Quarterback Kellen Mond was a freshman when his Texas A&M Aggies last met the Florida Gators in ... [+]
The restructuring of college football schedules resulted in the loss of several intriguing non-conference matchups. A bit of a silver lining to the process was the addition of a handful of appealing conference games that were not part of the original schedule.
In addition, there are a couple of potentially solid non-conference games that emerged from all the moving parts.
Here is a look at some games that were not originally scheduled, but could be worthy of tuning into by the time they kick off.
September 26
Army at Cincinnati: The Black Knights’ matchup this Saturday with visiting BYU was cancelled after the latter announced positive COVID-19 tests within the program. So Jeff Monken’s team, which had to rebuild its schedule, will have an additional week to prepare for the No. 13/14 Bearcats. It is another opportunity for Army to upend a ranked foe on the road after overtime losses at Oklahoma in 2018 and at Michigan last season.
October 10
Florida at Texas A&M: The Aggies’ first-ever game as a member of the SEC was a 20-17 loss against the visiting Gators in 2012. The teams have met once since, a 2017 encounter in the Swamp when then-true freshman quarterback Kellen Mond led a fourth-quarter rally in a 19-17 A&M victory. Mond is now a senior as is Florida’s Kyle Trask, who took over Dan Mullen’s offense last season. The Aggies will be coming off a trip to Alabama and the Gators host LSU the following week.
November 21
Mississippi State at Georgia: The battle between Bulldogs could have plenty of spice to it depending on how Mike Leach is faring in his first season in Starkville. Georgia had an interesting development when Wake Forest grad transfer QB Jamie Newman opted out earlier this month. That left USC transfer J.T. Daniels and D’Wan Mathis to compete for the top job. For Mississippi State, the trip to Athens concludes a five-game stretch that also features a date with visiting Texas A&M, a trip to Tuscaloosa and a visit from Auburn.
Kentucky at Alabama: The SEC East should be stronger this season with the Wildcats right in the thick of things. With a healthy Terry Wilson running Mark Stoops’ offense and what is expected to be another strong defense, this Kentucky team will be nothing like the one that was pounded at Bryant-Denny (34-6 in 2016) in the most recent matchup. The Crimson Tide, who rule the all-time series by a 37-2-1 count and have won six straight, have this game sandwiched between a trip to Baton Rouge and the Iron Bowl at home.
Tennessee at Auburn: The Vols took plenty of momentum into 2020 by winning their final six games in 2019. For the first time in his five years in Knoxville, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has the same coordinator (Jim Cheney) in consecutive seasons. Will that continuity ultimately benefit a team that had trouble scrimmaging earlier this month with more than 40 players unavailable due to the virus and injuries? Auburn, which expects to be in the West Division race, has the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa the following week.
November 27
Notre Dame at North Carolina: The Fighting Irish had their ACC slate increased from six games to 10 when they became a conference member for this season. One of the four games they picked up was a Black Friday matchup with Mack Brown’s Tar Heels. The battle between quarterbacks Ian Book and Sam Howell could prove to be of the must-see variety while the game itself could have major conference implications. For Brian Kelly’s Irish, this marks the end of a six-week stretch in which they play four of five games (with a bye) on the road. The only home game within that time frame is against Clemson on November 7.
November 28
Georgia Southern at Army: This could be a lot of fun. Both teams run the option, though the Eagles, who are expected to give Appalachian State a run for their money in the Sun Belt, can get it done through the air. Army head coach Jeff Monken spent nine years at Georgia Southern. He learned the triple option as an assistant (slot backs, 1997-2001) under Paul Johnson when the latter was the Eagles’ head coach. Monken returned to Statesboro in 2010 and went 38-16 in four seasons as head coach before arriving at West Point.
December 5
Clemson at Virginia Tech: This regular-season finale could be the first of back-to-back meetings between the teams. By the time this one kicks off, the Tigers could be going for their third straight undefeated regular season and the Hokies could be looking to secure, if they have not already clinched, a spot in the ACC championship game, which will be played either December 12 or December 19.
