August 22, 2012
At the start of every season, most college football publications will list their “Games of the Year.” They do this with your DVR in mind. I prefer to look at the upcoming schedule with three things in mind... significance, variety and travel. (Notice, I left out money.)
One of my favorite books is “Dixieland Delight - A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference” by Clay Travis. In the book, Travis spends one football season attending one game at every SEC stadium. (I dream of doing that one year in the Big Ten.)
So, I have looked over the schedules of every team in the SEC, Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12, ACC, Big East and Independents, and I have constructed the ultimate road trip for EACH league. (I combined the independents with the Big East, since the BE has the fewest teams).
The goal was to hit the biggest games all year while finding competitive games for the less talented teams. Some sacrifices and tough decisions had to be made obviously, but I am 100% satisfied with the games I have selected.
We start with the SEC, which was difficult because there are 14 stadiums to hit on only 13 Saturdays. It is the only league that ended up with only conference games. Enjoy.
8/30 (Thr) - South Carolina @ Vanderbilt - Opening night in CFB. What better way to start than with an SEC divisional game? Steve Spurrier is coming off his most successful season at SC & Vanderbilt played in just their 2nd bowl game in 29 years.
9/1 - Alabama vs. Michigan (bonus game) - By choosing SC-Vandy on Thursday night, I have left Saturday open. Auburn-Clemson in Atlanta is nice, but this match-up at the new Cowboys Stadium is where I want to be. Two of the game’s most storied programs, Big Ten versus SEC, Denard Robinson facing a defense like Bama’s. I can’t wait.
9/8 - Georgia @ Missouri - It will be a historic day in Columbia as the Tigers play their first ever SEC league game. The place will be rocking, but that’s nothing new to the Bulldogs who bring back 16 starters including QB Aaron Murray.
9/15 - Florida @ Tennessee - The Vols have one winning season in the last four years. The Gators have won 7 straight in this series. It is do or die time for UT Coach Derek Dooley. The folks in Knoxville want this one badly.
9/22 - Vanderbilt @ Georgia - Ideally, I would prefer to go between the hedges for the UT or Ga Tech game, but this will do. Depending how the league opener went, this becomes a must win.
9/29 - South Carolina @ Kentucky - I had two options for Lexington. Pick a game early in the year when their record was respectable or wait until November and catch a basketball game too. The problem with the latter is missing the bigger late season gridiron clashes. This is a big revenge game for UK. Last year, the Gamecocks crushed them 54-3 & outgained them 639-96.
10/6 - LSU @ Florida - There is no way I would go to the Swamp for any old game. This is by far the biggest game on the home schedule in 2012. The Gators will be the underdog here, especially if A&M and/or UT beat them in September.
10/13 - Auburn @ Ole Miss - Homecoming in October in the Grove. That’s enough for me.
10/20 - LSU @ Texas A&M - Some folks in the south see this becoming the next great SEC rivalry. Les Miles leading the Tigers into a raucous Kyle Field is a must see.
10/27 - Tennessee @ South Carolina - Derek Dooley’s fate may have been decided by now with five tough games in their first seven contests. SC has won three of the last four. The Gamecocks will be coming off games with UGa, LSU & Florida. Who knows what the records will be here? It’s still the Vols vs. Spurrier.
11/3 - Alabama @ LSU - Do I really need to explain this one?
11/10 - Georgia @ Auburn - Alabama-Auburn is the best rivalry in the south, if not all of sports, but this is the deep south’s oldest rivalry. This will be the 116th meeting between the two.
11/17 - Arkansas @ Mississippi State - Get your cowbells ready. The Bulldogs have a chance to get off to a great start this year. A Cotton Bowl bid or better may be on the line for both teams here.
11/23 (Fri) - LSU @ Arkansas - How do you visit 14 stadiums in 13 weeks? You find a non-Saturday game worth adding. This one is clearly it. The home team has won four in a row in this rivalry. This could be the difference between Miami and New Orleans for the Tigers.
11/24 - Auburn @ Alabama - I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. In state rivalries are always more intense and bitter than intrastate rivalries. OSU-Michigan is state versus state. This is neighbor against neighbor, brother versus brother. Last time in Tuscaloosa, Cam Newton cemented his Heisman campaign erasing a 20-point deficit to stay undefeated.
There you have it. The ultimate SEC road trip for this season. As for a prediction, I see LSU edging out Alabama in the West. Both will make the BCS, but neither will be perfect. In the East, Georgia has the edge over the Gators at QB and schedule, but they will lose to LSU again in Atlanta.
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