I was looking at our schedule more closely for this upcoming season, and while we don't have quite the stretch we did last year, I think a couple of the teams will be better than what we faced last season. Also, if you took away what I think are our toughest two games, Georgia and LSU, we would still have a more difficult schedule than Notre Dame or just about any ACC team. Therefore, if we make a repeat trip to the playoff, it will be well earned. Here is my ranking from least difficult to most difficult:
- Chattanooga - no need for commentary here
- East Carolina - I'm glad we have this game to start the season. I don't know much about them, but I feel confident they are a far cry from the rest of the schedule. I'm glad this is the season opener.
- Miss St. - Here it starts getting interesting because I don't think they will be terrible. I think this team could finish in the middle or better in the ACC or Big 12. We play them on the road, but we should handle them
- FSU - I'm not sure they are really that much better than MSU, and we play them at home, but they do have the confidence from last year's win. I'm glad this isn't the season opener.
- Kentucky - I think the difficulty level is very close with the FSU game, and is probably interchangeable, but we play this game on the road in week 2 with a new starting QB, so I ranked it as the more difficult of the two.
- Vandy - I don't think they will be as good as the last two years, but I don't think they will fall back to what they have historically been either. Plus, we play them on the road the week after a very difficult game with LSU.
- Auburn - I had this as potentially interchangeable with the Vandy game. Auburn will probably be better than Vandy, but playing Auburn at home is not the same as playing them in Jordan-Hare. One thing I feel confident about is that this game will either be much more challenging than I am giving credit or much less by the time the game rolls around. I just don't think there will be much middle ground with them this year.
- South Carolina - I think Sellers and USCe could be really dangerous this year, and I don't look forward to facing him yet again, but we get them at home and our QB will have three games under their belt by the time we face them.
- Tennessee - This is the first team in the rankings where I could really see a loss, or at least one that would not be surprising to me. Not only are we playing a good team, but a good team on the road the week after a huge game.
- Texas A&M - This is the first team in the rankings that can match us in talent, and they have a veteran QB, albeit an up and down one. This game is the third game in a brutal four game stretch, but it is at home.
- LSU - This game will be difficult. I don't know that I quite buy-in yet to LSU truly being a national title contender this season, but I know they have tons of talent, will be better coached than previously, and will most likely be in the thick of a playoff berth when the game is played.
- Georgia - We need to be undefeated going into this game, or getting into the playoffs will be an extreme up hill battle. I know we have had their number, and I do think there is genuine truth to Kirby, and their players, not being themselves against us, but I think last season's SECCG exorcised some demons for them, and I don't think we hold the same mental advantage as we once did.
