Must S-E-C

The countdown likely began Jan. 8 for some. Recruiting and spring practice filled the void in the meantime. Now, with coaches and players ready to descend on Hoover for the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days starting Wednesday, let's officially start counting down. The SEC football season will kick off in 39 days with South Carolina at N.C. State and Vanderbilt at Miami (Ohio).

As we gear up for the season ahead, each day leading up to SEC Media Days, we'll examine some of the must-see matchups, potential impact players, intriguing story lines, a team that could disappoint and another that could surprise.

Today, we'll look at some marquee conference games for the upcoming season.

Florida at Tennessee, Sept. 20

This day could go a long way in determining the SEC divisional races. First, there are the Gators riding a three-game winning streak against the Volunteers into Neyland Stadium. The winner of this game has won the SEC East 11 of the last 15 years.

Of course, that wasn't the case last season, when Florida won 59-20 only to watch Tennessee play for the SEC championship. Troy actually gave the Gators a better game (59-31) last season, and you'd better believe the margin of defeat in Gainesville will have the Vols fired up at home.

LSU at Auburn, Sept. 20

This one could be just as decisive for the SEC West race as Tennessee-Florida in the East. For Auburn, last year's tilt with LSU probably hurt worse than USF and Mississippi State combined.

Call it excellence under pressure or just dumb luck, but somehow Matt Flynn's 22-yard pass found Demetrius Byrd in the end zone with 1 second remaining to give LSU a 30-24 win. Otherwise, Auburn would have been playing for an SEC title, and Les Miles would have been burned in effigy throughout the bayou for not opting for a game-winning field goal attempt.

LSU at Florida, Oct. 11

Florida might have ended LSU's national championship run last season in Baton Rouge if not for the Gators inexplicably abandoning the run in the closing minutes and Miles, ever the riverboat gambler, going 5-for-5 on fourth-down conversion calls.

Both teams easily could come in with a loss - Florida at Tennessee, LSU at Auburn - so this midseason tilt could dash any title hopes.

Florida vs. Georgia, Nov. 1

This one has all the ingredients for an epic. Two potential Heisman contenders - Florida's Tim Tebow and Georgia's Knowshon Moreno - each leading his team against its hated rival in a game that could decide the national title, let alone the SEC East.

According to an average of the preseason rankings released by the five leading preseason publications, Georgia is tied for third, while Florida is fifth. The Bulldogs and Gators each received No. 1 rankings from two of the five publications. Ohio State got the other first-place ranking.

Then there's Georgia's fanning of the rivalry flames with its premeditated bench-clearing celebration after the Bulldogs' first touchdown in their win last season. It was only Georgia's third win in 18 years against Florida, but after that move, expect the Cocktail Party to get more rowdy.

Alabama at LSU, Nov. 8

The inaugural Saban Bowl was an instant classic, but this year's installment could dwarf those theatrics before kickoff. It's not completely inconceivable that one of these teams will still be in the West race. Last season, it was Javier Arenas taketh and John Parker Wilson giveth away for the Crimson Tide. You know getting that close and executing that poorly against his former team didn't sit well with coach Nick Saban. It's also a safe bet a good number of Cajuns are upset with Saban and a certain off-the-record comment of his. Those at LSU's Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex might want to monitor the seismograph when Saban leads the Tide out of the tunnel.

Georgia at Auburn, Nov. 15

The 112th edition of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry could be the final roadblock for the Bulldogs on the way to the SEC Championship. In their black jerseys, the Bulldogs thumped the Tigers 45-20 last year.

The win came three weeks after a bye week, two weeks after an energizing win against Florida that saw Georgia crack the top-10, and a week after a home win against Troy. This season, Georgia will play at LSU, against Florida in Jacksonville and at Kentucky before coming to Auburn for its sixth game in as many weeks. We'll see if the Dawgs will have enough left to make it three in a row against the Tigers.

It's the Iron Bowl. Of course, it's big. So is the six-game winning streak the Tigers wield against the Tide. Implications on the West race aside, this is a chance for Saban to start justifying his paycheck and reclaim Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Bryan App can be reached at 740-5730 or bryan.app@timesdaily.com.