We’re all about the SEC here, but it’s time to shine some spotlight on the opposite sideline.

We decided to point out one thing (or sometimes more) about each of the SEC’s 12 bowl opponents as the conference begins postseason play a week from Monday.

Miami (OH) (vs. Mississippi State)

St. Petersburg Bowl, Dec. 26
How about the RedHawks’ in-season turnaround? They couldn’t have had a more contrasting first half and second half to their season, and as a result, the school made history.

Miami (OH) became the first team in NCAA history to start a season 0-6 and finish the regular season 6-6. What signaled such a dramatic change? Quarterback Gus Ragland had suffered a torn ACL in April. However, he was cleared to return for the team’s Oct. 15 game against Kent State, and the RedHawks haven’t lost since.

NC State (vs. Vanderbilt)

Independence Bowl, Dec. 26
The Wolfpack have figured out a way to keep their quarterback clean this season. A year after giving up 39 sacks, third-most in the ACC, NC State has only allowed 17, fourth-best in the conference.

You have to go back exactly 10 years to find the last time an NC State team allowed fewer than 20 sacks. Vanderbilt is dead last in the SEC and among the worst in the FBS with only 15 sacks, so it could have a tough time pressuring the QB.

Kansas State (vs. Texas A&M)

Texas Bowl, Dec. 28
SEC fans are getting to know the Wildcats pretty well as they’re scheduled to face an SEC team in each of the next four seasons. Kansas State has a scheduled home-and-home with Vanderbilt in 2017 and 2020, sandwiched around another home-and-home with Mississippi State in 2018 and 2019.

Plus, Kansas State just faced Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl last season, a 45-23 win for the Razorbacks.

Virginia Tech (vs. Arkansas)

Belk Bowl, Dec. 29
The Hokies have a fumbling problem that they’ll need to try to correct in the Belk Bowl. Virginia Tech has put the ball on the ground 30 times this season, tied with Army for the most in the FBS. It’s lost 17 of them, only outdone in that category by fellow ACC member Louisville (21).

As for Arkansas, it’s only had 12 total fumbles all year, which is the fewest in the SEC.

South Florida (vs. South Carolina)

Birmingham Bowl, Dec. 29
Will Muschamp’s defense is going to have its hands full against the Bulls, whose offense is lead by dynamic junior QB Quinton Flowers. The 6-foot, 210-pounder from Miami has thrown for 2,551 yards and run for 1,425 more.

Considering he averages about 119 rushing yards per contest, Flowers could easily become just the fourth FBS player to pass for at least 2,500 and rush for at least 1,500. Lamar Jackson is already one of them. The other two are Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch (2012, 2013) and Michigan’s Denard Robinson (2010).

TCU (vs. Georgia)

Liberty Bowl, Dec. 30
The Horned Frogs have been a familiar opponent for the Bulldogs at a few notable junctures in UGA history. The first-ever meeting between the two on Jan. 1, 1942 was Georgia’s first bowl appearance and victory, a 40-26 win in the Orange Bowl.

The two also met in Georgia’s national championship season in 1980. In the fourth game of the Dawgs’ undefeated campaign, UGA topped TCU, 34-3. That game also saw Herschel Walker post a career-low 9 carries for 69 yards.

The two programs also met in Vince Dooley’s last season as head coach at Georgia in 1988.

Nebraska (vs. Tennessee)

Music City Bowl, Dec. 30
No school has been more familiar to the SEC during bowl season than the Cornhuskers. Not including former Big 12 foes Missouri and Texas A&M, Nebraska has faced every SEC team in the postseason with the exception of Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Of course, it helps that the Huskers have made 53 bowl appearances, which is tied for second nationally. In fact, Nebraska and Tennessee have combined for 105 bowl trips, which is more than any 2016 bowl matchup.

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech (vs. Kentucky)

TaxSlayer Bowl, Dec. 31
The Yellow Jackets have enjoyed a bounce back season in Paul Johnson’s ninth year at the school. Georgia Tech’s 3-9 campaign last season was its worst since going a dismal 1-10 in 1994.

However, GT’s five-win improvement from 2015 to 2016 is the second-biggest increase among all Power 5 teams. Only Colorado (six wins) has had a bigger turnaround.

Louisville (vs. LSU)

Citrus Bowl, Dec. 31
Lamar Jackson certainly didn’t seal his Heisman Trophy with a bang. In fact, Jackson is the first Heisman winner to play on a team that lost each of its last two regular season games since Notre Dame’s Tim Brown in 1987.

You also have to go back to 2012 (Johnny Manziel) to find the last Heisman winner that entered the postseason without a shot at the national title.

Despite a stellar season, Jackson’s swan song in the regular season featured four turnovers in the second half of a disappointing 41-38 loss to rival Kentucky.

Washington (vs. Alabama)

Peach Bowl, Dec. 31
Stay with me as I take a trip to memory lane in 1991 and 1992. The uncanny College Football Playoff drama ended with Washington and Ohio State getting the nod at the expense of Michigan and Penn State. However, it’s not the first time the histories of Washington, Michigan — and also Alabama — have intertwined.

In 1991, the Huskies enjoyed their only national championship (by every service’s account except for the AP Poll, which crowned Miami). Washington blocked any title hopes for one-loss Michigan (ranked No. 4 before the game) and Heisman winner Desmond Howard with a dominant 34-14 win in the Rose Bowl.

Howard had his worst performance of the season, catching one pass for a team-high (yes, team-high) 35 yards. By the way, Michigan’s only loss that season came early on to Florida State, which it faces in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

In 1992, Alabama and Washington were both 8-0 through October with the Huskies at No. 1 and the Tide at No. 3. However, Alabama stayed perfect and won its last national title before Nick Saban’s arrival, while Washington lost two of its last three, including a rematch with the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.

Oklahoma (vs. Auburn)

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2
Receiver Dede Westbrook is not just a big-play threat. He’s one of the biggest big-play threats the nation has seen in a long time. Westbrook has 12 TDs from scrimmage of at least 40 yards, the most for any player in at least 20 years.

The 6-foot, 176-pounder from Cameron, Texas (product of Blinn College, also home to Cam Newton for a year) has six catches of at least 60 yards. That’s the most for any Power 5 player since at least 2010. Bowling Green’s Roger Lewis is the only player over that span that can match it.

Preventing big plays through the air has been a strength this season for Auburn, which has allowed an average of just 6.1 yards per pass attempt, second only to Alabama in the SEC.

Iowa (vs. Florida)

Outback Bowl, Jan. 2
The Hawkeyes know what they’re doing in the red zone on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Iowa is ninth by scoring 92.3 percent of the time. Defensively, the team has only allowed opponents to score at a rate of 73.5 percent.

As a result, Iowa is one of only three Power 5 teams to rank among the top 15 in both respects along with Washington and Vanderbilt. As for the Gators’ offense, that’s a problem because they only score on 70 percent of their trips. Only Rutgers (68 percent) comes away with points at a lower rate inside the 20.