When you play in the SEC West, every year is a gauntlet of tough games. For LSU, navigating Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Arkansas (not to mention Florida and another rotating SEC East opponent) is never easy.

This week, Athlon Sports ranked all 14 of LSU’s regular-season games in terms of difficulty, and the No. 1 choice was a bit surprising.

As you can see below, Athlon ranked the season finale against Texas A&M in College Station as the Tigers’ toughest 2020 contest:

By the time Texas A&M made it to Baton Rouge in 2019, LSU was an unstoppable force and steamrolled the Aggies 50-7. Now A&M has the veteran squad and home-field advantage, and a point to prove against LSU. Much like a season ago, the Aggies have a “gut check” game before seeing the Tigers. In 2019, they had a road game to No. 4 Georgia, and this year they return home to face LSU after visiting an Alabama team that should be a top-10 squad. These late-season matchups are what make college football great.

The last LSU trip to Kyle Field was, obviously, a 7-overtime thriller, so we’ll see what this year’s matchup has in store for us.

To see how Athlon ranked the Tigers’ other 2020 matchups, click here.