The drought sits at two seasons. What a nightmare, right?

It’s been two long, long years since Georgia demolished TCU to capture the SEC’s fourth national championship in a row and fifth in six seasons. Filling that void has been the Big Ten, via Michigan and Ohio State.

The SEC is poised to reclaim its perch atop the Bowl Subdivision. That starts with the one-two punch of Texas and Georgia, which met in last year’s conference title game and are the favorites to do so again this December.

But that’s not all the SEC will bring to the College Football Playoff race. There’s also Alabama, which may be undervalued at this point as a title contender, and there’s LSU, which might end up having the league’s offense.

And don’t count out teams such as Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi and more. These teams may not win the SEC, but several will be in the mix for an at-large playoff berth deep into November.

With media days this week in Atlanta, here’s how USA TODAY Sports projects the SEC from top to bottom:

1. Texas

The Arch Manning era begins with the Longhorns as the favorites in the SEC and maybe the team to beat for the national title. There’s a loaded roster, a supremely talented new quarterback and the motivation to take the next step forward after coming up short against Ohio State in last season’s national semifinals.

2. Georgia

Georgia feels much closer to Texas than to Alabama, illustrating the gap between these two SEC favorites and the rest of the pack. (And the rest of the pack is pretty good.) The biggest question for the Bulldogs asks how Gunner Stockton fares as the full-time starter after he gained valuable experience over the final two games of 2024.

3. Alabama

It won’t hurt to have slightly lower expectations and a somewhat softer spotlight on Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide after winning nine games in his debut. Ty Simpson is expected to take over under center and will operate behind a very strong offensive line with plenty of weapons at his disposal. The defense is best in the front seven. Overall, this is a very talented team capable of winning the SEC and the national title.

4. LSU

The pressure is on Brian Kelly, though. The Tigers’ offense should be explosive, especially through the air, and seems capable of winning the shootouts that have become more commonplace in the SEC. The defense needs work. LSU has to do a better job buttoning things up against the run and kickstart a pass rush that disappeared down the stretch in 2024.

5. Florida

Bringing back Billy Napier may end up working out for the Gators. The decision to not make a moves after a slow start in 2024 sparked a strong finish ]and developed some significant momentum heading into a promising season. No one embodies that promise more than sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, who will have his development lifted by an upgraded receiver room.

6. Oklahoma

Former Washington State quarterback John Mateer could end being one of the most impactful transfers of the season. Another newcomer to watch is running Jaydn Ott (California). With fewer questions on the defensive side, OU could go from six wins to the playoff should Mateer and new coordinator Ben Arbuckle change the Sooners’ fortunes on offense.

7. Tennessee

Nico Iamaleava’s departure was one of the biggest stories of the offseason. His replacement, Joey Aguilar (Appalachian State), has a track record of production but has to limit his turnovers after tossing 14 interceptions in 390 attempts in 2024. (Iamaleava had five in 334 throws.) The biggest question mark is whether the Volunteers can build a running game that can carry the load without last year’s leading rusher and with multiple new starters up front.

8. Mississippi

Team Transfer takes another stab at a playoff berth behind a rotating cast of contributors and a new starter under center in Austin Simmons. While the portal yielded more help for the Rebels, look for the defense to rely primarily on players who have at least one year in the program outside of two big adds on the edge. If the defense stays among the four in the SEC, don’t be surprised if Ole Miss exceeds national expectations.

9. Texas A&M

A veteran offensive line leads the way for a running game that may be the best in the SEC. That will help Marcel Reed continue his growth as the starter. But the Aggies won’t improve on last year’s 8-5 finish without significant improvement from a defense that gave up 5.5 yards per play in 2024, better than only four other teams in the SEC. Mike Elko’s history says the defense will be improved, but by how much?

10. Missouri

Another very friendly SEC schedule – the same opponents as last year, just flipped from home to away and vice versa – could lead Missouri to a third 10-win season in a row, which would be a program first. A transfer bonanza will help the Tigers replace several daunting losses on offense, with no addition more crucial than quarterback Beau Pribula (Penn State). And the defense could be nasty with the return of most of last year’s starters and more than a handful of Bowl Subdivision transfers with starting experience.

11. South Carolina

South Carolina’s season will be defined by a five-game stretch in October and November against LSU (road), Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss (road) and A&M (road). Given the rest of the schedule, taking three of five there would probably leave the Gamecocks in range of a playoff berth heading into the rivalry with Clemson to end November. But getting to that point is only doable if quarterback LaNorris Sellers takes a big leap in his second year and the staff can plug in as many as a dozen new starters and contributors on the defense.

