SEC Football: 7 Early-Season Games That Will Define the 2015 Landscape
You can't win a championship in September, but you certainly can lose one.
The first month of the 2015 SEC season features some incredibly intriguing games involving teams that have championship aspirations in both divisions.
Which SEC games during the first month of play will define the landscape of the season? Our picks based on the potential impact to the division title races and questions facing each team are in this slideshow.
7. South Carolina at Georgia, Sept. 19
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If Georgia is going to live up to its preseason hype, it's probably a good idea to get over the South Carolina speed bump when the Gamecocks roll into Athens during Week 3.
The Bulldogs have dropped four of the last five games against their border rivals to the East, including a devastating 38-35 loss last season in rain-soaked Columbia, South Carolina.
Georgia will likely be picked to win the SEC East when the assembled members of the media meet in Hoover, Alabama, next month. Holding serve against the Gamecocks will establish head coach Mark Richt's crew as the front-runner in the division.
For South Carolina, it's a chance to make a statement.
After a 7-6 season a year ago, the program has lost the luster it had when it reeled off three straight 11-win seasons from 2011 to 2013. If South Carolina, in the face of massive roster turnover, can go on the road and upset Georgia between the hedges, it will signal that the program hasn't taken a step back and is still a force to be reckoned with in the East.
6. Mississippi State at Auburn, Sept. 26
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When Auburn and Mississippi State met last October in Starkville, it was one of the season's defining games.
The Tigers entered with the No. 2 ranking, while the Bulldogs chimed in at No. 3. When all was said and done, Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs sprung the 38-23 upset and vaulted to their first No. 1 ranking in program history.
Could payback be on the mind of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and his crew? You bet.
The multidimensional offense of Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen will give new Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp quite a test, while Auburn will have to deal with new Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
Both of these teams will already have already played LSU at this point of the season, and depending on what happens in those games, this could serve as an elimination game in the SEC West.
5. Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (in Arlington, Texas), Sept. 26
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For the second straight season, Arkansas and Texas A&M will meet at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. For everybody's sake, let's hope that it matches the excitement of last year's 35-28 overtime victory for the Aggies.
This year, though, there's more on the line. Arkansas is the trendy pick to make some noise in the SEC West after it shut out LSU and Ole Miss last November and then held Texas to what amounted to a lob wedge's worth of offense in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.
Texas A&M is ready to make some noise too. Head coach Kevin Sumlin orchestrated one of the offseason's most surprising coaching moves when he lured defensive coordinator John Chavis from LSU and also refocused on the running game by hiring offensive line coach/running game coordinator Dave Christensen.
Which one of these teams is truly a contender? One will walk out of Jerry World with a win, which will set the tone for the rest of the season.
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4. Auburn at LSU, Sept. 19
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Auburn made a statement in early October a year ago, when it throttled LSU 41-7 on the Plains. If head coach Gus Malzahn's crew is going to repeat the feat, it'll have to do it in Week 3 in the always-tough environment inside Death Valley in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers will have a breather in Week 2 against Jacksonville State, while LSU will be fresh off a road trip to the always-physical Mississippi State Bulldogs. Is Jeremy Johnson for real at quarterback? Which running back will step up behind him? Can the Auburn defense best an LSU offensive line that looks like it could be one of the SEC's best?
For LSU, this game will be a major statement one way or another. If it has a win over Mississippi State already under its belt, it's a chance to say "we're back" to the rest of the SEC West. If it dropped the game in Starkville, the Tigers will be in full-on desperation mode in Week 3 of the season.
It should be a fun afternoon in Death Valley.
3. Tennessee at Florida, Sept. 26
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For the last decade, Florida has had Tennessee's number. Even in last year's matchup in Knoxville, in which Vol fans "checkered Neyland" against a Gator team that was struggling offensively, the Gators found a way to win late thanks to the heroics of quarterback Treon Harris.
Is this the year that reverses the trend?
Tennessee has a loaded roster, an experienced quarterback and a stingy defense, while Florida has offensive line issues, a new head coach in Jim McElwain and a quarterback situation that's unstable at best.
Florida will have an SEC game at Kentucky under its belt, but this is the first true test for a Gators offensive line. Will it hold up against the stout Vols front seven? If it does, that bodes well for the future in McElwain's first season. If it doesn't, it could start another season of struggles in Gainesville and vault the Vols into legitimate SEC East contention.
2. LSU at Mississippi State, Sept. 12
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The LSU game put Mississippi State on the map in 2014, when quarterback Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs sped out to a big lead and then hung on late to spring the road upset over the Tigers.
Now the roles will be reversed, as Mississippi State is the "hunted," and LSU is the team in search of respect.
Both teams have cakewalks in the season opener, so the Week 2 matchup in Starkville will be loaded with intrigue and mystery.
Has Mississippi State plugged its offensive line holes? Will LSU's offensive line hold off the new-look Bulldogs front seven? Will anybody step up at quarterback for the Tigers?
A lot of those questions will be answered in this showdown between SEC West foes.
1. Ole Miss at Alabama, Sept. 19
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If you're looking for the SEC game that not only is going to define the early stages of the SEC West race but also has massive national title implications, look no further than the showdown between Ole Miss and Alabama in Week 3 in Tuscaloosa.
The Rebels sprung the upset on the Crimson Tide a year ago, and both programs will be mentioned prominently in the preseason top-25 rankings of virtually every publication.
Can Ole Miss run the ball against Alabama's fearsome front seven? Will Alabama's defensive backs hold down the talented Rebels wide receivers? Will the new-look Alabama offensive line keep the deep Ole Miss front seven away from its quarterback?
This game is loaded with intrigue, with the winner earning a leg up on the competition in the SEC West.
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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