Cries of SEC bias never were louder than last season.

Bloggers even started charting the amount of time, down to the second, College Gameday talked about the SEC during its show. (Talk about sports geek. Who thinks that guy spent Friday night going on a date with a pretty lady?)

Still, the conference produces the best TV ratings, the most rabid fan bases and some of the most significant national matchups every week. It’s no wonder the most iconic show in all of college sports frequents so many Southern states.

(Would you rather spend a September weekend on The Grove in Oxford, Miss., or Fargo, N.D.?)

Alabama graduate Rece Davis is replacing long-time GameDay host Chris Fowler, so the network, which seemed to grow sensitive to the accusations in ’14, may be even more wary about its reputation. Will GameDay guard against bias by intentionally toning down its SEC rhetoric and stay away from conference campuses when there’s a viable competitive option?

The SEC schedule also condenses from 14 weeks to 13 this season, eliminating one bye week for every team.

Here is the SEC’s best option to attract College GameDay in all 13 weeks.

Sept. 5: Arizona State vs. Texas A&M (in Houston)

The Sun Devils must replace QB Taylor Kelly and WR Jaelen Strong, but ASU does return Doak Walker Award candidate Taylor Kelly. Regardless, both offenses should be explosive, and both teams are capable of 10 wins with good seasons. Winning this game could propel a team to a Top 15 season, and losing it could set the tone for a disappointing 7-5.

Second Option: Wisconsin vs. Alabama (in Arlington, Texas)

Sept. 12: Oklahoma at Tennessee

Last season, the then-No. 4 Sooners thrashed the Vols in Norman, Okla. But to outside eyes, the sun appears to be moving toward the horizon for coach Bob Stoops at OU, while it’s just rising for Butch Jones at UT. Could this game be a symbol of Tennessee’s re-emergence on the national stage?

Second Option: LSU at Mississippi State

Sept. 19: Ole Miss at Alabama

The Rebels handed the Tide its only regular-season loss in 2014 — in front of a raucous College GameDay crowd that included Katy Perry. One of the most iconic editions of GameDay in recent years, will the show offer Tuscaloosa a return salvo in ’15, especially if Ole Miss finds a quarterback and looks like a Top 15 program once again?

Second Option: Auburn at LSU

Sept. 26: Tennessee at Florida

This is the perfect opportunity to take stock of the SEC East. No offense to Missouri and Georgia, but these two programs are the pulse of the division as well as the future. Can the Vols handle this tough road game against a rival with a new coach and new energy, or will Jim McElwain get a signature win early in his Florida career, just as he did in his first season at Colorado State (vs. Colorado)?

Second Option: Mississippi State at Auburn

Oct. 3: Alabama at Georgia

These two teams are your likely preseason division favorites in the SEC. The Tide have to beat Wisconsin and Ole Miss first, but there’s a solid chance this matchup pits two Top 10 unbeatens. If that’s the case, the winner gets the inside track for a College Football Playoff berth.

Second Option: Mississippi State at Texas A&M

Oct. 10: Georgia at Tennessee

A brutal turnaround for the Bulldogs, this is the premier SEC East matchup of ’15. As enticing as UT-UF is, the Bulldogs and Vols are the two division favorites, and with the game being played in Knoxville, a theoretical early-season betting line would put this one close to pick ’em.

Second Option: Florida at Missouri

Oct. 17: Alabama at Texas A&M

This matchup was terrific the first two seasons after the Aggies joined the SEC, then produced a 59-0 steamrolling in ’14. Think College Station will be mindful of that and wanting revenge? There’s no way the Tide defense shuts out A&M in back-to-back seasons. This one could get wild.

Second Option: Florida at LSU

Oct. 24: Tennessee at Alabama

During Bama’s current eight-game win streak, Tennessee rarely has entered the game with a decent chance of winning. That seems likely to change starting this season, but will the Vols be mature enough to win this kind of game on the road? Depending on how the early part of the SEC season goes, this could be a premier national matchup.

Second Option: Texas A&M at Ole Miss

Oct. 31: Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Fla.)

GameDay is a party in itself. Imagine combining it with the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party — on this holiday, nonetheless. The game will be entertaining regardless, but depending on what happens earlier in the season, this isn’t the SEC’s strongest slate of games, and most likely GameDay will be elsewhere for Halloween.

Second Option: Ole Miss at Auburn

Nov. 7: LSU at Alabama

This matchup has been as consistently good as any in the SEC in the last five years. If the Tigers can manage to develop a quarterback before the fall, it could help determine the cut-throat SEC West. Any time Les Miles and Nick Saban get together, it’s must-see TV that moves the needle for a show like GameDay.

Second Option: Auburn at Texas A&M

Nov 14: Georgia at Auburn

Some of these SEC schedules are brutal. But the Tigers, which had to go on the road to face seemingly every good team on its schedule in ’14, get return trips from schools like Ole Miss, Alabama and yes, the Bulldogs. If Will Muschamp can turn around Auburn’s defense immediately, this could be the most significant game in the country this week, a defensible choice for GameDay to re-visit the SEC late in the year.

Second Option: Arkansas at LSU

Nov. 21: Tennessee at Missouri

If the Tigers remain in contention for a third consecutive SEC East title this late in the season, it’s about time the nation recognizes the special things happening with the Mizzou football program. If coach Gary Pinkel’s team holds up its end of the bargain, it could be hosting a buzzy Top 25 Vols team in an underrated November clash.

Second Option: LSU at Ole Miss

Nov. 28: Alabama at Auburn

The winner of this game has become the SEC champion in five of the last six years, and at least played in the BCS title game or College Football Playoff in all six seasons. It would be a play-in game to the SEC championship again in ’15, with College Football Playoff implications yet again.

Second Option: Florida State at Florida