SEC Football: 15 Most Anticipated Games for 2015 Season
Every week is a battle in the SEC, and the 2015 slate of games provides what amounts to a generous Christmas list of matchups that will please college football fans.
From traditional conference rivalries like the Iron Bowl and the Egg Bowl, to intriguing out-of-conference matchups like Wisconsin vs. Alabama and Auburn vs. Louisville, the SEC schedule is loaded with fantastic games.
Which games are the most anticipated? Our picks based on national importance, intrastate power and where games land on the schedule are in this slideshow.
Just Missed the Cut
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You can't have 25 games in a top-15 list, and several important matchups in 2015 just missed the cut of our most-anticipated games of 2015.
Which ones are on the outside looking in?
- South Carolina vs. North Carolina
- Texas A&M vs. Arizona State
- Auburn at LSU
- Texas Tech at Arkansas
- Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
- Mississippi State at Auburn
- Tennessee at Florida
- Missouri at Georgia
- Auburn at Texas A&M
- Ole Miss vs. LSU
- Georgia at Auburn
- Clemson at South Carolina
- Texas A&M at LSU
- Georgia at Georgia Tech
15. Arkansas at Alabama, Oct. 10
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On a sloppy track in Fayetteville last year, Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen had the ball late with a chance to win. But an ill-advised pass over the middle was picked off by Alabama's Landon Collins with 1:59 left to preserve a 14-13 win for the Crimson Tide.
This year, Arkansas is hungry for a win.
The Razorbacks shut out LSU and Ole Miss in November and then throttled Texas in a bowl game to generate a ton of offseason momentum. Meanwhile, Alabama will enter Year 2 of the Lane Kiffin experience on offense and will undoubtedly put the game in the hands of running backs Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake.
This will be an old-school, smashmouth slugfest immediately following tough games for both programs. Alabama will be coming off its road trip to Georgia, while Arkansas will be back on the road after a week on Rocky Top.
14. LSU at Mississippi State, Sept. 12
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Last year's stunning win over LSU put Mississippi State on the map, as the Bulldogs used it as a springboard to a 10-win season and a berth in the Orange Bowl for the first time since January 1941.
This year, the roles will be reversed.
The two SEC West foes will square off in Starkville in Week 2 in a game that LSU desperately needs to win to reestablish the program as an SEC West contender. Meanwhile, Mississippi State will be facing its first real test of the season with a ton of holes to fill against an LSU squad that is loaded with potential.
This game will set the tone for both teams in 2015, and it should be a fantastic early-season game in the SEC.
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13. Auburn vs. Louisville (in Atlanta), Sept. 5
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Auburn's new-look offense under quarterback Jeremy Johnson will open the 2015 season inside the Georgia Dome in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against a Louisville defense that finished sixth in the nation with 308.5 yards allowed per game and 11th in yards allowed per play at 4.75.
Or, to put it more simply, the unstoppable force will meet the immovable object.
Johnson will usher in a more balanced attack on the Auburn offense. With wide receivers D'haquille Williams, Ricardo Louis, Melvin Ray and others in the mix, expect Johnson to stretch the field and test the Cardinals secondary early and often.
This matchup will provide a fantastic gauge for both teams, as they look to contend for their respective conference crowns.
12. Ole Miss at Auburn, Oct. 31
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Ole Miss and Auburn provided one of the most thrilling games of the 2015 season a year ago, with Auburn prevailing in Oxford and keeping their national title hopes alive for another week.
This year, both should be in the national title discussion again when they meet on the Plains for a Halloween matchup.
Ole Miss returns a loaded roster that includes one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country, an impressive receiving corps and a defense that's stacked front to back. Meanwhile, Auburn will be two months in to the Jeremy Johnson era at quarterback, which means that its offense should be cooking at a high level coming in.
This game will serve as a de facto elimination game in the SEC West. The winner will still have a chance, but the loser will likely be out.
11. Arkansas at Tennessee, Oct. 3
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Tennessee and Arkansas are both receiving copious amounts of preseason hype this year after 7-6 seasons, and luckily, we'll get to see which one is for real in 2015 as the two will play a cross-divisional game in Knoxville in early October.
The game falls in the middle of a tough stretch for the Hogs, who host Texas Tech and play Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, the two weeks prior to the trip to Rocky Top. The Vols will be coming home fresh off a road trip to rival Florida—a team that has had their number for the last decade.
It should provide a fantastic measuring stick for both programs, as they look to jump back into division contention.
10. LSU at Alabama, Nov. 7
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When LSU and Alabama meet on the gridiron, it's always a battle.
The two SEC West juggernauts play a similar, pro-style, smashmouth brand of football. Typically both are in the hunt for the SEC West in early November and routinely participate in the national title conversation.
As is typically the case, the Tigers and Tide will have two weeks to prepare for this season's showdown in Tuscaloosa.
At that point, Alabama should have a quarterback with plenty of experience under his belt, and LSU should—if all goes according to head coach Les Miles' plan—have either Anthony Jennings or Brandon Harris entrenched as a starter.
The LSU-Alabama game is the SEC's version of a 12-round heavyweight fight, and it's always one of the most anticipated games of the season.
9. Alabama vs. Wisconsin (in Arlington, Texas), Sept. 5
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Who will play quarterback for Alabama in 2015? That question will be answered inside AT&T Stadium against Wisconsin, as Alabama will open the season deep in the heart of Texas against the always-physical Badgers.
