Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.

Marvin Gaye wasn’t talking about SEC football when he crooned those lyrics. But they’re applicable to the September football schedule.

The first week offers a double dose of excitement. Football is back(!). There are a bunch of neutral-site games pitting SEC teams against ranked power-conference opponents.

Let’s not get distracted. Back to the tune: fans must wait a full nine days between the South Carolina-North Carolina kickoff (Sept. 3, 6 p.m. ET) and Georgia-Vanderbilt, the first conference game of the season (Sept. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET).

There’s nothing wrong with football foreplay — if you’ve read our website all summer waiting for football to return, you know we can’t bash it — but we’re ready for the good stuff. SEC vs. SEC.

Here are five conference matchups we can’t wait to see in September:

SEPT. 19: AUBURN AT LSU

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Last Meeting: Leonard Fournette still was adjusting to the college game and LSU quarterback Brandon Harris took flopping to an extreme in his only start as Auburn’s Nick Marshall demolished the other Tigers, accounting for four touchdowns.
At stake: Which Tigers team is a contender and which is a pretender? This matchup will give us instant feedback on each team’s quarterbacks. Is it going to be more of the same for LSU, or can Harris or Anthony Jennings pick on Auburn’s secondary a little? And is Jeremy Johnson capable of shredding one of the best secondaries in the country, or is he overhyped?
Entertainment factor: 4 out of 5

SEPT. 19: SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA

Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Last Meeting: South Carolina pounced on Georgia for 24 first-half points, leveraging a balanced offense to eventually upset the Bulldogs. The game likely cost UGA an SEC East title last season.
At stake: Georgia must face Alabama and Auburn in divisional crossover games this year. Going 6-0 in the SEC East isn’t imperative by the literal definition of the word, but it’s hard to imagine the Bulldogs losing this one and still winning the division. The game also serves as the latest entry to the ever-changing reputations of two prominent head coaches. A loss deepens a stigma, either that Mark Richt chokes away title chances or that Steve Spurrier’s best coaching days are over.
Entertainment factor: 3 out of 5

SEPT. 19: OLE MISS AT ALABAMA

Kickoff: 9:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Last Meeting: Ole Miss clipped the Tide in front of a raucous GameDay crowd in Oxford. Then the fans tore down the goalposts and paraded bits of it through campus. Oh, and Katy Perry happened.
At stake: Alabama wants revenge for its only regular-season loss in 2014. If the Tide can’t exact it in Tuscaloosa this early in the season, another SEC title may be out of reach.
Entertainment factor: 4 out of 5

SEPT. 26: TEXAS A&M VS. ARKANSAS

Kickoff: TBD
TV: TBD
Last Meeting: Arkansas physically dominated Texas A&M for three quarters, then blew a 28-14 lead to lose in overtime in a painful collapse that ended when the worst run defense in the SEC stuffed Alex Collins on fourth-and-1.
At stake: Neither of these teams is expected to win the SEC, but preseason Top 25 aspirations and a sense of momentum are real. New A&M coordinator John Chavis must show that the Aggies are at least making progress against one of the most intimidating running games in the country, and Arkansas needs this win as a first step toward leaving the division cellar behind.
Entertainment factor: 3.5 out of 5

SEPT. 26: TENNESSEE VS. FLORIDA

Kickoff: TBD
TV: TBD
Last Meeting: Florida notched its 10th consecutive win against Tennessee, but if the rivalry meant any less, the Gators probably wouldn’t have celebrated. Treon Harris replaced an ineffective Jeff Driskel at quarterback in a 10-9 victory that served to underscore just how far the Gators and Vols were from the height of their powers.
At stake: Tennessee has started its ascent with coach Butch Jones, but the Vols would be a notch before devastated if the team lost 11 in a row in this series. This is the first major opportunity for Florida coach Jim McElwain to give the fans hope in an offensive revival.
Entertainment factor: 3.5 out of 5