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No two schedules are equal in the SEC. Nor could they be, with its unbalanced, rotating alignment of conference games and dealer’s choice of non-conference partners.
Yet all 14 teams face a difficult two- or three-game stretch that stands out.
Even Alabama, the leading cause of headaches in the conference.
Alabama
Alabama has lost two straight to Ole Miss and travels to Oxford this year, but that’s a one-game deal. The Tide’s toughest stretch starts Oct. 15 in Knoxville, in what many expect will be a first of two games against Tennessee. Alabama returns home the next week to face Texas A&M, with its defensive and offensive play-makers, before getting its usual extra week to prepare for Leonard Fournette.
Arkansas
Both games are at home, but the Razorbacks face heavyweights Alabama and Ole Miss on consecutive Saturdays on Oct. 8 and 15. Traveling to Auburn on Oct. 22 won’t be a joyride, either.
Auburn
The Tigers’ schedule is broken up nicely, with just enough pretenders to help prepare for the contenders. They avoid the season-killing three-game gauntlet. Their toughest stretch comes early, back-to-back home games against Texas A&M and LSU on Sept. 17, 24.
Florida
Like Auburn, Florida’s schedule also is set up to avoid losing streaks. The toughest stretch starts at expected-preseason favorite Tennessee on Sept. 24, followed by Vanderbilt a week later before hosting LSU on Oct. 8.
Georgia
The Bulldogs, who open against North Carolina, could play relatively well and still start 1-4 or 2-3. Their toughest stretch starts Sept. 17 at defensive-minded Missouri, but ramps up considerably the following two weeks against Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Kentucky
Southern Miss is sneaky good, and road trips to the Swamp are never much fun, but even less so for the Wildcats, who haven’t beaten Florida in Gainesville since 1979. That’s how Kentucky opens the season.
LSU
Here we go again. There are a couple of hurdles to clear, but the schedule all but shouts for an undefeated and highly-ranked Tigers team to host Ole Miss on Oct. 22, catch their breath, and prepare for Alabama’s visit on Nov. 5.
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs close the season with a three-game gauntlet that starts at Alabama, returns to Starkville to face Arkansas and concludes in the Egg Bowl in Oxford against Ole Miss. The Bulldogs lost two of three in the same stretch last season.
Missouri
There’s a bye week in between, but traveling to LSU on Oct. 1 and Florida on Oct. 15 probably isn’t how new coach Barry Odom would have drawn it up.
Ole Miss
How happy is Hugh Freeze right now that Chad Kelly returned to school? The Rebels open against Florida State, host Alabama 12 days later and Georgia the week after. Can you imagine preparing for that with a true freshman?
South Carolina
It’s not so much the opponents as the situation: Three of the Gamecocks’ first four games are on the road, beginning with SEC matchups at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. Fortunately, those two opponents also will be breaking in new or newer starting quarterbacks, just like the Gamecocks.
Tennessee
Consecutive road games at Georgia and Texas A&M set up the Oct. 15 showdown against Alabama in Knoxville, where the cheapest prices on the secondary market already are above $200.
Texas A&M
Who did the Aggies upset in the SEC home office? Texas A&M faces Tennessee and Alabama in consecutive games. At least they get a week in between.
Vanderbilt
The Commodores close the season against Ole Miss and Tennessee, which is unlikely to leave many in Nashville with much of a holiday spirit.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
