Time again to pick 12 football games this season involving SEC teams that you don’t want to miss.
It’s a tough list to narrow down, and this one no doubt will result in some disagreement considering all of the worthy choices.
But any SEC fan should be happy to have some tickets (and a parking pass would be nice, too) for these games or a good seat in a sports bar.
SEPT. 2
ALABAMA VS. FLORIDA STATE
At Atlanta
This season opener in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium could be a preview of the national championship game considering Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches’ poll and Florida State is No. 3.
Assuming the game is close, the losing team shouldn’t be knocked out of the national title race. Even if one team wins decisively, the loser has a lot of games against quality opponents to make up ground.
The first College Football Playoff poll won’t come out until Oct. 31.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban’s birthday is Oct. 31. It can’t be a coincidence.
SEPT. 9
AUBURN AT CLEMSON
At Clemson, S.C.
There is a perception around much of the country that the ACC has surpassed the SEC as the top football conference with Clemson defeating Alabama 35-31 in the College Football Playoff title game last season.
If Auburn can win at Clemson, it should help restore the SEC’s marketing claim that “It Just Means More.”
Auburn is looking to avenge a 19-13 loss to Clemson at home to open last season and make a statement it is ready to challenge Alabama for SEC supremacy.
SEPT. 9
GEORGIA AT NOTRE DAME
At South Bend, Ind.
Georgia will carry the SEC banner into Notre Dame Stadium, as the Bulldogs play Notre Dame for the second time.
The teams’ only previous meeting was in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 1981, when the No. 1 Bulldogs beat the No. 7 Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl to finish 12-0 and win the 1980 national championship.
That was Herschel Walker’s freshman season.
A national championship may not be on the line in this meeting 37 seasons later, but the winner could put itself into the title hunt.
SEPT. 16
TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA
At Gainesville, Fla.
Can the Vols start a winning streak against the Gators?
Tennessee beat Florida 38-28 last season at Neyland Stadium to end a 11-game losing streak in the series.
The Vols haven’t beaten the Gators in back-to-back seasons since 24-10 in 2003 and 30-28 in 2004 when Ron Zook was Florida’s coach after Tennessee antagonist Steve Spurrier left to coach the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
That’s the only time Tennessee has beaten Florida two games in a row since the schools became SEC East rivals in 1992 and began playing annually.
SEPT. 30
GEORGIA AT TENNESSEE
At Knoxville, Tenn.
Georgia is a popular choice in preseason polls to win the SEC East, but Tennessee could take control of the division race if the Vols beat the Gators and the Bulldogs.
Of course, Tennessee beat Florida and Georgia last season, but the Vols didn’t win the East because of losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
The pressure is on Kirby Smart to produce in his second season as Georgia’s coach after the Bulldogs went 8-5 last season, including 4-4 in the SEC.
Georgia is 5-3 in its past eight games at Neyland Stadium.
OCT. 7
LSU AT FLORIDA
At Gainesville, Fla.
This has become one of the better SEC series since the teams began playing annually as cross-division rivals, but there will be a higher intensity level with the nastiness over rescheduling last season’s matchup.
The game was supposed to be played in Gainesville on Oct. 8, but the threat posed by Hurricane Matthew caused a postponement.
Moving the game to Nov. 19 when LSU was to play South Alabama and Florida was to play Presbyterian sounded reasonable.
But LSU refused to lose a home game, so Florida agreed to play at Tiger Stadium — where the Gators won 16-10.
Now Florida gets LSU in Gainesville in back-to-back seasons.
OCT. 14
AUBURN AT LSU
At Baton Rouge
Both Tigers likely need to win this game to try to keep up with Alabama in the SEC West.
The game will feature two of the SEC’s heralded new offensive coordinators with Chip Lindsey calling plays for Auburn and Matt Canada calling plays for LSU.
When Auburn held on to beat LSU 18-13 last season, it wound up being Les Miles’ last game as LSU’s head coach. He was fired the next day.
OCT. 28
FLORIDA VS. GEORGIA
At Jacksonville, Fla.
This game hasn’t had as much national impact in recent years, but “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party” remains an SEC staple.
CBS should consider bringing Vern Lundquist out of retirement so he can keep calling the game for old times’ sake.
A subplot is that it’s a head coaching matchup of former Nick Saban coordinators.
Florida’s Jim McElwain was Saban’s offensive coordinator and Georgia’s Kirby Smart was his defensive coordinator. They were on the same staff when Alabama won national titles in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
NOV. 4
LSU AT ALABAMA
At Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban continues to profess his love for all things LSU, where he coached for five seasons and won a share of the national championship in 2003 before leaving Baton Rouge for Miami to coach the Dolphins in 2005.
Saban’s departure was tough for LSU fans, but his return to the SEC was tougher because he became the coach at SEC West rival Alabama.
Saban's Alabama teams are 8-3 against LSU and he’s won four national championships for the Crimson Tide since 2009.
Alabama has a six-game winning streak against LSU, starting with a 21-0 victory in the 2011 national title game after the Tigers had won the teams’ regular-season match-up 9-6 in overtime.
NOV. 11
GEORGIA AT AUBURN
At Auburn, Ala.
The game is billed as the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.”
Auburn and Georgia first met on Feb. 29, 1892 at Piedmont Park in Atlanta with the Tigers winning 10-0.
The teams have played against each other 119 more times since then with Georgia holding a 57-55-8 series advantage, including victories the past three seasons since the Tigers won 43-38 in 2013 on a tipped touchdown pass known as “The Prayer at Jordan-Hare.”
The Bulldogs’ winning streak makes Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn a combined 2-6 against Georgia and Alabama, the Tigers’ two biggest rivals. Auburn does get both the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide at home this season.
NOV. 23
OLE MISS
AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
At Starkville, Miss.
The Bulldogs and Rebels may be fighting to stay out of the SEC West cellar when they meet on Thanksgiving night, but with the increased animosity between the instate rivals resulting from the NCAA’s investigation into Ole Miss’ program, this game is taking on Holy War status.
Some Mississippi State players who were recruited by Ole Miss talked to the NCAA about the Rebels’ alleged violations.
Ole Miss can’t play in a bowl game because of its self-imposed sanctions, but winning the Egg Bowl over Mississippi State would make the Rebels’ season.
NOV. 25
ALABAMA AT AUBURN
At Auburn, Ala.
This game figures to have SEC title and national championship implications for both teams if the Crimson Tide and Tigers live up to preseason expectations.
Plus, it’s the Iron Bowl. Enough said.
Even if Alabama and Auburn aren’t in championship contention, this game is the most heated rivalry in college football.
It’s possible Alabama will stumble against an SEC team before playing at Auburn, but if the Tide are 7-0 it will mean they have won 24 consecutive games against conference opponents going into Jordan-Hare Stadium.
OTHER GAMES OF SIGNIFICANCE Florida-Michigan, Texas A&M-UCLA, South Carolina-North Carolina State Sept. 2; Tennessee-Georgia Tech Sept. 4; Arkansas-TCU Sept. 9; Arkansas-Texas A&M, Auburn-Missouri Sept. 23; Alabama-Tennessee Oct. 21; Arkansas-Missouri Nov. 24; Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson, Georgia-Georgia Tech and LSU-Texas A&M Nov. 25.