SEC Football: Most Intriguing Conference Games in 2015
It's been more than three months since the SEC released its full conference slate for the 2015 season, but at the time, it was far too early to start looking ahead to the next year's games while the current season was still playing out.
Not anymore. It's the offseason, time for plenty of advance analysis, as well as planning, in case anyone is interested in putting together an SEC road trip next fall.
With 12 teams making bowls in 2014, including all seven from the West Division, 41 of the 56 matchups will involve foes that had winning records. Only one game, when Kentucky visits Vanderbilt on Nov. 14, will pit teams with losing records against each other.
Which games stand out more than others? Check out our list of the 12 most intriguing SEC conference games in 2015.
Alabama at Georgia
1 of 12
When: Oct. 3
Last meeting: Dec. 11, 2012 (Alabama won 32-28 vs. Georgia in SEC title game)
Despite being founding members of the SEC back in 1932, Alabama and Georgia haven't faced each other in more than two consecutive years since the mid-1960s. And if not for the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs squaring off in the conference championship three seasons ago, this would be their first meeting since 2008.
They would have met in last year's title game, had Georgia managed to avoid either its loss at South Carolina or to Florida. And because they're both in the top half of Bleacher Report's Super Early Top 25 for 2015, they could end up playing twice this season.
As one of the earliest league games on the slate—Georgia will have visited Vanderbilt and hosted South Carolina, while Alabama opens with Ole Miss—the winner will get a huge boost in its division title quest.
Ole Miss at Florida
2 of 12
When: Oct. 3
Last meeting: Sept. 27, 2008 (Ole Miss won 31-30 at Florida)
Kentrell Lockett had a solid career at Ole Miss from 2006-11, getting named captain twice, but shoulder and knee injuries kept the defensive end from getting drafted.
Still, his name will forever go down in Rebels history for what he did the last time Ole Miss played in The Swamp in Gainesville. Florida had just scored what would have been a game-tying touchdown, but then Lockett blocked the extra point with three minutes, 28 seconds left to give Ole Miss a 31-30 victory.
That would be the only game Florida lost that season en route to its second national title in three seasons, while Ole Miss went 9-4 in Houston Nutt's first season.
Arkansas at Tennessee
3 of 12
When: Oct. 10
Last meeting: Nov. 12, 2011 (Arkansas won 49-7 vs. Tennessee)
For most of the SEC teams that made bowl games that season, it was expected. For Arkansas and Tennessee, it was more of a hope after several down years.
Then the Razorbacks and Volunteers went out and had two of the conference's most impressive postseason results, with Arkansas blowing out Texas in the Texas Bowl and Tennessee handily downing Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Despite each finishing with 7-6 records, both teams head into 2015 with a wave of new hype to go with that pre-existing hope.
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LSU at South Carolina
4 of 12
When: Oct. 10
Last meeting: Oct. 13, 2012 (LSU won 23-21 vs. South Carolina)
While whether LSU or South Carolina will contend for its respective division title might depend on how these last few days of recruiting goes, there's no doubt this game will be among the most anticipated of the 2015 season.
How the teams are doing will actually be the footnote to the real story: a matchup of two of the SEC's best (and most colorful) coaches.
"It doesn't get better than the Mad Hatter, Les Miles, against the Head Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier," wrote Bryan Fischer of NFL.com. "This one is worth tuning into just for the halftime and post game interviews."
The legendary coaches have met three times before, with Miles' Tigers taking all three from Spurrier's Gamecocks.
Auburn at Kentucky
5 of 12
When: Oct. 15
Last meeting: Oct. 9, 2010 (Auburn won 37-34 at Kentucky)
Kentucky is one of two SEC teams (along with Vanderbilt) that are coming off a losing season, with the Wildcats falling apart down the stretch with six straight losses after a 5-1 start to 2014. It could be a bit of slipped script next year, as Kentucky's tougher games are toward the beginning while it has a chance to end on a win streak.
Smack dab in the middle is a Thursday night affair against Auburn, a game that will get national TV exposure and put on display the $110 million renovation to Commonwealth Stadium. It can also be the best opportunity to see if Mark Stoops has what it takes to turn around this program.
This will be the start of a two-game road trip for Auburn against vastly differing opponents. After this one, the Tigers have to travel to Arkansas nine days later.
Missouri at Georgia
6 of 12
When: Oct. 17
Last meeting: Oct. 11 (Georgia won 34-0 at Missouri)
Two years ago, Georgia could trace its inability to win the East Division to a surprising home loss to Missouri. Last season, the Bulldogs shut out the defending division champs on their own field yet still couldn't take the East because a few weeks later they were beat handily by rival Florida.
Who knows how the 2015 East Division will play out, but we do know this: The Georgia-Missouri game will factor into how things play out.