12. Auburn

Auburn is going to be better, but will seven or eight wins be enough to calm a fan base stewing over Hugh Freeze’s 11-14 mark through two seasons? He’s done a nice rebooting the offense, though a lot of the Tigers’ success or failure will hinge on transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) proving he’s good enough to start in the SEC. The schedule kicks off at Baylor in what feels like a must-win game.

13. Vanderbilt

Quarterback Diego Pavia and dynamite tight end Eli Stowers will lead an offense that largely avoids self-inflicted errors and is able to take advantage of opportunities provided by good field position. The offensive line and receiver corps will be reliant on the portal, though. Look for the defense to take another step forward and help carry the Commodores back to a bowl.

14. Arkansas

The schedule is flat-out brutal. Arkansas takes on Memphis and Notre Dame in non-conference play. The SEC slate is Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU and Texas on the road, and A&M, Auburn, Mississippi State and Missouri at home. The Razorbacks could recapture the magic of 2021 if things go right – really, really right. But the schedule and the new personnel nearly across the board point toward a losing finish.

15. Kentucky

The arrow is pointing down for Kentucky after longtime coach Mark Stoops orchestrated the most consistently successful stretch in modern program history. A major roster reboot via the transfer portal yielded another rental at quarterback in Zach Calzada, who has SEC starting experience. But even if the portal additions work out, the Wildcats won’t go anywhere without fixing the turnovers that defined last year’s four-win finish.

16. Mississippi State

Winless in SEC play last season, Mississippi State has barely any reason for optimism and is the unquestioned last-place team heading into the regular season. Winning two league games wouldn’t be remarkable, but it might be surprising.

ATLANTA — Cal Raleigh long ago departed the world he knew and stepped into the surreal. Yet reaching the zenith of his professional career has a strange way of bringing it all home.

Raleigh punched his ticket to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby on the strength of 38 home runs, the most by an American League player before the Midsummer Classic. He will find himself the topic of conversation in the clubhouse, the dugout, shagging balls in batting practice, his well-decorated teammates suddenly wanting to know the forces behind the man they call Big Dumper.

Yet when he stepped to the plate for his first swing at the Home Run Derby, his past, present and future coalesced. Pitching was his father Todd, the former Western Carolina and Tennessee coach, the man who dragged young Cal along to practices and batboy opportunities and built a workout facility at their North Carolina home.

And catching was Todd “T” Raleigh, Raleigh’s 15-year-old brother whose games he tries to attend when his Seattle Mariners travels take him to back to the Deep South, who dons the hand-me-down cleats big brother bequeaths.

The family connection clicked better than anyone could imagine: Raleigh became the first catcher in Home Run Derby history to win the event, outlasting Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero in the finals to become the first Seattle Mariner since Ken Griffey Jr. to win the event.

It is yet another huge figure that Raleigh now stands shoulder to shoulder with. And this latest chapter unfolded in a familiar place, surrounded by so many familiar faces.

When Raleigh first played with the Mariners at Atlanta’s Truist Park, Jackson County, North Carolina chartered two buses to see him play. Now, much of the family has relocated even closer, with T attending school south of Atlanta.

And while Raleigh isn’t Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani, nor a Braves hero like Ronald Acuña Jr., he is the biggest curiosity among 81 of the globe’s best players assembled here.

A switch-hitting catcher with a Bondsian first half? A Platinum Glove winning catcher whose quiet leadership endeared him to teammates from Smoky Mountain High School to Florida State to Seattle? An unheralded third-round pick now leading the majors in homers and RBIs?

Raleigh’s new reality will come into focus like never before this week.

“Obviously, you have confidence as a baseball player and you believe in yourself,” Raleigh said a few hours before the Home Run Derby. ‘But to be where I’m at right now, it’s kind of a pinch-me moment.

“It is a little crazy to be where I’m at.”

Over three hours of home run hacks at Truist Park, it got a little crazier.

Raleigh’s also the first switch-hitter to win the Derby, and he used his first-round timeout to jump from the left to the right side. He escaped the first round on a tiebreaker, his 17 home runs equaling Brent Rooker but advancing on the longest home run, which was a mere 0.08 feet farther than Rooker’s.

‘I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit, ‘ Raleigh quipped.

