Like a kid crossing out days on the calendar until Christmas, we’re so close to the 2022 college football season — like REAL GAMES and not offseason fodder!!! — that you can almost smell the fresh cut grass and smoke emanating from tailgates. 



The opening month has all sorts of intriguing games featuring SEC teams — from pivotal openers, to marquee non-conference matchups to major early-season divisional showdowns. 



So with Week 0 quickly approaching, here’s the most important September game for every SEC team in 2022. 



<h2 id="h-alabama-at-texas-on-sept-10">Alabama –  at Texas on Sept. 10</h2>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/alabama-crimson-tide/">The Crimson Tide</a> will be double-digit favorites in every regular season game in 2022, but their toughest test before an October date with Texas A&M is a trip to Austin to square off against former Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian and his <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/">Texas Longhorns</a>. While Texas is still in its rebuild under Sark, the Week 2 matchup is tantalizing, particularly the showdown between 5-star quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/quinn-ewers-97493/">Quinn Ewers</a> and tailback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/bijan-robinson-10359/">Bijan Robinson</a> facing off <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/will-anderson-120636/">Will Anderson</a> and the <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/will-anderson-superstitions-pass-rush-repertoire-focused-on-alabama-nfl-draft/">Tide’s nasty defense.</a> 



<h2 id="h-arkansas-vs-texas-a-m-on-sept-24-arlington">Arkansas – vs. Texas A&M on Sept. 24 (Arlington)</h2>



There’s no easing into the 2022 season for the <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/arkansas-razorbacks/">Razorbacks</a>, who host reigning College Football Playoff rep Cincinnati in Week 1 and then a frisky South Carolina squad the following Saturday. But their Week 4 matchup against Texas A&M is an important rivalry game, as Hogs head coach Sam Pittman and quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/kj-jefferson-142146/">KJ Jefferson</a> look to upset the Aggies for the second year in a row and continue their upward trajectory in the SEC West standings. 



<h2 id="h-auburn-vs-penn-state-on-sept-17">Auburn – vs. Penn State on Sept. 17</h2>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/">The Tigers</a> open the 2022 season with five straight home games, and their Week 3 game against the <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/">Nittany Lions</a> is essentially a must-win for embattled head coach Bryan Harsin. Auburn has embraced has chaotic offseason, with an <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/auburn-embattled-head-coach-bryan-harsin-comes-out-fighting/">“Us against the world mentality.”</a> Considering the Tigers should’ve beaten Penn State in Happy Valley last season, this is a prime opportunity to build some feel-good vibes on the Plains early in the 2022 season. 



<h2 id="h-florida-vs-kentucky-on-sept-10">Florida – vs. Kentucky on Sept. 10</h2>



First-year <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/florida-gators/">Gators</a> head coach Billy Napier has two chances to secure an early marquee win on his resume, and while beating a Top 15 Utah team — one favored to win the Pac-12 in 2022 — would be huge, reasserting Florida’s dominance against Kentucky is more important in the big picture. The Wildcats present some matchup problems for the Gators, but if <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/2022-sec-preview-the-top-5-sec-running-back-rooms/">they’re without star tailback</a> <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/chris-rodriguez-22394/">Chris Rodriguez</a>, who could be suspended to start the season, then Florida has a much clearer path to an early-season statement win.



<h2 id="h-georgia-vs-oregon-on-sept-3-atlanta">Georgia – vs. Oregon on Sept. 3 (Atlanta)</h2>



Former UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will bring his <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/oregon-ducks/">Ducks</a> to Atlanta to square-off against his old boss Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. In all likelihood, the Week 1 game should stand as Georgia’s most difficult game until late October. While new Ducks’ quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/bo-nix-11186/">Bo Nix</a> will look to snap his 0-3 record against the <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/georgia-bulldogs/">Bulldogs</a>, the more intriguing matchup is between Oregon’s fantastic front-seven versus <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/2022-sec-unit-rankings-the-top-5-offensive-lines-in-the-sec/">Georgia’s top-flight offensive line</a>. 



<h2 id="h-kentucky-at-florida-on-sept-10">Kentucky – at Florida on Sept. 10</h2>



I touched on this game from the Gators’ perspective, but for the <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/">Wildcats</a>, Week 2 is a chance for <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/will-levis-120894/">Will Levis</a> & Co. to prove they’re true SEC East contenders in 2022. Kentucky has openly talked about getting to Atlanta this season, but that won’t happen if they stumble against a rebuilding Florida team. The Wildcats are the better team, but winning in Gainesville has been a real issue for the ‘Cats historically. The Swamp has been a house of horrors for Kentucky, which has won just once at Florida (2018) in the last 43 years.



<h2 id="h-lsu-vs-mississippi-state-on-sept-17">LSU – vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 17</h2>



Although Brian Kelly and the <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/lsu-tigers/">Tigers</a> have a big opener against Florida State in New Orleans, their first SEC game in 2022 stands to reveal more about LSU this fall. Is their revamped secondary ready to slowdown the Bulldogs’ aerial attack? Will the Tigers have settled on a starting quarterback? Has a struggling OL and lifeless run game improved at all?



