The pairings have been announced, and soon enough bowl season will be underway. With nine games to study, you might wonder what the major storylines are for this SEC bowl season. You came to the right place, because we’re breaking down the story to watch for each SEC bowl game.

1. Alabama/Clemson — Ali vs. Frazier III

When you’ve got the two biggest dogs in college football, the teams that have fought each other tooth and nail for the past two CFP titles, how do you top it? Well, you make them fight Round 3 as a semifinal game in the Sugar Bowl. If either of the first two games tells us anything, it’s that the third match will likely be a game for the ages.

2. Georgia/Oklahoma — Can the SEC again make the Heisman winning QB look goofy?

Last year, LSU stopped Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in the Citrus Bowl and won 29-9. This year’s winner, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, has a much better supporting cast. The question is whether anybody can slow Mayfield and the Sooners’ explosive passing game in the Rose Bowl. If Georgia can, the Bulldogs have a heck of a shot to play in the national title game.

3. Auburn/UCF — Auburn looks a lot like Goliath, but is UCF David?

UCF, the only unbeaten team left in FBS, last lost in the 2016 Cure Bowl to Arkansas State.

The Peach Bowl is the SEC’s biggest mismatch of the bowl season, with No. 7 Auburn a 9.5-point favorite over undefeated and No. 12 Central Florida in the Peach Bowl. The Knights scored nearly 50 points per game this season, but they haven’t faced Auburn’s size and speed. If UCF pulls it off it would be a Boise State-over-Oklahoma type of win. But the guess here is that while Auburn looks like Goliath by comparison, UCF doesn’t have enough rocks in its pocket to pull off this one.

4. LSU/Notre Dame — Who can run best?

While Auburn-UCF might be a race to 50 points, LSU-Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl might be a race to 300 rushing yards. The Golden Domers averaged 279.1 yards per game on the ground, led by star back Josh Adams’s 1,386 yards. Of course, LSU isn’t exactly chopped liver, earning 210.8 ypg on the ground in the SEC West. And Derrius Guice (1,153 yards, 11 TDs) might be the most talented back in the country. This game may be over in 2-1/2 hours, as these two teams will try to run each other into submission.

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5. South Carolina/Michigan — The favorite with no QB

Michigan and South Carolina are 8-4 teams with some significant warts who meet in the Outback Bowl. The oddity here is that Michigan is a 7.5-point favorite despite not having a quarterback. Well, at least not yet, as Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson won’t be eligible for this bowl game. No Michigan passer broke 1,000 yards for the season. Sophomore Brandon Peters, who threw 64 passes this season, is starting for the maize and blue after battling concussion symptoms late in the season. South Carolina and dependable QB Jake Bentley are getting no respect.

6. Mississippi State/Louisville — Can the Bulldogs compete without two familiar faces?

Dan Mullen flew the coop for Florida and stud QB Nick Fitzgerald horribly injured his leg in the Egg Bowl. So when the Bulldogs face Louisville and all-world QB Lamar Jackson in the TaxSlayer Bowl, they’ll do so with some new faces. Running backs coach Greg Knox will get the one-game interim coach tag before new Bulldog coach Joe Moorhead takes the reins. Similarly, QB Keytaon Thompson will get the call in place of Fitzgerald. Can the one-game coach and quarterback get it done?

7. Kentucky/Northwestern — Wildcats going up, Wildcats going down

Kentucky will face an all-Wildcat battle against Northwestern in the Music City Bowl, and the game represents two programs heading in opposite directions recently. Northwestern opened the year 2-3 before winning its last seven games, including an upset of No. 16 Michigan State in overtime. Kentucky, on the other hand, began 6-2, but dropped three of its last four. For UK to flip the script, running back Benny Snell will need a big game.

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8. Missouri/Texas — Old home week from the Big 12

Unlike most of these bowl foes who rarely have faced each other, this matchup is old hat for the two combatants in the Texas Bowl. They squared off frequently when Mizzou was with Texas in the Big 12. They’ve played 23 times over the years, with Texas holding a 17-6 advantage. Recent history, though, is on Missouri’s side, as the Tigers won the last matchup 17-5 in 2011. Considering Missouri’s passing game, look for more points in 2017.

9. Texas A&M/Wake Forest — Different attitudes toward seven wins

A&M begins a brave new future shortly, with former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher waiting to take the reins. He will replace Kevin Sumlin, who was fired following A&M’s 7-5 season. Meanwhile, Wake Forest is downright ecstatic with head coach Dave Clawson for leading them to seven regular-season wins for the first time since 2008. One school cleans house after a 7-5 year, the other has seven more years on its coach’s contract after a 7-5 season. Funny enough, Wake is favored by a field goal in the Belk Bowl. Perhaps the school that is excited over seven wins really will have an advantage over the one that is dragging into the game.