It’s bowl season! We’ve got a nice slate of games beginning today to conclude the eventful 2016 season.

Here are our picks for all SEC football bowl games plus the College Football Playoff games.

Mississippi State (-14) – Miami (OH)

Michael: The Bulldogs have been on an offensive tear as of late, averaging just over 38 points per game over its last six games – and that high number factors in the three-point effort MSU put up against Alabama’s defense on the road.

After losing its first six games of the season, Miami has won six games in a row to close out its regular season, however, only one of those wins was against a team with a winning record (vs. 7-5 Eastern Michigan).

Look for Mississippi State’s offense to run wild and Nick Fitzgerald to continue his constantly improving play following a month off from his dominant performance in the Egg Bowl.

Mississippi State 42, Miami (OH) 28

Kevin: I like Mullen’s team to roll in this game as Nick Fitzgerald puts up another stat line that looks more like Dak Prescott than Nick Fitzgerald. Or maybe we should re-think Fitzgerald’s upside a bit? Regardless, Mississippi State ends the 2016 campaign on a high note.

Mississippi State 49, Miami (OH) 21

Vandy (+5.5) – NC State

Michael: This should be a fairly evenly matched battle of 6-6 opponents. Both teams had their impressive moments this season, NC State should have beaten Clemson in Death Valley but missed a game-winning chip shot field goal while Vanderbilt beat two more talented league teams in Ole Miss and Tennessee to finish the regular season.

Commodore quarterback Kyle Shurmur is playing like he finally grasps what offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is asking him to do. If the sophomore performs like he did the last month of the season, Vanderbilt stands a good shot at getting the win here.

NC State 27, Vanderbilt 24

Kevin: This game is a bit of a toss up, and with the spread being nearly a full touchdown, I’ll take Vanderbilt and the points. Derek Mason exceeded expectations getting to this game. Can he get the win, too? A win for the ‘Dores would be a nice boost as they hit the offseason and look ahead to 2017.

Vanderbilt 31, NC State 30

Texas A&M (-3) – Kansas State

Michael: The Aggies have a clear talent advantage in this matchup but it’s never wise to concede a coaching edge to Bill Snyder, aka the wizard of college football coaching. Many bowl games simply come down to which team wants to be there more and in this matchup, don’t be surprised to see the Wildcats push to be that in the Texas Bowl.

A&M isn’t much of a threat on offense without Trevor Knight in the lineup and I question how healthy he will be in this matchup, but look for the senior to show off his toughness in his final college game. These teams head into this game going opposite directions as Kansas State has won three games in a row and five of its last six while the Aggies have dropped four of its last six. I’ll take KState in the mild upset.

Kansas State 30, Texas A&M 24

Kevin: I think the Aggies bounce back and get a pretty good win here. Trevor Knight has had several weeks to improve his health, and when he’s on, the Aggies offense can be very good. The Texas A&M ground game is the key. If that gets going and the defense doesn’t mail it in, the Aggies will get the victory.

Texas A&M 27, Kansas State 26

South Carolina (+10.5) – USF

Michael: Will Muschamp and company have done a tremendous job with the young South Carolina roster this season but it’s hard to imagine the Gamecocks pull this one off following the noncompetitive performance against Clemson. While not nearly a strong of an opponent as the Tigers, USF is a borderline Top 25 team with one of the most efficient offenses in the nation.

The Gamecocks trio of freshmen (Jake Bentley, Rico Dowdle and Bryan Edwards) look to be future stars in the league and may be able to keep this game competitive for a half but I expect USF to pull away by the fourth quarter. One possible wildcard here, the Bulls lost head coach Willie Taggert to Oregon – it’s always tough to predict how the transition to an interim coach affects college players.

USF 33, South Carolina 20

Kevin: I’m going to go the opposite way here. South Carolina was quite bad against Clemson, but Clemson is a darn good football team. I think the Gamecocks keep this game close and maybe even get the upset. Either way they do better than the 10.5 point spread.

USF 31, South Carolina 27

Arkansas (+7) – Virginia Tech

Michael: One of the most interesting things to watch this bowl season will be the defensive adjustments Robb Smith’s unit makes in this game. There has been some talk of Arkansas moving to some 3-4 looks, but it’s unclear whether that will be in this game or in the offseason. If the Razorback defense is once again outmatched in this game, and possibly even if they aren’t, there could be a change at defensive coordinator in Fayetteville this offseason.

