Latest SEC Bowl Predictions Sure To Come True - 11/25
posted by Scott Hood, Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Of course, it’s a big one - the Clemson game.
But even if the Gamecocks lose to the Tigers, they could still end up in Tampa. But the Gamecocks can take care of business by beating Clemson for the second consecutive time in the Upstate.
While USC was enjoying a bye week, several important games in the SEC took place last weekend as far as bowl positioning is concerned.
Vanderbilt’s hopes of playing in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve were severely damaged with a 20-10 home loss to intrastate rival Tennessee. However, despite losing five of its last six games, Vanderbilt will go bowling for the first time since 1982.
But the loss to the struggling Vols gave Chick-fil-A Bowl officials exactly what they were looking for: an excuse not to select the Commodores.
As I first explained last week, the Commodores are undesirable as a bowl team because of their small fan base and lack of tradition, which translates to fewer TV viewers.
Kentucky was off last weekend and needs a win over Tennessee in the Beer Barrel game (sorry, traditions dies hard around here) to rise above the Music City Bowl or Liberty Bowl fray.
Who will play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl? It could be LSU. The stunning 31-13 victory by Ole Miss over the Tigers last weekend in Baton Rouge should propel the Rebels towards Dallas and the Cotton Bowl.
If Ole Miss disposes of rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday, look for Rebels head coach Houston Nutt to lead the charge in the direction of ’Big D.’ Ole Miss hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2004 when they beat Oklahoma State in - you guessed it - the Cotton Bowl. As a result, starving Ole Miss fans could flock to Dallas in droves.
LSU could jump back into the New Year’s Day bowl picture with a solid win over Arkansas on Friday. The Tigers are 3-4 in their last seven games, and the wins have come over USC, Tulane and Troy. In the latter game, LSU had to rally from a 31-3 deficit in the third quarter to pull out the win.
Three of the defeats have come by double-digit margins to Florida (30 points), Georgia (14) and Ole Miss (18). The other loss was a OT setback to Alabama.
In short, LSU is hardly a program riding a wave of momentum right now.
The Outback Bowl could be faced with a difficult choice if its selection boils down to 7-5 USC and 8-4 LSU, though a SEC West team hasn’t played in Tampa in 11 years.
Except for that scenario, the Gamecocks should play in the Outback for the third time this decade.
Mississippi State (4-7) knocked Arkansas (4-7) out of the bowl picture when they beat the Razorbacks, 31-28, last Saturday in Starkville.
The only way Auburn (5-6) qualifies for a bowl game is by upsetting No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Saturday. Will the Tigers pull off the stunning upset? No. In fact, make that a double no.
My shocking prediction: within a few days after losing to Alabama, Tommy Tuberville will resign as Auburn head coach and land a lucrative gig as Clemson’s head coach.
Here’s how the SEC victory ladder shapes up:
11: Alabama;
10: Florida,
9: Georgia;
8: None;
7: USC, LSU, Ole Miss;
6: Kentucky, Vanderbilt.
******************************************
5: Auburn;
4: Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee;
At this moment, here’s how I foresee the SEC bowl picture developing with the predicted final records in parentheses:
BCS: Florida (SEC Champion)(12-1), Alabama (12-1);
Capital One: Georgia (10-2)
Outback: South Carolina (8-4)
Cotton: Ole Miss (8-4)
Chick-fil-A: LSU (8-4)
Music City: Vanderbilt (7-5)
Liberty: Kentucky (6-6)
Independence: None (At-Large Team)
Papajohn’s.com: None (At-Large Team)
No Bowl: Auburn (5-7), Arkansas (4-8), Miss. State (4-8) and Tennessee (5-7).
Right now, Michigan State (9-3), Iowa (8-4) or Northwestern (9-3) is the probable opponent for USC in the Outback Bowl. The Big 10’s bowl lineup will be firmed up after Saturday when Oregon and Oregon State battle in ‘The Civil War.’
If OSU wins, it will earn the Pac-10’s berth in the Rose Bowl, dropping Southern Cal to another BCS bowl game and Ohio State to the Capital One. But if the Ducks prevail (the game is in Eugene), the Trojans will face Penn State in Pasadena and two-loss Ohio State will likely grab a BCS bowl bid.
If that happens, Michigan State will likely jump up to the Capital One Bowl to face Georgia, leaving Iowa or Northwestern for the Outback.
Prediction: Michigan State.
