SEC Football Bowl Games from Worst to Best
No. 13 – Auburn Tigers vs. Houston Cougars – Dec. 27 – Birmingham, AL
With injuries, transfers and opt-outs, the Auburn Tigers will not bring a full roster to Birmingham. Houston is likely to be more motivated to play the game. Birmingham’s nice, new stadium should help the crowd, but many Auburn fans are expected to pass on the opportunity.
No. 12 – Missouri vs. Army – Dec. 22 – Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, TX
The Missouri Tigers got a big boost on Wednesday with a strong early signing class. Unfortunately, none of those guys can become immediately eligible. The porous Missouri defense is particularly weak against the run. The Army rushing attack should churn out huge yards. The Tigers will move the ball against Army. But with the Black Knight’s ground attack eating up clock with long drives, Missouri may need to score on every possession.
No. 11 – LSU vs. Kansas State – Jan. 4 – Texas Bowl, Houston TX
LSU does not have an active head coach for the game. Kansas State head coach, Chris Kleiman may wish he could join Ed Orgeron and Brian Kelly as spectators. Kansas State ran out of offense late in the season and unfortunately for the Wildcats, the LSU defense played well late. The Bengal Tigers have a quarterback issue with the transfer exit of Max Johnson. Garrett Nussmeir can step in, though he may prefer to redshirt, after playing in just four games this season.
No. 10 – Florida Gators vs. UCF – Dec. 23 – Gasparilla Bowl, Tampa, FL
A lame-duck staff will coach the Gators. New Gators’ coach Billy Napier is lucky he can just watch. If possible, the Gators football team may be less interested in this game than the Auburn Tigers are playing in Birmingham. The pseudo-wizard, Gus Malzahn will try to seize the advantage and ‘ring up’ a treasure chest of points. Get ready for Gus nonsense after the game, claiming American Athletic Conference teams are every bit as good as SEC teams.
No. 9 – South Carolina vs. North Carolina – Dec. 30 – Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Charlotte, NC
This battle for the Carolinas has some appeal. The Gamecocks made big strides this season under Shane Beamer. His guys will fight for a statement win, but beating a 6-6 North Carolina team does not qualify. Still, for South Carolina fans, the game is big.