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Athlon Sports
One Game Every SEC Team Should Circle in 2024 College Football Season
By Joey Hickey,
2 days ago
College football is under two months away. We look forward to arguably the most anticipated college football season in history.
Several changes are set to take place. Among the changes is conference realignment, which places the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns in the Southeastern Conference.
The above change isn't even the biggest one for the SEC this year. The biggest change is the expanded College Football Playoff.
The SEC has long been known for its competitive nature, but the competition could be rewarded in the 12-team playoff. More and more college football analysts are giving credence to the idea that five teams from the conference could make the playoff.
One game could be the difference between reaching a team's goals and falling short. With that in mind, let's pick one game each SEC football team should have circled in 2024.
Alabama welcomes Georgia to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28. If anybody is going to beat the Bulldogs, it might have to be the Crimson Tide. Over the last three seasons, Georgia has lost just two games. Both times they lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC championship. A win for Alabama would solidify the Tide as a national title favorite in the upcoming season. It would be the Bulldogs' first regular season loss since November of 2020 against the Florida Gators.
Oct 21, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman reacts during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mississippi State won 7-3.
Arkansas' first SEC game is on the road against the Auburn Tigers. If the Razorbacks want to make a bowl game this year, they need to start the season with a handful of early wins. The Hogs should have an advantage at quarterback with Taylen Green that could nullify the Tigers' home field advantage. In addition, Auburn has a big game against Oklahoma next on its schedule after Arkansas. The Tigers might not be the game the Razorbacks usually circle, but this matchup might be a must-win game.
The easy pick here would be Alabama, who Auburn will certainly want to upset in the Iron Bowl. But if the Tigers want to reach their ceiling, especially when a 10-2 team can make the playoff, they need to be good at defeating Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams in the SEC. Hugh Freeze has famously done well at preparing teams for their biggest games only to see letdowns in lesser matchups. Auburn needs to beat teams like Kentucky, Missouri and Texas A&M to realize its potential.
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on before the game at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
There are several SEC games in which Florida will be the underdog this year. That said, if the Gators don't leave conference play confident, their season could unravel before it really gets going. The game against Miami could afford Florida momentum that could carry over to early games against Texas A&M, Mississippi State and UCF. Florida finishes the season with Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State. All of those teams should make a bowl game. Six of the seven teams are playoff contenders. Florida needs to make sure it wins the winnable games.
Apr 13, 2024; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Dominic Lovett (6) runs with the ball during the G-Day Game at Sanford Stadium.
Mady Mertens-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama.
Alabama likely believes Georgia is its most important game. Georgia could have the same feeling about the matchup. The Bulldogs have been the dynasty of college football the last three seasons. They have an opportunity to cement that belief with a resounding win in Tuscaloosa. It'll be easier said than done. Georgia later faces Texas and Ole Miss on the road. Should Georgia lose to Alabama, the other two contenders could knock the Bulldogs out of SEC title contention. It'll be a pivotal contest for both Alabama and Georgia on Sept. 28.
Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff (12) tossed a touchdown to Dane Key during the Kentucky Wildcats' Blue White scrimmage at Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Kentucky. April 13, 2024
Jeff Faughender&solCourier Journal &sol USA TODAY NETWORK
Ole Miss.
Kentucky has been a good football program for several years under head coach Mark Stoops. Its recent run of success has been highlighted by wins over Florida in recent seasons. To take the next step the Wildcats need to beat an SEC title contender to make an early impression. The Rebels usually don't lose in upset fashion, but recent matchups have been close between the two teams. Ole Miss has won each of the last three contests against Kentucky by three points or less. If the Wildcats want to make a push into the top half of the conference, this would be the game to make a statement.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly yells to a side judge during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the LSU Tigers 42-28.
LSU faces a favorable schedule that includes South Carolina (5-7), Arkansas (4-8), Florida (5-7) and Vanderbilt (2-10). There's an outside chance that the Tigers could go undefeated if they figure things out on defense. Even should they lose a couple games, LSU could still reach the playoff at 10-2. The team has proven it can beat Alabama in recent seasons. Why not prepare to beat the best team on your schedule again?
