SEC bowl projections following Week 13
The final week of the regular season has come and gone. We now know which teams will be playing in a bowl game and which will not. Well, kind of.
Auburn still has an outside shot at one more game sitting at 5-7; 79 of the 82 spots in a bowl have been locked in, with Buffalo playing Friday for a chance to move to 6-6. If the Bulls do not beat Akron (2-9), Auburn would be the final team to sneak in behind Rice and UNLV. For those who do not know, academic scores (APR) determine the order in the 5-7 selection process. For now, we’ll assume Buffalo can take care of business.
South Carolina did good things for its chances of reaching a Citrus Bowl, then LSU lost to Texas A&M. The Tigers are likely locked into the Citrus Bowl regardless of how they perform in the SEC Championship game against Georgia.
Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia look like they will get New Year’s 6 nods. It’s hard to tell whether Alabama or Tennessee will get the Sugar Bowl, because Hendon Hooker’s injury status will play a role. Head-to-head has to matter for something, though.
The SEC bowl lineup is similar to that of last season’s. The Las Vegas Bowl will replace the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in its rotation between B1G and SEC. If the ReliaQuest Bowl sounds unfamiliar, it’s because it changed its branding from the Outback Bowl.
As usual, the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl have an SEC tie-in because they are not hosting this season’s College Football Playoff. Those distinctions go to the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
Here it is in all its glory: SEC bowl projections following the final week of the regular season.
SEC college football bowl projections following Week 13
Peach Bowl (Playoff semifinal): Georgia vs. USC
Fiesta Bowl (Playoff semifinal): Michigan vs. TCU
Sugar Bowl: Tennessee vs. Kansas State
Orange: Alabama vs. Clemson
Citrus: LSU vs. Purdue
ReliaQuest: South Carolina vs. Illinois
Music City: Mississippi State vs. Iowa
Gator: Ole Miss vs. Notre Dame
Las Vegas: Florida vs. UCLA
Liberty: Mizzou vs. Kansas
Texas: Kentucky vs. Oklahoma
Birmingham: Arkansas vs. Memphis