Just a Minute: There’s a problem with the revamped SEC schedule
Although the Southeastern Conference is getting a lot of praise for changing the November schedule next year, it's also putting the SEC West champion at a clear disadvantage in the league title game.
History has shown that it's extremely difficult for even the best teams to get through a three-game stretch against ranked opponents, unscathed.
Crimson Tide fans know this well, as both the 2010 South Carolina loss and 2012 defeat to Texas A&M both came after Alabama had just played back-to-back ranked foes.
Of course, no one likes seeing mismatches across the board a week before rivalry weekend to close out the regular season. A big reason why SEC teams have scheduled Football Championship Subdivision opponents the weekend before Thanksgiving is to be as fresh as possible before such crucial games.
However, the revamped 2020 schedule almost guarantees that the SEC Championship Game will feature a western-division champion playing its third-straight ranked opponent in as many weekends, while the eastern representative will have easier lead-in games.
That's a big advantage for the East representative, even bigger than the game being played in its territory, Atlanta.
Check out the final two regular-season opponents for the teams most likely to be in the running:
Eastern Division
• Florida: New Mexico State, at Florida State
• Georgia: at Kentucky, Georgia Tech
Western Division
• Alabama: Texas A&M, Auburn
• Auburn: LSU, at Alabama
• LSU: at Auburn, at Texas A&M
• Texas A&M: at Alabama, LSU
