2015 Southeastern Conference football season


The 2015 Southeastern Conference football season represented the 83rd season of SEC football taking place during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 3 with South Carolina defeating North Carolina on ESPN. This was the fourth season for the SEC under realignment that took place in 2012 adding Texas A&M and Missouri from the Big 12 Conference. The SEC is a Power Five conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Pac-12 Conference.
The SEC consists of 14 members: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt; and is split up into the East and West divisions, with the champion of each division meeting in Atlanta to compete for the SEC Championship on December 5. Alabama began the season as defending SEC champions as they defeated Missouri in the previous year's championship game. Alabama would then go on to participate in the first ever College Football Playoff as the number one overall seed, and would lose their semi-final match to eventual National Champion Ohio State by a score of 42–35.
The SEC entered the 2015 season with high expectations, including a record 10 teams ranked in the preseason AP Poll. Great finishes and bowl wins for teams like Tennessee and Arkansas at the conclusion of 2014, in addition to traditional favorites Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Florida, led many to predict a huge year for the SEC. However, the regular season featured early non-conference upsets including Toledo over Arkansas and Memphis over Ole Miss, and down years from Auburn, Missouri, and South Carolina. Alabama was crowned SEC champions after defeating Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and earned their second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff. As the number two overall seed, the Tide defeated Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl 38–0, and capped off the season with a 45–40 victory in the National Championship Game over Clemson. The victory secured Alabama's fourth national championship in seven years, and the eighth national championship for the SEC in ten seasons.

Preseason

Recruiting classes

SEC Media Days

Media Polls

The SEC Media Days concluded with its annual preseason media polls. In a surprising result, the media voted Auburn the team most likely to win the SEC championship, while Alabama was selected to win their division, the SEC West. Below are the results of the media poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses.
SEC Champion Voting
West
East
References:

Preseason All-SEC: Media

PositionPlayerClassTeam
DLRobert NkemdicheJROle Miss
DLA'Shawn RobinsonJRAlabama
DLMyles GarrettSOTexas A&M
DLCarl LawsonSOAuburn
LBReggie RaglandSRAlabama
LBJordan JenkinsSRGeorgia
LBCurt MaggittSRTennessee
DBVernon Hargreaves IIIJRFlorida
DBCyrus JonesSRAlabama
DBJonathan JonesSRAuburn
DBJalen MillsSRLSU

PositionPlayerClassTeam
PJK ScottSOAlabama
KMarshall MorganSRGeorgia
RSSpeedy NoilSOTexas A&M
APPharoh CooperJRSouth Carolina

Preseason All-SEC: Coaches

PositionPlayerClassTeam
DLRobert NkemdicheJROle Miss
DLA'Shawn RobinsonJRAlabama
DLMyles GarrettSOTexas A&M
DLChris JonesJRMississippi State
LBReggie RaglandSRAlabama
LBJordan JenkinsSRGeorgia
LBCurt MaggittSRTennessee
DBVernon Hargreaves IIIJRFlorida
DBCyrus JonesSRAlabama
DBJonathan JonesSRAuburn
DBJalen MillsSRLSU

PositionPlayerClassTeam
PJK ScottSOAlabama
KMarshall MorganSRGeorgia
RSPharoh CooperJRSouth Carolina

References:

Head Coaches

Only one SEC team changed head coaches for the 2015 season. Jim McElwain was hired to replace Will Muschamp at Florida. Muschamp's four-year tenure was filled with highs and lows, but he announced his resignation at the end of the season compiling a 28–22 record as the head coach, 17–15 in the SEC. Muschamp agreed to become the defensive coordinator for Auburn following his resignation. McElwain takes over the Gators after leading Colorado State to a 22–16 record in three seasons, turning the program into one of the best offensive teams in the country. McElwain had previously served as Alabama's offensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2008 to 2011, winning two national titles.
On October 12, halfway through the season with a 2–4 record, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier unexpectedly resigned. Concerning his resignation Spurrier said, "My answer has always been the same: If it starts going south, starts going bad, then I need to get out.... It's time for me to get out of the way and give somebody else a go at it." Spurrier was in his 11th season as head coach of the Gamecocks compiling a record of 86–49, the most wins in school history. After the resignation, offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott took over head coaching duties.
Another coaching change took place during the season when on November 14, Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel announced that he would be resigning from his position at the conclusion of the season. Pinkel said he was resigning due to health reasons, citing his diagnoses with lymphoma earlier in May. The announcement came during a tumultuous time in Columbia as the university and community were also dealing with race relation issues which lead to the school's president and chancellor also resigning. Upon completing his 15th season at Missouri, Pinkel will finish his coaching career with the most wins, games coached, and bowl victories in program history.
Two days after the regular season ended, the University of Georgia made the decision to fire 15th year head coach, Mark Richt. Richt finished his head coaching career at Georgia with a record of 145–51, the second-most wins in school history, 2 SEC championships, and a record of 9–5 in bowl games. Richt was replaced by long-time Alabama defensive coordinator, Kirby Smart, a Georgia alumnae and former player. It is Smart's first head coaching job. Only 3 days after leaving Georgia, Richt was announced as the new head coach for the Miami Hurricanes, where he also is a former alumnae and player.
Note: The stats shown are before the beginning of the season.
TeamHead coachYears at schoolOverall recordRecord at schoolSEC record
AlabamaNick Saban9177–59–186–1750–11
ArkansasBret Bielema378–3910–152–14
AuburnGus Malzahn329–1020–711–5
FloridaJim McElwain122–160–00–0
GeorgiaMark Richt15136–48136–4878–34
KentuckyMark Stoops37–177–172–14
LSULes Miles11131–50103–2956–24
Ole MissHugh Freeze454–2224–1511–13
Mississippi StateDan Mullen746–3146–3122–26
MissouriGary Pinkel15186–103–3113–6616–8
South CarolinaSteve Spurrier11226–85–284–4544–36
TennesseeButch Jones362–4012–135–11
Texas A&MKevin Sumlin463–2828–1113–11
VanderbiltDerek Mason23–93–90–8

References:

Rankings

Regular season

All times Eastern time. SEC teams in bold.
Rankings reflect those of the AP poll for that week until week 10 when CFP rankings are used.

Week One

Players of the Week

Week Two

Players of the Week

Week Three

Players of the Week

Week Four

Players of the Week

Week Five

Players of the Week

Week Six

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteBroadcastResultAttendanceReference
October 1012:00 p.m.New Mexico State#14 Ole MissVaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MississippiSECNW 52–360,154
October 103:30 p.m.#7 LSUSouth CarolinaTiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LouisianaESPNLSU 45–2442,058
October 103:30 p.m.#19 GeorgiaTennesseeNeyland Stadium • Knoxville, TennesseeCBSTENN 38–31102,455
October 104:00 p.m.TroyMississippi StateDavis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MississippiSECNW 45–1760,866
October 107:00 p.m.Arkansas#8 AlabamaBryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AlabamaESPNALA 27–14101,821
October 107:30 p.m.#11 FloridaMissouriFaurot Field • Columbia, MissouriSECNFLA 21–370,767

Players of the Week

Week Seven

Players of the Week

Week Eight

Players of the Week

Week Nine

Players of the Week

Week Ten

Players of the Week

Week Eleven

Players of the Week

Week Twelve

Players of the Week

Week Thirteen

Players of the Week

SEC Championship Game

References:

SEC vs other Conferences

SEC vs Power Conference matchups

This is a list of the power conference teams the SEC plays in non-conference :
DateVisitorHomeSiteSignificanceScore
September 3North CarolinaSouth CarolinaBank of America Stadium • Charlotte, North CarolinaBattle of the CarolinasW 17–13
September 5#15 Arizona StateTexas A&MNRG Stadium • HoustonTexas KickoffW 38–17
September 5#20 Wisconsin#3 AlabamaAT&T Stadium • Arlington, TexasCowboys ClassicW 35–17
September 5Louisville#6 AuburnGeorgia Dome • AtlantaChick-fil-A Kickoff GameW 31–24
September 12#19 Oklahoma#23 TennesseeNeyland Stadium • Knoxville, TennesseeL 24–31 2OT
September 19Texas TechArkansasDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, ArkansasL 24–35
September 26#8 LSUSyracuseCarrier Dome • Syracuse, New YorkW 34–24
November 14BYUMissouriArrowhead Stadium • Kansas City, MissouriW 20–16
November 28GeorgiaGeorgia TechBobby Dodd Stadium • AtlantaClean, Old-Fashioned HateW 13–7
November 28#1 ClemsonSouth CarolinaWilliams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South CarolinaBattle of the Palmetto StateL 32–37
November 28#14 Florida State#10 FloridaBen Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FloridaFlorida–Florida State football rivalryL 2–27
November 28LouisvilleKentuckyCommonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KentuckyGovernor's CupL 24–38