There’s simply no telling which Arkansas team is going to show up this season, as the Razorbacks have not won consecutive games since the Sept. 17 win over Texas State. That being said, Bret Bielema has gotten his team up for big bowl wins each of the last two seasons and won outright as an underdog four times this season. I like the Belk Bowl to be No. 5 on the year. This could be one of the better bowl games involving SEC teams.

Arkansas 30, Virginia Tech 27

Kevin: Arkansas was a bit of an enigma this season, looking great one week and not-so-great the next. Virginia Tech has a decent team this year, and I think the Hogs lose the game to the favored Hokies.

Virginia Tech 29, Arkansas 24

Georgia (+1) – TCU

Michael: Georgia is another tough team to peg heading into its bowl game. The defense is improving but overrated a bit thanks to an impressive performance against an Auburn team without its main running back and an injured Sean White throwing a game-losing interception to Maurice Smith. Take away that performance and UGA’s defense gave up 24 to Florida, 24 to Kentucky, 21 to Louisiana-Lafayette and 28 to Georgia Tech down the stretch. Meanwhile the offensive game plans from Jim Chaney are questionable at best.

If the Bulldogs don’t ride Nick Chubb and Sony Michel all game long, this game could easily go to a Kenny Hill-led TCU team. How much progress Jacob Eason shows following the bowl practice could be an x-factor in this game.

TCU 28, Georgia 20

Kevin: I like Jacob Eason and the Georgia offense to come alive a bit in this game. I think Eason plays loose as there’s really no pressure here in this game. The Georgia defense can be good at times, and I think they can frustrate Kenny Hill enough to be an impact.

I’m going Georgia with the upset here.

Georgia 38, TCU 31

Tennessee (-4) – Nebraska

Michael: On paper, Tennessee is the superior team and factoring in key injuries Nebraska is dealing with would appear to make the Vols a lock in the Music City Bowl. Despite that logic, the Volunteers have not played up to expectations all season long and have been inconsistent from game to game and even at times from quarter to quarter; there’s little to suggest this game will be any different. Don’t be surprised to see this game go down to the wire.

Say what you will about Butch Jones as a coach, he’s led his Tennessee team to two huge bowl wins over Big Ten teams the last two years. If there’s one SEC coach that needs to temper questions surrounding his coaching ability, its Jones. It will be fascinating to see if his team responds to the challenge and plays for their coach.

Tennessee 38, Nebraska 28

Kevin: Tennessee probably feels less pressure now than they have all year. The season was a disappointment while the pressure was certainly present all year. I think this team – which is talented – will let it rip against Nebraska. Dobbs puts up some big numbers, especially on the ground. Tennessee rolls and covers.

Tennessee 41, Nebraska 21

LSU (-3) – Louisville

Michael: Now that his team is no longer playing for his head coaching candidacy, it will be interesting to see how hard Ed Orgeron’s team competes in the Citrus Bowl. I like LSU to come out and prove the administration made the right call and earn a big win in this game. This game could be the unofficial beginning of the offseason Heisman campaign for LSU running back Derrius Guice.

LSU’s defense has been downright dominant for much of the season but allowed 39 points to Texas A&M in the regular season finale. That’s something that has been mentioned repeatedly by coordinator Dave Aranda in the days following that game, which could mean trouble for Lamar Jackson. Expect the Tigers defense to step up to the challenge and shut down the Heisman Trophy winner in this matchup.

LSU 34, Louisville 16

Kevin: This may be the most interesting game outside of the playoff. Lamar Jackson versus a tough SEC defense. If the Tigers show up, they should handle this Louisville team. Derrius Guice could easily run for 200 in this game.

LSU 29, Louisville 21

Kentucky (+3.5) – Georgia Tech

Michael: The Wildcats are my pick as the most improved league team from the season’s start to finish, as Mark Stoops squad won seven of its last 10 and could have easily won nine games in that stretch. Quarterback Stephen Johnson has steadily improved since entering the lineup for the injured Drew Barker and the UK offensive line and running game has been outstanding of late.

It’s a well known fact that Tech’s triple option offense is tough to prepare for but given that Kentucky has more time than usual to prep for it, I believe the Wildcats defense will get enough stops in this game to get a win.

