr. gives Sean Miller an athletic forward who loves to compete and play defense. Texas will trot out some huge lineups with Spears, Punch and Vokietaitis on the floor together, and we know size wins in college basketball. Fellow prized freshman guard Austin Goosby is another potential ceiling-raiser, and so is the development of coveted Colorado transfer Isaiah Johnson, who torched the Big 12 for nearly 17 points a night using a ton of speed, craft and oodles of skill. Johnson could effortlessly become one of the SEC's best guards in 2026-27.
Texas' combination of five-star transfers with five-star retention and five-star freshmen offers a tantalizing high-floor, high-ceiling range of potential outcomes. -- Isaac Trotter
Making the case for Tennessee
Fascinating situation in Knoxville. University donors rallied around the concept of paying out $15 million-plus on a revamped roster for what could be the final season of Rick Barnes' 40-year run as a head coach. The Vols made big headlines early in the portal cycle and got another boost (theoretically) with a fifth-year guy who's suing to get more cash and one more season of ball in.
The shooting is undeniable. Between Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade, VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr. and Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames, UT is going to have more proven long-range guys in its rotation than ever before under Barnes. Miles Rubin was a big get as a bendy defensive 5-man, and then reinforcement recently arrived in the form of Jalen Washington, a former UNC and Vandy big who will bring some heft around the rim (if he remains eligible).
It's going to look different at Tennessee next season vs. the last three seasons, which is also interesting because the Vols have made three consecutive Elite Eights. This is a program that's never made a Final Four. This group's got the parts to do it, and if for whatever reason Florida doesn't win the SEC (which it obviously absolutely should), then I like Tennessee's chances as much as anyone else. -- Matt Norlander
Making the case for Kentucky + the field
I'm going to make the case for Kentucky and the rest of the SEC, including potential sleepers to win the conference such as Arkansas, LSU and Missouri. For starters, the pressure will be on Kentucky coach Mark Pope this season. After the Wildcats had one of the most high-priced rosters in the sport and massively underachieved, this season will need to be different for Pope to cool down the hot seat. After striking out on a handful of transfer portal targets and 2026's top incoming freshman Tyran Stokes, Kentucky rebounded by adding Momcilovic and Mitchell, who were two of the top transfers available. Momcilovic will be a perfect fit in Kentucky's system and should be an All-American candidate if everything goes according to plan.
As for the other teams, keep an eye on Arkansas. Despite the Razorbacks having a young roster, it's pretty easy to make the case that this is the most talented team John Calipari has had since arriving in Fayetteville. Jordan Smith Jr. is a candidate to go No. 1 next summer and Billy Richmond III is due to make a massive jump.
Another team to monitor is LSU. Will Wade is building one of the most unique rosters in college basketball history. Despite having only four players listed on their official website, if players such as RJ Luis, Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark actually suit up this season, the Tigers will be a popular sleeper pick to win the conference. Florida should be the consensus favorite to win the SEC, but Kentucky, LSU and Arkansas have a chance to crash the party. -- Cameron Salerno
