The SEC has recently released the upcoming 2011 Football Schedule, and it is shaping up to be another great year. Upon careful review, it is apparent once again that all schedules are not created equal. Some teams face much tougher schedules than others, but this is nothing new. Just ask Alabama about their 2010 schedule, where they faced team after team coming off a bye.
Regardless of how it was drawn up, this upcoming 2011 football season looks to be another great one. With spring ball getting ready to hit full stride, a breakdown of the upcoming season is in order. Below you will find some of the key SEC matchups for 2011.
-- Week 1 / Sept 3rd --
Georgia vs Boise State in the Georgia Dome looks to be a great way to get the season started off on the right foot. The annual Football Kickoff Classic has provided some great matchups on one of the biggest stages in all of College Football, and this year’s matchup looks to be more of the same. Georgia is looking to right the ship, and the Broncos Coaching staff has been down in Tuscaloosa learning from the Crimson Tide on how to get it done against UGA.
LSU vs Oregon in Dallas Cowboys Stadium is another big stage early in the season, that should not be missed. Oregon is coming off a 3 point loss in the National Championship game to Auburn. This is a can't miss game.
BYU vs Ole Miss in Oxford is the first game for BYU as they embrace being independent. Heading straight for the SEC is a good way to add some beef to the schedule for BYU. The Cougars last year in the Mountain West Conference finished 7-6, and Ole Miss, in the brutal SEC West, finished up 4-8.
-- Week2 / Sept 10th --
Alabama vs Penn State looks to be one of the best of the bunch for the 2nd week of the year. Bama looks at life after The Big 3 (McElroy, Ingram & Julio), and settles back into a power running game with Trent Richardson and shutdown D. Penn State, with JoePa continuing on at the helm, will have to figure things out without Royster and Moye. Penn State gave Urban Meyer, in his last game Coaching Florida, a real run for his money, but The Nittany Lions ultimately came up short in the Outback Bowl.
Miss State vs Auburn is an early SEC West match up where the defending national champs get their first test of the year, and gear for a nice 2 game run. (Auburn travels to Clemson in Week 3).
South Carolina vs Georgia will set the stage for the SEC East race. With Florida in turmoil and leveling off from Urban Meyer departing, these two teams will stake their claim to the ticket to Atlanta. This will be an early test for Coach Friend, the new Georgia Offensive Line Coach, versus the stout Carolina front 4, led by Jadeveon Clowney.
-- Week 3 / Sept 17th --
Auburn vs Clemson is going to be a good game, and considering how last year’s game concluded on The Plains, this one should be no different. Auburn is looking to reload with a number of their players from National Championship squad moving on. Clemson is coming off a very good year in recruiting.
Florida vs Tennessee is always an early game that is rich in history, hatred, and big time implications in shaping the SEC East race. Tennessee is coming back from a tough year, but looks to build on progress of Tyler Bray in his second year.
Kentucky vs Louisville should a good one as Joker Phillips vs Charlie Strong square off. Both head coaches are entering their second year. The game is being moved back from its usual season opener, and I personally like sliding it back a couple weeks. This should give the teams a bit more time to work out some of kinks and really prepare for this huge instate rivalry game.
-- Week 4 / Sept 24th --
Arkansas vs Alabama has a little less steam on it at face value than last year’s epic game. With Ryan Mallett moving on, and a ton of the offensive star power for The Crimson Tide moving on as well, its understandable. However, by the time this one kicks off it should at the top over everyone’s must see list. Bobby Petrino is building his system out in Arkansas and once complete, his flying offense results in a dangerous, hard to defend style that will stretch and test the Tide’s pass defense.
Georgia vs Ole Miss could be considered the first road test for The Dawgs. This will be Aaron Murray and company's first SEC Road Game of the year, and they start it off in Oxford. Ole Miss looks to rebound from a 4-8 season in 2010.
Florida vs Kentucky will have a new look this year. With Urban Meyer out the door, Muschamp & Weiss in, no one is sure just yet how this new look Gator squad will produce. One thing is for sure, it sure is going to be interesting.
-- Week 5 / Oct 1st --
Florida vs Alabama has all the makings for the SEC Game of the Week on CBS. Unless both teams are a train wreck this year, this game should be up front and center at 3:30 on CBS.
Arkansas vs Texas A&M is another big time SEC Game being hosted out in Big12 land. Jerry Jones is making every stride possible to get the biggest ticket in town, and I applaud him for hosting this one. This is a great rivalry that goes way back, and should be one of the better treats of the day.
Auburn vs South Carolina was an extremely physical game last year, and this one should be no different. Question: Do we think Stephen Garcia will be starting by this point in the year, or will Spurrier opt for Connor Shaw, Seth Strickland, or Andrew Clifford? Just watching Spurrier and his “handling” of the QBs will be exciting within itself.
