After Week 10, Kirk Herbstreit is in a major pickle while picking his best SEC team. Herbstreit’s dilemma screams of real SEC chaos. Like, do you go for experience or potential? This headache perfectly captures the brutal depth and unpredictability of the SEC in 2025. And the tenth week matchups showed a lot of potential programs vying their way up, making a comeback from what they were two months back. But with some of them picking up steam, the Tennessee Vols situation doesn’t look all that good.

That’s exactly why the question about the best SEC team on the Ryen Russillo Show left Kirk Herbstreit a bit lost and confused. “Clearly not,” Herbstreit said when he was asked about his choice. “I think Georgia is the most resilient team because just when you think it has finally caught up to them, they find a way to get out of it. Bama, of course, since their loss against Florida State, we’ve all been giving them their kudos. They deserve it.” The ESPN analyst didn’t leave behind the program, falling a little down the list. “They’ve got Oklahoma coming up,” he said. “So, I would probably lean towards the Crimson Tide. But it’s still a discussion.”

As always, Kirk Herbstreit is pretty accurate with his analysis. Alabama’s 17-31 shocker against the Seminoles was too much to take for Kalen DeBoer and his squad. But DeBoer didn’t really sulk over it. He famously broke into a players-only meeting to demand accountability and urgency. The result? Alabama steamrolled ULM 73-0 and dismantled Wisconsin 38-14, showing they’d learned to execute with sharper intensity. The Crimson Tide is 7–1 and has taken down four ranked teams, like Georgia on the road, Vandy, Mizzou on the road, and Tennessee. Nobody in the country’s got a better list of wins right now.

The real test came against Georgia, a powerhouse on a 33-game home winning streak. That’s why Kirk Herbstreit keeps highlighting the Bulldogs’ toughness, who are trailing just behind Bama and Ole Miss with a 7-1 overall and 5-1 record in the conference. Their defense is not as good as the previous years, but it’s not that bad if you think about it. They’re allowing just 19.6 points per game, good for 25th nationally and seventh in the SEC, which is no easy league to defend in. Their overall defense sits 21st in the country, allowing about 309 yards a game.

The running defense is especially stout, holding teams to under 95 yards per game and ranking fifth in the tough SEC. The pass defense has been a bit shaky, though, ranking 65th nationally by giving up 215 passing yards per game. They also keep explosive plays in check, ranking among the top in the country for limiting big plays over 20, 30, and 40 yards. Other than the constant boosting in Athens, the screams at Norman are no less. The Sooners rank 6th in the conference with a 7-2 record overall and 3 wins in the SEC. And ironically, after the bye week, the Sooners are going to clash with Alabama right at Bryant Denny Stadium.

It’s not Josh Heupel ruining the Vols

With naming the best SEC program, Kirk Herbstreit didn’t fall behind in calling the Tennessee program to be grateful. The Vols will most likely be out for the rest of the season as playoff rankings start. Tennessee took a 33–27 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, dropping to 6–3. That third loss pretty much knocks them out of the playoff race, just like last year.

But with all this going on, the Tennessee fans are longing for another head coach to get fired, and that is Josh Heupel. Herbstreit didn’t hold back. He gave fans a reality check by reminding them where Tennessee football was before Heupel took over. “I heard some nonsense from Tennessee fans,” Herbstreit said. “‘Josh Heupel’s gotta go…Whoever loses has got to go.’ Man (expletive).”

Herbstreit further said, “Have you thought about where Tennessee’s football program was before Josh Heupel got there? Off the field issues, drama BS…this is a good football team that lost maybe the two best corners on one team.” Herbstreit praised the turnaround, noting the obstacles Tennessee has overcome this season, such as the loss of their two best corners, Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson, who never even got to play together. And there is the massive, controversial transfer of QB, Nico Iamaleava. But that became a blessing in disguise for Heupel as he got Joey Aguilar managing the starting position. As of now, the 24-year-old has racked up 21 touchdowns for 2737 yards with just 8 interceptions.