The 2016 college football season will be upon us in a little less than four months, thank goodness, and with that comes time to look ahead at some of the games we're most looking forward to. The SEC, which thanks to the Alabama Crimson Tide defeating Clemson 45-40 in the College Football Playoff championship game last season, won it's eighth national title in ten years, will likely be the conference favored to win it all again. There are a number of marquee games that will determine the fate of teams' seasons, so let's go through and rank the best — and most critical games inside the conference for 2016.
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1) Alabama at LSU, Nov. 5: It's no secret that LSU-Alabama has given us one of the more unforgettable matchups in recent history. Between the Game of the Century the Tigers won in 2011 to the overtime thriller that saw Blake Sims and Company beat LSU at night in Death Valley, this matchup seemingly never disappoints. That's also probably why CBS has used it as their night game doubleheader for the last five seasons straight. Last year, the Tide handed LSU its first loss of the season and held then-Heisman frontrunner Leonard Fournette to a season low 31 yards and they made it look easy.
2) Alabama at Ole Miss, Sept. 17: I was thinking about putting this game first given it's significance for 2016, but had to keep LSU-Bama up top. Where do we even begin with this matchup? Last season Ole Miss beat Alabama for the second year in a row, but they didn't just beat the Tide — the Rebels went into Tuscaloosa and whooped the Tide so badly that everyone claimed that the Tide's dynasty was "over." We all know how Alabama's 2015 season ended up, and Ole Miss meanwhile has lost a ton of talent and is now getting into a shroud of potential NCAA investigations following the Laremy Tunsil debacle. Nick Saban is 18-3 as an SEC head coach in "revenge" games, so you might not want to count Alabama out in this one.
3) Florida at Tennessee, Sept. 24: Florida has won the last eleven games in this series, but don't be fooled by that number — these games have, for the most part, been far from blow outs. There was the ugly 10-9 victory Florida had in 2014 that gave us our first look at now-defunct quarterback Treon Harris, and Tennessee almost got the victory last season in Gainesville had it not been for former Gator quarterback Will Grier finding true freshman Antonio Callaway for a miraculous 63-yard touchdown that allowed Florida to win 28-27. The winner of this game will likely be the same team that represents the East in Atlanta, so this will be a must-watch one.
4) Auburn at Alabama, Nov. 24: No matter how good or bad these two teams are, this game year in and year out gives us unforgettable moments. Anywhere from Cam Newton's stunner of a comeback in 2010, the kick-six in 2013 or 2014's offensive shootout that resulted in an Alabama 55-44 victory — the highest scoring Iron Bowl in the rivalry's history. Not to mention that these two schools absolutely abhor one another 365 days out of the year. If Gus Malzahn loses to Saban for three straight seasons, we could be hearing rumors of some coaching changes On The Plains.
5) Ole Miss at LSU, Oct. 22: Given that this game usually doesn't result in an SEC West division winner thanks to Alabama's dominance in the division, this game flies under the radar a little bit, but don't downplay this one a bit. Last year Ole Miss gave LSU its third loss of the season, and thus began prompting questions regarding Les Miles' future in Baton Rogue. The two seasons before last saw both games decided by a combined six points — the Rebels shocked then-No. 6 LSU in 2013 on a late field goal, and a late Bo Wallace pick lost the game for the Rebels in Death Valley in 2014. Depending on if LSU can beat Alabama this year and what happens with Ole Miss-Bama, we could be seeing this one determine the SEC West winner.
