By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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How do the teams 2015 slates stack up? Weve ranked all 14 teams schedules from easiest to hardest.

While the SEC was a bit humbled this past bowl season, it still won more bowl games than any conference in history. That will again lead to lofty preseason expectations, which means the 14 SEC teams will face, on paper at least, some of the toughest schedules in all of college football this fall.

How do the teams 2015 slates stack up? Weve ranked all 14 teams schedules from easiest to hardest.

14. Missouri

SEC Home Games: Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee

SEC Away Games: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

Notable Non-Conference Games: at Arkansas State, vs. BYU (Kansas City)

The pick of the litter this fall goes to the defending SEC East champions. Only one of Missouris four SEC road opponents finished the regular season with a winning record, which is as good as you can ask for in this conference.

The non-conference schedule isnt bad, but BYU will at best leave you battered and bruised, and the trip to Arkansas State is likely the most anticipated game ever in Jonesboro. The only real bad news is that, for the third straight season, games with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are all in a row. Unlike last year, there is no week off in that stretch.

13. Kentucky

SEC Home Games: Auburn, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee

SEC Away Games: Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

Notable Non-Conference Games: Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisville

There is little time for this young team to grow, as three of the four September games are conference games (South Carolina, Florida, Missouri). The Auburn game, which replaces LSU in the rotation, is a Thursday night game in mid-October, following a nicely-timed midseason bye week.

The non-conference schedule is light, with all four games in Lexington 3 Louisville being the most notable. Louisiana-Lafayette is far from an ideal opener, as Mark Hudspeths program continues its search for a notable regular-season victory after four consecutive bowl wins.

12. Tennessee

SEC Home Games: Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

SEC Away Games: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri

Notable Non-Conference Games: vs. Bowling Green (Nashville), Oklahoma

This might seem low for a team that has had one of the toughest schedules in all of college football the past few seasons, but the downfall of Oklahoma has lightened the load considerably. All in all, its not bad. There is only one set of consecutive road games, the second of which is Kentucky. The bye week comes at midseason in between Georgia and Alabama.

The Vols get to tune up for a season-defining three-game stretch (at Florida, Arkansas, Georgia) with Western Carolina, and they catch Alabama at the end of the Crimson Tides eight-games-in-eight-weeks stretch to open the season. Going to Missouri in late November wont be fun (nor warm), but at least Tennessee gets North Texas the week before.

11. Vanderbilt

SEC Home Games: Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M

SEC Away Games: Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee

Notable Non-Conference Games: at Houston, Western Kentucky

There are no Power 5 non-conference opponents, but both Western Kentucky and Houston are capable of knocking off the Commodores after successful 2014 seasons. With both Georgia and Ole Miss on tap early, Vanderbilt could face two top-10 teams before September ends.

Getting Texas A&M as its rotating opponent isnt all that bad, especially at home. Catching always-flaky South Carolina after the Gamecocks play Missouri and LSU, and with the Commodores having a week off before, bodes well. If Vanderbilt wants to get to a bowl, however, nothing short of 4-0 outside of the league will suffice.

10. Georgia

SEC Home Games: Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina

SEC Away Games: Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

SEC Neutral-Site Game: Florida (Jacksonville)

Notable Non-Conference Games: Georgia Southern, at Georgia Tech

The Bulldogs will likely enter the season as the clear favorite in the SEC East. Having only three SEC road games helps, as the Cocktail Party is technically a road game this year. Switching Arkansas for Alabama is a negative, but at least the game is in Athens, as are key division games with Missouri and South Carolina.

Going to Auburn is no picnic, but Mark Richt is 4-3 all-time in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The key stretch comes in early October when a trip to Tennessee is sandwiched around home games with Alabama and Missouri. Theres no second marquee non-conference game besides Georgia Tech this year, as the Clemson series ended last season.

9. Ole Miss

SEC Home Games: Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

SEC Away Games: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State

Notable Non-Conference Games: Fresno State, at Memphis

With that road schedule, having the Rebels only ranked ninth shows just how difficult the SEC is on a weekly basis. Ole Miss must pay for having arguably its most attractive home schedule ever in 2014, as now it must go to Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Starkville, in addition to a rotating game at Florida.

The Rebels must sweep their four SEC home games if they hope to contend for the SEC West title, but they should be favored in all four. The non-conference schedule is fairly light, but the short trip to Memphis wont be easy. The Tigers are the defending AAC champions, and this game matters far more to them than it does Ole Miss.

8. South Carolina

SEC Home Games: Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Vanderbilt

SEC Away Games: Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M

Notable Non-Conference Games: Clemson, vs. North Carolina (Charlotte), UCF

Like Ole Miss, most of South Carolinas key games come away from Columbia. Trading Auburn for LSU is mostly a wash, but Steve Spurrier is 0-3 in his career against Les Miles. On the positive side, there are no more than three consecutive weeks with SEC games.

The non-conference schedule might be the toughest in the league, as the Gamecocks will face two Power-5 opponents and an always dangerous UCF team. The bye comes at a nice time 3 right before back-to-back road trips to Texas A&M and Tennessee.

