Yes, we’re still 3.5 months from the start of the season, and no, it’s never too early to start talking about it.

The season opening slate for the SEC isn’t great, but it could be much worse (look at the Big Ten’s slate). The SEC at least will see multiple Power 5 opponents to kick off the season.

Speaking of those Week 1 foes, I ranked them from easiest to toughest. Obviously I didn’t include either Georgia or Vanderbilt because they play each other.

So here’s a look at each Week 1 foe:

12. Portland State vs. Arkansas

How fitting it is that we start with Arkansas, which has one of the more atrocious nonconference schedules I’ve ever seen. Portland State is the only FCS squad on the list, and fortunately for the Razorbacks, they aren’t even a good one. The Vikings didn’t finish dead last in the Big Sky as many expected them to, but they only won 4 games. In their 2 games vs. FBS opponents last year, they were outscored 134-33. So yeah.

11. Georgia State vs. Tennessee

Tennessee will see former South Carolina assistant Shawn Elliott, who took over for Steve Spurrier in 2015. Now at GSU, Elliott is coming off a 2-win season in the Sun Belt. In terms of cupcakes, this isn’t an all-time cupcake for the Vols, but it’s still loaded with plenty of icing and a little candy on top.

10. Texas State vs. Texas A&M

Speaking of teams that went 1-7 in the Sun Belt last year, there will be a reunion to kick off 2019 in College Station. Former A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will make his debut as Texas State’s first-year coach. The good news for Spavital? His team ranks No. 3 in percentage of returning production. The bad news? His team ranked No. 123 in scoring. And well, it won 3 games last year.

9. Mississippi State vs. Louisiana

It still blows me away that MSU agreed to such a series, but here we are. The Ragin’ Cajuns were outscored 112-24 by MSU and Alabama last year, which doesn’t exactly bode well for Billy Napier’s squad, regardless of the favorable venue.

Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Fortunately for the reigning Sun Belt West division champs, they return their extremely prolific backfield trio of Trey Ragas, Elijah Mitchell and Raymond Calais.

8. Toledo vs. Kentucky

Call it a revenge game for Bryant Koback if you will. The sophomore tailback will try to lead the Rockets to an upset of his old team following a freshman campaign in which he averaged 6 yards per carry and racked up 14 touchdowns. But defensively, Toledo has issues. The No. 84 unit in FBS last year returns just over half its production on that side of the ball. Still, it’s a team that averaged 9 wins over the past 3 years.

7. Mizzou vs. Wyoming

On the road in Laramie … what a way for Kelly Bryant to kick off his Mizzou career. How Mizzou got roped into that series, I don’t know. But I do know that any team coached by Craig Bohl has a chance, even if the Cowboys have massive turnover on both sides of the ball. It’s been a struggle to replace QB Josh Allen, which is why Wyoming had to rally just to get to 6 wins last year. We’ll see if they can muster some points against a Mizzou defense that held them to 13 points in Columbia last year.

6. Georgia Southern vs. LSU

Wait … is this a bit high for Georgia Southern? Perhaps, considering the Eagles have yet to beat a Power 5 team since making the switch to FBS at the start of the Playoff era. But fresh off a 10-win season, Georgia Southern ranks No. 19 in percentage of returning production with at least 75% of its production back on both sides of the ball. Chad Lunsford earned himself a new contract after his second season. The Eagles’ top 25 scoring defense will try to pull a Troy in Baton Rouge.

5. UNC vs. South Carolina (in Charlotte)

I apologize but “return of the Mack” is just too great of a headline. With Mack Brown back in Chapel Hill, South Carolina will have a front-row seat for his debut. Unfortunately for Brown, he’s only back because Larry Fedora’s team was a 2-win disaster last year. I’m skeptical that Brown’s redemption tour is going to start off in grand fashion taking over a roster that won just 1 game against an FBS squad, but maybe some new life is exactly what the Tar Heels need.

4. Ole Miss vs. Memphis

These schools are close in proximity, and in my opinion, they’ll be close on the field too. It’s a bit like how we talked about Ole Miss’ 2018 opener against Texas Tech. That is, points on points on points. Only this time this is a true road game and the Rebels won’t have the likes of Jordan Ta’amu, A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf. Memphis has to replace its biggest star in tailback Darrell Henderson, but there’s a whole lot of talent back. Quarterback Brady White and 1,000-yard rusher Patrick Taylor Jr. and 1,000-yard receiver Damonte Coxie are return from an 8-win squad. There’s already buzz about this being a special season for the Tigers. Maybe it’ll have a special start.

3. Duke vs. Alabama (in Atlanta)

Last year, Alabama faced Louisville in the first game of the post-Lamar Jackson era for Louisville. This year, they’ll face Duke in the first game of the post-Daniel Jones era. Man, Bama just gets all the breaks. While the Crimson Tide likely would have dominated Jones, it is still David Cutcliffe with a ton of time to prepare. Perhaps he can find a way to survive an angry Nick Saban-led Alabama defense and get to double figures.

2. Miami vs. Florida (in Orlando)

I actually might be overrating Miami at No. 2. The Hurricanes have a first-year coach in Manny Diaz following the abrupt end of the Mark Richt era. It ended because the Canes were a preseason top 10 team that proceeded to beat just 2 Power 5 bowl teams. It’s tough to evaluate Miami without knowing what to expect from the well-traveled Tate Martell, but he does have the benefit of working with Dan Enos. And Miami is still loaded at linebacker coming off a year in which it posted a top 20 defense. Even though Florida is getting much more offseason buzz, Miami fans are apparently feeling pretty good about their chances in Orlando.

1. Oregon vs. Auburn (in Dallas)

I nearly put Oregon on the “teams getting too much love in the post-spring polls” list that I came out with last week. But while I’m not necessarily sold on Oregon as a lock to finish the season in the top 15, one has to like what’s working in their favor to start the year. Mainly Justin Herbert. Returning a top quarterback prospect from a 9-win team always fuels preseason buzz, as does Year 2 of a head coach after a decent first season. Oregon returns a lot of offensive production (73%), and it does have the makings of an on-the-rise program. The Ducks will give Auburn all it can handle to kick off 2019.