GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 08: Trinidad Chambliss #6 of the Ole Miss Rebels scrambles with the ball out of bounds defended by Jaboree Antoine #16 of the Miami Hurricanes in the fourth quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 08, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
For the past three seasons, no Southeastern Conference team has played in the College Football Playoff championship game. It is a sore subject in a league that had previously won four consecutive national ***** les from 2019 through 2022. This season, the SEC could again have a team playing for the championship, as several top teams have returning quarterbacks.
The SEC had eight quarterbacks in the top 19 of The Athletic’s recent rankings, including six who started for their teams last season in No. 1 Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), No. 7 Arch Manning (Texas), No. 11 Gunner Stockton (Georgia), No. 13 Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), No. 16 John Mateer (Oklahoma) and No. 18 LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina). The other two highly-ranked SEC quarterbacks are transfers in No. 8 Sam Leavitt (LSU) and No. 19 Byrum Brown (Auburn).
Chambliss is coming off the best season of any SEC quarterback, as he led the Rebels to the CFP semifinals. Although Chambliss wasn’t supposed to start and came from Division II Ferris State, he took over the starting job in September and threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 527 yards and eight touchdowns. In three CFP games, he completed 67.9% of his passes for 921 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
In February, a Mississippi judge ruled in Chambliss’s favor, granting him a preliminary injunction in a case against the NCAA and giving him another year of eligibility. After finishing eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting last year, he should contend for the award this year. He will be among the most hyped players this season, especially when Ole Miss on Sept. 19 hosts LSU, whose coach, Lane Kiffin, coached at Ole Miss for six seasons before leaving last November before the CFP began.
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For the past three seasons, no Southeastern Conference team has played in the College Football Playoff championship game. It is a sore subject in a league that had previously won four consecutive national ***** les from 2019 through 2022. This season, the SEC could again have a team playing for the championship, as several top teams have returning quarterbacks.
The SEC had eight quarterbacks in the top 19 of The Athletic’s recent rankings, including six who started for their teams last season in No. 1 Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), No. 7 Arch Manning (Texas), No. 11 Gunner Stockton (Georgia), No. 13 Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), No. 16 John Mateer (Oklahoma) and No. 18 LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina). The other two highly-ranked SEC quarterbacks are transfers in No. 8 Sam Leavitt (LSU) and No. 19 Byrum Brown (Auburn).
Chambliss is coming off the best season of any SEC quarterback, as he led the Rebels to the CFP semifinals. Although Chambliss wasn’t supposed to start and came from Division II Ferris State, he took over the starting job in September and threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 527 yards and eight touchdowns. In three CFP games, he completed 67.9% of his passes for 921 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
In February, a Mississippi judge ruled in Chambliss’s favor, granting him a preliminary injunction in a case against the NCAA and giving him another year of eligibility. After finishing eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting last year, he should contend for the award this year. He will be among the most hyped players this season, especially when Ole Miss on Sept. 19 hosts LSU, whose coach, Lane Kiffin, coached at Ole Miss for six seasons before leaving last November before the CFP began.
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