It’s been 15 years of SEC déjà vu. Every summer, the preseason chatter sounds like a rehearsed playbook. Georgia or Alabama? Pick your favorite. The college football world has comfortably penciled in one of the two as conference champion favorites for a decade and a half. But in 2025, we might finally be getting a new name on that preseason pedestal. And it’s one that’s only been around the block for one season in SEC circles. 

You might have already guessed it, but Steve Sarkisian and Texas are knocking on the door. On July 30, Cole Cubelic dropped an alert on SEC bluebloods Alabama and Georgia in an X post. “If Texas opens as the SEC Champion favorite it will break a 15 year streak of Alabama & Georgia entering the season as conference champion favorites,” he wrote. And that’s not just trivia. It’s a seismic shift in power dynamics. So how did the Longhorns get here?

Texas made the College Football Playoffs semifinals in back-to-back years. The 2024 squad nearly took down Georgia in last year’s SEC title game before falling 22-19 in overtime. Trevor Etienne, the Gator-turned-Dawg, punched in the game-winner after the Bulldogs’ defense held the Longhorns to a field goal. That loss stung in Austin. And now, they want revenge with Arch Manning leading the charge. And the hype’s not just smoke either. The media is buying in hard. 

In Brett McMurphy’s latest SEC media poll, Texas snagged 96 first-place votes, nearly doubling Georgia’s 44. Alabama, under Kalen DeBoer’s second run, is hanging in third place with 29 votes. Even Garrett Nussmeier-led LSU is dangerous with 20. But the message is clear. Many think Texas is that team in 2025. Meanwhile in Athens, Kirby Smart and the Dawgs are in unfamiliar territory. They weren’t picked to win the SEC by league media for the first time in three years with Gunner Stockton taking over as QB1. Still, Georgia’s schedule is oddly favorable. No back-to-back road trips, and both Alabama and Texas come to their house. And as for Tuscaloosa, it’s a whole new vibe.

Can Texas take the SEC crown?

No Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Maybe that’s one of the biggest factors Alabama is falling behind. Kalen DeBoer didn’t exactly prove himself last season after falling short of the playoffs. And in Year 2, he’s already feeling the heat. With LSU, Oklahoma, and Tennessee coming to town, the Tide could have a 10-win season and playoff push. But if things go sideways, say, another bad loss to Vanderbilt, Bama nation could turn toxic real fast.

Even Missouri and South Carolina are getting some preseason love. League voting confirms Texas sitting on top holding 3,060 points. Georgia has 2,957 points, Alabama with 2,783, LSU with 2,668, and South Carolina with 2,109 points. For the first time in 15 years, neither Georgia nor Alabama may wear the preseason crown. This isn’t the old SEC anymore. The Longhorns are here, loud, loaded, and unafraid. 

Their opener at Ohio State on Aug. 30 could set the tone for the entire season. And if Texas takes care of business in Columbus, we might be staring at a full-blown SEC regime change before Week 2. Because come November 15, when Texas marches into Athens with blood in their eyes and Arch Manning leading the way, the 15-year SEC dynasty might already be history.