Alabama CBS's No. 1 team also

With Alabama expected to start the 2010 college football season as the nation's No. 1 team, the Crimson Tide are also No. 1 on the CBS radar.

"Alabama absolutely would be the bell cow at the moment," CBS executive vice president Mike Aresco said. "They're the defending national champions. You have Nick Saban. You have (Heisman Trophy winner) Mark Ingram, and you have Trent Richardson behind him going crazy."

The Crimson Tide can expect to have as many as six of their 12 regular-season games this year televised by CBS, which gets the first selection of Southeastern Conference games each week. Six is the maximum number of times CBS can show an SEC team, but that can bump to seven for the league title game.

Alabama appeared on CBS six times last season, which included its 32-13 thumping of Florida for the SEC championship. That game was the seventh CBS appearance for the Gators, who were ranked No. 1 throughout last season until running into the Tide.

Aresco doesn't believe the Gators should be counted out of a bunch of broadcasts this year.

"They are still loaded," he said. "They had a great recruiting class, and they are still Florida. Urban Meyer will draw a lot of attention after the whole situation of 'Is he going to coach? Is he not going to coach?'

"I think there is going to be a lot of interest there."

Last year's matchup of the Tide and Gators was the highest rated SEC championship game ever, earning an 11.1 rating. It was an 18 percent increase from the 2008 title game between the same two teams, and CBS already has tabbed the Oct. 2 matchup between the two in Tuscaloosa as its one prime-time telecast for the upcoming season.

A PROJECTED SEC-ON-CBS SCHEDULE

Sept. 18 Florida at Tennessee (3:30)

Sept. 25 Alabama at Arkansas (3:30)

Oct. 2 Tennessee at LSU (3:30)

Florida at Alabama (8:00)

Oct. 9 LSU at Florida (3:30)

Oct. 16 Ole Miss at Alabama (3:30)

Oct. 23 Alabama at Tennessee (3:30)

Oct. 30 Florida vs. Georgia (3:30)

Nov. 6 Alabama at LSU (3:30)

Nov. 13 Ole Miss at Tennessee (noon)

South Carolina at Florida (3:30)

Nov. 20 Ole Miss at LSU (3:30)

Nov. 26 Auburn at Alabama (2:30)

Nov. 27 Georgia Tech at Georgia (3:30)