Any discussion about how the SEC measures up with the ACC will be settled early with a pair of huge matchups the first week of the season on Sept. 4.

The SEC released the 2021 schedule on Wednesday afternoon on the SEC Network, and the marquee matchups will be Georgia against Clemson in Charlotte, and Alabama and Miami in Atlanta. In the schedule release show, SEC Network analysts Chris Doering and Gene Chizik offered their thoughts.

“Georgia’s going to be the fashionable pick to not only win the East this year, but perhaps win the SEC Championship, that’ll be an early litmus test for the Bulldogs,” Doering said.

Georgia and Clemson will meet for the first time since 2014.

“This game used to be a huge nonconference game for both schools and they used to play pretty often back in the late 90s,” Chizik said. “I think it’s a great job for Kirby (Smart), who missed the College Football Playoff, to measure himself, get on the map right now in College Football Playoff talk, to be able to play this Clemson football team, who’s loaded. You’re looking at 5-stars and 4-stars versus 5-stars and 4-stars. But look, the hope that JT Daniels has given this Georgia fan base, it’s going to be interesting to see how this season opens.”

Doering said this is the ultimate resume game for Georgia and a win-win, as it offers a margin for error as long as the Bulldogs play well in SEC play.

For Alabama, Chizik wondered what the new Bill O’Brien offense will look like with a host of new faces on offense. Chizik said Miami could be dangerous with QB D’Eriq King, who put up 52 points against Florida State, and a defense that always has athletes.