SEC Football: Mark it down 13 SEC teams to go bowling

One week out from the start of Fall Camp for Alabama football, let’s preview the predicted 2022 success of every SEC football team. One credible source, College Football News (CFN) predicts 13 SEC football teams will play in bowl games. Vanderbilt is, of course, the one SEC football team not predicted to be rewarded with a bowl game.

A list of the SEC teams and the CFN predictions is provided below. As a point of reference, the predicted ESPN FPI win total is included for each team. The FPI has many detractors but it is a worthwhile reference point. Fans are entitled to complain about the FPI predictions for certain teams. My complaint is it overrates Auburn and underrates Arkansas.

SEC Football CFN Bowl Predictions

• Dec. 17 – SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl – Ole Miss vs. UCLA. The FPI win projection for Ole Miss is 7.7 wins. Last season, Ole Miss lost the Sugar Bowl to Baylor.
• Dec. 17 – Frisco Bowl (Frisco, TX) – Missouri vs. Brigham Young. FPI win projection for Missouri is 5.5 wins. Clearly, CFN is counting on at least six wins for the Tigers. Last season Missouri lost the Armed Forces Bowl to Army.
• Dec. 23 – Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, FL) Auburn vs. Louisville. The FPI win projection for Auburn is 7.4 wins. Last season Auburn lost the Birmingham Bowl to Houston.
• Dec. 27 – TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl – Mississippi State vs. Kansas State. The FPI win projection for the Bulldogs is 6.5 wins. Last season Mississippi State lost 34-7 to Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl.
• Dec. 28 – AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN) – Tennessee vs. West Virginia. The FPI win projection for the Vols is 7.1 wins. Last season Tennessee lost the Music City Bowl to Purdue.
• Dec. 28 – TaxAct Texas Bowl (Houston, TX) – Arkansas vs. Baylor. The FPI win projection for Arkansas is 6.5 wins. Last season the Razorbacks won the Outback Bowl over Penn State.
• Dec. 30 – TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL) – Kentucky vs. Florida State. The FPI win projection for Kentucky is 8.2 wins. Last season the Wildcats won the Citrus Bowl over Iowa.
• Dec. 31 – TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN) – South Carolina vs. Michigan State. The FPI win projection for South Carolina is 5.9 wins. Last season the Gamecocks won the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over North Carolina.
• Dec. 31 – Allstate Sugar Bowl – Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma. The FPI win projection for the Aggies is 7.4 wins. Last season TAMU skipped bowl season.
• Dec. 31 – Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Alabama vs. Georgia in a CFB Playoff semi-final. The ESPN FPI has Alabama with 11.4 wins and Georgia with 11.6 wins.
• Jan. 2 – Vrbo Citrus Bowl – Florida vs. Penn State. The FPI win projection for the Gators is 6.9 wins. Last season the Gators lost the Gasparilla Bowl to UCF.
• Jan. 2 – ReliaQuest Bowl (Tampa, FL) – LSU vs. Wisconsin. The FPI win projection for the Bengal Tigers is 7.7 wins. Last season LSU lost the Texas Bowl to Kansas State.

How well will SEC Football teams do?

The only sure number is at least one SEC team will lose. Last season the SEC was 5-7, not including the National Championship contest between Alabama and Georgia. A not especially bold prediction is the SEC will win more than it loses in 2022-23 bowl season.

CFN picked the Alabama Crimson Tide to beat Georgia in the Peach Bowl and play against Ohio State in the National Championship game.