2013 SEC schedule analysis

Published October 19, 2012 - 8:45am

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Check out the 2013 SEC schedules if you haven’t already.

The SEC postponed implementing the new permanent cross-divisional rivalries. However, those could be in place in 2014.

“That’s possible they’ll be permanent, but not definite,” SEC Executive Associate Commissioner Mark Womack said. “We’ll continue to look at that and see what issues that may create going forward.”

The difficulty for Womack became finding a quality opponent for Missouri and Texas A&M for the last game of the season.

Not all full schedules have been released yet for every team. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the new SEC schedules.

Winners

Alabama Crimson Tide
Road Games: Texas A&M, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn
Home Games: Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU
Schedule Buzz: Alabama got one of the more favorable schedules, especially with playing the annual rivalry with Tennessee and drawing Kentucky from the East. The Tide will host Arkansas and LSU once more, with the two toughest road tests at Texas A&M and Mississippi State. Overall, you have to be happy as a Bama fan, because the schedule is very favorable.

Losers

Arkansas Razorbacks
Road Games: Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU
Home Games: Texas A&M, South Carolina, Auburn and Mississippi State
Schedule Buzz: The Hogs play four very tough SEC games in a row starting with Texas A&M, Florida, South Carolina and ending with Alabama. Likewise, the Razorbacks received an unfavorable draw from the SEC East, as the Gamecocks remain the cross-divisional rivalry, with a road trip to Gainesville as well.

Ranking the SEC Schedules (from easiest to toughest):

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Face tough teams in West but easier cross-divisional games with Kentucky and Tennessee in East.

2. South Carolina Gamecocks
Have a tougher three-game road stretch, but get Mississippi State and Florida at home, with a weaker Arkansas in the West.

3. Georgia Bulldogs
Will likely face three ranked teams in South Carolina, LSU and Florida, with two at home and one neutral site in Jacksonville.

4. Florida Gators
Florida won’t face a ranked team before October 6th, but will face LSU, Georgia and South Carolina all away from The Swamp.

5. Texas A&M Aggies
Host Alabama at Kyle Field and host Mississippi State at home but have to travel to Baton Rouge for tough road game.

6. Missouri Tigers
Slated to play possibly four ranked teams, with three at home, and draw the Aggies from the West.

7. Mississippi State
Hosts Alabama next season but has road games at South Carolina and Texas A&M.

8. Ole Miss Rebels
Play cross-divisional rival Vanderbilt and Missouri from East, but trips to Tuscaloosa and Starkville are tough.

9. Vanderbilt Commodores
Dores play Ole Miss and Texas A&M from the West, but road trips to South Carolina and Florida are brutal.

10. Tennessee Volunteers
Road trips to Tuscaloosa and Gainesville will be defining games but get Georgia and South Carolina at home.

11. Auburn Tigers
The Tigers trip to Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas and Knoxville, while they host Alabama. Possibly five ranked teams on the schedule.

12. Kentucky Wildcats
The Cats just have a tough, tough schedule, drawing Alabama and Mississippi State in the West and playing the normal East gauntlet of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Road trips to South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi State are very tough.

13. LSU Tigers
The Tigers have the second toughest schedule in conference play, drawing Florida and Georgia in the East. The Tigers go to Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi State but get Florida at home.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks
Hogs just have a brutal schedule overall, drawing South Carolina and Florida in the East, with trips to LSU and Alabama. There are six current BCS ranked teams on Arkansas’ schedule.

Remember this is in-conference schedule rankings only, as not all teams have made their final schedule public yet.

Tags: 2013 SEC Schedule