There are many important team and individual numbers that jump out when looking at the recent history of the SEC Conference. The first number is six. The SEC won six of the 10 College Football Playoff championships before it expanded (Alabama won three, Georgia won two, and LSU won one).
Another meaningful number is five. Five of the last nine Heisman trophy winners have come from an SEC school. LSU QB Jayden Daniels became the most recent one last year.
And in 2023, the most impactful number may have been .865. That’s the winning percentage for SEC teams when they won the rush yards battle last year. Winning the rushing battle meant more in the SEC in 2023 than winning the turnover battle (65-13, .833 win %) in that it led to a 90-14 record and the highest winning percentage of any conference in the nation.
Here are more meaningful numbers for each SEC school heading into 2024.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Preseason SEC poll: 3
40 — Lost 40 outgoing transfers in transfer portal (second-most in FBS; most in program history)
16 — Won 10-plus games in 16 straight seasons (longest streak in college football history)
10 — Kalen DeBoer will seek to become first Alabama head coach to win 10-plus games in first season
Arkansas Razorbacks
Preseason SEC poll: 14
5 — Five of eight losses in 2023 were by seven points or less (tied for most in FBS)
4.9 — Bobby Petrino returns as OC after Arkansas averaged 4.9 yards per play in 2023 (116th in FBS)
4 — Have four wins or less in five of last seven years
Auburn Tigers
Preseason SEC poll: 10
162.2 — Averaged an SEC-worst 162.2 pass yards per game in 2023 (124th in FBS)
10 — Had the No. 10-ranked recruiting class in 2024 (multiple 5-star signees for first time since 2017)
3 — Coming off three consecutive losing seasons for 1st time since 1975-77
Florida Gators
Preseason SEC poll: 12
72.9% — Returning starting QB Graham Mertz completed 72.9% of his pass attempts in 2023 (third in FBS)
7 — Seven takeaways in 2023 (second-fewest in FBS)
3 — Coming off three straight losing seasons for first time since 1945-47
Georgia Bulldogs
Preseason SEC poll: 1
42 — 42-2 over last three seasons (most wins in FBS; best record in three-year span since Nebraska 1993-95)
39 — Won 39 consecutive regular season games (Longest streak since Miami won 39 from 2000-03)
1 — No. 1 recruiting class for third time since 2018 (tied for most No. 1 classes with Alabama in that span)
Kentucky Wildcats
Preseason SEC poll: 11
12 — Mark Stoops enters 12th season at Kentucky as longest-tenured head coach in the SEC
8 — Appeared in bowl game in program record eight straight seasons (third-longest active streak in SEC behind Georgia and Alabama)
7 — Scored seven non-offensive TD in 2023 (tied for most in FBS with Notre Dame and SMU)
LSU Tigers
Preseason SEC poll: 5
45.5 — Averaged an FBS-best 45.5 PPG in 2023 (Second most in program history)
40 — Went 9-0 when allowing fewer than 40-points in 2023 (0-3 when allowing 40-plus)
7 — Brian Kelly has 10-plus wins in seven consecutive seasons (longest streak by any active FBS head coaches)
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Preseason SEC poll: 15
41.7 — New head coach Jeff Lebby averaged 41.7 PPG as Oklahoma’s OC in 2023 (fourth in FBS)
13 — Failed to play in a bowl game for first time since Dan Mullen’s first season in 2009 (13 consecutive seasons)
1 — Went 1-7 in SEC play in 2023 (fewest wins in SEC play since going 1-7 in 2006)
Missouri Tigers
Preseason SEC poll: 6
1,212 — Luther Burden III had 1,212 receiving yards in 2023 (fourth-most among returning FBS WRs)
11 — Coming off 11-2 record in 2023 (most wins since going 11-3 in 2014)
8 — Finished No. 8 in final AP Poll in 2023 (Haven’t had back-to-back Top-10 finishes since 1968-69)
Oklahoma Sooners
Preseason SEC poll: 8
50 — Had five games scoring 50-plus points in 2023 (most in FBS)
14 — Left Big 12 with record 14 conference championships (Texas was second with four)
16.1 — Allowed 16.1 PPG during 7-0 start in 2023 (Allowed 32.0 PPG while going 3-3 over last six games)
Ole Miss Rebels
Preseason SEC poll: 4
11 — Won a program-record 11 games in 2023
9 — Finished No.9 in Final AP Poll (highest rank since finishing No. 8 in 1969 when Archie Manning was QB)
1 — Have No. 1 incoming transfer portal class per 247Sports (Signed five of the top 51 ranked transfers)
South Carolina Gamecocks
Preseason SEC poll: 13
85.1 — Averaged 85.1 rush yards per game in 2023 (130th in FBS)
6 — Finished .500 or worse in SEC play in six consecutive seasons (Went 5-3 in 2017)
4 — Added transfer RB Raheim Sanders from Arkansas (No. 4 ranked transfer portal RB per 247Sports)
Tennessee Volunteers
Preseason SEC poll: 7
204.8 — Led SEC in rushing (204.8 YPG) for first time since 1999 with RBs Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry
20 — 20-6 record over last two seasons (tied for most wins in two-year span since 2003-04)
8.5 — 93 passing touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions under Josh Heupel (TD/INT ratio of 8.5 is best in FBS since 2021)
Texas A&M Aggies
Preseason SEC poll: 9
.708 — Went 30-14 (.708 win pct) from 2018-21 when new head coach Mike Elko was their defensive coordinator
10 — Lost 10 straight road games dating back to 2021 (longest streak in program history; second-longest active streak in FBS)
0 — 0-4 in one-score games in 2023 (all vs. AP-Ranked opponents; tied for most one-score losses without a win in FBS)
Texas Longhorns
Preseason SEC poll: 2
12 — Coming off most wins (12) and first Big 12 title since 2009
11 — Had 11 players selected in 2024 NFL Draft (second-most of any school; most for Texas since 1984)
10 — Two losses in 2023 were at neutral sites by 10-points combined (four points vs. Oklahoma, six points vs. Washington)
Vanderbilt Commodores
Preseason SEC poll: 16
22 — Added program-record 22 incoming transfer portal players (Added 19 transfers combined from 2020-23)
10 — Finished below .500 in 10 consecutive seasons (third-longest active streak in FBS)
0 — Winless in SEC play in three of last four years
