An off-day in the Alabama Football practice schedule is a good time to consider what comes in the first month of the season. Neither trip to Atlanta in December nor a Playoff slot will be won in September, but when week five ends on Sept. 27, the SEC's heavyweights will have been defined.
Debate about the SEC's best teams will be fueled by preseason predictions for a few more weeks. Then, in week one, big games will start to reveal teams. Though Texas at Ohio State and LSU at Clemson on Aug. 30 are not must-wins for the SEC teams, the games will be solid measurements of strengths and weaknesses.