Ranking every SEC team's nonconference schedule in 2019
SEC schools have plenty to consider when crafting their nonconference football schedules.
They all have a gauntlet to run within the conference, so the out-of-conference schedule provides 4 opportunities for some less-challenging matchups, especially as tune-ups for the start of league play.
But the lure of big dollars, national-television exposure and strength of schedule that can impress the Playoff selection committee factor in as well.
Teams can play blockbuster neutral-site games against a ranked opponent in Week 1, accelerating their early-season development while allowing enough time to overcome a loss in the polls.
They can drop down a notch and play bowl-quality teams to still get a good challenge while reducing the risk of defeat.
They can play smaller FBS programs or high-quality FCS schools and accomplish essentially the same thing.
And there are the periodic really weak teams – both of the FBS and FCS variety.
A common formula is to play 1 ranked team, 1 bowl quality team and 2 lighter-weight teams.
But everyone’s approach is a little different and schedules are made so far in advance that opponents sometimes will be better or worse than expected when the contracts were signed.
The 2019 nonconference schedules for the 14 SEC schools feature a variety of approaches.
Here’s one ranking of their relative strength from the easiest to the toughest:
14. Arkansas
The Razorbacks might have a shot at bowl eligibility if they can run the table against a modest group comprised of Portland State, Colorado State, San Jose State and Western Kentucky – all at home. Those 4 opponents were a combined 11-36 in 2018.
13. Kentucky
The Wildcats also get all of their nonconference games at home, featuring a marginally more difficult group – bowl teams Toledo and Eastern Michigan but also Tennessee-Martin and Louisville, both of which are coming off 2-win seasons.
12. Alabama
The Crimson Tide have become regular visitors to Atlanta on opening weekend. This year’s opponent isn’t a marquee one, but it’s still a potential bowl team in Duke. Then it’s home games against New Mexico State, Southern Miss and Western Carolina.
11. Tennessee
The Volunteers are also taking the all-home-game approach, hosting Georgia State, BYU, Chattanooga and UAB. BYU and UAB were bowl teams last season, and Jeremy Pruitt has ties to Birmingham, having started his coaching career at Hoover High before becoming an assistant at Alabama.
10. Vanderbilt
The Commodores certainly aren’t easing into 2019. They host Georgia in Week 1, then jump into the nonconference portion with a rare nonconference road game at Purdue in Week 2. The Boilers stunned Ohio State last season and return one of the nation’s most explosive playmakers in Rondale Moore. Home games against Northern Illinois, UNLV and East Tennessee State should be more manageable.
9. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs have a rare neutral-site, non-blockbuster opener as they meet Louisiana-Lafayette in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The other 3 games are in Starkville against Southern Miss, Kansas State and Abilene Christian.
8. Ole Miss
The Rebels open in the neighborhood but with a dangerous road game against Memphis. Many are predicting an upset. After that, they’re home to face Southeastern Louisiana, Cal and New Mexico State. Cal was picked to finish 5th in the Pac-12 North but did play in a bowl game last season.
7. Missouri
The Tigers visit Wyoming to start, then come home to face West Virginia, which is starting anew on offense, Southeast Missouri (No. 17 in the FCS poll) and Troy.
6. Auburn
These Tigers open with Oregon (No. 13 in the Coaches poll) in Cowboys Stadium, then host a Tulane team coming off a bowl win, Kent State and Samford. Auburn will be breaking in a new QB (Joey Gatewood or Bo Nix), but knocking off the Ducks could set the tone.
5. LSU
The Tigers get a tune-up at home against a pretty good FCS program in Georgia Southern before visiting Texas, which is No. 10 in the Coaches preseason poll. Then it’s back to Tiger Stadium to face Northwestern State and Utah State. Utah State finished 11-2 last season and nearly upset Michigan State. They return a dangerous QB in Jordan Love (3,567 yards, 32 TDs.)
