The season is here. What are the biggest questions you should be asking?
SEC football season has arrived. The party starts in Week 1. It's September, and the always-too-long offseason is over. Arkansas has its own questions to answer. The offensive line, head coach, and quarterback are the three biggest question marks we personally would assign to the Razorbacks for the coming season. In terms of the SEC as a whole, though, what are the 10 biggest questions for the 2026 season? Let's roll out our list:
1 - Is Arch Manning ready to deliver?
There have been a lot of whispers and rumblings from Austin that Arch Manning isn't actually putting it all together for Texas. The Longhorns are seen as a playoff team by most, but they have to prove they are worthy, and that starts with Mr. Manning, who wobbled for much of last season. Torching Arkansas' awful defense did not salvage his 2025 journey. He has to be a lot better than that for the Horns to get where they want to go.
2 - Can Lane Kiffin wear the black hat and be good at it?
Lane Kiffin is Public Enemy No. 1 in the SEC this year. He will be next year, too. Is he ready to be the successful villain, or will he fail to get LSU over the hump? Given all the resources LSU is pouring into football, Kiffin has no real grace period. He could get one year to learn the nuances of the job, but if LSU isn't a playoff team by Year 2 in 2027, there won't be any patience or leeway for Kiffin due to his combative, trollish, aggressive approach to just about everything he does.
3 - Can Kirby Smart fix the Georgia defense?
Georgia's defense got shredded twice by Ole Miss last season. The days of having a dominant defense are over in Athens. Kirby Smart just needs a good defense, not a great one, but it's uncertain if he can do what's needed to get UGA back to the playoff semifinals and the championship game.
4 - Is Pete Golding ready for prime time?
It's one thing to coach a team as an interim with really nothing to lose. It's another thing to manage a team all offseason, deal with media scrutiny, bring a team into a new season, and carry it through the 12-game grind. Is Pete Golding ready to be the man in Oxford? Ole Miss will be a highly intriguing team in this 2026 SEC season. Will Golding meet the standard Lane Kiffin established?
5 - Can Alabama's offensive line play physically?
If you saw Indiana beat Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl, you saw Bama's offensive line get worked. Kalen DeBoer needs his offensive front to be robustly strong. Until that piece gets fixed, Alabama won't return to the Nick Saban standard, and DeBoer's job security won't be airtight in Tuscaloosa.
6 - Jon Sumrall versus Alex Golesh - who rebuilds better?
Sumrall and Golesh were impressive hires on paper at Florida and Auburn, but now they have to prove they're for real.
7 - Can Tennessee avoid a collapse under Josh Heupel?
The Vols have a very concerning quarterback situation and might not be good. Josh Heupel not getting an elite transfer portal QB was and is shocking. He has to find a way to hold things together - if he wants to keep his job. Arkansas fans would love it if he and the Vols stumbled again.
8 - Is this the end of the line for Shane Beamer?
If South Carolina doesn't make a bowl game, it will be for the Gamecocks' coach.
9 - Does Texas A&M sustain or stumble?
Mike Elko is an elite coach, but Marcel Reed could make enough mistakes to hijack A&M's season.
10 - Can Oklahoma field a quality offense?
Brent Venables knows how to coach defense. Can the other side of the ball improve and take the Sooners to a higher level?
