Toughest 3-game stretch for every SEC East team

Every team in the SEC has a season-defining stretch this season, a three-game set that should eliminate contenders from pretenders in college football’s toughest league.

Some come early, others late, all just as essential to a team’s overall success.

Here are the toughest stretches for each squad in the Eastern Division this season and how it could affect their journey to Atlanta.

Toughest 3-game stretches for SEC East teams

Georgia (Oct. 3-17)

vs. Alabama
at Tennessee
vs. Mizzou

Notes: October’s a brutal month for the Bulldogs, everyone’s preseason Eastern Division favorite thanks to the noticeable talent gap on both sides of the football … Georgia’s bye week doesn’t come until after the team’s been physically-drained following this brutal stretch … To win the division, the Bulldogs must find a way to win at least two of the games, preferably against the Vols and Tigers if you hold value in tiebreakers.

Vanderbilt (Oct. 17-31)

at South Carolina
vs. Mizzou
at Houston

Notes: This one’s debatable since every game will be a challenge for the Commodores this season, but Vanderbilt has been awful on the road in recent years and this year’s slate includes trips to Gainesville and Oxford that aren’t even mentioned here … A Halloween showdown against the Cougars at brand-new TDECU Stadium in Houston is a must-win for Vanderbilt, a team facing a near impossible task of getting to six wins this season.

Tennessee (Sept. 26-Oct. 10)

at Florida
vs. Arkansas
vs. Georgia

Notes: Competing in the East doesn’t happen unless the Vols beat the Gators, something they haven’t done in 10 years … If there’s a favorable matchup here, I’d go with Arkansas based on Tennessee’s expected strengths within the front seven against a run-heavy offense … The winner of the Tennessee-Georgia matchup has the upper-hand in the division prior to the midseason point.

Kentucky (Sept. 12-26)

at South Carolina
vs. Florida
vs. Mizzou

Notes: I’m going to cheat with this one a bit. There’s no doubt Kentucky’s toughest three-game stretch is Auburn-Mississippi State-Tennessee in October, but those games will hold little meaning unless a treacherous September kicks off with a bang … The Wildcats could theoretically play their way out of the East race after the first month unless they find a way to take two games from the Gamecocks, Gators and Tigers.

Mizzou (Oct. 3-17)

vs. South Carolina
vs. Florida
at Georgia

Notes: The Tigers’ shot at a third straight division title will depend on how well Mizzou plays against its Eastern Division rivals who just so happen to load the October schedule … Second-half contests against Tennessee and Mississippi State are just as important, but by that time, the Tigers will know what they have to do to reach Atlanta … And winning out is something Mizzou has accomplished each of the last two seasons.

South Carolina (Oct. 31-Nov. 14)

at Texas A&M
at Tennessee
vs. Florida

Notes: The Gamecocks already have the toughest non-conference schedule in the SEC with three games against bowl teams from last season, so a challenging road slate only makes matters worse for a team expecting to win seven games (per oddsmakers) this season … The Vols have had South Carolina’s number the last two years with consecutive late-game comebacks … The Gamecocks’ home bout with Florida on Nov. 14 could be the difference in a step closer to bowl eligibility or a fall toward mediocrity.

Florida (Oct. 3-17)

vs. Ole Miss
at Mizzou
at LSU

Notes: Like Georgia, the Gators’ toughest stretch begins Oct. 3 and doesn’t involve the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party later on in Jacksonville … If Florida isn’t careful, there’s a chance Jim McElwain’s team could enter the Georgia game on Halloween riding a four-game losing streak (if Tennessee’s as good as we expect) … Many consider Ole Miss to be the favorite at The Swamp on Oct. 3, but I’d argue there’s serious upset potential here … Florida’s trip to Baton Rouge is its toughest game this season.