Florida Gators' Degree of Difficulty: Ranking All of the SEC Football Schedules

The schedules are set. We only count down the time until September 4 when all hell breaks loose in the Southeastern Conference when all 14 teams take the field for the first football games of the 2021 season, which will be played once again in stadiums filled to the rafters and with parking lots jammed with tailgaters firing up their grills.

Once again, we’ll see such a thing as home field advantage, which was largely absent last season. There is something to be said about the electricity we feel in a stadium filled with passionate fans. As we saw at the College World Series, a filled to capacity stadium adds to the joy and excitement of college sports, something we desperately missed in 2020 when COVID-19 turned the whole country upside down.

So, who has the toughest schedule in the SEC? Whose schedule is the easiest? And, where does Florida’s schedule rank among the league’s 14 teams? Unlike last year when the Gators played a 10-game, all Southeastern Conference slate, this year scheduling is back to normal which means the Gators play the usual six suspects from the SEC East, permanent SEC West foe LSU and this year’s rotating team from the West, 2020 national champion Alabama. When we last saw the Gators and Alabama it was in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. Alabama won, 52-46, but only after Florida put the fear of God into the Crimson Tide in the only close game Nick Saban’s team played all year.

Another sure sign things will return to normal. The Gators close out the season on Thanksgiving weekend with Florida State at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The annual renewal of the in-state rivalry with the Seminoles is the way the college football season is supposed to end. Last year when COVID-19 eliminated the game, it just didn’t feel the same.

Here are the schedules and analysis of all 14 SEC teams.

RANKING THE SEC SCHEDULES MOST DIFFICULT TO EASIEST

1. Arkansas 2. South Carolina 3. Auburn 4. Ole Miss

5. Kentucky 6. FLORIDA

7. Alabama

8. Mississippi State 9. Tennessee 10. Vanderbilt 11. Missouri

12. LSU 13. Georgia

14. Texas A&M

(7) ALABAMA

9/4 vs. Miami (in Atlanta); 9/11 Mercer; 9/18 at Florida; 9/25 Southern Miss; 10/2 Ole Miss; 10/9 at Texas A&M; 10/16 at Mississippi State; 10/23 Tennessee; 11/6 LSU; 11/13 New Mexico State; 11/20 Arkansas;11/27 at Auburn

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Miami; Florida; Ole Miss; Texas A&M; Mississippi State; Tennessee; LSU; Arkansas; Auburn

Group of 5 opponents (2): Southern Miss; New Mexico State

D1AA opponents (1): Mercer

Home games (7): Mercer, Southern Miss; Ole Miss; Tennessee; LSU; New Mexico State; Arkansas

Road games (4): Florida; Texas A&M; Mississippi State; Auburn

Neutral site games (1): Miami

2020 bowl teams (7): Miami; Florida; Ole Miss; Texas A&M; Mississippi State; LSU; Auburn

Alabama will be favored to win every single game and it will be that way until someone knocks the Crimson Tide off. All 12 Alabama games are quite winnable and there are only four that pose a problem: Miami, Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Miami is supposedly neutral site but 90 percent of the seats in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be filled with Alabama fans. Florida and Texas A&M are roadies that could be troublesome if Alabama hasn’t gotten in a consistent groove. Lane Kiffin has a way of getting under Nick Saban’s skin, plus he will have one of the nation’s most dynamic offenses but the game is in Tuscaloosa. Expectations are for a 12-0 season but that’s the way it is every year for a Nick Saban-coached team. Seven defensive starters return and that’s where the strength will be. If Bryce Young lives up to the hype the Bama offense will be just fine. Still, you can figure this year someone will find a way to burst that unbeaten bubble but Bama will still win the SEC West with, at worst, an 11-1 record.

