2012 SEC Football Schedule: The Easiest & Hardest Roads to the BCS

The SEC is the first major conference to release its in-conference schedule. You can view all of the schedules on their official site.

As it is every year, some teams get a really easy road to the championship game and BCS while others get a schedule that is an absolute nightmare.

Here are the five easiest and hardest 2012 SEC schedules.

Easiest: Georgia

The Bulldogs could return a bunch of talent next season and if they do, they’ll almost be assured of at least a spot in the BCS with their ridiculously easy schedule. Their road games are at Missouri, South Carolina, Kentucky and Auburn with Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Ole Miss at home.

Only USC should present a real challenge out of that bunch but what’s more important is who they don’t play. Georgia misses Alabama, Arkansas and LSU, all of which could be in the Top 10. Expectations will be ridiculously high for this team with the schedule it got.

Hardest: Ole Miss

Texas is on the non-conference slate for the Rebels but their in-conference slate will be ridiculously tough. They get to play Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU all on the road. The home games are against Texas A&M, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

Hugh Freeze is going to have one rough ride in his first year as the coach of Ole Miss. Getting two conference wins should be considered an accomplishment.

Easiest: Vanderbilt

Like Georgia, Vanderbilt misses the heavy hitters from the SEC West and get Florida, Auburn and South Carolina all at home. The Commodores are on the rise with James Franklin as head coach and were dangerously close to having a special season this year.

With this schedule next year, odds are the program will be turning a corner in 2012.

Hardest: Mississippi State

It won’t be a fun year for SEC schools in the state of Mississippi next year. The Bulldogs get Alabama and LSU on the road—you can pen both of those with an “L”—and Auburn, Tennessee, A&M and Arkansas at home.

Bama, A&M, LSU and Arkansas come in consecutive weeks. They do miss Georgia, South Carolina and Florida from the East but the SEC West will still be the best division in college football. That string of games won’t be doing them any favors either.

Easiest: Arkansas

Yes, the SEC West is tough but the Razorbacks are one mean team at home which is where they get LSU and Alabama. Texas A&M is a neutral site and Auburn and South Carolina are both on the road but those are more or less manageable.

If Arkansas can find playmakers on defense and at wide receivers, it will have a serious chance to get to the SEC Championship game.