It was Todd Raleigh who convinced his sons to switch-hit, even if it would tax his arm further throwing to both sides. Monday night, it was Todd who grooved pitches just right to ensure Cal’s picturesque swing would send balls flying into the Truist Park stands, onto the Chop House restaurant roof, and into Derby history.

Seated on a dais with his two sons, Cal clad in the champion’s chain and the trophy nearby, Todd couldn’t believe his good fortune.

‘It’s a dream come true,’ he says. ‘Anybody that’s ever played baseball as a kid dreams of stuff like this. I dreamed of it, he dreamed of it. When you’re a parent, you look at it a little differently, right? Because you want your kids to be happy.

‘To do it as a family was really special. I don’t know why we’ve been blessed like this.’

Yet more could be around the corner.

Unbelievable feats

As the second half unfolds, Raleigh will be commanding so many narratives.

Can he break Salvador Perez’s single-season record of 48 home runs by a primary catcher? Become the first backstop to top the 50-homer mark?

Hold off Ohtani (32 homers) and Judge (35) and win the 2025 home run crowd? Break Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs? Raleigh’s on pace for – gulp – 64 homers.

Surreal indeed, even for those with a front row seat.

“Everybody knew how good he was defensively, especially winning a Platinum Glove. This year, he’s just taking it to a whole other level,” says Mariners All-Star right-hander Bryan Woo. “I feel like everybody on the team is enjoying it just as much as fans are.

“We’re just scratching our heads in the dugout and saying, ‘This is unbelievable.’”

It is a shock and also something less than that, given the track Raleigh’s been on for most of his 28 years.

‘It’s like home’

Raleigh spent his formative years growing up across from the Western Carolina campus in Cullowhee, where Todd coached from 2000 to 2007. Along the way, he constructed a “Raleigh Ranch” near the home, where Cal and young T could hit, work out, and, as Cal puts it, “put in hard work and forget about everything else and just go to work.”

Raleigh starred at Smoky Mountain High School, on the doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and eventually earned a scholarship to Clemson. But the firing of coach Jack Leggett – he’d coach Todd at Western Carolina long ago – didn’t sit well.

Raleigh settled on Florida State, bringing with him outsize responsibilities for a freshman catcher.

“An intense competitor. Wants to win. Wants to help the guys around him. He was a leader for us at Florida State,” Detroit Tigers reliever Tyler Holton tells USA TODAY Sports. “Had a lot of expectations coming in as a true freshman, and he lived up to every one of them.”

Holton described Raleigh as “a bit on the quiet side but very humble. Came from a baseball background, very disciplined, leads by example and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Not much has changed a decade later.

Before he was a historic slugger, Raleigh became an elite receiver, winning a Platinum Glove last season in his third full season. The Mariners have featured arguably the game’s best rotation the past three years, and Raleigh’s framing and stewardship have a lot to do with it.

“He’s not a huge, rah-rah outspoken guy,” says Woo. “I think he’s come into his own a little bit this year and what he’s able to do setting an example and letting others follow along.

“He’s just doing things so consistently. Barring the results on the field, it’s just showing up every day, putting in the work. It’s great to see that out of your leader.”

And then came the power.

Raleigh hit 30 and 34 home runs the previous two seasons, though he batted just .232 and .220 those seasons. Yet he also spent most of 2024 alongside Justin Turner, the veteran utilityman and a trailblazer in last decade’s hitting evolution.

“He was a mentor to me last year, someone I can lean on and talk to,” Raleigh says of Turner. “Worked with him a little bit in the offseason. Growing as a player, understanding the league. It’s not just the physical stuff; it’s also about the mental capacity and trusting your abilities.”

There was also a tangible payoff: The Mariners signed Raleigh to a six-year, $105 million extension as this season began, striking what Raleigh calls “a great partnership.

“It’s like home now.”

‘I’ve always had a big butt’

Yet Raleigh will spend this week closer to his roots. Todd and mother Stephanie and T and some two dozen others will be on hand as the world heralds Big Dumper, a label his mother cringes a bit at yet suits Raleigh since former teammate Jarred Kelenic introduced it to the world in 2021.

“I’ve always had a big butt,” says Raleigh. “Big Dumper works for me. Everybody likes it.”

They’re all getting a taste of the good life in Atlanta, taking the field at Truist Park as Raleigh pays forward the chances his dad afforded him.

“My dad gave me the opportunity to be bat boy for his teams. I still remember to this day, some of my favorite memories on the baseball field,” says Raleigh. “Trying to do the same thing for him. Hopefully he’s not too nervous tonight.

