There are 10 SEC teams going to bowl games this season. There are some great match ups and some not so great. Only Florida is an underdog in its game. All the rest are expected by the experts to win. We will give each a brief look here.
On December 29, LSU gets it started against Texas Tech in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl. It is a test on defense against the Tech passing attack but even the LSU offense should have a good time against that Tech defense. In seven of their 12 games, opponents scored at least 44 on the Red Raiders.
Three teams hit the field on December 30 as the first three parts of a quadruple-header.
Auburn takes on Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl. Many Auburn supporters felt their team should not even go to this game. Will the players be any more interested? Memphis started 8-0 before a late three-game losing streak. It will likely be the last college game for the quarterback some suggest will be the #1-overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, unless the Titans have it, in Paxton Lynch. Next up is Mississippi State as they take on N.C. State in the Belk Bowl. It will be the final collegiate game for the best ever to play at State, Dak Prescott. Following that is the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl as Texas A&M battles Louisville. A complete preview of that game is coming soon.
The final day of 2015 contains the season’s biggest game to date as Alabama plays Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, a college football playoff semifinal. We will be going in-depth into that big game closer to time.
Our New Year’s Day kicks off with Tennessee and Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. You can expect a preview of that game coming up as well. The Citrus Bowl features Florida against Michigan as the Gators are the lone SEC underdog. Offense just has disappeared with the loss of Will Grier. Meanwhile it was a renaissance season for Michigan in the return of Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines will be a playoff contender in 2016. Capping the day will be Ole Miss and Oklahoma State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It is the Rebels’ first trip to the Sugar Bowl since 1970, when they were led by Archie Manning at quarterback. Expect lots of points in that one.
The final Saturday of the college football season sees the remaining two SEC bowl squads take the field. In the Taxslayer Bowl, Georgia will play Penn State. The Dawgs will have a new coach in 2016 in Kirby Smart, and just hope for a good showing. It is a good opportunity for James Franklin’s team to pick up a good win in what could be the final college game for future top draft pick quarterback Christian Hackenburg. Following that game will be Arkansas against Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. K-State is the fourth ever to qualify for a bowl having suffered a six-game losing streak during the season. Indiana was the third and plays Duke at Yankee Stadium. Will it be the final game for legendary K-State coach Bill Snyder? He is not saying, and will not say, until after the game.
