It may not seem like it, but we are inching ever closer to the start of the 2025 college football season. One precursor is the SEC Media Days which will be held July 14-17 in Atlanta. Other harbingers include predictions and schedule analyses. So let’s dig into the latter. Below is a ranking (and a little chastising) of Out of Conference schedules for each SEC team.
BEST OOC GAMES
- Texas at Ohio State
- Florida at Miami-FL
- LSU at Clemson
- Clemson at South Carolina
- Texas A&M at Notre Dame
WORST GAME
- LIU at Florida - I didn’t even know they had a football team. Give yourself a pat on the back if - without Googling - you know what LIU stands for, what their mascot is, and what their team colors are. I only know because I recall the Collin Sexton Bama basketball team playing a game against BYU on LIU’s tiny little court some years ago that sent me down a Google rabbit hole.
BAD GAMES - NAME THAT MASCOT!
- SC State at South Carolina
- Alabama A&M at Arkansas
- Eastern Illinois at Alabama
- Tennessee Tech at Kentucky
- Samford at Texas A&M
- SLU at LSU
- Alcorn State at Mississippi State
- Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt
- Illinois State at Oklahoma
- Central Arkansas at Missouri - on a Thursday night no less.
- Mercer at Auburn
ASKING FOR TROUBLE
- Arkansas vs Arkansas State at Little Rock, AR - While the state of Arkansas has some billionaires (the Walmart Waltons, JB Hunt, Tyson Foods, Murphy USA (gas), Dillard’s), Fayetteville does not. Thus, the Razorbacks are stuck using a home game in the state capital every year. Arky Lite is actually closer to Little Rock than Fayetteville, two hour drive versus three plus. Additionally, the Red Wolves are coming off their best year (8-5) under Butch Jones and he has his quarterback returning for his third year as a starter.
- Arkansas at Memphis - What are you thinking Hogs? The Tigers have a history of winning these kinds of games.
- MSU at Southern Miss - The Bullies are going through a rough stretch and losing to little brother USM could be devastating. The Golden Eagles paid up to bring in Marshall coach and former Nick Saban assistant Charles Huff, who brought 20 players with him from his 10-3 Sun Belt Championship team.
WEIRDEST ROAD GAME
- Oklahoma at Temple. What could the Sooners possibly gain from playing this game in Philadelphia, PA??
TWO POWER OPPONENTS
- Alabama plays at Florida State and vs Wisconsin.
- Florida is at Miami-FL and home vs Florida State
- South Carolina has a neutral site (Atlanta) vs Virginia Tech and a home game with Clemson.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Ole Miss and Missouri are the only SEC teams who do not have any out-of-conference games away from their home stadium. The Rebels big difficult game against a Greg Sankey strongly suggested “Power” opponent is Washington State. Mizzou’s is Kansas.
- Georgia and Tennessee have three home games and one neutral site game. However, these two so-called “neutral sites” are both Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In the UGA game, it is technically a home game for Georgia Tech. But let’s get real. That stadium is going to be cram packed with middle-aged men in red Stetson Bennett jerseys barking at children. Somebody must be paying the Yeller Jackets A LOT of money to give the Bulldogs’ home field advantage. The Vols and Syracuse also play in ATL but in a one-off game. Again, there will be more hillbilly orange than Yankee orange for that one.
BEST RIVALRY RENEWAL
Kansas at Missouri - This rivalry, aka the “Border War”, goes beyond the gridiron
as the animosity dates back to the Civil War when each state was on the opposite side of the American confrontation. The annual get-together came to an end after the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012. It is back on for the first time in 14 years.
RANKING THE TOUGHEST TO WEAKEST OOC SCHEDULES
#1 FLORIDA
- home vs LIU
- home vs USF
- at Miami (FL)
- home vs Florida State
NOTES: Although, the Gators play the worst OOC game of the year, the other three are intriguing ones. Kudos to UF for keeping these rivalries alive and perhaps starting a new one. Bama has seen what a motivated USF team can do (too soon?).
#2 ALABAMA
- at Florida State
- home vs ULM
- home vs Wisconsin
- home vs Eastern Illinois
NOTES: Two “Power” teams on the OOC slate is a legacy of Nick Saban. You can’t blame Alabama for where these teams are now. Who knew how much suck these two teams would have when the games were agree upon years ago? Even so, struggling Power teams will almost always be tougher than cupcakes.