“T saw Livvy Dunne today, got a picture with her at the hotel. So he doesn’t even care about the Derby anymore.”

And while Raleigh is growing into his skin as a hardball icon, the role reversal is not lost on him. He’s the one touted for the Derby, the one with the unavoidable nickname, the one fielding queries, instead of asking them, on the bases or behind the cage as the game’s greatest players convene.

“I feel like I was the guy asking questions a lot more often,” says Raleigh. “And now it’s the other way around. It’s a good feeling. You want to give back to players. I’m the same way; I still ask questions.

“I’m curious.”

And so is the baseball world, wondering where this surreal journey will finish this year.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh won the 2025 Home Run Derby — but it didn’t come without some controversy.

Raleigh was the penultimate batter in the first round of the derby, and he benefited in knowing how many home runs he needed to hit to likely advance. The top four hitters advance, so Raleigh needed to get past Brent Rooker’s 17 moonshots.

It wasn’t a hot start as Raleigh struggled to get over the fence to start the round, but the switch hitter went from batting left-handed to going right-handed, and that’s when he started connecting. When he got to the bonus round, he ended up finishing with 17 home runs, the same exact as Rooker.

With a tie for the final spot, most people figured a swing-off would happen to determine who advances. Instead, MLB decided it by who hit the longest home run?

And it came down to less than an inch.

Both sluggers hit a 470-foot home run, and it had to go down to the decimal point. Rooker’s home run went 470.535. Raleigh’s went 470.617, advancing him by 0.08 feet.

‘My goodness gracious, it’s close. It’s just crazy. An inch off, and I’m not even in the final four. Just amazing,’ Raleigh said after the Derby. ‘I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit.’

The decision greatly helped Raleigh. He beat Oneil Cruz in the semifinal, 19-13, and just got by Junior Caminero in the finals. He hit 19 homers to start the championship round, and Caminero came up short with 15.

Cal Raleigh-Brent Rooker decision causes frustration

The decision certainly caused controversy, mostly with people feeling like Rooker was robbed and fans were deprived from seeing an epic swing-off. It also doesn’t help it ended up completely altering the 2025 Home Run Derby.

Rooker certainly didn’t seem too thrilled about what unfolded.

‘You know, maybe if they have it to the decimal point, they should display that during the Derby and not wait till everyone’s done to bring out that information that might be helpful,’ Rooker told the San Francisco Chronicle.

ATLANTA — Like it or not, Milwaukee Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski is an All-Star.

His five career big-league games are the fewest in All-Star history, eclipsing Paul Skenes’ record-low 11 starts last year.

Major League Baseball’s Midsummer Classic is the undoubtedly the best All-Star event in American sports — but it’s not without its flaws.

The game’s rosters have become watered down in recent decades with 81 players — withdrawals and replacements included — being named All-Stars for the 2025 game. That’s up from 62 in 1995.

There’s now rules regarding which pitchers can and cannot be named replacement All-Stars depending on when they made their last start and/or if they’re willing to pitch in the game itself.

More and more players are opting not to participate so they can rest up for the second half.

Which brings us to Misiorowski, who was named an All-Star just days before the game, and finds himself adjacent to some scorn and facing questions about whether he deserves to be in Atlanta.

“What a joke,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said after Misiorowski’s inclusion was announced. “That’s (expletive) terrible. … I mean, it’s not the All-Star Game in the sense that the best players go there, or people who have had the best season. It’s whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most. That’s essentially what it’s turned into.”

But MLB reached out to multiple players before Misiorowski, all of whom declined to participate.

For his part, Misiorowski is simply here to ball.

‘It’s just one of those things where you look at and go ‘oh well,” the 23-year-old said, asked about the Phillies’ comments. ‘I don’t think the guys are coming after me. I don’t think it’s anything that I did in particular … It was just a decision that was made and you’ve got to live it.

‘It is what it is.’

Misiorowski, who stands 6-foot-7, says it’s been a whirlwind since making his MLB debut on June 12, when he tossed five no-hit innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

‘The last five weeks have been insane,’ Misiorowski said with a smile. ‘I was hoping for the All-Star break to be one of those times where you could sit back and kind of reflect on everything.

‘But we’re here now and we’re doing this.’

National League manager Dave Roberts defended the inclusion of Misiorowski, who is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA and 33 strikeouts in his five starts, touching 103 mph.