Kentucky 35, Georgia Tech 23

Kevin: The Cats put in a good 2016 season that exceeded expectatios, but I think they have a bit of a step back against Georgia Tech. As always stated, Georgia Tech can be difficult to prepare for. Can Stoops get to eight wins? That would be impressive.

Georgia Tech 24, Kentucky 18

Alabama (-15) – Washington

Michael: You can’t take away anything from Chris Petersen and his coaching ability. It’s remarkable how quickly he’s turned Washington into a national title contender and an offensive scoring machine. As good as the UDub offense has been, the Huskie defense has been even more impressive than the offense under Petersen. I also wouldn’t rule out receiver John Ross being a legitimate threat to beat Alabama’s secondary over the top.

All that being said, Alabama looks to have a massive advantage on both lines of scrimmage in this game, and that’s too much to overcome in a Playoff matchup. Washington quarterback Jake Browning is going to need the performance of a lifetime to keep his team in this one into the fourth quarter.

Alabama 35, Washington 10

Kevin: I watched three Washington games this year. I’m certainly no expert on the team, but I think they are going to find it quite difficult to compete against Alabama. I should note that I don’t think Alabama is invincible, and if they play Clemson, I could see that game going either way. But, Washington? The Tide are going to crush them, especially in the second half.

The wildcard here is that I think Washington head coach Chris Peterson is a really good coach and will have a nice gameplan for Alabama. I don’t think they have the talent, however, to stay in the game regardless of gameplan.

Alabama 39, Washington 14

Ohio State (-3) – Clemson

Michael: Clemson is the more experienced team in this matchup and should have the decided advantage at quarterback in this game. While the Tigers have not looked great for much of the season, mostly due to self inflicted miscues such as red zone turnover and drops, it’s impressive the ACC champs have racked up a 12-1 record without looking overly impressive on the season.

The Tigers have been working all year long for a rematch against Alabama and should they not beat themselves in the Fiesta Bowl, Clemson will again be facing the Tide for the national title.

Clemson 33, Ohio State 27

Kevin: As I said above, I’m high on Clemson even though they looked iffy at various times throughout the season. They’ve got incredible offensive talent, and a defense that can be very good when playing well. Of course, this Clemson team also has the experience from getting to the big dance last year.

This might be Clemson’s year.

Clemson 38, Ohio State 34

Florida (-3) – Iowa

Michael: I expect Florida to come out and exorcise some of the demons of its past bowl failures in this year’s Outback Bowl vs. Iowa. Despite winning the last two East titles, Jim McElwain really needs some additional positive momentum heading into offseason recruiting and a big win over the Hawkeyes should do just that.

With defensive coordinator Geoff Collins departing for Temple, this will likely be the final college game for several of the Gators top draft eligible defenders, obviously joining the number of senior leaders that lead that unit. Hard to imagine this defense won’t be fired up to play after the poor showing in Atlanta against Alabama. I like Florida big in this game.

Florida 27, Iowa 10

Kevin: Will the Gators defense play inspired or mail it in with the looming NFL draft? I’m not certain what the answer is to that question, and that answer might determine how this game unfolds. I think the Florida run game gets going just enough to get the win for Jim McElwain.

Florida 21, Iowa 17

Auburn (+3) Oklahoma

Michael: Auburn’s defense very well could be the SEC’s most underrated unit heading into the bowl season. Kevin Steele has done an excellent job in his first season on The Plains and now faces arguably its toughest task to date going up against two Heisman finalists in Dede Westbrook and Baker Mayfield.

The Tigers season went downhill quickly following the injuries to Sean White and Kam Pettway but all indications are those players should be healthy for this game. One key to consider in this game, how will White respond to his team’s addition of transfer Jarrett Stidham? The move could shake his confidence, it could inspire him to play lights out in an effort to draw interest in his own transfer or possibly to prove to his coaches that he deserves a fair shot at the starting job heading into 2017.

The Sooner offense has not been held to less than 30 points since Sept. 17 but I like Auburn to do just that in New Orleans and win in a slight upset.

Auburn 26, Oklahoma 24

Kevin: I do remember how good Auburn looked midseason when they were on a roll behind the smashing run game of Pettway, but I’m not convinced that team is still here. Oklahoma is a team that played very well down the stretch. If Auburn is healthy, this game could be one of the better ones of all bowl season. If not, Oklahoma could win big.

Oklahoma 31, Auburn 21