(1) ARKANSAS

9/4 Rice; 9/11 Texas; 9/18 Georgia Southern; 9/25 vs. Texas A&M (in Arlington, TX); 10/2 at Georgia; 10/9 at Ole Miss; 10/16 Auburn; 10/23 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (in Little Rock, AR); 11/6 Mississippi State; 11/13 at LSU; 11/20 at Alabama; 11/26 Missouri

Schedule breakdown Power 5 opponents (9): Texas; Texas A&M; Georgia; Ole Miss; Auburn; Mississippi State; LSU; Alabama; Missouri

Group of 5 opponents (2): Rice; Georgia Southern

D1AA opponents (1): Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Home games (7): Rice, Texas; Georgia Southern; Auburn; Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Mississippi State; Missouri

Road games (4): Georgia; Ole Miss; LSU; Alabama

Neutral site games (1): Texas A&M

2020 bowl teams (9): Texas; Georgia Southern; Texas A&M; Georgia; Ole Miss; Auburn; Mississippi State; LSU; Alabama

The Hogs over-achieved last year in Sam Pittman’s first year as head coach. This season, however, the Hogs are breaking in a new quarterback plus they lost their most dynamic playmaker to the transfer portal. There are three winnable games on the schedule – Rice, Georgia Southern and D1AA Arkansas-Pine Bluff. After that the pickings are slim. At least six of the games could be lost by two or more touchdowns – Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn. Anything more than a 3-9 record should be considered progress as Pittman tries to bring Arkansas back to respectability. It’s going to be a very long year in Fayetteville.

(3) AUBURN

9/4 Akron; 9/11 Alabama State; 9/18 at Penn State; 9/25 Georgia State; 10/2 at LSU; 10/9 Georgia; 10/16 at Arkansas; 10/30 Ole Miss; 11/6 at Texas A&M; 11/13 Mississippi State; 11/20 at South Carolina; 11/27 Alabama

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Penn State; LSU; Georgia; Arkansas; Ole Miss; Texas A&M; Mississippi State; South Carolina; Alabama

Group of 5 opponents (2): Akron; Georgia State

D1AA opponents (1): Alabama State

Home games (7): Akron; Alabama State; Georgia State; Georgia; Ole Miss; Mississippi State; Alabama

Road games (5): Penn State; LSU; Arkansas; Texas A&M; South Carolina

2020 bowl teams (7): Georgia State; LSU; Georgia; Ole Miss; Texas A&M; Mississippi State; Alabama

First year coach Bryan Harsin lost a lot of very good players to the graduation, the NFL Draft and the transfer portal so Auburn isn’t going to be nearly as talented as in years past. It’s going to take a couple of years for Harsin to rebuild the roster and another couple years after that for Auburn to become a challenger once again. It’s going to take a lot of patience, something Auburn fans and boosters aren’t exactly known for although they’ll get their hopes up when they go 3-1 in September with three cupcake wins and a road loss to Penn State. October should provide a reversal of fortunes with a 1-3 record (win against Arkansas). The Tigers have two losses (Texas A&M and Alabama) and two tossup games in November. A 6-6 record should be considered a triumph. Anything better will depend on quarterback Bo Nix playing lights out and Derek Mason’s defense playing out of its mind. A 4-8 record is entirely possible.

(6) FLORIDA

9/4 Florida Atlantic; 9/11 at South Florida; 9/18 Alabama; 9/25 Tennessee; 10/2 at Kentucky; 10/9 Vanderbilt; 10/16 at LSU; 10/30 vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville); 11/6 at South Carolina; 11/13 Samford; 11/20 at Missouri; 11/27 Florida State

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Alabama; Tennessee; Kentucky; Vanderbilt; LSU; Georgia; South Carolina; Missouri; Florida State Group of 5 opponents (2): Florida Atlantic; South Florida

D1AA opponents (1): Samford

Home games (6): Florida Atlantic; Alabama; Tennessee; Vanderbilt; Samford; Florida State

Road games (5): South Florida; Kentucky; LSU; South Carolina; Missouri

Neutral site games (1) Georgia

2020 bowl teams (6): Florida Atlantic; Alabama; Kentucky; LSU; Georgia

Florida’s season is going to be determined by three games – Alabama, LSU and Georgia. Win those three and the Gators are probably going to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. Lose two or more of those three and they’ll finish second in the SEC East. If Florida bushwhacks Alabama in game three with a home crowd raising the decibel level to the highest it’s been in years, it will raise expectations to near unrealistic levels even though the Gators still have to deal with LSU in Baton Rouge and Georgia in Jacksonville. The Gators get Alabama in game three which certainly is a better option than November. The LSU and Georgia games are definitely winnable. To win all three of the toughest games, the stars and planets will need to align, quarterback Emory Jones will have to prove he can throw as well as he can run, Demarkcus Bowman and Lorenzo Lingard will have to show breakaway ability and Todd Grantham’s retooled defense led by Kaiir Elam, Brenton Cox Jr. and Ventrell Miller will need to prove that last year’s disaster was an aberration. Dan Mullen had a rather confident air about him when spring practice ended. It seems Mullen likes his chances for the Gators to be better than projected by the national media but going unbeaten is out of the question. A 10-2 season seems realistic.