4. Georgia
The Bulldogs ease their way into the season with home games against Murray State and Arkansas State before hosting preseason No. 9 Notre Dame and visiting Georgia Tech in the annual finale. This will be a new-look Tech team. Longtime coach Paul Johnson retired, which means Tech is transitioning from his triple-option attack. Geoff Collins, a former DC at Mississippi State and Florida, is Tech’s new head coach.
3. Texas A&M
The Aggies host Texas State before visiting defending national champion Clemson in a nationally-televised Week 2 test. They’ll also host Lamar and Texas-San Antonio.
2. Florida
The Gators have all their games at home or in not-too-far away Orlando, but they have multiple games against tough programs. It starts with Miami in Orlando on Aug. 24, followed by Tennessee-Martin, Towson (No. 11 in the FCS preseason poll) and Florida State.
1. South Carolina
The Gamecocks open with Mack Brown’s first game back as North Carolina’s coach (in Charlotte), then host Charleston Southern, defending Sun Belt champion Appalachian State and close with Clemson. If you’re looking for good news, the Clemson game is at Williams-Brice, but the Tigers have won 5 in a row, including the past 2 in Columbia.
I know Arkansas needs the wins, but I’m sorry, that schedule is not acceptable for a SEC team. You shouldn’t be able to schedule 4 bad G-5 teams all at home, and essentially start the season 4-0. If there was even one road game in there I’d go easier, but that’s just not ok.
They were originally scheduled to play Michigan this year, but they canceled to play ND.
Michigan Canceled*
You should write a strongly worded letter and send around a petition. It’s of no benefit, unless you’re staring down a playoff or maybe a new year’s day bowl, to schedule hard OOC teams. The revenue isn’t significant enough to risk not going bowling if you’re a struggling team. I’d trade playing OU next year for any one of these teams.
Fans like going to good games. They don’t have to be against great teams, but at least one of them should be against someone better than San Jose State or whatever the case may be.
Also, I thought the SEC DID have a rule prohibiting this sort of thing. Although the Michigan cancellation is noted and perhaps the reason it was allowed to happen.
For the record, I’ve said the same thing about Mizzou basketball’s home non-conference schedule in basketball, which is just 7 mid majors of various quality. I want to watch good games, and have an opportunity to watch fun games against power conference teams. Even if it ultimately costs my team a win, I’d rather play real games.
Let’s revisit once your team hits the bottom of the SEC and you lose every conf game in a season. Then I’ll be happy to accept the moral victory platitude.
I don’t have to do a thought exercise. Remember who you are talking to here. We were the unequivocal worst team in the league as recently as 3 years ago. “Are we ever gonna win again” type bad. We still played tough non-con games, and I have no regrets.
That’s what Mizzou did their 2nd and 3rd year in the conference
I just went back and looked and Mizz did play Indiana in those two seasons and lost to them in 2014
Yes, it was an embarrassing AF loss, but at least we played a P-5 team. Not a good one, but also not San Jose State.
No. We played power conference teams, as well as strong mid majors both years.
When did Georgia Southern turn back into an FCS school?
They didn’t, but it helps the narrative. LSU is #5 because they play a “pretty good” FCS team. But the Gamecocks are #1 because they play a Sunbelt Team.
I’m not saying the ranking are not accurate. I’m saying the analysis is off. Southern (how people in GA refer to Georgia Southern) was a 10 win team that finished 3rd in the Sunbelt last year.
I think that’s just an atlanta/Georgia thing, since there is an actual Southern University in Baton Rouge that most folks that follow football know about.
Going to continue with GSU for now ha.
I live in Atlanta. It may be shorten occasionally, but mostly referred to as GA Southern.
Not sure many people outside of Baton Rouge has heard of Southern University lol…
I’ve definitely heard of Southern. They’re a D-1 team in all sports, I believe.
Also a HBCU that has produced some great athletes historically and an even better marching band
The Gamecock’s schedule (looking at all 12 games) is freakin’ BRUTAL. BBBBRRRUUUUTTTAAAALLLL!!!!!
