The SEC has a marquee matchup seemingly every week. It’s hard to narrow it down to the five biggest, but these are the most anticipated SEC games of 2012. Go ahead and circle the calendar.
There’s no shocker here. The most anticipated SEC game of the year also is a rematch of last year’s BCS national championship game and a showdown of perhaps the top two programs nationally. A lot will be on the line. This game has huge implications in the SEC West Division, conference and national title races. Though as Alabama proved last year, the loser of the regular season matchup isn’t necessarily out of the national title hunt. Want to get good seats for this one? Lower bowl tickets are already going as high as $2,500.
No. 2: Georgia at Missouri, Sept. 8
This one may not have the national championship implications of some other SEC matchups, but everybody will be watching to see how Missouri plays in its first SEC game in school history. Georgia should have the edge on paper. However, a Missouri team on a mission to prove its SEC worth could easily pull off the upset. The Bulldogs might also be without several defensive players due to suspension, pending a final judgement from coach Mark Richt, which could help Missouri QB James Franklin have a big SEC debut.
No. 3: Georgia at South Carolina, Oct. 6
The SEC East has gone through these two teams the past two years. Georgia was able to overcome a loss to the Gamecocks in 2011 to win the division, but the loser of this game essentially falls two games behind in the division race. The matchup also features four of the most exciting players in the SEC in Georgia QB Aaron Murray and LB Jarvis Jones along with South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore and DE Jadeveon Clowney.
No. 4: Florida at Texas A&M, Sept. 8
Kyle Field should be rocking for this one. The Aggies begin their SEC journey with a matchup against one of the most successful teams in the conference's history. While it will be interesting to see how the Aggies compete in their first conference game, it will also be intriguing to see how Florida responds to a disappointing 7-6 campaign in 2011. Each team has a quarterback battle going on in camp and will be breaking in a new starter.
T-No.5: Alabama at Arkansas, Sept. 15 and LSU at Arkansas, Nov. 23
The Razorbacks open conference play against Alabama and wrap up their SEC schedule with LSU. Those two teams gave Arkansas its only two losses in 2011, each beating the Razorbacks by 24 points. Nobody questions the Razorbacks’ potential on offense with QB Tyler Wilson, RB Knile Davis and WR Cobi Hamilton, but they must prove they can be as physical as Alabama and LSU to have a shot in the West Division title.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Larry Hartstein and Daniel Lewis, follow @CBSSportsSEC.