(13) GEORGIA

9/4 vs. Clemson (in Charlotte); 9/11 UAB; 9/18 South Carolina; 9/25 at Vanderbilt; 10/2 Arkansas; 10/9 at Auburn; 10/16 at Kentucky; 10/30 vs. Florida (in Jacksonville); 11/6 Missouri; 11/13 at Tennessee; 11/20 Charleston Southern; 11/27 at Georgia Tech

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (10): Clemson; South Carolina; Vanderbilt; Arkansas; Auburn; Kentucky; Florida; Missouri; Tennessee; Georgia Tech

Group of 5 opponents (1): UAB

D1AA opponents (1): Charleston Southern

Home games (5): UAB; South Carolina; Arkansas; Missouri; Charleston Southern

Road games (5): Vanderbilt; Auburn; Kentucky; Tennessee; Georgia Tech

Neutral site games (2): Clemson; Florida

Bowl teams 2020 (4): Clemson; Auburn; Kentucky; Florida

In the 40 years since Georgia’s last national championship, probably no team in college football has had more seasons when expectations were through the roof without actually delivering. If they awarded trophies for near national championships, the Georgia case would be full. Instead that 1980 national championship trophy is lonesome and collecting dust. This is another football season, therefore Georgia fans and the adoring media alike are saying this is the year Kirby Smart breaks through. In their opinion, quarterback JT Daniels is the reason why. He’s never played against a ranked SEC team yet he’s being hyped for the Heisman. Of course, they said the same thing last year when Jamie Newman, the Wake Forest transfer who bailed in August, was projected to lead the Bulldogs to the promised land. The schedule favors Georgia since there are only two games that have a losable look – Clemson in Charlotte on opening night and Florida in Jacksonville, a place where Georgia dreams have gone to die so many times in the past. Georgia could lose to Clemson and still win the SEC East. Count on one loss for sure, but two are possible even against the second easiest schedule in the Southeastern Conference.

(5) KENTUCKY

9/4 Louisiana Monroe; 9/11 Missouri; 9/18 UT-Chattanooga; 9/25 at South Carolina; 10/2 Florida; 10/9 LSU; 10/16 at Georgia; 10/30 at Mississippi State; 11/6 Tennessee; 11/13 at Vanderbilt; 11/20 New Mexico State; 11/27 at Louisville

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Missouri; South Carolina; Florida; LSU; Georgia; Tennessee; Mississippi State; Tennessee; Louisville Group of 5 opponents (2): Louisiana Monroe; New Mexico State

D1AA opponents (1) UT-Chattanooga

Home games (7): Louisiana Monroe; Missouri; UT-Chattanooga; Florida; LSU; Tennessee; New Mexico State

Road games (5): South Carolina; Georgia; Mississippi State; Vanderbilt; Louisville

2020 bowl teams (4): Florida; LSU; Georgia; Mississippi State

Tired of being good just not good enough to be a contender, Mark Stoops hired a brand new offensive coordinator to make the Wildcats less predictable. Liam Coen may have the long term offensive answers but for the Wildcats to be anything more than ground and pound in 2021, he’s going to have to (a) find a quarterback (three contenders) who can throw downfield accurately and (b) Nebraska wide receiver transfer Wan’Dale Robinson is going to have prove he can stretch a defense. Otherwise it’s a lot of eight-in-the-box looks. Kentucky looks to start 4-0 but then comes Florida, LSU and Georgia back-to-back-to-back. That’s the toughest three-week gauntlet in the SEC. The last five games are all winnable but Kentucky has a habit of stumbling against beatable teams. Something like 7-5 seems quite realistic. Anything better than that and Stoops might be a coach of the year candidate.