When Missouri was placed in this division by default in 2012 as a new member—it made more sense to have Texas A&M join the West—there was wonder whether the program would be able to establish rivalries with a slew of opponents that were all at least 400 miles away.
Now it's a matter of whether any of the older division members can hang with that newcomer to the west.
Alabama at Texas A&M
7 of 12
When: Oct. 17
Last meeting: Oct. 18, 2014 (Alabama won 59-0 vs. Texas A&M)
There were plenty of surprises during the conference schedule last season, but none of them might have been as surprising as when Texas A&M visited Alabama in mid-October. It wasn't the outcome as much as the final score.
59-0? Are you kidding me?
A&M had been on a downward trend after a 5-0 start, coming off back-to-back losses to the Mississippi schools where its defense continued to come up short. The Aggies offense still looked good, though...until it laid a goose egg in Tuscaloosa.
"I thought we were prepared," A&M coach Kevin Sumlin told the Associated Press. "I thought we had energy during the pregame warm-ups. Obviously the performance was extremely poor."
Though nowhere near as close as the previous two meetings since A&M joined the SEC, this series continues to be full of excitement and surprises. What will the next meeting, down in College Station, bring to the table?
Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)
8 of 12
When: Oct. 31
Last meeting: Nov. 1, 2014 (Florida won, 38-20, vs. Georgia in Jacksonville)
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party provided one of the biggest shockers of a game last season, with a reeling Florida team rolling over a seemingly superior Georgia. The result directly contributed to Georgia failing to win the East Division, while it seemed like the kind of victory that would save Florida coach Will Muschamp's job.
That ended up not happening, as an overtime loss two weeks later to South Carolina sealed Muschamp's fate.
Now it will be new Florida coach Jim McElwain's first chance to make a splash in Jacksonville, while Georgia's Mark Richt will be trying to avoid a second straight loss to the Gators.
Mississippi State at Missouri
9 of 12
When: Nov. 5
Last meeting: Sept. 22, 1984 (Missouri won 47-30 vs. Mississippi State)
Because it only gets to face one new opponent each season, Missouri will not have faced every SEC team until 2016, its sixth year in the conference. This season's new foe is Mississippi State, against whom the Tigers have only played twice before.
This first meeting in more than 30 years was deemed worthy of getting the last of the SEC's two weeknight games, and if Mizzou is going to win a third straight East Division title, this crossover game might be a key to achieving that success.
Because it's on a Thursday, each team will be coming in off a bye and then have extra time to prepare for tough games afterward. For Missouri, it's a meeting with BYU in Kansas City, while MSU gets a chance to avenge last season's loss to Alabama.
Alabama at Mississippi State
10 of 12
When: Nov. 14
Last meeting: Nov. 15, 2014 (Alabama won 25-20 vs. Mississippi State)
Ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history, Mississippi State's perfect season came to an end, and its playoff hopes began to dwindle after falling at Alabama last November. Now comes time for the rematch.
The Bulldogs ended up losing three of four after that 9-0 start, and the disappointing finish likely contributed to quarterback Dak Prescott's decision to return for his senior year.
"When I decided to come to Mississippi State, it wasn't about competing for a championship for one year or making a run for one year," Prescott told Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger. "It was about competing for championships and making this a program that's not a one-hit-wonder."
If Prescott's goals are to be met, beating Alabama will help that cause.
Alabama at Auburn
11 of 12
When: Nov. 28
Last meeting: Nov. 29, 2014 (Alabama won 55-44 vs. Auburn)
Two years ago, we had the Kick-Six. Last season, we had the highest-scoring Iron Bowl in series history.
If the 2015 version is even half as good as either of those last two meetings, we're going to be in for a great one. At the very least, this annual meeting between bitter rivals will likely once again determine who wins the SEC's West Division and impact one or both teams' national championship hopes.
Both Alabama and Auburn will have gone through significant roster changes since meeting last November. But based on the quality coaches and the talent level that each team has at its disposal, by the time they meet in the regular-season finale, both should be peaking.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
12 of 12
When: Nov. 28
Last meeting: Nov. 29, 2014 (Ole Miss won 31-17 vs. Mississippi State)
The Egg Bowl elevated itself from an intense in-state rivalry to one of national significance in 2014, with both Mississippi State and Ole Miss having breakout seasons that had them each in the playoff hunt for much of the season. But this game could feature a pair of losing teams looking for bragging rights or ones fighting simply to become bowl-eligible, and it would be no less entertaining.
Odds are, though, that when Ole Miss visits Starkville to end the regular season, either it or MSU will be needing a win to ensure a major bowl bid. Both may very well be in contention for such an invitation or for a spot in the SEC title game that Ole Miss has never played in and that MSU hasn't appeared in since 1998.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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