What should each SEC team be thankful for this holiday season?

ALABAMA — Here’s one of those unwanted offseason gifts at first-glance that turned out to be a blessing over time. We’re talking about offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, the oft-criticized former Tennessee head coach who has improved the Alabama offense under Blake Sims and wideout Amari Cooper. Kiffin’s up for the Broyles award this season as the nation’s top assistant coach.

ARKANSAS — The Big Uglies (on both sides of the ball). For good reason, the Razorbacks’ rushing attack has received much of the attention this season during Bret Bielema’s turnaround in Fayetteville, but it’s the guys in the trenches who are responsible for the dirty work — and winning games. This team’s offensive line has exceeded expectations while the defensive front four’s flexed its muscles the last two weeks with consecutive shutouts of nationally-ranked team.

AUBURN — The Kansas State win. Showered with turnovers from the Wildcats, the defending SEC champs didn’t necessarily deserve to win a nationally-ranked Thursday night road game in September, but they did and it helped push Gus Malzahn’s team into the title conversation. As we know thanks to a brutal remaining schedule, the luck’s run out.

FLORIDA — An athletic director who is tired of losing. You could tell it was hard on Jeremy Foley to cut the cord on friend Will Muschamp, but the program was no longer trending upward under the current regime. Kudos to him for laying the hammer before the holiday season. It makes things a little easier on the family.

GEORGIA — The clone of Todd Gurley, only two years younger with an endless motor. True freshman Nick Chubb was one of the nation’s top ballcarriers coming out of high school but few expected the Cedartown, Ga., native to rush for 928 yards in six starts this season. Chubb’s reliability has helped the Bulldogs overcome Gurley’s four-game suspension and stay within striking distance of the division crown on the final weekend.

KENTUCKY — A pillow-soft first half. The Wildcats rolled through a six-game stretch prior to LSU with five wins, almost assuredly locking in their first bowl berth in several seasons. It wasn’t to be however unless Kentucky wins at Louisville on Saturday. Five straight losses in the SEC has soured Mark Stoops’ second season despite a sizable contract extension.

LSU — Tiger Stadium. The SEC’s loudest venue has provided insane decibel levels this season in nationally-ranked games against Alabama and Ole Miss, keeping the inexperienced Tigers in the contests until the final horn. Against the Rebels, it came down to execution from Bo Wallace in the final minute and the crowd soared to the occasion.

MISSISSIPPI — The one, the only … Katy Perry. The pop sensation brought massive media attention to Oxford during her College GameDay appearance prior to the Rebels’ upset win over top-ranked Alabama. The momentum’s faded, but it was cool to have the national spotlight on Ole Miss (at least for a week).

MISSISSIPPI STATE — Dan Mullen and Dak Prescott are the obvious choices here, faces of the program that have lifted this team to new heights this fall. The Bulldogs’ rise to No. 1 featured three straight wins over Top 10 teams during a program-best 9-0 start. Gunning for their first conference title since 1941, Mississippi State needs to beat Ole Miss on Saturday and hope Auburn knocks off Alabama.

MISSOURI — Florida. Without the Gators’ help in Jacksonville a few weeks back, the Tigers wouldn’t be in control of their own destiny heading into Friday’s regular-season finale against Arkansas. Florida’s win over Georgia negated the Bulldogs’ 34-point smacking of Mizzou in October.

SOUTH CAROLINA — Three consecutive 11-win seasons. Would we be so kind to Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks’ disappointing season as the Eastern Division favorite if South Carolina was an average football team the last few years? Here’s his mulligan after a stretch of overachieving, although most fans would tell you the 2014 campaign would be satisfactory with a win Saturday at Clemson.

TENNESSEE — Lil Jon. The has-been rapper made ‘Third Down For What’ a thing in Knoxville and brought some much-needed attention to a dormant, former elite program in the SEC East. The Vols escaped a tragic finish with wins over South Carolina and Kentucky, but need one more to reach bowl season for the first time since 2010.

TEXAS A&M — Bad defenses. The Aggies jumped out of the gate like world beaters during a 5-0 start, averaging 51.2 points per game to back a No. 6 national ranking. When they hit the meat of their SEC schedule, things changed. The defenses improved and quarterback play lacked. A season-opening win at South Carolina against what eventually became the Eastern Division’s sloppiest defense inflated this team’s value a bit.

VANDERBILT — Alternate uniforms. You remember the ones we’re talking about, those all-black ‘Anchor Down’ digs that were banned by the SEC after making their debut against Temple in the season opener. Derek Mason’s first year on the sideline has been a forgettable one, but at least the Commodores haven’t taken a step back in a fashion sense.