The SEC is known for playing a cupcake nonconference schedule. Of course, most of this narrative probably comes from the late-season FCS or low G5 scheduled game that most SEC schools play while the rest of the nation is in the middle of their conference schedule.
For example, last year, Kansas vs. Kansas State and North Carolina faced off against Clemson, LSU faced off against Georgia State, Ole Miss went against UL Monroe, and Alabama battled against the feared Chattanooga Mocs.
For non-SEC fans, this is an opportunity to attack their credibility and diminish their strength of schedule, and to an extent, it works, at least when talking about non-conference games.
SEC Plays a Comparable First Three Games
The SEC is one of the only conferences with an eight-game schedule. Most conferences play a nine-game schedule, meaning they get three nonconference games, while the SEC gets four. For the first three games, the SEC measures up pretty well with the other conferences following the ABC model: one FCS, one G5, and one P4 opponent.
So whether you believe the SEC should play the late-season cupcake nonconference games or not, fans should at least acknowledge that, for the most part, the SEC does play quite a few great non-conference opponents.
Here are five that every college fan needs to tune in for.
5. Notre Dame vs Texas A&M – Week 1
Notre Dame doesn’t play against SEC squads very often. This will be the first regular-season matchup between the Fighting Irish and the SEC since the 2019 season when they faced off against Georgia. This may not seem like a big deal until you remember that Notre Dame is an Independent team, meaning they don’t have a conference. It is interesting that none of their 12 non-conference games (essentially) has been against an SEC school in five years.
This matchup will be very interesting because Notre Dame is probably the better team, but this game will take place in College Station in week one, meaning the crowd will be even more hyped than normal. Both teams will be able to make a statement early in the season, and the winner will likely go on to start at least 5-0 and be ranked in the Top 10 as neither of them will face a real test again until their sixth game.
4. USC vs LSU – Week 1
This game would be ranked much higher if it were later in the season. On paper, it is a top-three non-conference matchup in the nation, but there are a few reasons it gets pushed back a bit, even for just the SEC games.
The main one is that it occurs on Sunday. Yes, the ratings will be huge, and it is a fun one-off to play on a Sunday, but it won’t have the college football feel to it. Sometimes the best games are largely built up because they are talked about on College Gameday, previewed throughout other games, and then finally played. This game will sort of just happen, killing some of the hype, at least for casual fans.
The other reason this game drops some is because the loser is going to be given a lot of grace later in the year. Both teams will have a new starting quarterback and tons of new starters. Neither team is going to be polished or ready to go. The loser of this game may be completely forgiven at the end of the season when the final rankings are being put out.
3. Florida vs Miami/UCF/Florida State – Week 1/5/13
Florida has been struggling lately in the SEC, but they have self-proclaimed that they are still the best team in the state, leaning heavily on the SEC logo on the uniform. While Florida State certainly has the case (and should be considered) as the best team in the state, UCF, and Miami have both been claiming that they are actually the second-best team rather than third and fourth.
Of course, UCF beat Florida in 2021, but the scales weren’t fair then. UCF was a G5 school, and Florida had just passed the SEC. UCF was motivated, while Florida didn’t want to be there. That won’t be a concern this time around.
Miami will be a tough game at the start of the season because it always seems like Miami starts off hot and then fizzles (or doesn’t kneel the ball) later in the season.
Florida State will be a challenge, but it may also be a game to get bowl-eligible. Looking at Florida’s schedule, it may be tough for them to get to six wins before the last game of the season, so this game has the potential to be huge.
When it’s all over, we will have much more clarity on the ‘Power Rankings’ of the four P4 teams in the state of Florida. And who knows, maybe a 6-6 Florida will matchup against a 9-3 South Florida in the Boca Raton Bowl?
2. Alabama vs Wisconsin – Week 3
Alabama hadn’t played a true road game outside of the current SEC footprint exactly 0 times since 2011 when they traveled to Happy Valley to take on the Penn State Nitty Lions. Yes, they played at Texas in 2022 when Texas was still in the Big 12, but that was still the SEC footprint. Last year, they played at South Florida, but the crowd was more Alabama fans than USF fans, so that doesn’t count either; plus, it’s still sort of in the SEC footprint (yes, technically more south).
This will be the first time in 13 years that Alabama is going to travel north, face off against a team in a true road test, and not be familiar with their surroundings at all.
This will also be a great matchup as it will be the first real test for Kalen DeBoer and the new-look Crimson Tide. Will they hold up against Wisconsin’s very physical play style on the road? Also, did we mention the game starts at 11:00 AM local time? Alabama doesn’t play big games at 11:00 AM; that’s a Big 10 thing.
1. Texas vs Michigan – Week 2
In what was ultimately one play away from the 2023-24 National Championship game, Texas will travel to Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines in an early-season matchup. This game will be an excellent matchup of two teams, and it should showcase Texas’ elite offense against the stingy Michigan defense.
Similiar to the Alabama vs Wisconsin game, Texas should be the better team, but again a long road trip on the road could become a factor. Unlike Alabama, Texas is used to big-time early kickoffs, so that likely won’t be an issue.
Outside of Ohio State vs. Michigan, this may be the most watched regular-season game of the college football season.
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