SEC teams ranked by all-time winning percentage

The SEC has a long and storied history, and the Auburn Tigers have made moments beloved and hated by its fans over the years. But how do they stack up against their peers?

Auburn Wire is taking a look at every SEC team’s win percentage across their history (even when some did not play in the conference) to see just where the conference often considered college football’s best sorts itself out. Auburn has had national championship success in recent years, but has that been enough to make it crack the top-five all-time?

Take a look at where Auburn and its rivals sit on the list below:

Vanderbilt

(AP Photo/John Amis)

Winning Percentage: .469 (1217 games)

Unfortunately, SEC football fans were probably expecting this one. Vanderbilt has long been the SEC’s most woeful team, even as one of the conference’s founders in 1932. The Commodores haven’t had a winning season since 2013, and they aim to turn the program around under head coach Clark Lea.

Kentucky

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .447 (1116 games)

The only other team on the list with a sub-.500 winning percentage, the Wildcats have only recently been coming into their own. For a good while, Kentucky was a painful franchise to root for, including a gap from 2011 to 2015 where they did not make a bowl game, but Kentucky fans are likely excited nowadays under head coach Mark Stoops.

South Carolina

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .508 (1295 games)

Not even legendary coach Steve Spurrier could propel the Gamecocks out of the bottom three. Just barely lower than the next team on our list, South Carolina performed at some of its best under Spurrier but has suffered recently under now-former head coach Will Muschamp. Head coach Shane Beamer and new transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler will be tasked with bringing a historically-subpar team to glory in the next few years.

Mississippi State

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .509 (1195)

Mississippi State is another team that has been in the SEC for some time, but it rarely finds itself among the conference’s elite. The school found some success under coach Dan Mullen with quarterback Dak Prescott, but it has recently performed below standard under head coach Mike Leach, who came from Washington State. Despite going 7-5 last year, the Bulldogs lost the Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech in a blowout.

Missouri

Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .539 (1245 games)

Missouri has only had two winning seasons since 2014, both of which ended in bowl game losses. The Tigers joined the SEC from the Big 12 in 2012, and aside from a good two-year stretch under head coach Gary Pinkel, Missouri has been one of the SEC’s less-than-stellar teams. Missouri notably hasn’t won a bowl game since 2014, and coach Eli Drinkwitz looks to change that at the helm.

Ole Miss

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .557 (1220 games)

The Rebels are likely most known for their eras under Archie Manning and Eli Manning, but they had a recent strong stretch under former head coach Hugh Freeze (his wins were vacated due to NCAA violations, but that isn’t accounted for in these percentages). The Rebels haven’t won their division since 2003, but have become increasingly strong under current head coach Lane Kiffin.

Arkansas

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .578 (1236)

Arkansas has been off and on over the years, but had a decent season in 2021 under head coach Sam Pittman. They also had a first-round pick in wideout Treylon Burks, so despite being one of the middling SEC teams win percentage-wise, the Razorbacks could be looking to change that in the coming years.

Texas A&M

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .605 (1268 games)

Our first team over .600 on the list, the Aggies came over to the SEC in 2012 with the Missouri Tigers. They’ve had a recent Heisman Trophy winner in Johnny Manziel and recently put in a (controversial) No. 1 recruiting class under Jimbo Fisher, so expect College Station to stay on the map for a bit in the SEC.

Auburn

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Winning Percentage: .626 (1255 games)

Auburn only just misses out on the top-five teams in win percentage, but its college football championship in 2011 with Cam Newton and a recent appearance in 2015 should do well to ease the sting a bit. Despite being sixth, the Tigers are a notorious name in the SEC and the vaunted Iron Bowl matchup with Alabama is one of college football’s most anticipated games to this day.

Florida

Winning Percentage: .627 (1183 games)

Florida’s two national titles under Urban Meyer, success with Steve Spurrier and classical prowess under Ray Graves should mean its spot in the top-five should come as no surprise. It has been a bit rough as of late with Jim McElwain and the end of coach Dan Mullen’s tenure, but the Gators are hoping new hire Billy Napier can put them back to the days when the Swamp was one of the most feared places to play in the SEC.

LSU

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Winning Percentage: .651 (1256 games)

LSU was third on this list last year, but a recent development from a certain team in Athens knocked them down a spot. The Tigers tasted recent championship glory under the charge of quarterback Joe Burrow, but last year’s outing got coach Ed Orgeron fired from the team. It is up to Brian Kelly to bring LSU back to that promised land so soon after capturing the title.

Georgia

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .665 (1283 games)

After a nigh-perfect season and a national title, the Bulldogs officially jumped LSU for the No. 3 spot. The Bulldogs have been a force to be reckoned with for almost all of their SEC history, and their recent run with coach Kirby Smart could put them within striking distance of the No. 2 spot before long.

Tennessee

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .673 (1276 games)

This may seem surprising, but the Volunteers’ struggles are only really a matter of recent history. Longtime SEC fans will remember Peyton Manning’s reign of terror in the 1990s, and Tennessee’s initial history in college football help it stick at the No. 2 spot. It’s been some time since the Vols have played up to this reputation, but coach Josh Heupel hopes to make that happen in the coming years.

Alabama

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Winning Percentage: .749 (1305 games)

The Evil Empire of college football rightfully takes the top spot. Auburn’s fiercest rival not only had a reputation under coach Bear Bryant in its earlier days, but Nick Saban has held a chokehold over the SEC under his tenure for years now. Too many championships and undefeated seasons to count have the Crimson Tide at No. 1 on this list by an incredible margin.

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