The SEC might have just delivered one of the best Saturdays of the entire college football season.
October 17 is absolutely loaded from the opening kick to the final whistle, with rivalry games, ranked matchups and potential College Football Playoff implications everywhere you look.
The biggest game could be No. 6 Alabama at No. 15 Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Third Saturday in October rarely needs extra hype, but this one should have plenty. Alabama will be coming off its massive home showdown with Georgia, while Tennessee gets the Crimson Tide in Knoxville with an opportunity to make a major statement.
At that same time, Auburn travels to No. 2 Georgia for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Georgia will also be coming off an emotional heavyweight matchup against Alabama, which makes this a potentially dangerous spot against a rested Auburn team coming off a bye.
And somehow, there is another huge 3:30 matchup with No. 14 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss. That could quietly become one of the most important games of the afternoon, especially if both teams remain in the SEC and CFP races.
The day starts with No. 16 Florida at No. 1 Texas and No. 17 Mississippi State at No. 10 LSU at noon. Texas gets another major SEC test just one week after facing Oklahoma in Dallas, while LSU-Mississippi State suddenly carries legitimate weight with both currently ranked.
The night slate isn’t bad either. Arkansas travels to Vanderbilt at 7 p.m., followed by Kentucky at Oklahoma at 7:30.
The only break comes with Texas A&M hosting The Citadel at 1 p.m.
Otherwise, this is SEC football at its best. Alabama-Tennessee. Auburn-Georgia. Florida-Texas. Mississippi State-LSU. Missouri-Ole Miss.
There are games with serious consequences in basically every television window.
October 17 has a chance to completely reshape the SEC race.
