Last Night, everyone's clocks around the world hit Midnight striking the mark of a New Year. Every year, everyone comes up with a New Year's Resolution whether its to exercise more often, to read more, or something else that will most likely only last a few weeks. As the College Football season draws to an end, we applied New Year's Resolutions to the SEC coming up with a resolution for each team in 2025.
Alabama Crimson Tide: Reach a level of consistency we saw under Nick Saban
This season the Alabama Crimson Tide reached all of the highs from beating Georgia to beating LSU while they also experienced all the lows losing to 6-6 teams in Vanderbilt and Oklahoma as well as losing to an underwhelming Michigan team. Under Nick Saban, the Tide lost to one of the far inferior teams once in a blue moon yet, this season it seemingly happened every few years. Kalen DeBoer will be stacked up against Nick Saban, it's part of the job when you follow him and if DeBoer wants to reach the heights Alabama has in the past it starts with being consistent week over week.
Arkansas Razorbacks: Find a way to take a next step
The Arkansas Razorbacks are in a strange position heading into 2025 as they're not replacing their coach yet, no one would've been surprised if they made the move. When you look at Arkansas loses this year, every team that beat them this season was ranked at the time while LSU and Oklahoma State won't be ranked to end the year. If Pittman isn't being fired then the Razorbacks need to draw closer to the top end teams that have beat them.
Auburn Tigers: Get competent quarterback play
The story of the Auburn Football season this year was inconsistent to terrible quarterback play. Hugh Freeze rolled the dice with Payton Thorne and the move did not pan out leading Freeze to landing transfer Jackson Arnold as well as incoming freshman Deuce Knight. The Tigers have one of the best wide receiver duos in Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton and if the Tigers can get just competent quarterback play, this team should take a big jump.
Florida Gators: Continue the positive momentum
At the start of the year it seemed like at any given moment the Gators could've fired Billy Napier yet, the program stuck behind Billy Napier and the Gators got hot down the final stretch of the season. The expectation next can't be to make the Playoff but, the Gators just need to continue building momentum. Momentum will help Florida going into what would be DJ Lagway's Junior season while helping the Gators build in the long term on the recruiting trail.
Georgia Bulldogs: Return to the dominant force we've seen in the past
The Georgia Bulldogs enter the New Year still hunting a National Championship as they'll take on Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. Even as Georgia has a chance at the National Championship, the Bulldogs weren't the dominant force we've seen in the past. The Bulldogs took two losses while playing close games with Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs will have a new full time starting quarterback and the wide receiver room needs a total overhaul.
Kentucky Wildcats: Find consistent quarterback play
The past few seasons under Mark Stoops has been transfer quarterback after transfer quarterback which can be good when it works but, when the run has been as bad as it has been you need to find consistency. The Wildcats bring in Zach Calzada who's had stops at Texas A&M and Auburn and if Kentucky can atleast get consistency it would be a massive step forward.
LSU Tigers: Win the Season Opening game
While many may think the goal for LSU should be to make the SEC Championship Game or to make the College Football Playoff, the goal has to start with winning game one. The Tigers have lost their last five season openers losing to Mississippi State, UCLA, Florida State twice, and to USC this season. The Tigers open their season up next year on the road against Clemson and LSU snapping their streak and winning that game will put them right in the College Football Playoff conversation.
Mississippi State Bulldogs: Win an SEC Game
This season Jeff Lebby did plenty of good and he got his team to compete the entire season even though they were clearly out matched on a talent level. The next step for Jeff Lebby will be winning a game in SEC play as the Bulldogs went 0-8 in the SEC. The Bulldogs did lose a ton to the transfer portal but, going 0-16 in his first two years in the SEC will put Jeff Lebby on the hotseat.
Missouri Tigers: Beat a team that's better than you are
After a 10 win season in 2023, the Tigers entered the season as a team many thought could make the College Football Playoff. Missouri then faced three teams that were better than them in Alabama, Texas A&M, and South Carolina and they lost all three games. Given that Missouri will play the same SEC schedule next season, the Tigers need to go out and prove they can win in games they don't have the talent edge in.
Oklahoma Sooners: Get the program back on track under Brent Venables
This season, the Sooners finished below .500 and went 2-6 in the SEC far below the program's standard. Brent Venables has gone out and made the changes needed by hiring offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and he brought quarterback John Mateer along with him. The Sooners need to take the next step under Venables or there will be some heated talks next offseason. The good news is the offensive line can't be much worse and the wide receivers all shouldn't be hurt next season.
Ole Miss Rebels: Make the College Football Playoff
After building such a loaded roster, the main goal for Ole Miss this season was to contend for a National Championship but, the Rebels never even made it into the Playoff. The Rebels will lose a ton next season but, given the expectations on Lane Kiffin it's time for him to post a meaningful result. Given that we're now in the 12 Team College Football Playoff era, Kiffin should be able to elevate his roster into competing for the Playoff.
South Carolina Gamecocks: Roll the momentum into the season next year
Down the stretch of the season, no team was hotter than the South Carolina Gamecocks as they ripped off win after win. Now South Carolina will enter the season as a team with College Football Playoff expectations and the Gamecocks will need to go out and prove it. This offseason the development of LaNorris Sellers and other young pieces will be massive for how this team can fare.
Tennessee Volunteers: Reach the level of offense everyone expects under Josh Heupel
When Josh Heupel landed Nico Iamaleava out of High School, everyone looked at what he was doing with Hendon Hooker and thought that the sky could be the limit with a player of Iamaleava's talent level at quarterback. This season, the Volunteers passing attack never fully clicked like we've seen in the past. Reaching that level is even more important in 2025 as the Volunteers lose Dylan Sampson to the NFL. Iamaleava will be in his second season as the starter in the offense so there will be some natural improvement but, the two need to reach that next level.
Texas A&M Aggies: Finish 2025 better than the end of 2024
The Aggies went on a run after losing to Notre Dame reeling off 7 straight wins finding themselves atop the SEC. The Aggies then lost 3 of their final 4 conference games and lost their bowl game to USC. Mike Elko found a way to get Texas A&M to where everyone hoped they could get for most of the season but, the Aggies need to find a way to finish stronger in 2025.
Texas Longhorns: Live up to the expectations
As Steve Sarkisian went out and landed weapon after weapon for Quinn Ewers in the transfer portal, everyone expected Texas would have one of the Nation's most explosive offenses. Instead, the Longhorns never seemed to fully click this season. Next year, Texas will likely have Arch Manning starting at quarterback and a ton of talent around him meaning its time for this offense to live up to all of the hype.
Vanderbilt Commodores: Start pushing Tennessee for In-State Recruits
This season was a massive year for the Vanderbilt Football program as the Commodores went from being the joke of the SEC to a team that was able to compete with some of the Blue Bloods even beating Alabama. The Commodores made a ton of strides but, the way to make this success sustainable is to start adding serious talent. The best path for the Commodores in upping their talent level is to start pushing Tennessee for some of the In-State recruits. If Vanderbilt can start keeping some talented players In-State rather than letting them head to Knoxville or elsewhere in the SEC, then the Commodores will start to be a competitor on a yearly basis.