SEC Football Preview '07: The Schedule

Now we look at the best, worst, and weirdest aspects of the 2007 SEC schedule.

Best schedule: LSU

What's the "best" schedule look like? Is it the most exciting? It is the hardest? Actually, we're going to go with "most favorable." And there's no question LSU wins in this department. With their out-of-conference matchup against Virginia Tech in the second week of the season -- played at night in Baton Rouge -- the Tigers have an opportunity for a fast start. Knocking off Virginia Tech would be an early feather in the cap for LSU. (Actually, let's avoid that metaphor -- Les Miles' baseball cap is already huge.)

LSU gets South Carolina, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas at home in 2007, and they're all scheduled to start at 8:00PM (note: the Arky kickoff is still TBA). Night games in Death Valley are about as fun as pulling fingernails with pliers for opponents unlucky enough to get this draw. Barring early losses, LSU will be favored to win every one of those games.

Their toughest away matchup will be @ Alabama where they face their new arch-nemesis and former head coach, Nick Saban. They'll also play @ Kentucky, @ Mississippi State, and @ Tulane -- and that's it.

This is a far cry from an easy schedule. LSU will be facing a minimum of five Top 20 teams, possibly as many as seven, and the road to the BCS National Championship game will be long, hard, and require luck as well as talent, skill, and hard work. But in the SEC, this is as good as it gets. Tiger fans will be disappointed with anything less than appearance in the title game.

Worst Schedule: Tennessee & South Carolina

Call it the worst/toughest schedule if you like, but it's also one of the most exciting. Tennessee starts their season, as they did last year, against Cal. Difference is, this time they'll be playing in Berkeley at the historic Memorial Stadium... and no doubt the Golden Bears are anxious to atone for their 35-18 whipping at the hands of the Vols in 2006.

After their visit to the west coast, the Vols will enjoy a brief respite, going against Southern Miss at home on September 8th. Then they hit the road again, traveling to the dreaded Swamp in Gainesville, where the Gators have enjoyed a 2-0 edge on the Rocky Top boys since Urban Meyer took over the helm in 2005. The Vols' road campaign will include @ Mississippi State, where Fulmer sweats through a potential (though unlikely) Crooming, @ Alabama (blood rivalry since Fulmer snitched on Bama for NCAA violations), and @ Kentucky, which will not be a pushover in 2007.

We give the nod to the Vols for their rocky road trip, but we'll also salute South Carolina for their pot-hole filled path to a possible SEC championship. Spurrier's Gamecocks' first two SEC matchups are @ Georgia and @ LSU. After taking on Mississippi State (no danger of a Crooming here!) and Kentucky, they travel to North Carolina, which could be a most interesting matchup now that Butch Davis holds the reins of the Tarheel football program. USCe, as I affectionately call them, then butt heads with the Vols @ Tennessee, and face Darren McFadden and his Razorbacks @ Arkansas. South Carolina does draw Florida at home, but the Gators will start the season as a Top 5 team and will likely arrive as a Top 10 or better team. Finally, South Carolina's annual grudge match with Clemson will be played in Columbia.

That's downright scary for both the Vols and the Visors, er, I mean, the Gamecocks.

Best Game: Alabama vs. FSU, September 29

Kudos to athletic directors Mal Moore and Dave Hart for making this happen. This promises to be one of the most anticipated games of the season for both teams. FSU will take on the Tide in Jacksonville, a neutral turf that should, in theory, favor the Seminoles. But Alabama's fans travel impressively, so expect to see at least as many crimson shirts as you do garnet and gold. Both the Tide and the 'Noles are football superpowers, although Alabama has more of a traditional edge while FSU is known for their strong run in 90s. Both teams are attempting a renaissance of sorts; both bring in new coaching staffs and new offensive philosophies. It's anyone's guess, at this point, who will be favored by the time the teams kick off. It's an SEC vs. ACC pride match, so expect to see most if not all SEC fans avidly rooting on the Tuscaloosa squad.

Personally speaking, I can't wait to see how Nick Saban matches up against one of the all-time coaching legends, Bobby Bowden. Also intriguing is that Jimbo Fisher, now the 'Noles' OC, came from LSU, where he worked for Saban before Les Miles took over in '05.

It's been 33 years since the Tide last played Florida State. FSU is 0-2-1 against Alabama, the tie coming in 1967, 37-37 in Birmingham, Alabama. FSU was the visiting team in all three games.

Weirdest Game: Oklahoma State @ Georgia, September 1st

This isn't terribly weird, I suppose, but you have a good Big XII team taking on a good SEC team to open the season, which isn't typical.

Georgia has played Oklahoma State twice before, in 1946 and 1947. They won both games, but Oklahoma State wasn't particularly good either year, winning only 3 games in '46 and 3 more in '47.

Maybe Georgia can shake a few million extra bucks out of OSU mega-alum Boone Pickens for some athletic facilities improvements while they're at it. Why not? Like Jerry Jones, Pickens apparently "just loves college football." (Psst: early pick, Georgia by a field goal.)

Taking On the Out-of-Conference Scheduling Criticisms

It's the first thing you hear out of the mouth of an anti-SEC'er: teams who play in the Southeastern Conference won't schedule tough out of conference games.

As someone who writes about and follows SEC and college football on a daily basis, I challenge that criticism on several levels.

For one, there's the old standby: the teams in the SEC are so good, that scheduling tough OOC opponents is tantamount to insanity for teams that wish to make a serious push for a national championship game bid.

There are six SEC teams ranked in the USA Today's Coaching Poll Top 20. Two are in the Top 5 (LSU, Florida), and three are in the Top 15 (Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee) while Arkansas comes in at #20. By comparison the Pac-10 has 3 teams (USC, Cal, and UCLA) in the same set and the Big Ten has 4. When you have that many top teams pounding at each other week in and week out, bringing in Top 20 opponents from out of conference just isn't necessary. The strength of schedule needed to make a run for a BCS bowl is there.

But in '07 the SEC has seemingly gone out of its way to bring top matchups to the college football fan. Two time national champion FSU (#21) will play two SEC teams in '07. Virginia Tech (#9), Missouri, West Virginia (#6), Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Clemson, Louisville (#11), and Cal (#12) round out the top-tier OOC slate.

The fact is, the SEC is tough both inside and out. It will be a miracle if any team in the conference survives their schedule unscathed. But if anyone has the best chance, it's LSU.