The road to an SEC championship game is extremely difficult and it certainly doesn’t help that the majority of teams schedule tough non-conference games that make the journey that much more difficult. There is no such thing as an easy opponent in the SEC East and the top teams are always at risk of a letdown when they are a significant favorite. Here is a look at one potential trap game for the top teams from the SEC East.
Florida Gators: @ Vanderbilt Commodores
October 1
The level of optimism is high in Florida heading in to Jim McElwain’s second season as they look to build on a 10-4 mark that included a 7-1 record in SEC play. The Gators have the talent on both sides of the football to make another run at a conference championship but they must find an answer at the quarterback position and replace some key pieces on the defensive side of the football. Florida won’t have much time to make the necessary adjustments with a crucial three-game stretch spanning from September through October that includes visiting Tennessee and hosting LSU. Slotted right in the middle of those key games is a road trip to Vanderbilt on October 1st that has all of the makings of a trap game. The Gators will be coming off a tough test against the Vols while also staring down a daunting test against LSU but they can’t afford a letdown against the Commodores because they could end up paying for it.
Remember that these two teams faced off in a very tight matchup where Florida barely survived. They won 9-7 at home on November 7th last year, so hopefully they’ve learned their lesson and won’t fall into this trap in the SEC East.
Tennessee Volunteers: vs. Ohio Bobcats
September 17th
The Vols are expected to contend for an SEC championship this season with 18 returning starters including arguably the best quarterback in the conference in Joshua Dobbs. Tennessee will have a tough September with games against Virginia Tech and Florida but one week before their key clash with the Gators they will have to play MAC foe Ohio in a potential trap game. Butch Jones has made sure his players are prepared as possible week in and week out and he will need to make absolutely sure they are ready for a potentially underrated opponent in the Bobcats the week before the Vols are slated to play against Florida in a game that could ultimately decide the SEC East champion.
Georgia Bulldogs: @ Ole Miss Rebels
September 24th
Kirby Smart joined Georgia at the absolute perfect time with a ton of talent in place and a relatively mediocre schedule. The Bulldogs have set the bar high but they need to take advantage of every single matchup in order to give them a shot at coming out on top in the SEC East. Georgia will open against North Carolina and then travel to Ole Miss for a huge SEC crossover game against Ole Miss but first they will have to make a stop at Missouri on September 17th. The Tigers have a new head coach in Barry Odom with eight starters returning from one of the best defenses in the nation so the Bulldogs can’t afford to overlook a potential trap game at Missouri.
Vanderbilt Commodors: @ Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
September 24th
The Commodores improved somewhat in Derek Mason’s second season at the helm and will look to take another step forward after finishing with a 4-8 record a year ago. The next step will be getting back to bowl eligibility and while Vanderbilt has the potential to do exactly that they will first need to navigate a tough opening month of the season. The Commodores open the year against South Carolina and Middle Tennessee before playing back-to-back road games at Georgia Tech and Western Kentucky. That game against the Hilltoppers will be played one week before they host Florida and Vanderbilt certainly can’t afford to overlook that game. The Commodores could very easily open the year with three wins through their first four games but they can’t afford a letdown including especially with a potential trap game at Western Kentucky at the end of September.
