Lots of talk lately about Ole Miss maybe joining the group if they won a national title. Here’s what I would say are the requirements to be Big 6:

1. A minimum of one SEC Championship Since 1977

This is really how the moniker came about. The Big 6 have collectively won every SEC title since 1977, combining for 51 total.

16- Alabama
9- Georgia
8- Florida
7- Auburn
6- LSU
5- Tennessee

If someone else… anyone else… in the SEC can break the streak, they at least enter the discussion.

2. Win a National Title… a real one, not some fake one nobody else recognizes

Major Poll National Titles, All-Time:

13- Alabama
4- LSU
3- Florida
3- Georgia
2- Auburn
2- Tennessee

*Oklahoma has 7 and Texas 4… so they easily qualify in this metric. Texas A&M has 1… it’s from 1939 so it’s been awhile, but a trophy is a trophy.

Ole Miss and Arkansas both have come close… probably even both got royally screwed out of an official one… but the trophy case is nonetheless empty.

3. Get close to the Top 6 in AP Poll Final Ranking Stats

I don’t know if there is an official number of Top 5, 10, or 25 finishes a program needs, but I do know there doesn’t need to be a gap the size of the Grand Canyon between the Big 6 and your team.

Top 25 Finishes:
62- Alabama
62- Oklahoma
52- Texas
47- Tennessee
44- LSU
43- Georgia
40- Auburn
34- Florida
———————
29- Arkansas
28- Texas A&M
28- Ole Miss

Top 10 Finishes:
48- Alabama
45- Oklahoma
29- Texas
29- Georgia
25- Tennessee
23- LSU
19- Auburn
19- Florida
————————
14- Arkansas
13- Texas A&M
12- Ole Miss

Top 5 Finishes:
33- Oklahoma
30- Alabama
22- Texas
15- Georgia
13- Tennessee
11- Florida
10- LSU
9- Auburn
———————
4- Arkansas
4- Texas A&M
4- Ole Miss

That last one is what feels amazingly wide in terms of a gap. I feel like those bottom three teams would need to have a decade-long run of Top 25 finishes with at least half of those Top 10 and 2 or 3 in the Top 5 to enter the discussion.

4. At least be above .500 in SEC Play

That seems like a minimum requirement. You can’t be a Big Dog of the SEC with more losses than wins in conference play.

All-Time Win% in SEC Play:

.765- Texas
.722- Alabama
.634- Georgia
.601- Tennessee
.592- LSU
.575- Florida
.566- Texas A&M
.542- Auburn
.500- Oklahoma
.491- Ole Miss
.483- Missouri
.420- South Carolina
.379- Arkansas

This is where it gets tough for some. Arkansas would need to win their next 67 games in a row just to get to .500. Even Ole Miss still has to win their next 15 SEC games to get back up to .500.

Meanwhile, as bad as Tennessee has struggled in the past 20 years, they are still 127 games above .500. They could go winless in SEC play for 12 years and still be above .500.

Auburn has also mightily struggled… but despite these last 5 years from hell, we are still 55 games above .500.

5. Beat the Big 6

If you want to join them, it takes beating them…. And this is where Ole Miss has mightily struggled throughout its history.

All-Time Win% against Big 6 members:

.620- Alabama
.613- Texas
.611- Oklahoma
.510- Georgia
.476- Auburn
.473- Florida
.448- Tennessee
.440- LSU
.437- Texas A&M
.320- Arkansas
.320- Ole Miss

Ole Miss’ all-time record against the Big 6 is abysmal. That could take decades to close the gap.

Conclusion

Big 6 inclusion takes years to gain and years to lose… decades really. One good or bad season doesn’t move the needle.

Oklahoma and Texas are just waiting on an SEC Title. Win one and you’re in the group. Texas A&M is actually very close as well. A strong 2-3 seasons in a row with an SEC title would probably do it.

Ole Miss is probably next closest…. Need to get above .500 in all-time SEC play and thst would take at least 2 seasons… realistically though probably more like 4-5 even with a good run. They of course need to win an SEC Title in the modern era. And they must win a national title. That all could be done realistically in the next 5 years, but it still doesn’t really close the gap against the Big 6 historically. I really think Ole Miss would need a dominant 10 year run to get in the group.

Arkansas is close in a few metrics, but they would have to go on a “Florida in the ‘90s” type of run for two decades to get back above .500 in SEC play all time. Don’t see that happening.

This post was edited on 1/8/26 at 6:29 pm