Taking a look at SEC schedule by Joey Martin - posted Thursday, February 14th, 2013 @ 9:50 am  E-mail Story |  Print Story  It's never too early to start talking about the 2013 college football season. And if last year in the Southeastern Conference was any indication, 2013 is going to be another wild ride. And judging by recruiting service rankings, someone signing in February could be drawing just as much attention in November as Johnny Football did in Aggieland. But it all starts with the schedule. On Aug. 31, Ole Miss plays at Vanderbilt. Last year that game may have drawn a lot of ho-hums. But these two teams proved they just don't show up anymore on the football field. You may call this one a Dark Horse Bowl game. Either of these teams could be the Texas A&M of 2013 with a few breaks. But winning that first game is pivotal. Alabama faces Virginia Tech in Atlanta. Oh well, at least we won't have to listen to all this talk about the Hokies early in the year in 2013. Arkansas hosts Louisiana-Lafayette. Yep, you can bet they will still be talking about last year's ULM game. Florida hosts Toledo. Holy Toledo, what were they thinking? But that won't be the most lopsided game. Nicholls State opens at Oregon. Georgia visits Clemson. The Bulldogs' schedule got a lot better from last year on that game alone. Kentucky takes on Western Kentucky. This one became interesting when Bobby Petrino became Hilltopper coach. LSU takes on TCU in the Cowboy Classic in Arlington, Tx. It will be LSU's second trip in three years, having taken over Jerry's House against Oregon in 2011. On a local note, be fun to watch J.T. McFarland, son of former Ferriday High coaches James and Joan McFarland, line up against the Tigers. Mississippi State takes on Oklahoma State in Houston. You better believe Dan Mullen will be starting on the game plan in the spring. South Carolina hosts North Carolina. Sweet Caroline, what an intriguing opener. Missouri hosts Murray State, Tennessee welcomes Austin Peay and Texas A&M will be serving up on Rice in other non-watchable games. But opening week will certainly have quite a bearing on the early rankings. Week Two will be highlighted by South Carolina at Georgia. The SEC East will line up rather quickly next year. Florida is at Miami (Fla.). Another local highlight will have Alcorn State at Mississippi State. Enjoy Alcorn State's Sounds of Dynamite, Bulldog fans. The game will not be as entertaining. Week three will have Alabama at Texas A&M. I think you can count on Johnny Manziel not making a statement for a repeat Heisman on this day. Ole Miss is at Texas, Tennessee is at Oregon and Southern Miss plays at Arkansas in some interesting non-conference tilts that day. On Sept. 21, Tennessee is at Florida and Auburn travels to LSU. Not much else on the schedule. If you have to schedule a wedding during football season, this might be the week. On the final Saturday of September, LSU is at Georgia. That has top five matchup written all over it. Ole Miss travels to Alabama. Texas A&M is at Arkansas. The first Saturday in October has LSU at Mississippi State. Mullen has come close to the big upset in the past. Georgia visits Tennessee. Florida at LSU is the marquee game on October 12. Hopefully the networks learned from last year and this is a night game. LSU plays at Ole Miss on October 19. It will be interesting to see which team Robert Nkemdiche will be playing for in Oxford. Arkansas is at Alabama. OK, if you were not able to schedule that wedding for Sept. 21, October 26 may work out better. Tennessee at Alabama highlights a day that includes Furman at LSU and Idaho at Ole Miss. Yes, the Paladins are coming to Tiger Stadium. What's a Paladin? The paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. You just can't make this stuff up, folks. In 1988 Furman won the NCAA I-AA National Football Championship. Furman also appeared in the 1985 and 2001 NCAA I-AA National Football Championship games. Furman is one of only six private universities that have appeared in the I-AA Football Championship game, and Furman was the first private school to win it. The Paladins have also claimed 12 Southern Conference football titles, more than any school in league history. And if recent past is any indication, they will give LSU fits until the fourth quarter. But getting back to the SEC. Judging from this schedule, there's a good chance four conference teams could be in the top eight the first week of November. One will drop with Georgia facing Florida. Mississippi State visits South Carolina and Auburn is at Arkansas. On Nov. 9, LSU visits Alabama. Need I go on? On Nov. 16, Florida visits South Carolina and Alabama is at Mississippi State. Do you think Nick Saban will be reminding his crew of the A&M game from this past year that whole week? After all, it is after the LSU game and you know there has to be some type of letdown. LSU hosts Texas A&M on Nov. 23 as Johnny Football Fever comes to Baton Rouge. The final week has Arkansas at LSU, Alabama at Auburn, Ole Miss at Mississippi State, Florida State at Florida, Georgia at Georgia Tech and Clemson at South Carolina. That day alone could be better than the entire bowl season. Then again, it's the SEC.