LITTLE ROCK — Reviewing the 2019 football schedules of SEC West teams alphabetically, Arkansas’ four-game midseason gauntlet received immediate attention.
Beginning Oct. 12, the Razorbacks play at Kentucky, home vs. Auburn, at Alabama and home vs. Mississippi State.
Not too long ago swapping Vanderbilt for Kentucky would be pretty much a push and dispatched with a flippant reference to football playing second fiddle to the Wildcats’ basketball program.
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But under Mark Stoops, football has become more than a bridge to John Calipari’s Big Blue Madness practice in October. Kentucky has finished 4-4 in the SEC each of the past two years, played in two straight bowl games and earlier this year defeated Florida for the first time in more than 30 years.
In that 27-16 road victory on Sept. 8, junior college transfer Terry Wilson accounted for three touchdowns, carried 10 times for 105 yards, completed 11 of 16 passes for 151 yards, and he is only a sophomore.
In other words, the Razorbacks will have their hands full in Lexington.
Kentucky’s upgrade, plus the fact that Arkansas is the only SEC team to play Auburn and Alabama back to back in 2019, plus only the Razorbacks play the Alabama schools within a three-week period this year, could cause some UA fans to be paranoid about the schedule makers.
Not so fast.
Arkansas’ four-game stretch pales beside the challenge facing LSU. The Tigers have seven SEC games in eight weeks and that’s never easy no matter the opponent.
Beginning Oct. 12, the Tigers play Florida, at Mississippi State and Auburn, have Nov. 2 off, and then finish at Alabama and Ole Miss, before playing Arkansas and Texas A&M in Baton Rouge.
Still, there is a case to be made that A&M has the most difficult schedule in the West.
Sorting out the seven schedules, begin with who plays Georgia and the strength of the opponent from the other Power Five conferences.
At the top of the Aggies’ website is found:
“The Texas A&M 2019 football schedule is … an adventure” and under that:
“Clemson, Bama and Georgia …oh my.”
As usual, Clemson will be among the favorites for the national championship, particularly with freshman Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and Dabo Swinney in control, and the Aggies play the Tigers on the road in the second game of the season.
Georgia replaces Kentucky on the A&M schedule and the recruiting prowess of third-year head coach Kirby Smart has made the Bulldogs the team to beat in the SEC East.
In addition, Georgia is the precursor to the season finale at LSU.
Georgia is Auburn’s permanent opponent from the East, but the Tigers’ opener vs. Oregon does not measure up to the Aggies’ game at Clemson.
In fact, other than Clemson, the SEC West’s 2019 opponents from Power Five conferences are unlikely to have preseason reputations matching those of Washington and Miami, ranked sixth and eighth in AP’s preseason poll this year.
Next year, LSU takes on Texas, far removed from the glory days, while Alabama plays Duke, Ole Miss takes on California, and Mississippi State squares off against Kansas State.
Arkansas’ non-conference opponents are blah — Portland State, Colorado State, San Jose State and Western Kentucky. The Razorbacks don’t have to play a Power Five team in 2019 because of Michigan reneging from a scheduled series two summers ago.
However, Arkansas’ game at Notre Dame improves the attractiveness of the non-conference schedule for SEC West teams in 2020 and might even tempt journalists near retirement to hang on for two more years. In addition to the game at South Bend, Alabama plays Southern Cal, while North Carolina, Texas, North Carolina State, Colorado and Baylor are adequate in supporting roles.
Although no team in the SEC West needs help less, the Crimson Tide might be the biggest beneficiary of the conference schedule.
Only once does Alabama play as many as three conference games on consecutive Saturdays. Beginning Oct. 12, the Crimson Tide is at A&M, then home vs. Tennessee and Arkansas.
Like the Razorbacks, both Mississippi schools have four straight league games.