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One win separates South Carolina and the Outback Bowl from officially joining together in holy matrimony.
Of course, it’s a big one - the Clemson game.
But even if the Gamecocks lose to the Tigers, they could still end up in Tampa. But the Gamecocks can take care of business by beating Clemson for the second consecutive time in the Upstate.
While USC was enjoying a bye week, several important games in the SEC took place last weekend as far as bowl positioning is concerned.
Vanderbilt’s hopes of playing in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve were severely damaged with a 20-10 home loss to intrastate rival Tennessee. However, despite losing five of its last six games, Vanderbilt will go bowling for the first time since 1982.
But the loss to the struggling Vols gave Chick-fil-A Bowl officials exactly what they were looking for: an excuse not to select the Commodores.
As I first explained last week, the Commodores are undesirable as a bowl team because of their small fan base and lack of tradition, which translates to fewer TV viewers.
Kentucky was off last weekend and needs a win over Tennessee in the Beer Barrel game (sorry, traditions dies hard around here) to rise above the Music City Bowl or Liberty Bowl fray.
Who will play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl? It could be LSU. The stunning 31-13 victory by Ole Miss over the Tigers last weekend in Baton Rouge should propel the Rebels towards Dallas and the Cotton Bowl.
If Ole Miss disposes of rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday, look for Rebels head coach Houston Nutt to lead the charge in the direction of ’Big D.’ Ole Miss hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2004 when they beat Oklahoma State in - you guessed it - the Cotton Bowl. As a result, starving Ole Miss fans could flock to Dallas in droves.
LSU could jump back into the New Year’s Day bowl picture with a solid win over Arkansas on Friday. The Tigers are 3-4 in their last seven games, and the wins have come over USC, Tulane and Troy. In the latter game, LSU had to rally from a 31-3 deficit in the third quarter to pull out the win.
Three of the defeats have come by double-digit margins to Florida (30 points), Georgia (14) and Ole Miss (18). The other loss was a OT setback to Alabama.
In short, LSU is hardly a program riding a wave of momentum right now.
The Outback Bowl could be faced with a difficult choice if its selection boils down to 7-5 USC and 8-4 LSU, though a SEC West team hasn’t played in Tampa in 11 years.
Except for that scenario, the Gamecocks should play in the Outback for the third time this decade.
Mississippi State (4-7) knocked Arkansas (4-7) out of the bowl picture when they beat the Razorbacks, 31-28, last Saturday in Starkville.
The only way Auburn (5-6) qualifies for a bowl game is by upsetting No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Saturday. Will the Tigers pull off the stunning upset? No. In fact, make that a double no.
My shocking prediction: within a few days after losing to Alabama, Tommy Tuberville will resign as Auburn head coach and land a lucrative gig as Clemson’s head coach.
Here’s how the SEC victory ladder shapes up:
11: Alabama;
10: Florida,
9: Georgia;
8: None;
7: USC, LSU, Ole Miss;
6: Kentucky, Vanderbilt.
******************************************
5: Auburn;
4: Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee;
At this moment, here’s how I foresee the SEC bowl picture developing with the predicted final records in parentheses:
BCS: Florida (SEC Champion)(12-1), Alabama (12-1);
Capital One: Georgia (10-2)
Outback: South Carolina (8-4)
Cotton: Ole Miss (8-4)
Chick-fil-A: LSU (8-4)
Music City: Vanderbilt (7-5)
Liberty: Kentucky (6-6)
Independence: None (At-Large Team)
Papajohn’s.com: None (At-Large Team)
No Bowl: Auburn (5-7), Arkansas (4-8), Miss. State (4-8) and Tennessee (5-7).
Right now, Michigan State (9-3), Iowa (8-4) or Northwestern (9-3) is the probable opponent for USC in the Outback Bowl. The Big 10’s bowl lineup will be firmed up after Saturday when Oregon and Oregon State battle in ‘The Civil War.’
If OSU wins, it will earn the Pac-10’s berth in the Rose Bowl, dropping Southern Cal to another BCS bowl game and Ohio State to the Capital One. But if the Ducks prevail (the game is in Eugene), the Trojans will face Penn State in Pasadena and two-loss Ohio State will likely grab a BCS bowl bid.
If that happens, Michigan State will likely jump up to the Capital One Bowl to face Georgia, leaving Iowa or Northwestern for the Outback.
Prediction: Michigan State.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.