(12) LSU

9/4 at UCLA; 9/11 McNeese State; 9/18 Central Michigan; 9/25 at Mississippi State; 10/2 Auburn; 10/9 at Kentucky; 10/16 Florida; 10/23 at Ole Miss; 11/6 at Alabama; 11/13 Arkansas; 11/20 Louisiana Monroe; 11/27 Texas A&M

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9):

Group of 5 opponents (2):

D1AA opponents (1):

Home games (7): McNeese State; Central Michigan; Auburn; Florida; Arkansas; Louisiana Monroe; Texas A&M

Road games (5) UCLA; Mississippi State; Kentucky; Ole Miss; Alabama

2020 bowl teams (7): Mississippi State; Auburn; Kentucky; Florida; Ole Miss; Alabama; Texas A&M

From a talent standpoint, LSU should be a contender this year, but there are NCAA sanctions and a Title IX lawsuit that names Coach O one of the defendants hanging over the program. That’s a lot of noise LSU has to cancel out. There are eight games that LSU should win even with uninspired efforts but then there are the four games that will define the Tigers season and all four are losable – Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas A&M. The Tigers get Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama consecutively. The Ole Miss and Bama games are on the road. Those three games figure to define the season even before the finale with the Aggies. They will, perhaps, determine Coach O’s future. If the NCAA and/or Title IX come down hard on LSU, Coach O could be made the scapegoat, especially if the Tigers aren’t in contention to win the SEC West title. With all the distractions, it wouldn’t be a shock to see LSU go 9-3 even with personnel to die for but 10-2 seems more realistic.

(8) MISSISSIPPI STATE

9/4 Louisiana Tech; 9/11 North Carolina State; 9/18 at Memphis; 9/25 LSU; 10/2 at Texas A&M; 10/16 Alabama; 10/23 at Vanderbilt; 10/30 Kentucky; 11/6 at Arkansas; 11/13 at Auburn; 11/20 Tennessee State; 11/25 Ole Miss

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): North Carolina State; LSU; Texas A&M; Alabama; Vanderbilt; Kentucky; Arkansas; Auburn

Group if 5 opponents (2): Louisiana Tech; Memphis

D1AA Opponents (1) Tennessee State

Home games (7): Louisiana Tech; North Carolina State; LSU; Alabama; Kentucky; Tennessee State; Ole Miss

Road games (5): Memphis; Texas A&M; Vanderbilt; Arkansas; Auburn

2020 bowl teams (9): Louisiana Tech; North Carolina State; Memphis; LSU; Texas A&M; Alabama; Kentucky; Auburn; Ole Miss

Year II of the Air Raid should show improvement when the Bulldogs have the football. Mike Leach has experience at quarterback where Will Rogers returns after starting seven games last year. Rogers will be challenged by Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham, who has thrown 41 TDPs in his career. The Bulldogs still have to find some semblance of a running game and the defense will have to improve mightily if MSU intends to be much better than a break even team. There are the usual suspects in the SEC West that have to be contended with plus there are non-conference matchups with North Carolina State and Memphis that won’t be easy. Breaking even will mean going 4-0 in the non-conference games plus beating Vanderbilt and Arkansas. A 7-5 season will be near miraculous.

(11) MISSOURI

9/4 Central Michigan; 9/11 at Kentucky; 9/18 Southeast Missouri State; 9/25 at Boston College; 10/2 Tennessee; 10/9 North Texas; 10/16 Texas A&M; 10/30 at Vanderbilt; 11/6 at Georgia; 11/13 South Carolina; 11/20 Florida; 11/26 at Arkansas

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Kentucky; Boston College; Tennessee; Texas A&M; Vanderbilt; Georgia; South Carolina; Florida; Arkansas

Group of 5 opponents (2): Central Michigan; North Texas

D1AA opponents (1): Southeast Missouri State

Home games (7): Central Michigan; Southeast Missouri State; Tennessee; North Texas; Texas A&M; South Carolina; Florida

Road games (5): Kentucky; Boston College; Vanderbilt; Georgia; Arkansas

2020 bowl teams (5): Kentucky; North Texas; Texas A&M; Georgia; Florida

Missouri got hit hard by transfers – 20 departed the program including its most experienced wide receiver Jalen Knox and way too many experienced defenders – but the schedule isn’t particularly daunting. There are three games you can all but pencil in a loss – Texas A&M, Georgia and Florida – but there isn’t a single game of the last nine that a win would be considered a monumental upset. The key to improvement and going 7-5 is in the hands of quarterback Connor Bazelac. If he improves as much as he did during the season in 2020 then the Tigers will go bowling.