#3 SOUTH CAROLINA
- vs Virginia Tech (Mercedes Benz, Atlanta)
- home vs SC State
- home vs Coastal Carolina
- home vs Clemson
NOTES: Two Power teams and neither will be easy. But the Gamecocks have the advantage of not playing in the other team’s stadium - both of which can be really loud.
#4 ARKANSAS
- home vs Alabama A&M
- vs Arkansas State (at Little Rock)
- at Memphis
- home vs Notre Dame
NOTES: We covered two of these games above in the ASKING FOR TROUBLE section. I addition, the Fighting Irish come to town.
#5 TEXAS
- at Ohio State
- home vs San Jose St.
- home vs UTEP
- home vs Sam Houston
NOTES: While the other three are pathetic foes, going to the Big House to kickoff the season is a tall order.
#6 LSU
- at Clemson
- home vs Louisiana Tech
- home vs SLU
- home vs Western Kentucky
NOTES: Playing in the Big Lots Death Valley won’t be a cakewalk. And don’t overlook what Tyson Helton has built at WKU. No upset prediction here, but there will be some fight in the Hilltoppers.
#7 TEXAS A&M
- home vs UTSA
- home vs Utah State
- at Notre Dame
- home vs Samford
NOTES: The trip to South Bend will be treacherous. It’s doubtful UTSA will upset the Aggies, but they won’t be a pushover.
#8 OKLAHOMA
- home vs Illinois State
- home vs Michigan
- at Temple
- home vs Kent State
NOTES: UM-Okie should be fun.
#9 MISSISSIPPI STATE
- at Southern Miss
- home vs Arizona State
- home vs Alcorn State
- home vs Northern Illinois
NOTES: We covered USM above. The B12 champ Sun Devils had a close 30-23 win over Clanga-clang in Tempe in 2024. This year, ASU comes to Starkville. For what it’s worth, NIU was 8-5 a season ago including a win over Notre Dame.
T-#10 VANDERBILT
- home vs Charleston Southern
- at Virginia Tech
- home vs Georgia State
- home vs Utah State
NOTES: VaTech will be a dangerous one.
T-#10 AUBURN
- at Baylor (Friday)
- home vs Ball State
- home vs South Alabama
- home vs Mercer
NOTES: Dear Lord, take me before Alabama is forced to play on a Friday to get attention.
T-#10 KENTUCKY
- home vs Toledo
- home vs Eastern Michigan
- home vs Tennessee Tech
- at Louisville
NOTES: When does basketball season start?
LAME
#13 MISSOURI
- home vs Central Arkansas (Thursday)
- home vs Kansas
- home vs Louisiana Lafayette
- home vs UMass
NOTES: Mizz has all home games, but at least the one “Power” matchup is against a hated rival in which anything can happen.
#14 TENNESSEE
- vs Syracuse (Atlanta)
- home vs ETSU
- home vs UAB
- home vs New Mexico State
NOTES: Three homers and a “neutral” that will be more Vols fans than ‘Cuse. While the Orangemen are not a historically top 25 team, they were 10–3 last season. The rest of the games are brought to you by Charmin.
#15 GEORGIA
- home vs Marshall
- home vs Austin Peay
- home vs Charlotte
- vs Georgia Tech (Mercedes Benz, Atlanta)
NOTES: The Dwags always cry like playing Tech every year is some monumental undertaking. This year, they don’t even have to play it in GT’s home stadium. The travel time for this one and only OOC “road game” for the Doggies is equivalent to a typical Atlanta commute. They will wake up and sleep in their own beds before and after the game.
#16 WEAK-ASS OOC SCHEDULE: OLE MISS
- home vs Georgia State
- home vs Tulane
- home vs Washington State
- home vs Citadel
NOTES: Four home games for the Rebs. Lane Kiffin has quite the reputation for cupcake scheduling, but this is one of his saddest efforts. First off, WSU has not been remotely scary since Mike Leach was there. Then there is FCS Citadel. The hardest game on this slate is Tulane, who did not even win their conference last season.
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