If you play football in the SEC, then you automatically have a tough schedule.

Never mind if you play Troy, North Texas, Chattanooga and Florida International outside the conference (which Arkansas does). You still have to navigate your way through eight challenging games in the SEC.

But some conference schedules are tougher than others. And it’s not just about whom you play, but when you play.

For example, take South Carolina’s late-season schedule. It plays at Tennessee on Oct. 27, at Arkansas on Nov. 3 and at home Nov. 10 against Florida.

Contrast that with Arkansas’ schedule. On the same Saturday that South Carolina plays UT, Arkansas is at home against Florida International.

Based on those schedules, whom would you favor the following week: Arkansas, coming off an easy non-conference home game, or South Carolina, coming off a road game against UT?

UT will have a similar advantage against Arkansas on Nov. 10. The week before, the Vols will be at home against Louisiana-Lafayette. Conversely, Arkansas will have to play South Carolina the week before it faces UT in Neyland Stadium.

Back-to-back games against top SEC teams are often too much for even a national champion. Last year, Florida’s only loss on the way to a national title came against Auburn. That’s hardly surprising. The week before, Florida played LSU, which finished third nationally.

A fair conference schedule is unattainable in the current format. Fairness could only be achieved by playing 11 conference games. Obviously, that’s not going to happen.

But you could increase the fairness in scheduling by emulating the Big Ten, which plays its non-conference games in succession to start the season. Alabama coach Nick Saban, who also coached at Michigan State, is a big proponent of that.

“We played our three non-conference opponents right off the bat (in the Big Ten),” Saban said at SEC football media days. “I think it’s an advantage because if you play a good opponent and you don’t have success, your team can continue to improve. And you can improve in those three games before you come into league play.”

By scheduling non-conference games to start the season, that also would make it more difficult for teams to achieve scheduling advantages later in the year in conference play.

LSU is an overwhelming favorite to win the SEC. Talent is the biggest factor, but you can find more subtle advantages for LSU in its schedule.

The Tigers’ four biggest conference games are against Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas. Both Alabama and LSU have open dates the week before they play in Tuscaloosa. The week before LSU and Arkansas meet, LSU is at Ole Miss, and Arkansas is at home against Mississippi State. That’s a wash. But LSU clearly has an advantage against Florida and Auburn.

LSU plays Tulane the week before it plays Florida, which plays Auburn the week before it plays LSU.

LSU plays Kentucky the week before it plays Auburn. Auburn plays Arkansas the week before it plays LSU.

Not once in its eight-game conference schedule does LSU have to play opponents ranked in the top four of its division on back-to-back Saturdays.

UT’s schedule also has its pluses. In addition to the aforementioned advantage against Arkansas, the Vols will have an open date before Georgia, which plays Ole Miss the week before UT.

But there’s no advantage for UT in playing Cal and Southern Mississippi on back-to-back Saturdays before it meets Florida in Gainesville. The Gators will open their season against Western Kentucky and Troy.

Georgia probably has the most favorable schedule of the SEC East contenders. The Bulldogs will play Western Carolina before Alabama, Ole Miss before UT, and Troy before Auburn. They will have an open date before Florida.

Georgia’s disadvantage will come early. Oklahoma State could be a tough non-conference opener, followed by a home game against South Carolina. The Gamecocks will tune up for Georgia with a home opener against Louisiana-Lafayette.

If you’re looking for disadvantages, check out Vanderbilt. Its open date is wasted the week before a non-conference home game against Eastern Michigan. Then it plays Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina in succession. The last month is just as bad: Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wake Forest on consecutive Saturdays.

Just what you needed, huh? Another good reason not to pick Vanderbilt to win the SEC East.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.