The media has spoken, and the media has done what the media always does — picked the biggest, fattest programs with the shiniest trophies and called it analysis. The 2026 SEC preseason media poll dropped out of SEC Media Days in Tampa, and Georgia sits at the top with 2,519 points. Texas grabbed the second chair with 2,449.
Ole Miss (2,004), Texas A&M (1,967), and LSU (1,961) round out the top five. Alabama landed sixth with 1,930, and Oklahoma seventh with 1,914 — two bluebloods staring up at four teams that, a decade ago, would’ve been carrying their helmets.
The full poll:
1. Georgia (2,519)
2. Texas (2,449)
3. Ole Miss (2,004)
4. Texas A&M (1,967)
5. LSU (1,961)
6. Alabama (1,930)
7. Oklahoma (1,914)
8. Tennessee (1,320)
9. Florida (1,217)
10. Missouri (1,105)
11. South Carolina (956)
12. Auburn (936)
13. Vanderbilt (751)
14. Kentucky (546)
15. Mississippi State (467)
16. Arkansas (262)
Here’s the part that’ll make you choke on your stadium beer. Vanderbilt finished tied for fifth in the SEC last season with a 6-2 conference record — six and two, in the SEC, at Vanderbilt — and the media just dropped them to 13th. That’s like benching a guy who just made 12 tackles for loss because his replacement runs a faster 40 in shorts.
The Commodores are losing Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia and All-America tight end Eli Stowers, which is a real gut punch, no sugarcoating it. You don’t replace a quarterback who finished second in the Heisman voting and an All-America tight end with a shrug and a recruiting class. But Vanderbilt is bringing in five-star freshman Jared Curtis, and the poll still has them ahead of Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Arkansas — three teams on their 2026 schedule. Auburn, another opponent, sits just above them at 12th.
Vanderbilt landed zero players on the preseason All-SEC team and received not a single vote to win the conference. Georgia and Texas were the only two programs the media considered realistic title contenders.
The SEC also moves to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, which means one fewer cream-puff nonconference game for everybody. Every week just got a little heavier, and the margin for a team like Vanderbilt — trying to replace its best players while climbing out of the poll’s cellar — got a little thinner.
Georgia and Texas at the top is the safe pick. It’s always the safe pick. The media voted at SEC Media Days in Tampa, and they voted like guys who’ve never had to shed a block in their lives — biggest names first, ask questions later. The season will sort out the rest.
Sources
Yahoo Sports / The Tennessean — Where Vanderbilt football ranked in preseason SEC media poll