After the Alabama-Florida State Chick-fil-A Kickoff game to open last season, it took awhile for ESPN’s College GameDay to return to the site of a game involving an SEC team.

Not until the Iron Bowl on Nov. 25 did the pregame show spotlight a game with an SEC team, but ESPN returned at the Rose Bowl between Georgia and Oklahoma, and of course, the National Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia.

It is sometimes difficult to figure how the college football decision-makers at the Worldwide Leader will choose where to go each week. Last year, there was the trip to Times Square, along with the FCS matchup between James Madison and Villanova.

With all that under consideration, here are the best options among SEC teams for a GameDay visit this season:

Week 1: Sept. 1, Alabama vs. Louisville at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

The defending national champion will meet Bobby Petrino, who will try to move on without 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, likely with Jawon Pass at quarterback. Another new face is former Notre Dame, Auburn and Georgia defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, the DC for the Cardinals. The game will be Alabama’s first outdoor, neutral site, regular-season game since 2007 in Jacksonville. The teams haven’t met since 1991 in Tempe, Ariz., in a game coached by Howard Schnellenberger and Gene Stallings.

Second option: Auburn vs. Washington in Atlanta

Week 2: Sept. 8, Clemson at Texas A&M

This is the first meeting since a home-and-home set in 2004 and 2005. The buildup will be Jimbo Fisher’s return to face an old ACC foe. Fisher and Florida State won four meetings over Clemson, while Dabo Swinney has five wins since he took over in 2009. Given the early nature of this game, advantage should go toward Clemson and its monster defensive line, as Fisher will need more time to install his system.

Second option: Georgia at South Carolina

Week 3: Sept. 15, LSU vs. Auburn

This could easily serve as an early barometer for the SEC West, and not to mention, this game has previously served as a hot seat update for either or both coaches. They’ve also split the past four meetings. Both are in many offseason Top 25 polls, and barring an early season stumble, should be one of the few Top 25 meetings that week. This is a light schedule week across-the-board in the SEC as several teams will suit up against lesser nonconference foes.

Second option: Colorado State at Florida

Week 4: Sept. 22, Texas A&M at Alabama

The meat of the conference schedule begins in earnest this week as there are just eight games on the slate. This is a chance for Jimbo Fisher to duplicate what Kevin Sumlin did early in his Aggie tenure: Pull off an upset in Tuscaloosa. Of course, Fisher and Saban have a coaching history in the early 2000s where Fisher learned how Saban pays attention to every detail in the program. Much of the early grades for Fisher’s first season will be how the Aggies fare against the elite teams of this era: Clemson and Alabama. Not so much win-loss at this point, but margin of result.

Other options: Georgia at Missouri; Florida at Tennessee

Week 5: Sept. 29, Florida at Mississippi State

This will receive extra attention if either or both teams are off to hot starts. New Florida coach Dan Mullen has already said he figures Mississippi State has raised enough money to pay the cowbell fine. Mullen is no stranger to this series as he coached in both games that were split in 2009 and 2010, including a Bulldogs win in Gainesville in 2010.

Credit: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

Second option: Tennessee at Georgia

Week 6: Oct. 6, LSU at Florida

This is deep enough into the season to learn how the new LSU offense under Steve Ensminger is faring. And if that isn’t enough to chew on, there should be plenty of Ed Orgeron coaching examples to dissect. The Tigers have controlled the series of late, winning six of the past eight meetings, including last season, 17-16. This is another chance for Mullen to take advantage of whatever institutional knowledge he has of the SEC West.

Second option: Auburn at Mississippi State

Week 7: Oct. 13, Georgia at LSU

These teams haven’t met since 2013, which seems like longer than five years ago, when Les Miles and Mark Richt were at the helms. Plenty has changed with both programs, and while both made coaching changes a couple of years ago, Georgia seems on the upswing, while the jury is out about the direction of LSU. The series is is 5-5-1 all-time in Tiger Stadium, including a 52-38 Georgia win in 2008. This will be Georgia’s third road game of the season, and it’s likely to be the most hostile home crowd. The teams have split the past eight meetings dating back to 2003 when the Tigers won both meetings that season, including 34-13 in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.

Second option: Texas A&M at South Carolina

Week 8: Oct. 20, Alabama at Tennessee

Another in a series of former Nick Saban assistants, this is predicated on Jeremy Pruitt’s turnaround speed in Knoxville. Surely, Big Orange faithful will expect this game to garner GameDay attention in years to come. This is one type of barometer game for a Vols program that has lost nine consecutive SEC games, including the 45-7 defeat to the Crimson Tide last season. This is another chance for the pregame buildup to tout that gaudy 12-0 Saban stat against former assistants.

Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Second option: Auburn at Ole Miss

Week 9: Oct. 27, Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville

Blind squirrels will be the topic du jour this week after Dan Mullen’s February National Signing Day comments about Georgia’s successful 2017 season. Georgia fans have already brought up the Bulldogs’ 31-3 win last season over Mullen’s Mississippi State team in Athens. And they know new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who was a one-time Georgia DC, had a troubled history against Georgia between his tenure with Mississippi State and Louisville. Kirby Smart’s Alabama defenses also excelled against Mullen’s Mississippi State offenses. While the Gators have controlled the recent series, with three wins in four meetings, momentum appears with the red and black at least for the near future.

Second option: Tennessee at South Carolina

Week 10: Nov. 3, Alabama at LSU

This is another game that purple and gold faithful envision returning to the marquee. But first, the Tigers must snap a 7-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide, which isn’t even the longest in the series. Alabama won 11 consecutive from 1971-81. Even last season, LSU entered on a 3-game winning streak — twice beating ranked teams — and still was a 3-touchdown underdog. The challenge will be not the LSU defense holding its own — it’s done that in recent years — but its offense getting more than field goals. QB Myles Brennan got a taste last season, and Orgeron famously said “we’re coming” after the latest defeat.

Second option: Texas A&M at Auburn

Week 11: Nov. 10, Auburn at Georgia

Plenty to chew on in this historic series after the scintillating games last season. It’s another reminder of the pressure on Gus Malzahn (more so now after that extension), and that knob returned to high after Georgia’s triumph in the SEC Championship rematch following the Tigers’ win on The Plains last year. Georgia’s won four of the past five in the series, and is 10-3 in the past 13. The all-time mark is 58-56-8 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Second option: Mississippi State at Alabama

Week 12: Nov. 17, Arkansas at Mississippi State

The Bulldogs have controlled the recent series, winning 5 of 6, including a 4-game streak from 2012-15. This will be a tale of the growth of first-year coaches, and if the Bulldogs can be a true dark horse contender in the SEC West. It also will be enough time to measure how successfully the Hogs have adapted to Chad Morris’ faster-paced attack. Another weak nonconference slate across the board makes it a difficult choice as most teams are taking a breath to gear up for their arch-rival next week.

Second option: Missouri at Tennessee

Week 13: Nov. 24, Auburn at Alabama

This might be the easiest pick of the season only for the sure bet that at least one of these teams — arguably both — could be in the running for the College Football Playoff. Seemingly each time Alabama gets some momentum in the series, Auburn snuffs it out. Case in point: Last year’s 26-14 Auburn win — its largest margin of victory in the Iron Bowl since winning 49-26 in 1969 — snapped an Alabama 3-game winning streak in the series and was Auburn’s third win in 10 meetings. This game usually is must-watch, even for the casual college football fan.

Second option: South Carolina at Clemson