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For 12 hours every Saturday, SEC fans can plop themselves on the couch and tune into football games all day. No one wants to waste their time watching a boring game, though, so we ranked all 11 games that SEC teams are playing in this weekend. These rankings are subjective, but factor in league impact, how exciting and how close the games will be. Games are ranked on a 1-5 Georgia Dome scale (the site of the SEC Championship Game), with 5 being the most watchable game and 1 being the least.
5 Georgia Domes
Georgia at South Carolina: This game can go either way, and both are fun. In the last half-decade, this rivalry has had everything from shootouts to slugfests. Expect a good one in Columbia, S.C., as the SEC East hangs in the balance.
4 Georgia Domes
Tennessee at Oklahoma: The young Vols are making a big road trip in their first test of the season. Oklahoma can put up points, can Tennessee keep up? Add in Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops’ SEC trash talk and this becomes even more fun in prime time.
3 Georgia Domes
Arkansas at Texas Tech: Bret Bielema’s Hogs showed they’ve got some explosive ability on offense. If they can keep that up, we’re in for a shootout with the Red Raiders, who average 36 points per game. This is an early season turning point for Arkansas.
Kentucky at Florida: Yeah, the Gators have won 27 straight over the Wildcats. But Jojo Kemp’s innocent trash talk, plus UK’s strong start to the season, have put some juice into this non-rivalry.
Rice at Texas A&M: It’s hard to imagine any Aggies game rating lower than this with the way they fly up and down the field. We’re all waiting for the day Kevin Sumlin’s team breaks the Kyle Field scoreboard.
2 Georgia Domes
Central Florida at Missouri: UCF showed some life when they inserted sophomore Justin Holman at quarterback a few weeks ago in Dublin. Maty Mauk always makes things fun, but the Tigers are double-digit favorites at home.
Massachussetts at Vanderbilt: This game is interesting in the same way a pileup on the highway is. Can Derek Mason find the right quarterback to provide a spark for his team?
Mississippi State at South Alabama: It’ll be interesting to see how Dan Mullen’s squad fares when they head out on the road, even if it is against a Sun Belt Conference opponent. Will Dak Prescott get the majority of the snaps at QB, or will he continue to be rotated out?
Louisiana-Lafayette at Mississippi: As long as the good Bo Wallace shows up, this game shouldn’t be much of a problem for the Rebels. They’re four TD favorites for a reason, after all.
1 Georgia Dome
Southern Mississippi at Alabama: The Crimson Tide are favored by a mere 50.5 points. This will be fun for Bama fans, not so much for the rest of the SEC’s passionate fans.
Louisiana-Monroe at LSU: These in-state games often end up being more competitive than they look on paper, but the way LSU dispatched Sam Houston showed that they’re not playing around with their early season tests.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
