If there was ever any doubt that the Southeastern Conference was the most dominating force in college football, one swift look at the upcoming bowl game schedule would certainly squelch any misgivings. Nine SEC teams will face off in bowl games this season and perhaps a more impressive fact is that five of those teams are from the SEC West. The big talk of the nation right now is the rematch, battle of the century brewing between LSU and Bama for the title but let us not forget the other teams that make up this exciting web of domination.
Turf will fly and the powerhouse defenses of the SEC will hopefully dominate in each game giving naysayers no reason to squawk. Mississippi State will face off with Wake Forest on December 30th on ESPN in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Though Mississippi State only has a 6-6 record, 2-6 in an undisputedly tough SEC West, they will take on a 6-6 Wake Forest from the ACC. Wake Forest seems to have a better grasp on making yards with their offense but I feel like the defense of the Bulldogs at Mississippi State can put a stop to them. As long as key players like Chris Relf, Vick Ballard and others put points on the board, I think they can secure a win.
The Vanderbilt Commodores will battle the Cincinnati Bearcats in their first bowl game appearance since 2008 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 31st, airing on ABC. Vanderbilt, more solid this year than they have been in awhile, suffered a couple of disappointing losses this season, specifically a heartbreaker to their in-state rivalry, the Tennessee Vols. Despite those moments, they have proven to be a tough team. Cincy has three more wins this season and have definitely made a name for themselves in the Big East but I think Vandy will be looking for the big win in this one. They want respect, and even though they aren’t the brightest shining star in the SEC, they deserve it.
The National Championship title winners of last year will be suiting up to play Virginia on New Year’s Eve in the Chick-Fil-A bowl, airing on ESPN. Auburn didn’t have nearly the success of last year this season after the departure of Cam Newton but with a 7-5 record, they are ready to go head to head with the 8-4 Virginia Cavaliers from the ACC. Despite the suspension of Michael Dyer, I think that the Tigers can handle Virginia even though they’ve had more success in their own conference than Auburn has had in theirs.
The Georgia Bulldogs may have gotten crushed in the SEC Championship game but they held on nicely the first half and on January 2nd at the Outback Bowl on ABC, they won’t be playing the crushing defense and the powerful offense of LSU, they will be cracking helmets with a 10-3, Big Ten Michigan State Spartans team instead. Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, Edwin Baker and other Spartans won’t make this matchup easy but hopefully the fiery SEC spirit will allow Aaron Murray, freshman Isaiah Crowell and the rest of the Bulldogs to exact their conference championship loss revenge on Michigan State.
That same day, January 2nd on ESPN, the South Carolina Gamecocks will take the field in hopes to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska, a 9-3 Big Ten team is usually known for crisp, fast moving offenses. South Carolina, 10-2, was second in line for the SEC East title and Steve Spurrier will be looking to end his season on a positive note by using players like Connor Shaw and Marcus Lattimore to beat the Cornhuskers. South Carolina is still in the top 10 and I’m sure they can do enough to keep that spot and maybe even prevent Spurrier from losing his visor.
When the Florida Gators play the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 2nd in the TAXSLAYER.com Gator Bowl on ESPN, it should be an interesting game. The incestuous nature of the coaches in college football rears its ugly head again. Though Urban Meyer hasn’t quite been sworn in as the head coach of the Buckeyes of the Big Ten, the spirit in the air may have a tinge of hostility as Florida may be remembering times with their former coach. Record wise, this game is evenly matched as neither team had great seasons and stand at 6-6 records. The Florida offense hasn’t been able to produce the way they would want to this season but they have a stout defense that should be able to hold off Ohio State.
The Arkansas Razorbacks finished this season with an impressive 10-2 record and stand proudly among the top 10 teams in the nation. They will be playing Kansas State in the AT&T Cotton Bowl on January 6th on Fox and I fully expect Arkansas to dominate in this game. Kansas State is a solid Big 12 team and they also have a strong, 10-2 record, 7-2 in their conference but a Cotton Bowl win for Arkansas would be big for a school who held their own in a western division Southeastern conference that currently houses the number 1 and number 2 teams in the nation. Tyler Wilson and the other key players on the offense can score quickly and their defense is something Kansas State shouldn’t sneeze at. I will be wearing my imaginary hog hat for that game.
Even the future members of the SEC are playing in Bowl Games and it will be interesting to see how those turn out. Missouri will face off with UNC on December 26th, ESPN 2 in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl and Texas A&M will play Northwestern on December 31st, ESPN in the Meneke Car Care Bowl. Those games with the games that include current members of the SEC should all lead up nicely to the one on everyone’s brain so make sure and watch and support those that you can. I will admit that there are some SEC teams I can’t bring myself to root for. LSU and Alabama will face off on January 9th in the ALLSTATE BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans! The game airs on ESPN and Hurricanes, Hand Grenades and Lucky Dogs will be flowing. Don’t miss it!