The SEC is the first convention in school football, according to many experts and enthusiasts, of course, so now, with no convention-only schedules, the SEC can be challenged like never before with games outside the convention this season.
In fact, a team like Alabama opens with Miami in an unbiased place. Boy, enthusiasts have been put at a disadvantage of games like this after the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The SEC has required each and every convention team to play at least one non-Power Five convention game according to the season, which is vital in determining the toughest schedules for the most productive school football convention in the country. “Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports wrote, “These games, combined with rotating games between SEC divisions, round-trip separations, and scheduled weeks off, can make or break entire seasons, regardless of a team’s skill or training. “
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Let’s dive into CBS Sports’ rating on the strength of the SEC’s schedule, starting with its simplest convention program.
Kent State, Colorado on the road, New Mexico and Arkansas are the 4 most sensitive games. If the Aggies are 4-0 at this point, point the finger at Jimbo Fisher. They’ll also have mississippi state at home, so we’re contemplating a 5-0 start for Texas A. S.
The Tigers can be very well 4-0 after their first 4 games and even 6-1 before the week off. They get central Michigan, Kentucky, southeastern Missouri, Boston College, Tennessee, North Texas and Texas A
Georgia is scheduled to open with Clemson in Charlotte, but the rest of the program is rarely so intimidating for one of the SEC’s favorites. They face UAB and South Carolina in the house right after, followed by Vanderbilt on the road and Arkansas in the house. With an away game opposing Auburn and then a date at home with Kentucky, the worst thing Georgia could go through throughout the week is 6-1. It’s hard to see them lose two games in this series and even if they do, they’re going to be firmly on the line of the SEC East crown. They also have Florida’s most productive competitor at home, followed by Missouri at home and then Tennessee on the road. Concluding with Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech isn’t the worst way to end the season either.
Opening the season at UCLA would likely not be an easy task for the Tigers, who are looking to bounce back from last season’s sharp fall from grace and prove they’re better on defense than what was shown in the 2020 campaign. Texas A
Are there six wins in Josh Heupel’s first season at the helm?Just maybe. Bowling Green, Pitt and Tennessee Tech are all at home in the first 3 games. Although they lost to Pitt, the Volunteers were 2-1 before moving to face Florida and Missouri. Ole Miss before traveling to face Alabama before the week off. Even if Tennessee has a 3-5 record at halftime, they can rack up a 3-1 record to end the normal season. A simple task, he faced Georgia at home, then played opposite home games to South Alabama and Vanderbilt. Five wins are probably realistic, however, six wins and an unsuccessful bowl game in 2021.
Clark Lea’s first season in Nashville will get ugly, but perhaps the Commodores can win an earlier win or two to avoid a winless campaign. Before opening the SEC game against Georgia on Sept. 25, Vanderbilt faced East Tennessee State, Colorado State and Stanford in games leading up to the tournament. Win two of them and confidence will be established early in a program that wants a positive boost. The only other opponent ranked after Georgia is Florida on the road on Oct. 9, but that doesn’t mean the remaining games are favorable. It will be attractive to see how the Commodores are a team in transition.
Where are the cupcakes? For Mike Leach and the Bulldogs, automatic wins are few this season. After opening in opposition to Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State faces a five-game routine over a six-week era that will come with warring parties playing in a bowl game last fall. . NCState and Memphis will be evaluated before the SEC’s list begins Sept. 25 against LSU.
Alabama will be the favorite in each and every game (most likely), but the schedule is a bit more complicated than other people think, hence their ranking in the middle of the group via CBS Sports. They started with Miami in Atlanta before returning home in Then they set out on their way to face the Florida Gators. This calms down with Southern Miss at home and at least they will have Ole Miss at home as well.
Florida remains in good condition with FAU at home, then South Florida on the road. They will then host Alabama and Tennessee before an appointment with Kentucky. Vanderbilt at home and LSU on the road finished the first seven games before the week. Even with a new offense led by a new quarterback, they’re still at least 5-2. They get a pass to prepare for Georgia and the schedule lightens up a bit with South Carolina on the road and Samford before facing Missouri. with the state of Florida, but at home, so the Gators could be in a return position for a run into the SEC naming game, but Georgia will be the swing game.
Lane Kiffin, one of the national underdogs entering the season as a marginal team in the top 25, knows there’s a fine line between good fortune and sadness in his season so far with the Rebels, according to the schedule. The weekend with Louisville, it can be a wonderful team in the ACC. Taking care of matters that oppose cardinals and rebels deserves to be the best before the nightmare component of the SEC. Opposing road games to Alabama and Auburn, as well as house fights with LSU and Texas A
Kentucky turns out to be doing well for 4 weeks with ULM, Missouri and Chattanooga at home followed through South Carolina on the road, but then they welcome Florida and LSU before heading to Georgia. Oh, man. They will rest before traveling to the state of Mississippi, welcoming Tennessee and traveling to Vanderbilt. The middle slate is the glove, but Kentucky may not be a favorite on the road either. They have at least the state of New Mexico at home before. A rivalry game with Louisville, but when the two renew their hatred for each other, it will be at Cardinal Stadium, which is no easy task for the Wildcats.
Fortunately for the Tigers, they would have the luxury of a couple of games before the schedule speeds up at Penn State in mid-September. Bryan Harsin’s first season on the Plains may be tough if neither side of football has figured out After the off-conference showdown at Beaver Stadium opposed to one of the most productive in the Big Ten, Auburn faces LSU and Georgia for back-to-back weekends in October and faces two Top 10 groups in the last month. : Texas A
South Carolina will be a double-digit loser in several games this season. Good news for the Gamecocks? External expectations are non-existent for first-year coach Shane Beamer given the schedule and return lineup for South Carolina, a program that has had some tough times and expects a new regime to advise shipping in the right direction. they will face 4 Top 15 groups in their inaugural campaign, adding opposite matchups to Clemson and Florida at home.
The SEC’s toughest schedule this season belongs to Arkansas. At some point, you’ll have to feel a little sorry for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks. No one in the SEC will, however, it is difficult to replace the direction of a suffering program when there are landmines week after week on the program. With five guaranteed games as opposed to the ranked groups and the option of 3 more, we’ll feel confident landing in the middle here and assigning the Razorbacks to play six games this fall versus the more sensible 25 : a dangerous task. It sounds like a damaged record because the Razorbacks faced one of the toughest schedules in the country for several seasons in a row as one of the lowest populations in the toughest division of school football. However, this program made great strides last fall under Pittman and seeks to return to respectability. But with away games opposing Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU and a war opposite Texas, the non-conference roster, 2021 may be lousy.