Mississippi State loses the majority of its starters from the 2023 season. Like Arkansas and Florida, it will need to start the season with early wins. There's a real chance the Bulldogs are 3-0 heading into the matchup against the Gators. Should they get to 4-0, the team will be positioned well for bowl eligibility and perhaps more success. A loss could put bowl hopes in jeopardy with games against Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss all on the schedule. The game against the Gators could be a make or break matchup for both teams.
Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) celebrates after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma.
Missouri is seeing playoff hype after going 11-2 and defeating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. To reach the playoff, the Tigers will need to go 10-2 again. Missouri has among the easiest schedules in the league with Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Arkansas coming off losing seasons in 2023. The Tigers also avoid Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee. Out of four big games against Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, it's likely that former Big 12 foe Oklahoma is the team Missouri has circled. Should they win, you can all but pencil in the Tigers to the College Football Playoff.
Usually Texas is Oklahoma's biggest game. Albeit, the Sooners will want to prove they can compete with the SEC's most storied program like the Longhorns did last season. Oklahoma should have the Alabama game circled. The timing of the game is advantageous for the Sooners. They face the Crimson Tide late in the year to allow first-year starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and new offensive line pieces time to gel. While Oklahoma could face early struggles, the team should be peaking by Week 13 with a rocking crowd there to support the Sooners. This year, Alabama could take precedence over Texas as Oklahoma's biggest game.
Not only can Ole Miss make the 12-team playoff after an 11-2 season in 2023, but it could make a run in the tournament. The Rebels face two big games against playoff contenders in LSU and Georgia. Even after adding big time portal transfers on the defensive line in Walter Nolen (Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (Florida), Ole Miss still might not match up well with Georgia. Head coach Lane Kiffin and company beat the LSU Tigers in thrilling fashion last year. If they do it again, an 11-win season and SEC title appearance are on the table.
South Carolina loses quarterback Spencer Rattler and key playmakers Juice Wells and Xavier Legette after not making a bowl game last year. If it wants to reach a bowl game this season, an early win over Kentucky would go a long way. The Gamecocks travel to face the Wildcats in Week 2 before hosting LSU in Week 3. A win over Kentucky would take pressure off the team in big matchups later in the year.
Tennessee will likely be favored in all but three games in 2024. The Volunteers will have to contend with Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma. Believe it or not, the Vols are built well enough in the trenches to beat all three. Nevertheless, it's a tall task to ask first-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to beat Georgia on the road. Tennessee had an elite pass rush in 2023 ranking No. 8 in the nation in sacks with 41. With Oklahoma replacing all five offensive line starters, Tennessee could have an opportunity to steal a win on the road. If they do, a 10-2 Volunteers team could make the playoff.
Sep 9, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) runs with the football against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Texas.
Texas A&M is a potential 10-win team in the SEC. The talent is there to compete, and the schedule is favorable. The Aggies will not face Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee or Ole Miss in 2024. While there are a couple of big games on the schedule for the Aggies, none are bigger than a first SEC matchup with the Longhorns at Kyle Field. With the next game taking place in Austin, Texas A&M can ill afford to risk starting 0-2 against Texas in the newly expanded SEC. This year's matchup will be one of the biggest games in the history of the rivalry.
Aaron E&period Martinez&solAustin American-Statesman- USA TODAY NETWORK
Oklahoma.
Texas has some significant games against Michigan, Georgia and Texas A&M. Even so, it needs to prioritize Oklahoma after losing to the Sooners in 2023. The game against Georgia will likely garner more attention. Certainly an upset win over the Bulldogs would have bigger implications. That said, its possible Texas would still have to face Georgia again in an SEC title rematch should they win the first game. Head coach Steve Sarkisian can ill afford to fall to 1-3 against Oklahoma with a loss this season. The Longhorns need to beat the Sooners.
Nov 25, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium.
Vanderbilt opens the season with the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Commodores need to win that game to have any shot at competing for a bowl game. After a 2-10 season in 2023, it might take early success for players to have any level of belief they can win in conference play. Beating one of the ACC's most well-known programs could go a long way toward getting players to buy in this season. Vanderbilt will look to start the season with an upset victory.
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