7. Mississippi State

SEC Home Games: Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss

SEC Away Games: Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M

Notable Non-Conference Game: Louisiana Tech

The Bulldogs had a schedule tailor-made for success in 2014, which they turned into a 10-2 season and a trip to the Orange Bowl. Thats not the case in 2015. Missouri replaces Vanderbilt, and there are nasty early-season road trips to Auburn and Texas A&M in consecutive weeks.

November is a bear, as the Bulldogs close with at Missouri, Alabama, at Arkansas and Ole Miss. The non-conference schedule is cushy as usual, although Louisiana Tech is a program on the rise and could provide a test at midseason. The bye week comes on Halloween prior to a Thursday night visit to Missouri.

6. Texas A&M

SEC Home Games: Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, South Carolina

SEC Away Games: LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt

SEC Neutral-Site Game: Arkansas (Arlington)

Notable Non-Conference Game: vs. Arizona State (Houston)

The Aggies havent played a major non-conference opponent since joining the SEC, but that changes this fall with a season-opening showdown with Arizona State in Houston. That is the first of six straight games in the state of Texas to open the season. In fact, the Aggies play just one true road game (Oct. 24 at Ole Miss) until late November.

There are only three conference road games this year, and one is Vanderbilt. Thats all for the good news, as the rest of the schedule is a gauntlet. The notable stretch comes after a mid-October bye, when Texas A&M will face Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Auburn in consecutive weeks. Closing in Baton Rouge (possibly on a short week) wont be fun.

5. Auburn

SEC Home Games: Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

SEC Away Games: Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Texas A&M

Notable Non-Conference Game: vs. Louisville (Atlanta)

Overall, this is another brutal slate for the Tigers, but at least the home and away breakdown is much more favorable than it was a year ago. Georgia and Alabama both come to The Plains in November, where magic happened two years ago en route to Auburns SEC championship.

Kentucky replaces South Carolina, which is a plus. The Tigers need to solve their Baton Rouge problem, as they havent beaten LSU on the road this century. Opening with Louisville wont be easy, but the Cardinals lose most of their stars and should be vulnerable early.

4. Florida

SEC Home Games: Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

SEC Away Games: Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina

SEC Neutral-Site Game: Georgia (Jacksonville)

Notable Non-Conference Games: East Carolina, Florida State

Jim McElwain begins his tenure in Gainesville with the toughest schedule among the seven SEC East teams. There are only three SEC home games, and the Gators are the only SEC team not to face an FCS opponent this season. Alabama rolls off of the schedule this year, but getting Ole Miss as a replacement isnt much better.

As usual with Florida, the meat of the schedule comes in October. The month begins with the visit from Ole Miss, followed by road games at Missouri and LSU, a week off, and then the Cocktail Party on Halloween. Having two difficult non-conference games in East Carolina, who the Gators defeated in the Birmingham Bowl, and Florida State adds to the rigor.

3. LSU

SEC Home Games: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M

SEC Away Games: Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina

Notable Non-Conference Games: at Syracuse, Western Kentucky

An 8-5 record is a borderline crisis by LSU standards, so 2015 is a crucial season for Les Miles and the Tigers. Getting back on track will be a challenge, as LSU must face three teams on the road that played in New Years Six bowls. Kentucky gets punted for South Carolina in the rotation.

Well know just where this team stands early on, as LSU opens with two of three games against SEC opponents (at Mississippi State, Auburn). There are no back-to-back road games, which is probably the only good news. The finishing kick is a bear, with at Alabama, Arkansas, at Ole Miss and Texas A&M in November.

2. Arkansas

SEC Home Games: Auburn, Missouri, Mississippi State

SEC Away Games: Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee

SEC Neutral-Site Game: Texas A&M

Notable Non-Conference Games: Texas Tech, Toledo

Fear not, Woo Piggers. You do not have the toughest schedule in the league again this year. However, you do have the second toughest. Having just three SEC home games hurts matters, as do three road trips to stadiums that seat 100,000 or more fans. Trading Georgia for Tennessee in the rotation seemingly is a positive, but the Vols are on the rise, and the game is in Knoxville.

The layout of the schedule isnt great either. The trip to Alabama comes at the end of six games in six weeks before the bye week and will be the Razorbacks third straight game away from home. November rudely begins with back-to-back road trips to Ole Miss and LSU. The non-conference schedule isnt bad, with all four games in either Fayetteville or Little Rock.

1. Alabama

SEC Home Games: Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee

SEC Away Games: Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M

Notable Non-Conference Games: vs. Wisconsin (Arlington)

If Alabama is going to repeat as SEC champion for the first time since the 870s, itll have to overcome the nations toughest schedule. Georgia returns to the regular-season schedule for the first time since 2008 when Alabama goes to Athens in early October.

The Crimson Tide always have one tricky non-conference game, but Wisconsin may be the toughest one the team has faced since opening with No. 6 Virginia Tech back in 2009. The good news is how the schedule lays out. There are no back-to-back road games, and soft non-conference games precede showdowns with Ole Miss, Georgia and Auburn.