After one of the most intriguing and topsy-turvy years in the history of college football , it’s time for a retrospective on arguably the sport’s top conference, the SEC. The following are the grades of the top four programs based on their performance in the 2024 college football season.
Texas (13-3): A
It was undoubtedly an excellent year for Steve Sarkisian and company. In their first year in the conference, the Longhorns proved they were the real deal, going 7-1 in regular season conference play. They survived a scare at Vanderbilt, crushed their Red River rival Oklahoma, and came out on top in a game of the year candidate against the Sun Devils of Arizona State. Twin losses to Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs prevent them from getting a higher grade, but the Longhorns can hang with the best of them in the SEC.
Georgia (11-3): B+
It was an uncommon year of inconsistency for Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs. Their year opened with two wins before barely scraping by against Kentucky. They then lost a thriller to rival Alabama before running the table until a brutal loss at Ole Miss. The undisputed game of the year against hated rival Georgia Tech encapsulated the program’s season: wild, unpredictable, and, at times, shockingly bad. I’m never going to count out a Kirby Smart team, but even with another SEC title under their belts, the Bulldogs did not look like a team in national title contention far too often.
Tennessee (10-3): A-
Josh Heupel’s Vols looked excellent in spurts this past season, especially when the high-powered offense led by Nico Iamaleava really got going in big moments. Though the defensive side could do with more upgrading, Tennessee’s only real “bad” loss came to Arkansas, as the others were to the eventual SEC champion Georgia and eventual national champion Ohio State. While the year certainly left room for improvement, it looks like the Vols will likely remain in the upper echelon of one of college football’s top conferences for the foreseeable future.
Alabama (9-4): B-
If Saban’s Alabama was defined by its continued dominance, then it’s hard to find any metric in which Kalen DeBoer, in his first year in charge, has met those lofty expectations. It’s a similar story to rival Georgia, but it was far worse inconsistency for the boys in Tuscaloosa; being on the wrong end of an all-time upset to routine conference laughingstock Vanderbilt, a loss to rival Tennessee, and an incredibly ugly bowl game loss to a subpar Michigan team are some of the worst lowlights for the Tide in years. A thrilling victory over rival Georgia and wins against LSU and Iron Bowl foe Auburn save them from a C rating, but there’s definite cause for concern in Tuscaloosa.
