2014 SEC Football Schedule Grid

The 2014 SEC football schedule was completed in record time this past year. When Alabama added Southern Miss back in November 2013, all games were set in stone. It is almost six months until the Crimson Tide laces up against West Virginia in the Georgia Dome.

A quick synopsis of each of Bama's SEC opponents for 2014:

Florida (Sept. 20, Tuscaloosa) - Losing four defensive backs (Cody Riggs, Louchiez Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, and Jaylen Watkins) in addition to DE Dominique Easley really hurts this team. The quarterback situation is a mess.

Ole Miss (Oct. 4, Oxford) Leading receiver Donte Moncrief is turning pro but most of the rest of the team is returning. The Nkemdiche brothers might be in some legal trouble.

Arkansas (Oct. 11, Fayetteville) - Coach Bert again has his hands full with this snafu of a team. Returning sophomore running back Alex Collins had a good year in 2013 but the Hogs are severely lacking in the passing game. Expect opponents to continue to load the box until Arky can prove they can pass the ball.

Texas A&M (Oct. 18, Tuscaloosa) - Despite Johnny Manziel, WR Mike Evans, and both starting offensive tackles leaving for the NFL, coach Kevin Sumlin decided to return to College Station in 2014. Unfortunately, so will most of the starters on this woeful defense. Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder has a big task ahead of him.

Tennessee (Oct. 25, Knoxville) loses all five starters on the offensive line (four seniors plus junior Antonio Richardson who is going pro), as well as leading rusher Rajion Neal. Add to that all four senior starting D-linemen and 2 of the 3 linebackers also graduating. If that is not enough salt for the wound, All-SEC punter/kicker Michael Palardy is out of eligibility as well. OUCH! Butch Jones has been recruiting really well (certainly based on a campaign of early playing time) but he has a lot of rebuilding ahead of him.

LSU (Nov. 8, Baton Rouge) again loses some key players on both sides of the ball to early departure for the NFL Draft. The top two receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are going pro. Travin Dural (7-145, 2 TDs) and Quantavius Leslie (1-11) are the only returning wide receivers for the Tigers with playing experience. Senior QB Zach Mettenberger is gone as well. Back-up QB Anthony Jennings' poor performance in the Outback Bowl did not instill confidence in the future of the passing game.

Mississippi State (Nov. 15, Tuscaloosa) finished out the season with a rout of Rice in the Liberty Bowl. Dak Prescott might be the best returning QB in the SEC.

Auburn (Nov. 29, Tuscaloosa) - Aside from OT Greg Robinson and RB Tre Mason, the Tigers return pretty much everyone on offense for next season. They should be strong.

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SEC Non-Conference Games of Note:

Aug 28: Ole Miss vs. Boise (Atlanta)
Aug 30: Alabama vs. WVU (Atlanta)
Aug 30: LSU vs. Wisconsin (Houston)
Aug 30: Georgia vs. Clemson
Sept 13: Arkansas @ Texas Tech (Arlington)
Sept 13:Tennessee @ Oklahoma
Sept 20:Auburn @ Kansas State

* Vanderbilt is the only SEC team that misses out on Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M in 2014.

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A Few Other Nuggets from Around the Nation:

• Florida State opens the season with Oklahoma State in Jerry World. The 'Noles also play Notre Dame on Oct. 18.
• Speaking of the Fighting Irish, they begin their part-time excursion into the ACC with games at FSU, and Syracuse, plus hosting duties to UNC and new ACC member Louisville.
  
• Meanwhile, former ACC member Maryland disappears into the Big 10, never to be heard from again. Rutgers pushes the conference count up to 14 teams. Yawn.
  
• Michigan starts off with Appalachian State. Hmm... Does anyone recall what happened the last time these two teams met?
• On Sept. 13 Michigan State travels to Oregon and UCLA faces Texas in Arlington.
• Iowa State kicks off their season against North Dakota State. Do the Cyclones know what they are getting themselves into? NDSU has gone 43-2 over the past three seasons with three straight FCS National Championships.
  

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I am sorry if this 2014 SEC football schedule grid does not come out perfect on your end. You might try copying and pasting to excel.

* Bama-WVU in Atlanta, Ole Miss-Boise (Thurs) in Atlanta, LSU-Wisc in Houston, TAMU-Ark in Arlington, UGA-Ark in Little Rock, UGA-Fla in Jacksonville.

**TAMU @ SC (Thurs)

***LSU @ TAMU (Thurs)