2011 College Football Schedule: LSU and the Toughest Slates in the SEC

Not all schedules are created equal, and teams in the SEC continuously find themselves at the short end of the stick. 

Before 2006, there was a strong argument against the SEC being the best conference in football.

USC of the Pac-10 was a legitimate powerhouse, and schools like Ohio State and Texas were keeping their own conferences relevant.

Then the SEC won five straight titles, and all prior arguments were reduced to an ignorant murmur. 

As we embark on 2011, the SEC will have an excellent chance at winning their sixth straight National Championship.

The only thing that could possibly end this streak will be the SEC teams themselves. Each team in the conference has to deal with powerhouses from the top to the bottom.

Each SEC’s team’s road will be full of obstacles and adversity. These five teams will have the toughest roads of them all. 

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5. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina opens their season against an improving ECU team, the same ECU that has beaten the Gamecocks in five of their last seven meetings.  

The Gamecocks have drawn Arkansas, Mississippi State and Georgia on the road in 2011.

Auburn, Florida and Clemson will provide difficult matchups at home.

South Carolina averaged more than 30 points per game last season, and they’ll have high expectations heading into 2011.  

However, ten of the Gamecocks' twelve opponents were in bowl games last winter. 

After winning the SEC East in 2010, Steve Spurrier’s squad should be a favorite to repeat in their division in 2011.

Even they’d admit that the toughest SEC teams are in the SEC West. On the western side of the conference, the Gamecocks face Mississippi State, Arkansas and Auburn.

They’ll feel the heat of both divisions.

Full Schedule

Sat, Sept 3 vs East Carolina
Sat, Sept 10 @ Georgia
Sat, Sept 17 vs Navy
Sat, Sept 24 vs Vanderbilt
Sat, Oct 1 vs Auburn
Sat, Oct 8 vs Kentucky
Sat, Oct 15 @ Mississippi State
Sat, Oct 29 @ Tennessee
Sat, Nov 5 @ Arkansas
Sat, Nov 12 vs Florida
Sat, Nov 19 vs Citadel
Sat, Nov 26 vs Clemson 

4. Auburn Tigers

If you’re grading teams by last year’s performance alone, Auburn’s non-conference games should result in easy victories.

However, games against Clemson and Utah State could give the defending champs a lot more trouble than one may expect.

These are two teams expected to be on the rise in 2011, so the youthful Tigers will need to show up ready to play.

If Auburn does handle their business out-of-conference, they’ll be lucky to do the same on the road against South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU.

All four of these games could give this young team a lot of trouble.

Their trip to Baton Rouge follows a game at home against Florida, which means Auburn could be recovering heading into LSU.

Auburn also has to deal with South Carolina and Arkansas on the road in consecutive weeks.

Even if they can keep things together throughout the course of the season, their home game against Alabama on November 26 could derail any hopes of a BCS bowl game.

Full Schedule

Sat, Sept 3 vs Utah State
Sat, Sept 10 vs Mississippi State
Sat, Sept 17 @ Clemson
Sat, Sept 24 vs Florida Atlantic
Sat, Oct 1 @ South Carolina
Sat, Oct 8 @ Arkansas
Sat, Oct 15 vs Florida
Sat, Oct 22 @ LSU
Sat, Oct 29 vs Ole Miss
Sat, Nov 12 @ Georgia
Sat, Nov 19 vs Samford
Sat, Nov 26 vs Alabama

3. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas will get the chance to show Texas A&M what it takes to play in the SEC on October 1.

That being said, the Aggies are no pushover. The Razorbacks also have to deal with Alabama on the road, and they head to LSU in the final week of the regular season.

The nation's fourth-best passing offense in 2010 will be without Ryan Mallet, so things could get chaotic in “The Natural State.” 

Matchups with Auburn, Mississippi State and South Carolina at home round out this ogre of a schedule.

The Razorbacks have a lot of talent returning from 2011, but they’ll probably take a step back following the loss of Mallett.

Their first true test doesn’t come until the final week of September at Alabama.

 Full Schedule

Sat, Sept 3 vs Missouri State
Sat, Sept 10 vs New Mexico
Sat, Sept 17 vs Troy
Sat, Sept 24 @ Alabama
Sat, Oct 1 vs Texas A&M
Sat, Oct 8 vs Auburn
Sat, Oct 22 @ Ole Miss
Sat, Oct 29 @ Vanderbilt
Sat, Nov 5 vs South Carolina
Sat, Nov 12 vs Tennessee
Sat, Nov 19 vs Mississippi State
Fri,  Nov 25 @ LSU

2. Florida Gators

Only four of Florida’s games come on the road, but three of them come at LSU, Auburn and South Carolina.

Their game against Georgia will be played at a neutral location, and they’ll have to face Tennessee and in-state rival Florida State at home.

The most difficult part of the Florida schedule comes with the order in which the games are played.

The month of October could prove detrimental as the Gators face Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia in consecutive weeks. 

If Florida can come out of 2011 with double-digit victories, Gator fans will have a lot to cheer about. 

Full Schedule

Sat, Sept 3 vs Florida Atlantic
Sat, Sept 10 vs UAB
Sat, Sept 17 vs Tennessee
Sat, Sept 24 @ Kentucky
Sat, Oct 1 vs Alabama
Sat, Oct 8 @ LSU
Sat, Oct 15 @ Auburn
Sat, Oct 29 vs Georgia
Sat, Nov 5 vs Vanderbilt
Sat, Nov 12 @ South Carolina
Sat, Nov 19 vs Furman
Sat, Nov 26 vs Florida State 

1. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers have the toughest schedule in not only the SEC, but all of college football.

They open their season against an Oregon Ducks team that averaged more than 537 yards of total offense per game in 2010.

The Ducks, led by returning Heisman-hopeful LaMichael James, won the Pac-10 in 2010 and ran the table until their meeting with Auburn in the National Championship game.

The 2011 Oregon squad features the same play-makers as 2010, so the Tigers will undoubtedly have their hands full.

If LSU falls to Oregon the first week of the season, they can all but kiss their BCS title hopes goodbye.

No team with a loss has played in the title game since the Florida Gators did it in 2008.

LSU must also endure matchups with Mississippi State, Alabama and West Virginia, all of which will take place away from Baton Rouge.

LSU is the only SEC team that has to deal with the West Virginia Mountaineers, who posted an impressive 9-4 record in 2010.

Home games against Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn, and Florida will also haunt them.

Les Miles’ 2011 squad will need to endure close games almost every week in order to improve on their (11-2), 2010 campaign.

It could be an exhausting season. 

 Full Schedule

 Sat, Sept 3 vs Oregon
Sat, Sept 10 vs Northwestern State
Thu, Sept 15 @ Mississippi State
Sat, Sept 24 @ West Virginia
Sat, Oct 1 vs Kentucky
Sat, Oct 8 vs Florida
Sat, Oct 15 @ Tennessee
Sat, Oct 22 vs Auburn
Sat, Nov 5 @ Alabama
Sat, Nov 12 Western Kentucky
Sat, Nov 19 @ Ole Miss
Sat, Nov 26 vs Arkansas

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