2012 SEC Football Schedule: 5 Games That Will Keep Spotlight on SEC

College football's best conference doesn't need any help staying in the spotlight.

The SEC has (well, will have) six straight national championships to its name and continually snaps up the top recruits on a yearly basis.

SEC football is simply the best football in the country. Because of this, it is also the toughest.

Here are five of the best games that will keep the spotlight on the nation's top conference.

Texas A&M vs. Florida and Missouri vs. Georgia: Sept. 8

The Aggies make their SEC debut playing host to the Florida Gators, and the Tigers make theirs at home against the Georgia Bulldogs.

This marks a new era in SEC football for the foreseeable future (barring anymore super-conference realignments), and both the Aggies and Tigers are in for a rough ride.

Yet this will be both programs' debut games in a new conference, and it will go down in the history books.

Georgia at South Carolina: Oct. 6

This early-season tussle could easily decide the SEC East in 2012. Georgia is going to be the heavy favorite to repeat as the East representative in the title game, but the Gamecocks will get star running back Marcus Lattimore back, and quarterback Connor Shaw will continue to develop.

These two teams were far and away the best in the division with the Bulldogs losing only one game and the Gamecocks losing only two.

Tennessee should make a stronger push with Tyler Bray back healthy, but this is the game that holds the SEC title game water.

LSU vs. Alabama: Nov. 3

The BCS national championship rematch will likely feature two of the favorites for the title once again.

Nick Saban will experience some losses to the draft this year, but he's consistently at the top of the recruiting game.

The Tigers, meanwhile, just reportedly landed themselves one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation, Gunner Kiel. With both Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee graduating, there is a good chance he could be the starting QB in this game if Zach Mettenberger doesn't put it together.

Naturally, this could be the game that decides the SEC West.

LSU at Arkansas: Nov. 24

If Alabama vs. LSU isn't the end-all be-all, it could be this battle between LSU and Arkansas.

The Razorbacks' only losses this year were to Bama and LSU, and although Bobby Petrino's team graduates a number of receivers, it will have quarterback Tyler Wilson and injured running back Knile Davis back on campus.

Arkansas will play the Tide on Sept. 15, and if it drops that game and goes on another tear, this game becomes even more important.

Alabama vs. Auburn: Nov. 24

As always, one of college football's best rivalries will take center stage in late November. Alabama could easily be in the hunt for another shot at a national championship, and we know the history of these two programs battling it out with those implications.

Auburn should retool quickly with a number of young talents, and it still has Michael Dyer's legs to lean on as well.

In the end, records matter little (although they're both usually very good) when these two take the field.

Complete Weekly SEC Schedule (via SEC Digital Network)

Aug. 30
South Carolina at Vanderbilt

Sept. 8
Auburn at Mississippi State
Florida at Texas A&M
Georgia at Missouri

Sept. 15
Alabama at Arkansas
Florida at Tennessee

Sept. 22
LSU at Auburn
Kentucky at Florida
Vanderbilt at Georgia
Missouri at South Carolina

Sept. 29
Ole Miss at Alabama
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
Tennessee at Georgia
South Carolina at Kentucky

Oct. 6
Mississippi State at Kentucky
Arkansas at Auburn
LSU at Florida
Georgia at South Carolina
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
Vanderbilt at Missouri

Oct. 13
Alabama at Missouri
Kentucky at Arkansas
Auburn at Ole Miss
Florida at Vanderbilt
South Carolina at LSU
Tennessee at Mississippi State

Oct. 20
Alabama at Tennessee
Auburn at Vanderbilt
South Carolina at Florida
Georgia at Kentucky
LSU at Texas A&M

Oct. 27
Ole Miss at Arkansas
Texas A&M at Auburn
Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Kentucky at Missouri
Tennessee at South Carolina
Mississippi State at Alabama

Nov. 3
Alabama at LSU
Missouri at Florida
Ole Miss at Georgia
Vanderbilt at Kentucky
Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Nov. 10
Texas A&M at Alabama
Arkansas at South Carolina
Georgia at Auburn
Mississippi State at LSU
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss
Missouri at Tennessee

Nov. 17
Arkansas at Mississippi State
Ole Miss at LSU
Tennessee at Vanderbilt

Nov. 24
Auburn at Alabama
LSU at Arkansas
Kentucky at Tennessee
Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Missouri at Texas A&M