Invest in SC breweries and SC liquor distilleries. Big profits this year. The fan base has turned into a ‘wine and cheese’ crowd and home games aren’t as impressive as they used to be.
Those boys are going to have to get some top 25 wins on their belt before they get that stadium back to where they were during Spurrier’s years.
Wine and cheese? Are you serious? We have a substantial red neck fan base!
Very excited about SC playing these good teams. I hope the players are too.
Gator schedule could be really tough or tougher on paper. Let’s see what FSU and Miami are like. I think Taggert is in way over his head in Tallahassee. Miami’s offense was tragic last year. Their D is salty though.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an SEC team play two FCS schools in one season. Not that it should matter for Florida this year, but FBS schools only get bowl eligibility credit for one FCS win. Anyone know if that was deliberate or did something happen with a G5 school that flummoxed the schedule late?
I think LSU and UGA’s non-conf schedule is tougher than Florida’s. FSU and Miami will be .500 teams. Utah State will be a tougher out than both.
Don’t underestimate the power of an instate rivalry game. Most of the time it doesn’t matter how good or bad one team is, there’s so much hate and desire to win by both teams, that the games are usually much tougher than they look on paper.
Only one I disagree on is Florida. Sure, Miami and FSU are big names on paper but FSU is a dumpster fire and Miami isn’t what it was a couple years ago. I’d take A&M, Georgia and LSU’s over Florida’s.
I’d say LSU’s is up there with USC’s as the toughest based on last years result. You never know what a team will be in the new year, but UTexas, GSU, and Utah State will each be tough outs. I don’t think any will be first half wins, and each could go into the 4Q.
Amazing ow much weight one game carries, which equals flawed logic. A&M at #3 because they play at Clemson (one game mind you), and follow this up with UTSA T State and Lamar. Three guaranteed wins. Same with Auburn. Credit to UGA I would rank #2 for at a minimum playing two power 5 schools. LSU would be a close second to that.
Shame on the other schools for these schedules. As consumers paying high ticket prices, this is partially reflective of why attendance is down. Alabama fans, for all the money they pay to get beyond the waiting list for tickets: ugly.
Agree with your statement on flawed logic.
LSU also plays only one OOC P5 team (overrated t.u.), while A&M plays the reigning national champs. Who cares if Utah State “almost upset” a 6 loss Michigan State team? If you want to argue GT plus ND is tougher than Clemson, OK, that’s a valid argument, but don’t try to tell me t.u. plus Utah State is harder for LSU than A&M traveling to Clemson.
I don’t see how Missouri’s noncon is ranked that high? Wyoming is a borderline bowl team this year. West Virginia is going to suck! SE Missouri is a pretty good team for the FCS… Troy is the best team on the schedule?
7th seems high to me as well, tbh. But if I were to justify the ranking, I’d say that all three of the FBS teams are at least game opponents. Wyoming could tough on the road at altitude, Troy has beaten LSU and Nebraska the last two years, and even a rebuilding WVU is still a decent game in the grand scheme. It’s not a great schedule by any stretch, but there are three watchable games, which compared to the lower half of the list is solid.
So ready to play against Ole Miss in the SEC Championship game this season…
Hard to fathom some of these comparisons. For example: Florida plays 7-6 Miami (bowl loss), 2-9 UT Martin (no bowl), 7-5 Towson (no playoff), and 5-7 FSU — all at home or nearby. LSU plays 10-3 GA Southern (bowl win), 9-4 UT (bowl win), 5-6 NW State (no playoff), and 11-2 Utah State (bowl win). What am I missing?
You really think Miami & FSU aren’t going to use every bullet in their gun against UF? There is too much at stake. The hate meter between these 3 in state schools is a wee bit higher than LSU & Southern/Utah st/NW st or even Texas. The state of FL is up for grabs. They’re aren’t coming just because we’re writing a check.
We finally get ranked number 1 in something.
How is Msst below the Mess? Has K st fallen that far?