There are plenty of exciting matchups in the 2022 season, and the SEC is in the mix on several of them.

Of the 10 “must-watch” matchups noted by 247Sports, 4 of them involve at least one SEC team, and there are several obvious storylines involving former assistants facing off against head coaches who were their bosses. They are:

  • Cincinnati at Arkansas, Sept. 3
  • Georgia vs. Oregon, Sept. 3
  • Texas vs. Alabama, Sept. 10
  • Texas A&M at Alabama, Oct. 8

Cincinnati will get its latest shot at an SEC team after recent matchups with Georgia and Alabama. The Bearcats will have a lot of rebuilding to do as they lose QB Desmond Ridder, and their star-studded cornerbacks. But it’s still a strong non-conference matchup for the Razorbacks, who had a strong showing in that area in 2021. Arkansas will have another tough schedule, but the Bearcats will have this tough test, but could be favored in every remaining game on their schedule.

Defending national-champion Georgia opens in Atlanta against Oregon, and the Bulldogs will face a pair of familiar faces in Dan Lanning and Bo Nix. The former Auburn QB made his name against Oregon to start his career with the Tigers.

The Longhorns will get an early litmus test of the Steve Sarkisian era, as Texas will get a taste of the likes of Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. as Alabama looks to get back to the national championship game.

The annual Texas A&M-Alabama game will draw even more eyes because of the Aggies’ win last year, but also because of A&M’s recruiting wins in recent years. Alabama has won 13 straight home games, as its last loss coming to LSU during the 2019 season against LSU.