(4) OLE MISS

9/4 vs. Louisville (in Atlanta); 9/11 Austin Peay; 9/18 Tulane; 10/2 at Alabama; 10/9 Arkansas; 10/16 at Tennessee; 10/23 LSU; 10/30 at Auburn; 11/6 Liberty; 11/13 Texas A&M; 11/20 Vanderbilt; 11/27 at Mississippi State

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9):

Group of 5 opponents (2):

D1AA opponents (1):

Home games (7): Austin Peay; Tulane; Arkansas; LSU; Liberty; Texas A&M; Vanderbilt

Road games (4): Alabama; Tennessee; Auburn; Mississippi State

Neutral site games (1): Louisville

2020 bowl teams (7): Tulane; Alabama; LSU; Auburn; Liberty; Texas A&M; Mississippi State

There might not be a more fun team to watch offensively in 2021 than Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin has a quarterback he loves in Matt Corral, an explosive group of running backs led by Jerrion Early and Snoop Conner and plenty of speed at wide receiver led by Donatario Drummond. Of course, the Rebels have to stop people. That was the Achilles Heel least year and may prove to be the killer once again in 2021 if Ole Miss intends to win by something other than a shootout. It’s because the offense is so good and because Kiffin is such a good play caller that Ole Miss could shock the world and win eight or more games this year. The toughest games are Alabama in Tuscaloosa and Texas A&M in Oxford. The most intriguing game is November 6 when Liberty and former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze come to Oxford. Liberty is capable of beating more than half the tams in the SEC. This has a 7-5 feel to it but 8-4 wouldn’t be a shocker.

(2) SOUTH CAROLINA

9/4 Eastern Illinois; 9/11 at East Carolina; 9/18 at Georgia; 9/25 Kentucky; 10/2 Troy; 10/9 at Tennessee; 10/16 Vanderbilt; 10/23 at Texas A&M; 11/6 Florida; 11/13 at Missouri; 11/20 Auburn; 11/27 Clemson

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Georgia; Kentucky; Tennessee; Vanderbilt; Texas A&M; Florida; Missouri; Auburn; Clemson

Group of 5 opponents (2): East Carolina; Troy

D1AA opponents (1): Eastern Illinois

Home games (7): Eastern Illinois; Kentucky; Troy; Vanderbilt; Florida; Auburn; Clemson

Road games (5): East Carolina; Georgia; Tennessee; Texas A&M; Missouri

2020 bowl teams (6): Georgia; Kentucky; Texas A&M; Florida; Auburn; Clemson

This has the making of a rather long, very difficult season for first year coach Shane Beamer. He’s got to navigate a schedule that has four almost certain losses and only two games the Gamecocks figure to win. You can all but pencil in Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida and Clemson in the loss column. The only two games South Carolina figures to be favored to win are D1AA Eastern Illinois and Troy. The Gamecocks might not be favored in any of the other six but at least they figure to be competitive. To get anywhere close to break even Beamer is going to have to get a lot of mileage out of running backs Kevin Harris and redshirt freshman MarShawn Lloyd. A 4-8 record would probably be considered an outstanding coaching job on the part of Beamer.

(9) TENNESSEE

9/4 Bowling Green; 9/11 Pittsburgh; 9/18 Tennessee Tech; 9/25 at Florida; 10/2 at Missouri; 10/9 South Carolina; 10/16 Ole Miss; 10/23 at Alabama; 11/6 at Kentucky; 11/13 Georgia; 11/20 South Alabama; 11/27 Vanderbilt

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Pittsburgh; Florida; Missouri; South Carolina; Ole Miss; Alabama; Kentucky; Georgia; Vanderbilt

Group of 5 opponents (2): Bowling Green; South Alabama

D1AA opponents (1): Tennessee Tech

Home games (8): Bowling Green; Pittsburgh; Tennessee Tech; South Carolina; Ole Miss; Georgia; South Alabama; Vanderbilt