The SEC recognizes independents Army, BYU and Notre Dame as power five teams for scheduling purposes.

2015 records against non-conference opponents

Regular Season
Power 5 ConferencesRecord
ACC4–3
Big Ten1–0
Big 120–2
Independents1–0
Pac-121–0
Power 5 Total7–5
-
Other FBS ConferencesRecord
American3–2
C-USA9–1
MAC3–1
Mountain West3–0
Sun Belt9–0
Other FBS Total27–4
-
FCS OpponentsRecord
Football Championship Subdivision11–1
-
Total Non-Conference Record45–10

Post Season
Power 5 ConferencesRecord
ACC2–1
Big Ten3–1
Big 123–0
Power 5 Total8–2
-
Other FBS ConferencesRecord
American1–0
Other FBS Total1–0
-
Total Bowl Record9–2

Bowl games

DateTimeBowl GameSiteTVSEC TeamOpponentResult
January 11, 20168:30 PMCFP National ChampionshipUniversity of Phoenix Stadium • Glendale, ArizonaESPN#2 Alabama#1 ClemsonW 45–40
January 2, 20163:20 PMLiberty BowlLiberty Bowl • Memphis, TennesseeESPNArkansasKansas StateW 45–23
January 2, 201612:00 PMTaxSlayer BowlEverBank Field • Jacksonville, FloridaESPNGeorgiaPenn StateW 24–17
January 1, 20168:30 PMSugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New OrleansESPN#12 Ole Miss#16 Oklahoma StateW 48–20
January 1, 20161:00 PMCitrus BowlCitrus Bowl • Orlando, FloridaABC#19 Florida#14 MichiganL 7–41
January 1, 201612:00 PMOutback BowlRaymond James Stadium • Tampa, FloridaESPN2#23 Tennessee#13 NorthwesternW 45–6
December 31, 20158:00 PMCotton Bowl AT&T Stadium • Arlington, TexasESPN#2 Alabama#3 Michigan StateW 38–0
December 30, 20157:00 PMMusic City BowlLP Field • Nashville, TennesseeESPNTexas A&MLouisvilleL 21–27
December 30, 20153:30 PMBelk BowlBank of America Stadium • Charlotte, North CarolinaESPNMississippi StateNC StateW 51–28
December 30, 201512:00 PMBirmingham BowlLegion Field • Birmingham, AlabamaESPNAuburnMemphisW 31–10
December 29, 20159:00 PMTexas BowlNRG Stadium • HoustonESPN#20 LSUTexas TechW 56–27

Awards and honors

All-SEC Teams

The Southeastern Conference coaches voted for the All-SEC teams after the regular season concluded. The teams were released just after the Prior to the 2015 SEC Championship Game. Alabama placed ten representatives on the 2015 All-Southeastern Conference Coaches' Football Team, the most since Alabama and LSU placed 11 in 2011. Thirteen of the 14 SEC schools placed a member on the first-team All-SEC squad, while 12 institutions boasted at least two total All-SEC selections.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Reference:

National Award Finalists

Winners in bold
Reference:

All-Americans

References:

Home game attendance

Game played at Arkansas' secondary home stadium War Memorial Stadium, capacity: 54,120.
Game relocated to LSU's Tiger Stadium due to severe flooding from the 2015 South Carolina Floods. Although the game was played in Baton Rouge, in all other aspects it was a home game for South Carolina. Note: The reported attendance is not factored into overall attendance for the season since it was unclear what the official capacity was for the game, and since it was not played at Williams–Brice Stadium.
Attendance for neutral site games:
Reference: