Most Important Non-Conference Games of 2019

by Chris Paschal

Everything changed back in 2008 when the Chick-fil-A Kickoff debuted in Atlanta, Georgia. That year, one of the most over-hyped teams in the history of college football, the Clemson Tigers, would be trounced by the upstart Alabama Crimson Tide, scoring only one touchdown off of a CJ Spiller kickoff return for a touchdown. Clemson and Alabama both looked a lot different back then.

Yet, despite the lopsided scoreboard, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game was a great success. Since 2008, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff has been a staple for the opening weekend of SEC and College Football. With the creation of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff, other cities like Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, and Orlando have created their own opening weekend showdowns.

Three of those opening weekend, neutral site matchups make this list. Ironically, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff did not. This year, the Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Atlanta to take on the Duke Blue Devils. Last time that happened, women and children should not have been able to watch.

Just Missed the Cut: Notre Dame @ Georgia (Week 4)

This list is not about the most intriguing games or the most anticipated games or even the best games, because if it was, Notre Dame traveling to Athens would surely have made this list. Instead, this list is ranking the most important non-conference games for programs in the SEC.

This game is not nearly as important for Georgia as it is for Notre Dame. Georgia will probably win the East again and take on the Crimson Tide in the SEC Title Game. Guess what, even if Georgia has a loss to Notre Dame on its record, if the Dawgs beat the Tide in Atlanta, they’re making the College Football Playoff. If they lose to Alabama in the SEC Title, they aren’t. It’s that simple. This will be a great game to watch, and will probably be the site for College Gameday, but it is not nearly as important as some others on this list.

5. Texas A&M at Clemson (Week 2)

This game has nothing to do with 2019. It has everything to do with the future. The Aggies have recruited extremely well in the short time Jimbo Fisher has been head coach. Last year’s thriller against Clemson showed the impact Fisher had in College Station. In year two at the helm, it is crucial that Jimbo’s team goes into a big game in Death Valley and looks the part.

This is Clemson’s only big home game of the season. That place will be rocking, and that Tiger Offense will be humming. Nobody in their right mind is demanding Jimbo to take his Aggies in there and beat Clemson.But I think it is important that they make this a four quarter game. Keep this thing close, give Clemson a scare for a second straight season, and Jimbo can point to this game as a definite step in the right direction, and that his program is healthy and close to competing for SEC Titles.

The Tigers are officially preseason number one and will likely remain there going into Week 2. Meanwhile A&M is right outside the top ten. If anyone slips in the first week expect this game to be a top ten matchup.

4. South Carolina vs. North Carolina (Week 1)

This border showdown in Charlotte, NC is one of the most important games on either team’s schedule. For North Carolina, if the Tar Heels are blown out on national television against one of their greatest competitors on the recruiting trail, this Mack Brown experiment might be over before it even begins. Brown will be 68 years old when this ball is kicked off. The window for his reign in Chapel Hill is already small. Get blown out, and it gets even smaller.

For South Carolina, this schedule is brutal. If the Gamecocks barely win, or even lose, this season might be over by October. It is imperative that the Gamecocks set the tone that this is their best team in the Muschamp era. If South Carolina wins big, the table is set for an impressive run at eight or even nine wins. They lose, and the Gamecocks will miss a bowl game and time might be running out on Muschamp.

3. Florida vs. Miami (Week 1)

This game is important for the Gators for multiple reasons. First, kickoff has was moved up a week early. It is now standing alone as the premier game on August, 24. While Florida received a top spot in the AP Polls at No. 8 Miami barely missed the Top 25 with 70 votes. Miami will be trotting out a first-time head coach in Manny Diaz – previously the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes. Diaz has a lot of good publicity surrounding him. He was the architect of one of the most aggressive defenses in the country these past few years and he is recruiting “the State of Miami” (refers to all of Florida south of Interstate 4) with authority.

The Florida Gators have a challenger in the state of Florida. (As long as UCF isn’t in the College Football Playoff, they aren’t a true challenger.) Dan Mullen will be in a crucial situation. He’s trying to rebuild the Gators while the Georgia Bulldogs are having its most success since the early 2000s. If Florida loses this game, Dan Mullen may be in some trouble in terms of recruiting the state of Florida.

Mullen has done a good job so far, but right now both Miami and Florida State have more commitments of Florida’s top 100 prospects, according to 247Sports. Clemson has the top defensive back and running back prospects committed. Dan Mullen had a great first year, but Florida fans demand championships. Mullen needs to remind the state of Florida and the rest of the country that the Gators are head and shoulders above Miami.

2. Auburn vs. Oregon (Week 1)

The PAC-12 North is wide-open and Oregon is starting to recruit at a championship level. Auburn is coming off of an 8-5 season in which the Tigers only won three conference games. The hot seat could not be hotter for Gus Malzhan, and the opportunity in front of him could not be any greater. Last year’s opening weekend win over the eventual PAC-12 Champion-winning Washington Huskies was quickly overshadowed by losses to LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Those losses left a bad taste in Auburn fan’s mouth.

If Auburn loses to Oregon, Malzhan is going to have to go at least 5-3 in conference play to save his job. However, if Auburn beats Oregon, the hot seat will be cooled, even if it is slightly. This game is all about perception. One team is on the up and coming, and the other looks to be dead in the water.

It’s almost identical to LSU’s matchup against Miami last year. If LSU lost to Miami, their season was basically over before it started and Coach O would have been looking for another job. Instead, the unranked Tigers whipped No. 9 Miami and gained valuable momentum heading into conference play. Fast forward to today and Oregon is preseason number 11 while Auburn sits at 16. The importance of this game against Oregon cannot be stressed enough.

1. LSU at Texas (Week 2)

Who is a contender and who is a pretender? That’s what this game boils down to. For LSU, besides beating Alabama, this has to be the top game on the schedule. Besides Texas, LSU does not have a significant challenge until mid-October. The Tigers sit right outside the top five at No. 6 the Longhorns are a stone’s throw away at No. 10. If LSU wins this game, they could be ranked at least fifth, maybe as high as third heading into a home matchup against Florida.

October 19th through November 30th feature six straight SEC West matchups. If LSU’s only loss is to Alabama (in Tuscaloosa), and the Tigers have the scalps of Texas, Florida, and Texas A&M, this team has a legitimate shot at making the College Football Playoff as the final seed.

The reason why I picked this game as the most important over the Florida-Miami and Auburn-Oregon game is because this game is about as important to Texas as it is for LSU. The Longhorns have been considered “back” only to be considered “not back” about a dozen times since Mack Brown left in 2013. If Texas is able to follow up their Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia with an early season win over LSU, the Longhorns will be in prime position to make a run at the College Football Playoff. In short, the winner of this game is in great position to make a late-season push as one of America’s top teams, while the loser will need to be perfect to have a shot at the College Football Playoff.