When you have the No. 1 conference in college football, many of your teams are going to have some of the toughest schedules in the entire FBS. In fact, according to the ESPN Football Power Index, nine of the 14 teams in the conference have schedules that rank in the top 20 of the toughest in the FBS.

Vanderbilt last won three straight games in 2013, when it closed with five wins in a row.

 Within every team’s schedule usually lies a difficult three-week stretch that can sometimes make or break a season. We looked at each SEC team’s most difficult three-week stretch of games (no bye weeks included, just back-to-back-to-back games) and ranked them from 14th (easiest) to 1st (toughest).

Credit to ESPN.com for their Football Power Index in determining the chance for each team to win all three of these games.

14. Missouri

Sept. 4-18 (Florida, Tennessee, at Vanderbilt)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 0.5%

The Tigers’ 2017 schedule is the least difficult among SEC teams, according to the ESPN FPI, and it’s still in the top 50 (No. 49). At least they get the Gators and Volunteers at home during this three-week run.

13. Alabama

Oct. 7-21 (at Texas A&M, Arkansas, Tennessee)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 67%

How is it that Alabama’s most difficult three-week stretch doesn’t include an LSU or Auburn? Well, the LSU matchup follows its traditional bye week (remember, no bye weeks on this list). And as for the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide host FCS opponent Mercer the week before visiting Auburn.

So, this three-week stretch of games looks to be the most difficult for Alabama. College Station hasn’t always been a fun trip for the Crimson Tide, and while they should dominate the Razorbacks at home, keep in mind that two years ago, Tennessee went to Tuscaloosa and nearly beat Alabama, losing 19-14.

12. Auburn

Oct. 7-21 (Ole Miss, at LSU, at Arkansas)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 41%

True, Auburn should not have a difficult time with Ole Miss. But, playing back-to-back road games isn’t easy. And the Tigers lost to both LSU and Arkansas the last time they visited both in the same season, 2015.

11. South Carolina

Sept. 30-Oct. 14 (at Texas A&M, Arkansas, at Tennessee)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 5%

You could make the case that the stretch from Oct. 28 through Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt, at Georgia, Florida) could be more difficult for the Gamecocks. But at least two of those games are at home.

South Carolina has yet to beat Texas A&M (0-3 all time) and has lost in its last two trips to Knoxville.

10. Florida

Oct. 28-Nov. 11 (vs. Georgia, at Missouri, at South Carolina)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 19.3%

Yes, there are more difficult opponents for the Gators this season, beginning with their season opener against Michigan. They also must play LSU and Florida State later in the season.

But this is a three-week stretch, with all the games away from home. The Gators are the only team in the SEC this season that will play away from home over three consecutive weeks.

9. Kentucky

Nov. 11-25 (at Vanderbilt, at Georgia, Louisville)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 4%

The Wildcats play at Vanderbilt and at Georgia, teams they haven’t beaten in their home stadiums since 2009. Then they top it off by facing rival Louisville at home, a team that figures to be out for revenge after losing to the Wildcats 41-38 in Louisville last season.

8. Texas A&M

Sept. 30-Oct. 14 (South Carolina, Alabama, at Florida)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 4%

While we earlier mentioned how Texas A&M has had the edge over South Carolina so far, the Aggies follow that game by taking on the two teams that have played for the SEC championship the past two seasons.

7. Tennessee

Oct. 14-28 (South Carolina, at Alabama, at Kentucky)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 6%

Even though the FPI gives the Volunteers a better chance of winning all three of these games than Texas A&M has of winning its tough three-game stretch, the key that makes this stretch of games hard is playing two of them on the road, including the date with No. 1 Alabama.

6. LSU

Nov. 4-18 (at Alabama, Arkansas, at Tennessee)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 9%

ESPN’s FPI projects LSU to have the third most difficult schedule in the FBS entering this season.

When you have a three-week stretch that includes games at Alabama and at Tennessee (sandwiched around a home game against Arkansas), it’s easy to see why the FPI spits out the numbers that way.

5. Georgia

Oct. 28-Nov. 11 (vs. Florida, South Carolina, at Auburn)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 11%

Georgia has the second-most difficult schedule in the FBS entering the season, according to the FPI. Its easiest true road game, based on last season’s records, is against Notre Dame in Week 2.

But this late-October, early-November three-week run of games is very difficult, and could determine whether the Bulldogs will win the SEC East and play for the SEC title.

The Bulldogs have lost three straight games to the Gators, but have won back-to-back meetings with South Carolina and won the last three games vs. Auburn.

4. Mississippi State

Sept. 16-30 (LSU, at Georgia, at Auburn)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 0.7%

This is a terrible way for any team to finish the first month of the season, playing three AP Top 20 teams, each a legitimate contender for the SEC title. Two of the opponents, Georgia and Auburn, will be road games for the Bulldogs.

Is it any wonder ESPN’s FPI gives the Bulldogs less than 1% chance to win all three games?

Three SEC teams failed to have a three-game winning streak in 2016: Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vandy.

3. Ole Miss

Sept. 30-Oct. 14 (at Alabama, at Auburn, Vanderbilt)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 0.5%

Congratulations Ole Miss. As if your offseason wasn’t bad enough (coaching change, NCAA investigation continuing), you get to be the only SEC school this season to play at Alabama and at Auburn in consecutive weeks.

Even the matchup with the Commodores isn’t a piece of cake, considering they beat you bad last season (38-17).

2. Arkansas

Oct. 7-21 (at South Carolina, at Alabama, Auburn)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 0.3%

Arkansas joins Ole Miss as the only SEC schools to play Alabama and Auburn in back-to-back weeks. The Razorbacks get a bit of a break by hosting the Tigers at the end of this three-week stretch. But, they open this run of games by taking on South Carolina in Columbia.

If the Razorbacks can win even one of these games, it may feel like a major accomplishment for the fans.

1. Vanderbilt

Sept. 23-Oct. 7 (Alabama, at Florida, Georgia)
FPI chance to win all 3 games: 0.4%

If we wrote this article about the most difficult four-week stretches in the SEC this season, Vanderbilt would still come out No. 1, because the game that precedes this difficult three-week run is a non-conference game against Kansas State.

As it is, the Commodores three-week stretch in late September-early October features matchups against No. 1 Alabama and the top two contenders for the SEC East title, Florida and Georgia.

And considering how the Commodores upset the Bulldogs in Athens last season, and how tough they have played the Gators each of the last two seasons (Florida won both, but by scores of 9-7 and 13-6), it’s difficult to expect either Florida or Georgia to be overlooking Vanderbilt this season.