[daneblazer]

15. UCLA at USC, Nov. 28

This crosstown rivalry always matters, but even more so of late. It’s been a long time since both programs were nationally relevant, so the battle for the Victory Bell will be for a lot more than just local bragging rights. The South Division could hinge on the outcome, and the best athletes in Southern California will certainly be paying close attention. The Bruins have won three straight in the series by double-digits, but a Trojan win could provide a catapult into the following week’s Pac-12 title game and ultimately one of the four playoff berths.

14. Alabama vs. Wisconsin, Sept. 5

It’ll be discovery time for the Tide and Badgers when they kick off the season in primetime in Arlington, Tex. Bama is a perennial title contender, but there are a fair amount of question marks on the 2015 team, especially under center. If this team is slow to adjust to roster changes, it could be vulnerable in Week 1. The Badgers and new head coach Paul Chryst will be looking to capitalize. With a reverberating upset, Wisconsin would join Ohio State and Michigan State to give the Big Ten its third candidate in the playoff chase.

13. Oklahoma at Baylor, Nov. 14

Last season’s meeting between the Sooners and the Bears was supposed to have widespread implications. Baylor held up its end of the bargain. Oklahoma did not. It’ll again be up to the Sooners to the determine the national significance of this game. The Bears might be undefeated by mid-November. If OU has no more than one loss at this stage, it could make for a quasi-playoff elimination matchup in Waco. Big 12 favorite TCU will face both teams in the subsequent two weeks, making for high drama in the conference in the month of November.

12. Florida State at Clemson, Nov. 7

Will the ACC be left out of the playoff picture? The annual showdown between the league’s premier teams will provide plenty of answers. The Tigers squandered a lead in last year’s meeting, despite the suspension of Seminole QB Jameis Winston. However, that was also before the seal was fully broken on Clemson QB Deshaun Watson. This November’s matchup will be a referendum on who did a better job of retooling during the offseason. The Noles want to get back to the playoff, but they must first get past Clemson and capture a fourth straight Atlantic Division.

11. Auburn at LSU, Sept. 19

The SEC West will be its usual free-for-all, with all six teams poised to have a say in who ultimately represents the division in Atlanta on Dec. 5. The annual battle of the Tigers is the first of many enormous games that’ll begin to separate the playoff contenders from the Outback Bowl contenders. Auburn hasn’t won in Baton Rouge this century, so it’ll need a huge effort from QB Jeremy Johnson and his skill players against another blue-chip LSU D. New Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will do whatever is needed to rattle the shaky LSU quarterbacks.

10. TCU at Oklahoma, Nov. 21

One Saturday after Oklahoma travels to Waco, the Sooners will host TCU as the Big 12’s late-season round-robin tournament goes into high gear. With deference to Oklahoma State and Kansas State, there are three primary threats to wear the league crown in 2015, and two of them will be in Norman on the third weekend of November. By this point, it’ll be known whether the Sooners’ offensive overhaul has worked. And if so, the duel between the Air Raid and Trevone Boykin’s Horned Frogs could result in more uncontested scoring than an NBA All-Star game.

9. USC at Notre Dame, Oct. 17

It’s been a while since the Trojans and the Irish were national threats at the same time, so their annual tilt takes on far more meaning than just the usual intersectional rivalry. For Notre Dame, which has the roster to travel far this season, a visit from Troy is one of a number of unique landmines on the schedule. USC thumped the Irish, 49-14, in the Coliseum last November, and will have a decided edge in quarterback experience. While Malik Zaire is making his debut as the starter, Trojan Cody Kessler has been in charge for two years.

8. Georgia at Auburn, Nov. 14

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry will also be one of the SEC’s most pivotal crossover games of 2015. Both schools have high ceilings and dreams of using a conference title as a launching pad into the playoffs. But a loss at this stage of the season could derail the drive toward Atlanta and a spot in the league championship game. Can Georgia keep up with Auburn high-powered offense? Can the Tigers match the Dawgs’ defensive athleticism? Ought to be a good one on the Plains, with a lot riding on the outcome.

7. LSU at Alabama, Nov. 21

, Nov. 7
The Tide and the Tigers will always be a big deal for reasons extending from recruiting and NFL scouting to the SEC West and playoff hunts. Few, if any, perennial matchups can be counted on to move so many distinct needles, year-in and year-out, the way Bama-LSU does. And storylines are never lacking when Nick Saban and Les Miles are in the same zip code. As usual, points will come at a premium, particularly in a year when neither team is set at quarterback. Derrick Henry vs. Leonard Fournette, though, could be the best running back duel of 2015.

6. USC at Oregon, Nov. 21

After missing one another the last two years, the most recognized teams from the Pac-12’s North and South Divisions will renew acquaintances in Eugene. The last time these two met in 2012, the Trojans were still caught in the thick brush of the NCAA. But the dynamic has changed since then. USC has a new coach and renewed hope now that crushing sanctions are growing smaller in the rear view mirror. And it hopes to recapture the league supremacy now enjoyed by the Ducks. When Troy fell, it was Oregon who largely filled the league void.

5. Alabama at Georgia, Oct. 3

It’s about time. In a quirky twist of scheduling fate, Bama and Georgia, two of the SEC’s most storied football programs, have not met in the regular season since 2008. But, alas, that ends on the first Saturday in October, with the Crimson Tide making an appearance Between the Hedges. There’ll be a lot of similarities here. Veteran coach. Talented defense. Elite running backs. And a glaring question mark behind center, as the Tide and the Dawgs both attempt to replace underrated fifth-year senior quarterbacks.

4. Oregon at Michigan State, Sept. 12

The home-and-home series between the Ducks and the Spartans concludes this September in East Lansing. Oregon hosted—and won—a year ago, with Marcus Mariota making his first of many Heisman statements by engineering a dramatic second-half comeback. But Mariota is now a Tennessee Titan and Autzen Stadium will have no bearing on the outcome this time around. If the Ducks are still playoff timber, despite breaking in a new quarterback, they’ll have to prove it versus Mark Dantonio’s physical D … on the road.

3. Alabama at Auburn, Nov. 28

To Alabamians, it’s the Iron Bowl. To the rest of the country, it could viewed as a playoff elimination game. The Tide and the Tigers will begin the season ranked. And, pending what transpires in the first three months, both could very well be competing for the SEC West title by Thanksgiving weekend. Bama got revenge last year for the 2013 miracle at Jordan-Hare Stadium, winning 55-44. But this year’s game is back on the Plains, and the Auburn D figures to be improved now that Will Muschamp is in charge.

2. Michigan State at Ohio State, Nov. 21

Ohio State at Michigan a week later probably draws higher ratings, what with Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer squaring off for the first time. But the Spartans and Buckeyes have far greater potential to impact the national title race. The Michigan State shakes out right now as the defending champ’s toughest test of 2015. And in all likelihood, the winner of this showdown punches its ticket to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game two weeks later. The Michigan State D has plenty to prove after whiffing in last season’s three biggest games.

1. Baylor at TCU, Nov. 27

Is it humanly possible to top last year’s frenetic Bear rally that ended in a one-for-the-ages, 61-58 victory? Yup. The stakes might actually be higher this time around, because the expectations are soaring for both schools. And the drama and offensive track meet are essentially prepackaged into this game. Since the Big 12 doesn’t have a league championship game, this matchup could serve as the de facto title tilt on the penultimate weekend of the regular season. The Horned Frogs will be hungry for revenge after last season’s implosion in Waco cost them a perfect mark and a playoff berth

[survive]

My Spartan dawgs in two of the top four games. Can't wait!