The 50 Best SEC Games To Watch In 2012: 10-1

June 22nd, 2012 11:00 AM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Tags: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Wake Forest

All week we’ve been counting down the 50 SEC games that this writer is most interested in watching this fall. It hasn’t been a pure countdown as we’ve done things week-by-week… and if you want a full breakdown on how/why games were chosen, you can scroll back on our homepage and read Part One of the series.

But as it shakes out, our final 10 games are the final 10 games scheduled for the SEC’s regular season. Perfect.

Here’s how those games stack up in yours truly’s eyes:

Week Thirteen (weekend of November 24th)

10. Vanderbilt at Wake Forest — A meeting of these two fine universities’ teams has become an annual affair. By this point, James Franklin’s reputation will have either fallen back to earth a bit… or he’ll be mentioned in connection with jobs all over the place.

9. Missouri at Texas A&M — Scheduling oddity: Mizzou will be traveling to College Station for the third-straight year and looking for its third-straight win. Unfortunately, this one will probably still feel more like a Big 12 game than an SEC contest.

8. Mississippi State at Ole Miss — Dan Mullen has owned Ole Miss since he arrived in Starkville and he’s been happy to let everyone know it. Can Hugh Freeze pull a surprise upset in his first season and recapture the The Golden Egg?

7. Kentucky at Tennessee — It’s entirely possible that one or both of the coaches in this game will be coaching for his job. After snapping a 26-year losing streak to the Vols last fall, can the Cats actually start a streak of their own?

6. Georgia at Georgia Tech — When it comes to “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate,” anything can happen. But with Mark Richt’s buyout dropping and expectations rising, UGA’s coach needs step on the Insects from the Institute (hat tip to the late, great “Leonard Postosties.”)

5. South Carolina at Clemson — This classic rival could be even more heated than usual after Dabo Swinney’s December rant claiming that USC is “never going to be Clemson” regardless of its current three-game win streak. “My kids’ grandkids won’t live long enough to ever see this really become a rivalry,” he said. Game on.

4. Florida at Florida State — Two ex-Nick Saban assistants who both left their fans feeling a bit disappointed last season will meet up in Tallahassee. So which team’s fans will feel better about their future after this game?

3. Auburn at Alabama — The Iron Bowl. Enough said.

2. LSU at Arkansas — It’s the Friday after Thanksgiving and this clash between the Hogs and Tigers could decide — or help decide — who goes to Atlanta from the SEC West. Also, if you believe Jackie Sherrill, this could be one of the last times these teams meet so late in the season.

Week Fourteen (weekend of December 1st)

1. The SEC Championship Game — Well, duh. Expect the favorite in Atlanta to be right in thick of the national championship picture at kickoff time.

If you want to see the SEC’s complete grid schedule, click right here.

« SEC Headlines – 6/21/12

SEC Headlines – 6/22/12 »

3 comments

Newest | Oldest

Clockwatcher

can the Cats actually start a streak of their own?

No, The Cat don't play well at Neyland. It will be a blowout.

Dynamite fan

I still don't understand your fascination with Franklin. Sunday your panel called him the biggest jerk in the SEC one spot ahead of Stallings. No Vandy hate in that vote. That equilvant of of Michael Moore being judge in a trial of George W. Bush.

John at MrSEC moderator

@Dynamite fan

What fascination? If you've read this list, you've seen that we've mentioned the possibility that Derek Dooley and Joker Phillips and Dan Mullen and Mark Richt and Will Muschamp could all be riding high or swinging low at the end of this coming season. As for James Franklin, we state right above that his lustre will have faded by year's end... or he'll be so successful that folks will be once again talking about him leaving for other jobs.

I don't get any negativity toward your beloved coach in any of the above post. He could continue to please or lose some of his glow. Is that not true? Is it impossible for things to go well at VU? To go poorly?

You mention a television show I host in Knoxville as some sort of proof that I'm anti-Vanderbilt. Actually, the people on my show voted Franklin as the biggest jerk in the SEC. I did not. I simply said he has "more feuds" going, which is true (Todd Grantham, Derek Dooley). If I hosted a television show in Nashville, I'm guessing the local Nashville analysts would vote Tennessee's coaches as the biggest jerks.

But since NONE of those people from my television show have a darn thing to do with this site -- and since I specifically stated "what a surprise, here on Knoxville television, Vanderbilt's coaches are viewed as the biggest jerks" after their vote -- I think your comment is total horse crap and a complete misrepresentation of what I myself said.

Personally, I'm tired of your simple little head hearing and seeing whatever you want to see and hear. I've talked Franklin up as much as I've talked him down -- as was the case in this post -- over the past few months. I judge actions and comments on their own merits, not based upon schools or the coaches making them. Anyone who reads this site with any objectivity knows that to be true which is why we double and triple our readership on a regular basis.

You also might have noticed -- if you paid attention -- that Knoxville's own Derek Dooley was listed as the 5th biggest jerk in the SEC -- out of 28 football and basketball coaches -- by the panel on my television show. Did you point out the guts it took for those guys to say that? Of course not, you were only worried about your Vandy coaches and how some mean old Tennessee people might have picked on them.

Well, I'm an equal opportunity picker. I don't give a hoot in hell who wins in the SEC or who loses (hat tip to the movie, "Patton"). And I sure don't give a hoot about someone who feels the need to constantly post that his favy-wavy school is being picked on... when it's not. To suggest that I ranked Franklin as the SEC's biggest jerk is an out and out lie. And to suggest that this post was somehow negative about Franklin is out and out stupidity.

But thanks for reading the site,John

This comment has been deleted

This entry was posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2012 at 11:00 am and is filed under Homepage . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.