More and more, football teams across the nation are scheduling tougher non-conference games to help build their resumes and impress the College Football Playoff committee.
The SEC is no different, as conference members have begun taking on some major powerhouses from around the college football landscape.
The month of May is unquestionably the slowest time on the college football calendar, but this provides opportunity to look ahead to a season that will feature some classic non-conference matchups for some SEC teams.
And the good news is we won’t have to wait long either.
On opening weekend, we get Florida vs. Michigan, Texas A&M at UCLA, and superpowers Alabama and Florida State clash.
The action will be intense with conference pride on the line. That will certainly be the case in Atlanta on Sept. 2 at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium — the $1.5 billion stadium with a uniquely designed retractable roof that is home to the Atlanta Falcons.
What a way to christen this awesome facility — with what is likely to be a colossal matchup of top-5 teams with dreams of bringing back the title to their respective campuses. The battle at quarterback will be a highlight, as both Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Florida State’s Deondre Francois try to improve on their first seasons as the main man under center.
The Michigan-Florida matchup Sept. 2 in Dallas is a fascinating one. Both teams have a lot of questions to answer.
Jim Harbaugh’s club has won 10 games two years in a row, but has questions in virtually every position group after losing 18 starters. Florida has won two straight SEC East titles, but that was thanks almost exclusively to its defense, which lost seven players to the NFL draft.
The Gators are 0-3 against the Wolverines, losing the 2003 Outback Bowl, the 2008 Capital One Bowl and the 2016 Citrus Bowl to Michigan.
The Aggies and Bruins will meet in a rematch of last season’s opener, where Texas A&M pulled off a 31-24 thriller in College Station. A good non-conference win here would be a relief for Kevin Sumlin, who enters the season squarely on the hot seat.
Also on opening weekend, we’ll get Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (Monday, Sept. 4), NC State vs. South Carolina (Sept. 2) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (Sept. 4) in Atlanta.
When it comes to Tennessee, here are two unequivocal truths: Butch Jones is squarely on the hot seat entering the 2017 season, and Butch Jones also seems to lose his biggest games at the worst possible times. Anyone remember that South Carolina loss off a bye last year?
Jones is not only entering a make-or-break year, but opening against a club that won nine games last season and has an impossible-to-prepare-for offense in a matchup that will be played on Labor Day in front of the entire college football world. This has “car wreck” written all over it for the Vols. And Jones specifically.
The opening weekend finale on that Monday night is a huge game for UT coach Butch Jones.
Jones is not only entering a make-or-break year, but opening against a club that won nine games last season and has an impossible-to-prepare-for offense.
You talk about the hot seat getting hotter if the Vols lose this one.
There are also a couple of intriguing matchups in Week 2 — highlighted by Auburn at defending national champ Clemson, which will be without quarterback Deshaun Watson.
These two teams have squared off four times this decade and five times since 2007. Clemson has won the past three.
Both Auburn and Clemson have won national championships this decade. The winner of this one might be headed for another.
Other great games on Sept. 9 include Georgia at Notre Dame and TCU at Arkansas.
The Razorbacks pulled out a wild 41-38 win last season in Fort Worth. Look for both teams to again have plenty of success on offense.
It should be quite the start to the 2017 season. Now we just have to wait 125 days — or 17 Saturdays — for that big opening weekend.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
