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For nearly 12 hours every Saturday, SEC fans can plop themselves on their couches and tune into football games all day. No one wants to waste their time watching a boring game, though, so we ranked all six games that SEC teams are playing in this weekend based on entertainment value (Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have byes this week). These rankings are subjective, but factor in league impact, how exciting and how close the games will be. Games are ranked on a 1-5 Georgia Dome scale (the site of the SEC Championship Game), with 5 being the most watchable game and 1 being the least. Note: all rankings are from the College Football Playoff committee.
5 GEORGIA DOMES
– No. 1 Mississippi State at No. 5 Alabama Tide (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS): The crown jewel of the SEC’s best week of the regular season is a de facto SEC West championship game. Mississippi State clinches the West title with a win, Alabama takes control of the division if it can knock off the top-ranked Bulldogs. Powerful offenses, talented defenses, high stakes; what more could you ask for?
– No. 9 Auburn Tigers at No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): While it doesn’t have the impact of Alabama-Mississippi State, this historic rivalry should give us one of the best games of the season. Both teams run the hell out of the ball and both defenses are vulnerable. Also, some guy named Todd Gurley is set to play for the first time in a month.
4 GEORGIA DOMES
– Missouri at No. 23 Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., SEC Network): Texas A&M has thrust itself back into the “entertaining” category of SEC teams following an upset over Auburn in which the offense came back to life. This game has major SEC implications, as Missouri can firmly establish itself as the SEC East leader with a win. There will be plenty of strength versus strength (A&M’s prolific offense against Missouri’s nasty defensive line) and weakness on weakness (Mizzou’s inability to move the ball and the Aggies’ inability to tackle). Something has got to give.
3 GEORGIA DOMES
– South Carolina at Florida (12 p.m. ET, SEC Network): The Head Ball Coach returns to his old stomping grounds as the Gamecocks try to salvage a lost season. Spurrier can still bring it in any given game, and South Carolina’s offense has been playing at a remarkable pace. The Gators, meanwhile, have had a resurgence since Treon Harris took over at quarterback, and they’re still in the hunt for the SEC East title. With the way South Carolina’s defense has played, all of their games have a good chance to turn into a shootout.
– Kentucky at Tennessee (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network): This isn’t a well-publicized rivalry, but Kentucky and Tennessee have one of the better regional grudges around. Both teams have exciting young quarterbacks and explosive backfields, enough to make this game worth tuning into.
– No. 17 LSU at Arkansas (8 p.m. ET, ESPN 2): Both teams are eliminated from SEC West contention, and Arkansas is fighting for bowl eligibility. This could be an ugly, low-scoring affair. But there’s a chance of snow, and snow makes any game far more enjoyable to watch. If the flakes start to fall, things will get weird in Fayetteville. Even if they don’t, expect a knock-down, drag-out affair.
2 GEORGIA DOMES
None this week.
1 GEORGIA DOME
None this week.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