Road games (4): Florida; Missouri; Alabama; Kentucky

2020 bowl teams (5): Florida; Ole Miss; Alabama; Kentucky; Georgia

Josh Heupel’s three years at UCF proved he really does know how to put points on a scoreboard. Transfer quarterbacks Hendon Hooker (from Virginia Tech) and Joe Milton (from Michigan) will do well in Heupel’s system although the Vols have to find some running backs and someone who can catch the football. Over on the defensive side, the transfer portal wiped out the experience, particularly at linebacker. So, the Vols will have personnel disadvantages, not good when you have a schedule that includes Pitt, Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia. There are four winnable games – Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech, South Alabama and Vanderbilt – so the trick for Heupel will be to win those four and find two games to steal somewhere else on the schedule to go bowling. If he goes 5-7 or better it will be semi-miraculous.

(14) TEXAS A&M

9/4 Kent State; 9/11 at Colorado; 9/18 New Mexico; 9/25 vs. Arkansas (in Arlington, TX); 10/2 Mississippi State; 10/9 Alabama; 10/16 at Missouri; 10/23 South Carolina; 11/6 at Auburn; 11/13 at Ole Miss; 11/20 Prairie View A&M; 11/27 at LSU

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Colorado; Arkansas; Mississippi State; Alabama; Missouri; South Carolina; Auburn; Ole Miss; LSU

Group of 5 opponents (2): Kent State; New Mexico

D1AA opponents (1): Prairie View A&M

Home games (6): Kent State; New Mexico; Mississippi State; Alabama; South Carolina; Prairie View A&M

Road games (5): Colorado; Missouri; Auburn; Ole Miss; LSU

Neutral site games (1): Arkansas

2020 bowl teams (5): Colorado; Mississippi State; Auburn; Ole Miss; LSU

This is supposed to be THE year for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies and the schedule will have something to do with it because it’s very easy by SEC standards. The Aggies are replacing a four-year starter at quarterback, four offensive linemen must be found and there isn’t a receiver who has proven he can stretch a defensive vertically but that might not matter against a schedule that has only three losable games – Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. While Jimbo waits for Haynes King to develop at QB and to find if his O-line can punch holes for Isaiah Spiller to run through, the defense should be very good with three D-line starters and six of the back seven back to start another year. The Aggies will probably be 5-0 when Alabama comes to town. Win that one and they’ll easily be favored the rest of their games although they face Ole Miss in Oxford and LSU in Baton Rouge. This has the look of a 10-2 or 11-1 team.

(10) VANDERBILT

9/4 East Tennessee State; 9/11 at Colorado State; 9/18 Stanford; 9/25 Georgia; 10/2 UConn; 10/9 at Florida; 10/16 at South Carolina; 10/23 Mississippi State; 10/30 Missouri; 11/13 Kentucky; 11/20 at Ole Miss; 11/27 at Tennessee

Schedule breakdown

Power 5 opponents (9): Stanford; Georgia; Florida; South Carolina; Mississippi State; Missouri; Ole Miss; Tennessee

Group of 5 opponents (2): Colorado State; UConn

D1AA opponents (1): East Tennessee State

Home games (7): East Tennessee State; Stanford; Georgia; UConn; Mississippi State; Missouri; Kentucky

Road games (5): Colorado State; Florida; South Carolina; Ole Miss; Tennessee

2020 bowl teams (5): Georgia; Florida; Mississippi State; Kentucky; Ole Miss

Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea is the new head coach, replacing a former defensive coordinator turned head coach in Derek Mason, who is now Bryan Harsin’s defensive coordinator at Auburn. Vanderbilt’s problems run deeper than any head coach. There isn’t a single projected starter who would start for any upper tier SEC team. Even though there are eight offensive starters returning, this is a unit that AVERAGED 14.8 points per game and a very pedestrian 4.71 yards per offensive play last year. There are exactly two winnable games on the schedule – the opener against D1AA East Tennessee State and UConn, which opted out of 2020 and is 6-30 in the last three seasons it has played. The closest thing to a tossup game among the other 10 is South Carolina and that one has to be played on the road. Vanderbilt did a reverse (0-9) run of the table in 2020. The East Tennessee State game means there shouldn’t be a second straight winless season, but it’s still going to be bad. A 1-11 season seems imminent.