CBS Sports has come out with its opening game for the “SEC on CBS” schedule, and it will be South Carolina at Georgia on Sept. 16. But since the 3:30 p.m. ET game is so popular, we decided to make our best guess at which game would fit well each week.

Obviously, Georgia is already set for 2 games, with South Carolina, and the annual party in Jacksonville on Oct. 28. There’s also the Arkansas-Missouri game on Black Friday that will be on CBS’ air.

Here are our predictions for each week with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell on the call:

Sept. 16 South Carolina at Georgia

Sept. 23

My prediction: Auburn at Texas A&M

This game has built-in storylines to check in on the status of Hugh Freeze’s development of the Auburn program, and Jimbo Fisher’s rebuild following last season’s sub-par campaign. Both teams have plenty of questions at quarterback, and may not be in the mix down the stretch to be appealing to CBS executives.

The other possibility here is Ole Miss at Alabama, and the Lane Kiffin factor is not to be overlooked. But CBS likes to spread out the teams as much as possible, and there will likely be more opportunities down the stretch for the Crimson Tide.

Sept. 30

My prediction: South Carolina at Tennessee

There are several tough decisions this week as conference play ramps up. Georgia-Auburn would be easy choice, however, the Bulldogs are already set for 2 games and having 2 in the same month would be too much for the national audience CBS likes to attract. LSU-Ole Miss is another one that could offer some buzz given LSU’s offseason, and the coveted Year 2 improvement most coaches make, and that’s ahead for Brian Kelly.

This one also has the revenge factor and availability to show highlights from last year’s Gamecock upset which derailed Tennessee’s College Football Playoff hopes.

Oct. 7

My prediction: Alabama at Texas A&M

Kentucky at Georgia is often a tempting choice as a dark horse storyline, but that rarely lives up to the hopes of Big Blue Nation. Arkansas at Ole Miss is another good one in SEC circles, but may not move the needle nationally. It’s an intriguing game for SEC fans, but the intrigue and personalities don’t expand beyond the SEC footprint.

The intrigue of the Aggies beating Alabama again, for the second straight time in College Station, 41-38 in 2021, is plenty to build promotion around.

Oct. 14 (doubleheader)

My prediction: Texas A&M at Tennessee and Auburn at LSU 

This week is full of divisional matchups, except one, and that allows for an ideal time in the schedule for a doubleheader. Texas A&M plays at Tennessee for the first time since 2020, but only the 5th time ever. A noon kickoff is unfortunate for either game, but a night game in Tiger Stadium is too much to pass up, and offers an easy tiebreaker.

There’s also Missouri at Kentucky, which has been known to deliver frantic finishes. Florida at South Carolina is another one to watch because of Billy Napier and Shane Beamer trying to be the next in line to challenge Georgia in the SEC East. And Arkansas at Alabama is out there, but it’s difficult to project a juicy storyline that would intrigue a national audience.

That brings us to the battle of the Tigers, and this always seems to be an exciting game. The last 4 have been split, and there hasn’t been a 4-game winning streak for either since since the early 1990s. TV people look for drama that could pull in an average, or unaffiliated, fan, and this is an ideal matchup.

Oct. 21

My prediction: Tennessee at Alabama

As revenge meetings go, they don’t come much better than this one. CBS can roll a seemingly endless amount of B-roll from last year’s upset in Neyland Stadium, full of Vol players and coaches celebrating, lighting cigars and tearing down the goal posts. And it’s the kind of rat poison that Josh Heupel will have to fight against leading up to the game.

In a week with a light schedule, the only other possibility here could be Ole Miss at Auburn, but that would only trump the Vols and Tide if Ole Miss and Auburn were both off to historic starts, and Tennessee and Alabama had each fallen off track. Not likely.

Oct. 28 Florida-Georgia

Nov. 4 (doubleheader)

My prediction: Arkansas at Florida and LSU at Alabama

Another doubleheader day, and it brings us the most obvious primetime SEC game, one that attracted Brian Kelly to the SEC. The Razorbacks and Gators will provide the appetizer on a week when there aren’t too many enticing possibilities. Missouri at Georgia, Kentucky at Mississippi State, Auburn at Vanderbilt and Texas A&M at Ole Miss struggle to offer much in the way of a head turn.

But the main event will be the game in Tuscaloosa where Alabama will try to bounce back from last year’s upset. Still, the Crimson Tide have won 10 of the last 12 meetings. Games like this bring in the East Coast and big city audiences that CBS craves because casual fans around the country can identify with Kelly and Nick Saban. What’s more, this will be the 31st time Alabama and LSU will face off (likely) with both teams ranked, the most of any SEC teams and the fourth-most among all rivalries.

Nov. 11

My prediction: Florida at LSU

At first glance, getting Ole Miss to Georgia is a rare treat, as it hasn’t happened in Athens since 2012. And otherwise, there simply aren’t enough intriguing games that standout among Tennessee at Missouri, Auburn at Arkansas, Vanderbilt at South Carolina and Mississippi State at Texas A&M.

But the Gators and Tigers win out because of their rivalry, which doesn’t get enough credit among SEC secondary rivalries. LSU has taken control of it lately with 4 straight wins, but if there’s ever a time for a signature win for Billy Napier, this is it.

Nov. 18

My prediction: Georgia at Tennessee

Some of the non-conference games creep into the schedule ahead of Rivalry Week, but even that watered down portion of the schedule couldn’t take away from the marquee game of the season. For all the talk about Georgia’s weak schedule since Oklahoma was taken off, the Bulldogs, fans and media have long circled this one. Georgia has won 6 straight in the series, but Bulldog fans still have nightmares of how Neyland Stadium treated their star players’ ACLs.

It’ll be a classic matchup of a high-powered offense and a national championship-caliber defense.

Nov. 25

My prediction: Alabama at Auburn

This is one of the most no-brainer calls in the SEC. And it doesn’t seem to matter how bad Auburn may be, or if Alabama’s quarterbacks are sent through the spin cycle of the depth chart, this is getting the CBS game. The last time this wasn’t a 3:30 CBS game was in 2014, and that was only because CBS already had on Alabama 5 times. There are enough good teams, and interesting matchups, to prevent that from happening again.