Jake Coker seems to have a slight lead on David Cornwell and others heading into fall camp, and there's a decent chance that head coach Nick Saban will keep his quarterback situation shrouded in secrecy heading into the opener—just as he did last year.
Whoever takes the first snap, they'll be going against a Wisconsin team that is always physical up front and knows how to generate pressure on quarterbacks. It should be a fun matchup in Jerry World that serves as a gauge for both programs as they head into conference play.
8. Tennessee at Alabama, Oct. 24
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The "Third Saturday in October" rivalry between Tennessee in Alabama will take place on the fourth weekend of the month this year, but semantics won't take away from this year's showdown between the Vols and Tide in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama boasts that SEC title from a year ago, and Tennessee's roster is finally back to a point where it should be able to contend for that trophy in Butch Jones' third year as head coach.
This game will have it all. Bragging rights are obviously at stake for the two rivals, but it will also be an enormous game in not only the SEC title race, but the national title race.
7. Ole Miss at Mississippi State, Nov. 28
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Ole Miss topped Mississippi State last year in Oxford, despite an injury-depleted roster that struggled for consistency down the stretch.
This year, the roles might be reversed.
Mississippi State is replacing a ton of holes on both sides of the ball, particularly in the defensive front seven and along the offensive line. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is absolutely loaded from top to bottom in its defense and has the third-most offensive line starts returning in the country, according to PhilSteele.com.
Who will take home bragging rights? This is always one of the fiercest rivalries in the country, and this year should be no different.
6. Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, Florida), Oct. 31
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The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (yes, we're still calling it by it's proper name) isn't just one of the best rivalries in the SEC, it's a can't-miss college football event that every fan of the sport needs to take in at least once.
This year, it should be quite interesting.
Florida came out of nowhere to pummel Georgia last year along the First Coast, and the Bulldogs will undoubtedly have revenge on their minds when the two meet on Halloween in 2015.
Georgia should be in the SEC East mix, and Florida will still be building under first-year head coach Jim McElwain. A win for McElwain will undoubtedly accelerate that process, and Georgia's Mark Richt will hope to delay that as long as possible.
This game has it all, and it should be incredibly fun in 2015.
5. Alabama at Georgia, Oct. 3
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The last time Alabama and Georgia met, it was in a de facto national semifinal in the 2012 SEC Championship Game, where the Bulldogs fell five yards short of a berth in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.
For the first time since 2008, we'll get to see the two square off in a regular-season matchup when they meet in Athens during the first weekend of October.
Georgia has a tune-up against Southern, and Alabama will feast on a Louisiana-Monroe-flavored cupcake prior to the meeting, which means both teams will be near full-strength for their matchup.
Who's a contender and who's a pretender? Are they both contenders? These 60 minutes at Sanford Stadium will answer those questions.
4. Oklahoma at Tennessee, Sept. 12
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Tennessee hung with Oklahoma for three quarters last year, but the game got away late. Still, it was an impressive showing for the young Vols, many of whom were making their first college road trips in a hostile environment.
Now, the Vols are experienced. They return a deep and talented defensive line, one of the most underrated secondaries in the nation, an established quarterback, a deep and talented wide receiving corps and four starters along the offensive line.
Week 2 will be a chance for the Vols to not only get revenge on the Sooners, but make a statement that they're back and should be considered a threat not only in the SEC East, but in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot.
Week 2 is typically a cakewalk in the SEC, but the Oklahoma-Tennessee showdown headlines a surprisingly solid slate of games.
3. Ole Miss at Alabama, Sept. 19
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Ole Miss shocked the world last year, when it sprung the 23-17 upset on then-No. 1 Alabama in Oxford, temporarily derailing the Crimson Tide's hopes for a College Football Playoff berth. Nick Saban got the last laugh, though, as his team ran the table the rest of the way, won the SEC and earned a spot in the inaugural four-team event.
Despite that, there will be revenge on his mind on Sept. 19, when the Rebels roll into town looking to make it two in a row.
Alabama returns just two offensive linemen and will be going up against one of the best front sevens in the entire country. Ole Miss will be breaking in a new quarterback and hoping to find a between-the-tackles running game against a Bama front that will undoubtedly be up for the challenge.
It should be a fun early-season showdown in the SEC West in Tuscaloosa, with the winner earning "front-runner" status.
2. Georgia at Tennessee, Oct. 10
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Georgia and Tennessee have gone down to the wire in each of the last two seasons, despite Tennessee still recovering from the ill-fated Derek Dooley era in which he simply didn't recruit offensive linemen down the stretch.
Now, things have changed.
The Vols roster is loaded with talented players who have learned on the job over the last two seasons, and that experience should vault the program back into legitimate division title contention.
Division title contention is something Georgia is familiar with, and this year should be no different. This game will carry enormous SEC East title implications, with the winner establishing itself as the front-runner and the loser left fighting an uphill battle for the rest of the year.
1. Alabama at Auburn, Nov. 28
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It took more than two decades for the Iron Bowl to serve as the de facto SEC West title game, but when that finally happened, the intrastate rivalry delivered with the "Kick Six"—one of the most remarkable games in college football history.
For the second time in three years, the stakes will be the just as high.
Alabama's defense is loaded and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin proved last year that he can thrive even in the face of roster uncertainty. Auburn took steps to fix its defense by replacing Ellis Johnson with new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who should benefit from an offensive system that's capable of producing two-touchdown leads.
The two will meet on the Plains on the final weekend of the regular season, with SEC West and national title hopes on the line.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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