Kentucky vs LSU could be a doomsday scenario for the Wildcats as they travel to Baton Rouge, but don’t count Joker Phillips out so quick. Rich Brooks really built Kentucky up in his later years at KU and left the house in order for Coach Phillips, but I expect Steve Kragthorpe’s addition to the Offensive side of the ball down in LSU to pay dividends. Look for a deep downfield passing attack, that The Tigers have not had on a consistent basis in some time.
-- Week 6 / Oct 8th --
Auburn vs Arkansas will be another great matchup in this heated SEC West rivalry. Both teams will have new looks this year as both QBs move on.
Florida vs LSU will be the late game and will most certainly be a must-see primetime event
Kentucky vs South Carolina will be another game that helps shape the SEC East race. Kentucky pulled out the W last year (31-28). Look for another stout Carolina team with a strong running attack and beefed up point of attack on the defensive line. Look for Lattimore to bring home the W, as he got hurt in last year's game and could only watch as his team's lead slipped away.
-- Week 7 / Oct 15th --
LSU vs Tennessee will be a rematch from last year surreal ending. Who can forget the clock management finale as the time just ticked away? The penalty that brought Dooley and company back down from Cloud9, and the final image of Dooley chucking his headset in disgust. Bottom line, UT will be ready for this one, and I’m sure they’ve worked out the late in the game 12 men on the field issue.
Florida vs Auburn will be another tough ticket. Florida will have a new look, but should have some things figured out by this time of the year. Auburn will have figured out by this time what life after Cam and Nick is like.
-- Week 8 / Oct 22nd --
Tennessee vs Alabama will not be played on the Third Saturday in October, but this one will still be a good one. These programs really don’t like each other, and that makes for really good football. The match up to watch is up and coming Tyler Bray against Alabama’s defense. Should be a doosy.
-- Week 9 / Oct 29th --
Georgia vs Florida is always a great. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is a rivalry that goes back to 1915, and the series has been drawing closer and closer to an even split. Georgia returns to town with a young up and coming SEC QB in Aaron Murray, and with the addition of Isaiah Crowell, and a big beefy nose tackle, they should put up one heck of a fight. Last year’s game had Florida getting out of dodge with a 34-31 edge.
South Carolina vs Tennessee will more than likely be a primetime event. Seeing how these Gamecocks handle themselves with the expectations, pressure and hostile night game atmosphere of Neyland Stadium will be very interesting to watch. How Lattimore holds up this season even with the added weight will be great, as a lot teams now will be stacking the box.
-- Week 10 / Nov 5th --
LSU vs Alabama has become one of the most see games in all of college football. The story lines abound and cover the spectrum as these teams have some of the best, most interesting coaches and players in the country. Expect a hard hitting affair.
-- Week 11 / Nov 12th --
Auburn vs Georgia will look at bit different this year. Auburn, without Cam and Nick, will not quite have the same punch. Georgia’s Offensive Line is looking to put up a better ground game in 2011 with Isaiah Crowell leading the charge. Expect a very hostile crowd in Athens, who thinks a number of un-called cheap shots were delivered by Auburn last year on The Plains.
Florida vs South Carolina will be a big time match up. Spurrier beating Urban Meyer last year, in my opinion, was the nail in the coffin that sent him packing, and as this year’s game shapes up to be a heavy weight match up. Look for Jadeveon Clowney to shine bright on one of the biggest stages of the year.
Tennessee vs Arkansas is a must see game. At this time in the year, I expect the entire country will be buzzing about Tyler Bray and his skills at the QB position. He will find his team on the road in Little Rock. Will the Arkansas defense continue to improve this year?
-- Week 12 / Nov 19th --
Miss State vs Arkansas will be a great coaching duel. Dan Mullen has been doing some really good things in Starkville, and Bobby Petrino has one of the best college-arial attacks in the land. How does the recently improving MSU defense look without Manny Diaz, who has moved on to Austin, Texas to be the Defensive Coordinator for The Longhorns?
-- Week 13 / Nov 26th --
Alabama vs Auburn is another Iron Bowl that everyone will be watching. Last year’s matchup, in my opinion, is one of the best come back/breakdowns of all time. Expect this year to be another great installment. Saban will have the Tide hitting hard, playing sound, and not leaving points on the table this year.
Arkansas vs LSU is one of the great SEC West games going. The Battle for the Golden Boot is always a hard fought game with hard hits and playmakers on both sides of the ball. This year looks to be no different.
Georgia vs Georgia Tech should be a hard fought game, where Georgia, if they can stay balanced, should edge out a victory.
Florida State vs Florida will showcase two young and up and coming coaches. This will be Will Muschamp’s first time in the rivalry, and I’m expecting the Jimbo Fisher led Seminoles to steal this one in The Swamp.
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