‘My North Star is the All-Star Game should be the game’s best players. It’s about the fans and what they want to see,’ Roberts said. ‘So for this young kid to be named an All-Star, I couldn’t be more excited for him. …

‘It’s an easy answer because if it brings excitement, attention to our game, then I’m all about it.’

Misiorowski will get to pitch in the fifth, sixth or seventh inning of the game, Roberts said.

The NL skipper noted that while baseball has evolved as needed in recent years, All-Star rosters moving forward are part of ‘deeper conversations’ and that ‘the commissioner and player’s association are still going to be digging into’ best practices.

While Misiorowski might be the talk of the All-Star Game, the guy who was pitching for Class AAA Nashville last month is just taking it all in.

‘It’s so cool to be in the locker room with Shohei (Ohtani), Freddie Freeman, Chris Sale, all those guys,’ he said. ‘It’s a lot of fun.’

ATLANTA – In the lifelong friendship between Jonathan Aranda and Alejandro Kirk, it is Aranda who’s theoretically the big brother.

Born on May 23, 1998, Aranda came into this world nearly six months before Kirk followed. And they’ve been besties since Aranda, he says, “knew how to speak,” while growing up in Tijuana.

Yet in the winding path from the hardball fields of Mexico to Major League Baseball, it was Kirk who arrived first in the big leagues, Kirk who stuck as a regular, won a Silver Slugger, made the All-Star team.

So it was no small thing when Kirk and Alejandro reported to Truist Park as teammates, two dreamers who all at once could claim the same honor: American League All-Star.

They are putting on for their ballclubs, their families and perhaps most notably for Mexico, a land that gets overlooked when the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are so prolific at sending their sons onward to the big leagues.

In this Midsummer Classic, though, there are four Mexican natives on the rosters: Aranda and Kirk, along with injured Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes and Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. Additionally, Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena earned Mexican citizenship in 2022, seven years after defecting from Cuba.

It is no small thing, says Kirk.

“Mucho. Mucho para el pais, para Mexico,” he says, confirming how important it is for the country.

And yet no two connections in this game come close to Kirk and Aranda, whose families have converged on Atlanta for the game.

“I’m very happy to be here with him, my family, his family,” says Kirk via Blue Jays translator Hector Lebron. “The year he’s having right now is very special. I’m very happy for him.”

It’s a nice bit of timing that both are peaking for clubs in the throes of the American League East race. Kirk, a catcher, was an All-Star in 2022, when he batted .285 with a .372 OBP and was worth 4.0 WAR, yet tailed off the next two seasons.

In the meantime, Aranda failed in his first three bids to stick with Tampa Bay, never playing in more than 34 games before this season.

Yet at 27, it has all clicked. Aranda has posted a .324/.399/.492 line, his .892 OPS good for a 151 adjusted OPS. He has 31 extra-base hits. Despite his modest 11 home runs, he’s the best-performing first baseman in the AL.

And it’s even better joining a pal in the festivities.

“It means a lot. He’s my best friend since I was a kid,” says Aranda through Rays translator Eddie Rodriguez. “It is something really amazing to share the diamond and playing with him here.

“He was a great example. I know and I saw from up close, his path to make it to the major leagues.”

Aranda’s journey has similarly inspired the Rays, whose plug-and-play ethos sometimes doesn’t breed everyday players but rather platoon-oriented parts to a bigger machine.

But Aranda has seized his role, his 358 plate appearances trailing only fellow All-Star Junior Caminero and veteran DH Yandy Diaz. His 2.9 WAR leads a team now 50-47 and 1 ½ games out of a wild card berth.

“It’s all the recognition that he deserves. He’s finally up there on the national stage for what he’s able to do,” says Rays All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe. “As consistent as he’s been all year, it’s fantastic to really kind of show him off a bit – this is our guy.”

And for the more veteran Rays, Aranda’s capabilities were probably more evident than the guy trying to stick for good.

“Just the confidence in himself, man,” says Lowe. “We all knew what he had; we’ve all seen it before. The big leagues is harder than the minors, believe it or not. It just took him a little bit to get going.

“The biggest thing is him understanding and not faltering and stuck to who he was.”

He’ll reap the benefits this week. Aranda will be joined in Atlanta by his parents, sisters, brother, brother-in-law and nieces.

And above all, will represent his country. Aranda says it will be something “really good and amazing” to know he and Kirk’s exploits will be beamed back home for a new generation.

His buddy agrees.

“First of all, you’ve got to be proud,” says Kirk. “Proud to represent my country, Mexico, and a bunch of Mexican players in the All-Star Game.

“We should all be proud of that.”

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