<h2 id="h-missouri-at-kansas-state-on-sept-10">Missouri – at Kansas State on Sept. 10</h2>



If Eli Drinkwitz and the <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/missouri-tigers/">Tigers</a> hope to go bowling for the third-straight season, then a victory in Manhattan would go a long way in making that happen. Missouri and Kansas State were once major rivals (they played every single season from 1927 until the Tigers left the Big 12 after 2011). Mizzou’s offense should be solid this fall, but we’ll find out quickly if the Tigers have improved their anemic rush defense (last in the SEC) going up against <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/deuce-vaughn-35734/">Deuce Vaughn</a> and new Wildcats quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/adrian-martinez-1695/">Adrian Martinez</a>. 



<h2 id="h-mississippi-state-at-lsu-on-sept-17">Mississippi State – at LSU on Sept. 17</h2>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/college/mississippi-state-bulldogs/">The Bulldogs</a> have a pair of tricky games to open the fall (vs. Memphis, who beat them last season, and then at Arizona), but their showdown with the Tigers at Death Valley is a great chance to Mike Leach to prove the “<a href="https://www.on3.com/news/optimistic-realistic-pessimistic-2022-predictions-for-lsu-mississippi-state-and-ole-misson3/">Year 3 leap</a>” isn’t just some offseason talking point. Mississippi State returns more production than any team in the SEC, so its veteran squad shouldn’t be fazed by road game in a hostile environment. Beat LSU and the Bulldogs could be looking at a 4-0 start before welcoming Texas A&M to Starkville to kickoff October. 



<h2 id="h-ole-miss-at-georgia-tech-on-sept-17">Ole Miss – at Georgia Tech on Sept. 17</h2>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/ole-miss-rebels/">The Rebels</a> have a cupcake September (Troy, Central Arkansas, Tulsa), so it’s really dealer’s choice here for their toughest test in the first month of the season. While the Yellow Jackets are an ACC bottom-dweller, they’re still the lone Power 5 team the Rebels will face before SEC play. At a minimum, a blowout win in Atlanta could be a nice message to potential prospects in one of the recruiting hot-beds in the country.  



<h2 id="h-south-carolina-at-arkansas-on-sept-10">South Carolina – at Arkansas on Sept. 10</h2>



The Gamecocks have one of the hardest schedules in the country in 2022, and it starts with a very tough opening month. 



A Week 1 matchup with a pesky Georgia State team is no cakewalk, and then it’s back-to-back conference games against Top 25 teams. 



Georgia is one of South Carolina’s biggest rivals, but their most important game in the opening four weeks is a trip to Arkansas. 



If the Cocks want to build on last season’s surprising 7-6 season, they’ll need to find a way to upset the Hogs. The Week 2 road tilt against a good Razorbacks team with a solid secondary is a great chance for Spencer Rattler to make an early-season signature statement. 



<h2 id="h-tennessee-vs-florida-on-sept-24">Tennessee – vs. Florida on Sept. 24</h2>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/tennessee-volunteers/">The Vols</a> have become one of the most hyped teams in the country this offseason, with head coach Josh Heupel and quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/hendon-hooker-47924/">Hendon Hooker</a> looking to build on a surprising 7-6 season in Year 1. Tennessee travels to Pittsburgh in Week 2, but make no mistake, the Vols’ most important game in September is a home date with the hated Gators. Florida housed UT 38-14 last season and has won 15 of the last 16 in the series. If Tennessee is going to make a leap this fall, it needs to beat its rival in Neyland Stadium to close out September. 



<h2 id="h-texas-a-m-vs-miami-on-sept-17">Texas A&M – vs. Miami on Sept. 17</h2>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-am-aggies/">Both the Aggies</a> and <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/miami-hurricanes/">Hurricanes</a> have generated all sorts of offseason headlines regarding recruiting, collectives and NIL, but an awesome Week 3 matchup lets us see what the 2022 versions of each program actually looks like. Miami believes<a href="https://www.on3.com/db/tyler-van-dyke-118203/"> Tyler Van Dyke</a> is the best quarterback in the ACC, so we’ll see how true that is going up against the <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/2022-sec-unit-rankings-top-5-secondaries-in-the-sec/">Aggies’ vaunted secondary</a> and <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/2022-sec-unit-rankings-the-top-5-defensive-lines-edge-units-in-the-sec/">deep defensive line</a>. On the other side of the football, what will Texas A&M’s offense look like? Who is under center for the Aggies? <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/max-johnson-142049/">Max Johnson</a>? <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/haynes-king-47875/">Haynes King</a>? Or will Jimbo Fisher turn to 5-star freshman <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/conner-weigman-25459/">Conner Weigman</a>?



<h2 id="h-vanderbilt-at-hawaii-on-aug-27">Vanderbilt – at Hawaii on Aug. 27</h2>



I’m cheating a bit on this one, as the <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/vanderbilt-commodores/">Commodores</a> play in Week 0 and their long trip to the Island is an opportunity to kickoff the 2022 season on a good note. The Rainbow Warriors are a mess of a program right now, so can Clark Lea and the Commodores take full advantage? <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/mike-wright-89517/">Mike Wright </a>was named the starting quarterback before training camp, so he’ll have all August to <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/2022-sec-preview-most-important-newcomer-every-east-division-team/">build chemistry with an intriguing set of young playmakers</a> before the opener.

Most important 2022 September game for every SEC team

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