College Football 2011: Top 10 SEC Games for 2011

There's just nothing like turning on CBS and hearing Verne Lundquist say, "Oh baby." That's when you know there's about to be a battle between two fierce SEC teams, and that's college football at its best.

Like every year, the SEC is going to be tough and difficult to get through unscathed. The SEC East is South Carolina, Georgia or Florida's for the taking, while Tennessee will try to reassert itself in the picture.

As for the SEC West, well, it's pretty much wide open, with the exception of Ole Miss. Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt will be the weak links in the SEC, but being a weak link in the SEC means you're still dangerous.

The rest of the SEC West is ranked in the Top 25 in most preseason polls. Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State will all be very good teams this fall, so the race for the SEC West crown should be a good one.

There are a lot of good matchups and potential great games for this season, so picking the top 10 games of the season was quite a chore.

10. Alabama at Florida (Oct. 1)

In recent years, this game was always marked as the most anticipated game of the year, but with the emergence of South Carolina and the changing of the guard at Florida, things have changed. 

This is still going to be a great game because Florida will always be loaded with talent, but the Gators still have some questions, such as John Brantley, who underperformed at quarterback last season. On top of that, Urban Meyer is gone.

Alabama has questions at quarterback too, as A.J. McCarron will take the reins.

Even with those questions, it should be a tremendous showdown, plus you get to see Will Muschamp vs. Nick Saban.

Plus, Florida would really like to get the Tide back after the beating it took last year.

9. LSU at Tennessee (Oct. 15)

The only reason why this is in my top 10 is because of the way things ended in Baton Rouge a year ago when these two met.

Do you remember Derek Dooley's reaction after the game? You can bet your life that Dooley will have his players ready for some payback when LSU comes to town this season, which will make for a good, hard-hitting game.

8. Alabama at Mississippi State (Nov. 12)

Mark my words, Mississippi State will ruin someone's season this year. State is on the verge of being a legit SEC contender under the leadership of Dan Mullen, but it's still not there yet.

I don't expect the Bulldogs to win the West, but I do expect them to cause heartache and frustration for an SEC powerhouse. Coming off a huge game against LSU, Alabama better bring its "A" game when it enters cowbell country.

7. Florida at LSU (Oct. 8)

Before Alabama vs. Florida was the game every SEC fan wanted to see, the LSU vs. Florida game was the game SEC fans couldn't miss.

Remember the epic clash these two teams had at Tiger Stadium in 2007? Games between these two are usually tight and come down to the wire, and I expect nothing less when these two meet in Death Valley.

If you watch the video, note that the song is by Lil Wayne, and as Zach Galifianakis (Alan of The Hangover) would say, his language is offensive.

6. Florida at South Carolina (Nov. 12)

No. 6 and No. 5 on my list were really tough to place in order, as both carry heavy weight as to who will be the SEC East champion.

I believe South Carolina is a lock to be one of the two best teams in the division, so the real question will be who's better out of Florida and Georgia? You could argue either way, but as we all know, having a talented, experienced quarterback is everything in this league, so I chose to put the Georgia-South Carolina game higher on my list.

5. South Carolina at Georgia (Sept. 10)

Are the Bulldogs back? Does Mark Richt have another special season up his sleeves?

Georgia is returning who many believe is the best quarterback in the SEC in Aaron Murray but has lost the likes of A.J. Green and Washaun Ealey.

Georgia is also bringing in a brilliant recruiting class that will help its cause, and South Carolina still has questions at quarterback.

This should be the best game the SEC East has to offer this year.

4. Alabama at Auburn (Nov. 26)

It's the Iron Bowl, and things are almost sure to get heated this time around.

The Tide will be playing for a national championship berth, while Auburn will have revenge on its mind for poisoning the oak trees.

It was one of the best games of the season last year, as Auburn fought back to capture the win and SEC West. It should be a classic Gus Malzahn vs. Nick Saban battle, and I can't wait to see it.

3. Arkansas at LSU (Nov. 25)

When these two play, you can almost guarantee the game will come down to the last few possessions to decide a winner. 

Arkansas will have the most exciting offense in the SEC, as it has the best wide receiving corps in the nation. LSU will have an exciting defense, as its secondary is second to none. This matchup has the makings of another Golden Boot classic.

Here's highlights of their classic triple overtime game in 2007.

2. Arkansas at Alabama (Sept. 24)

There's no other way of putting it than the Hogs blew it last year against the Tide. They had Alabama on the ropes and with dumb turnovers let Alabama capture the victory.

Bobby Petrino remembers that, and he also knows that his Razorbacks have a chance to win the SEC with the talent returning. I look for the Tide to test Arkansas' weakness at cornerback, resulting in a good old-fashioned shootout.

1. LSU at Alabama (Nov. 5)

Is there any other choice? The media has already proclaimed that the winner of this game will go on to play for the national championship, and I really can't disagree.

Both teams are extremely similar with playmakers on the outside, a strong backfield, a defense that will keep them in every game and a weakness at quarterback. The lights will be bright when these two play, and you can guarantee the world will be watching.