When college football went to a 12-game schedule in 2006, you knew it would produce laughably easy non-conference opponents for some BCS teams.

So feel free to chuckle at Auburn's November match-up with Tennessee-Martin, or Arkansas' opener with Western Illinois. But once past the laughs, you will see that SEC teams - Auburn and Arkansas included - are not shying away from non-conference challenges in 2008.

Despite already playing in college football's toughest conference, SEC teams will be risking their records with difficult opponents outside the league.

Such scheduling has led to back-to-back SEC national champions. So you can appreciate the strategy.

But you also should appreciate the risks.

LSU made it to January's national championship game despite two losses. Why? Strength of schedule. Aside from winning the nation's best conference, LSU had a lopsided victory over nationally ranked Virginia Tech.

In 2006, Florida traveled a similarly treacherous path to the national championship game. Although the Gators had a regular-season loss, their strength of schedule gave them an advantage over teams with the same record.

A strong schedule could help another SEC team win the national title in 2008. But if two other teams from BCS conferences go unbeaten, strength of schedule could leave a one-loss SEC team on the outside looking in at the national championship game.

Georgia and Florida of the SEC look like national championship contenders in 2008. However, it's unreasonable to expect either of them to go unbeaten.

Georgia, which has been ranked No. 1 in a couple of early preseason polls, probably has the toughest conference schedule in the SEC, especially with back-to-back games against LSU in Baton Rouge and Florida in Jacksonville. Its non-conference schedule isn't a breeze, either.

The Bulldogs already had one credible non-conference opponent, in-state rival Georgia Tech, which has been to bowls in 11 consecutive seasons. Now, they have added Arizona State, which should field a top-25 caliber team, as it did in 2007.

Not only will the game be in Tempe, Ariz. But the Sun Devils will catch Georgia the week after the Bulldogs play at South Carolina, and the week before they play Alabama.

I don't know why Florida felt compelled to schedule Miami. The Gators play Florida State every year, and LSU is their permanent opponent from the SEC West. In most years, that's daunting enough when combined with the rest of the SEC schedule.

Although the Hurricanes struggled in Randy Shannon's first season as head coach, you know the program is not devoid of talent. And you know the Hurricanes would love to knock off the state's marquee program.

The Gators will get Miami in The Swamp, but they must play Florida State in Tallahassee at the end of the regular season.

Defending national champion LSU has the easiest non-conference schedule. Its toughest non-conference game should be its opener against Division I-AA defending national champion Appalachian State.

Other SEC teams will face greater non-conference challenges than usual.

Alabama and South Carolina must play Clemson, which should be the consensus favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Arkansas will play at Texas. Auburn has a Thursday night game at West Virginia.

The timing of the West Virginia game won't help the Tigers in SEC play. The next week, they will play at Mississippi State. After that, come LSU and Tennessee on successive Saturdays.

The odds are against anyone going unbeaten in SEC play. So winning the non-conference games is a must if you're going for a national title.

But that's nothing new. Since 1957, the SEC has won 15 national titles. Only one of those champions - Florida in 1996 - lost a non-conference game in regular season.

Here's a team-by-team look at the SEC non-conference schedules for next season:

Alabama - Clemson, Tulane, Western Kentucky and Arkansas State.

Arkansas -Western Illinois, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas and Tulsa.

Auburn - Louisiana-Monroe, West Virginia, Southern Mississippi and UT-Martin.

Florida - Hawaii, Miami, The Citadel and Florida State.

Georgia - Georgia Southern, Central Michigan, Arizona State and Georgia Tech.

Kentucky - Louisville, Norfolk, Akron and Kent State.

LSU - Appalachian State, North Texas, Troy and Tulane

Mississippi State - Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana, Georgia Tech and Middle Tennessee.

Ole Miss - Memphis, Wake Forest, Samford, Louisiana-Monroe.

South Carolina - N.C. State, Wofford, UAB and Clemson.

Tennessee - UAB, UCLA, N. Illinois and Wyoming.

Vanderbilt - Miami (Ohio), Duke, Rice and Wake Forest.

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

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.