These 10 could decide the SEC title Oh, it used to be so easy. When college football season began, we never had a hard time identifying beforehand which Southeastern Conference games would be the biggest of the year. Alabama vs. Auburn. Tennessee vs. Alabama. Tennessee vs. Florida. Those games always made a difference, either in the league standings, in the interest of fans or both. To a lesser extent, Auburn vs. LSU, Auburn vs. Georgia, Georgia vs. Florida and Tennessee vs. Georgia meant a lot, too. But heading into 2004, the league has shifted, and the big games and contests of interest have changed. Some of those old games still mean more than the rest, but it's for different reasons this year than in the past. With that in mind, here's a preview of what might be the 10 biggest games of the 2004 SEC season: ? Sept. 18, LSU at Auburn: Tommy Tuberville's Tigers have a chance to make a big statement early in the season with a win over a preseason top-five team. If Auburn wins this one - and it's clearly capable - then Tuberville's squad will replace LSU as the team to beat in the SEC Western Division. ? Sept. 18, Florida at Tennessee: The winner of this used to become the SEC favorite automatically. That's no longer the case, but both teams have a chance to sneak in the race and need a victory here to do so. ? Oct. 2, LSU at Georgia: A rematch of the 2003 SEC Championship Game and a possible preview of the 2004 contest, too. LSU won this one last year at home, but Georgia didn't play well. The Tigers won the league championship game, too. ? Oct. 2, Auburn at Tennessee: The Vols fell apart after losing to the Tigers last year, but if they can win this one, then they'll remain in the hunt along with Georgia and Florida in the SEC East. ? Oct. 9, LSU at Florida: The Gators were the only team to beat LSU last season, and the loss denied the Tigers the Associated Press national championship, although they did win the USA Today/ESPN version. ? Oct. 16, Tennessee at Ole Miss: Rebels' coach David Cutcliffe faces his old team in this mid-season game, and by the time these two teams meet, both will need a victory badly in order to remain in the championship race. ? Oct. 30, Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla.: In the past, this was Florida's chance to beat up a rival and make its grasp on the SEC Eastern Division lead a little more firm. Now, Georgia is the favorite, and Florida needs this win to get into the championship race. Considering that the Gators have dominated this series, don't be surprised if they win this one, too. ? Nov. 13, Georgia at Auburn: It's possible that this could be an SEC Championship Game preview, too, although the smart money is still on Georgia facing LSU in Atlanta. ? Nov. 13, Alabama at LSU: Although it's not likely at all, the Crimson Tide could put together a decent record against a weak SEC schedule, which includes Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State. Providing those teams actually are down, and Alabama plays better than anticipated, this game at Baton Rouge could make a huge difference in the SEC race. Also, for some strange reason, Alabama usually always wins at LSU, even though the coaches for both sides have changed fairly regularly in the past 20 years. ? Nov. 13, Vanderbilt at Kentucky: This one is important because ... oh, heck, just kidding. Really, this doesn't count as one of the 10. Just couldn't resist. ? Nov. 20, Auburn at Alabama: By this point in the season, both teams could be eating LSU's dust in the championship race, but even if that's the case, this one never loses its luster inside our state's borders.
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