The bowl season gives SEC teams the opportunity to pit itself against some of the better teams from other conferences in games that typically wouldn’t happen during a regular season.

And with unfamiliar foes comes some very exciting matchups and we wanted to take a look at which matchup will be the toughest for every SEC team in their respective bowl games.

RELATED: Grading the SEC following the 2014 season

Independence Bowl

South Carolina defense vs. Miami RB Duke Johnson 

Why: SEC defenses are often know for stopping the run, but such is not the case for South Carolina, who struggled to stop much of anything this season. Ranked as the SEC’s second-worst run defense (214.4 ypg), the Gamecocks’ face a tough matchup in Miami running back Duke Johnson for their bowl game. Johnson is one of most talented and explosive backs in the sport, and is capable of taking games over by himself. Just ask Virginia Tech who almost surrender 300 total yards to Johnson alone.

Liberty Bowl

Texas A&M DB Deshazor Everett vs West Virginia WR Kevin White

Why: Overall, Texas A&M’s pass defense hasn’t been the best this season, but senior defensive back Deshazor Everett will likely be the guy tasked with defending WVU’s stud wideout Kevin White. At 6-foot-3, White possesses an obvious height-advantage over most cornerbacks and has at least three inches on Everett. With a vulnerable defense, especially one like A&M’s which is capable of allowing several big plays, White could be in for a big day.

Texas Bowl

Arkansas QB Brandon Allen vs Texas secondary

Why: Brandon Allen has proven himself to be a serviceable quarterback this season. Allen, when healthy, is capable of making all the throws necessary and has shown some impressive deception when it comes to executing play action plays. The Longhorns will be no cupcake, however, for the Razorbacks quarterback. While the Hogs like to run the ball, Allen’s ability to keep defenses honest with the pass is a huge key to the Hogs’ offensive success and not many teams have found success against Texas’ secondary. The Longhorns led the Big 12 in pass defense and only allowed 11 passing touchdowns all year.

Music City Bowl

LSU secondary vs. Notre Dame QB Everret Golson

Why: This may not be the toughest matchup for the Tigers, but it’s certainly the most intriguing. Golson is the heartbeat of the Irish. He’s the team leader. And he’s not so bad on the field, either. He can beat defenses with dual-threat capabilities, but he’s greatly improved his passing ability, throwing for 3,355 yards and a 60.1 completion percentage. But LSU’s pass defense was tops in the SEC and is one of the best secondaries in the country. Jalen Mills and Tre White will be a tough duo to pass on for Golson.

Belk Bowl

UGA QB Hutson Mason vs Louisville DB Gerod Holliman

Why: 14 interceptions speaks for itself. Holliman has been a ball hawk to say the least this season and is just one interception away from breaking the single-season record. UGA quarterback Hutson Mason has been especially smart with the football, throwing only four interceptions all season. There’s no question that UGA loves to run the ball, but Mason will have to be extra careful against Louisville when he throws the ball. Holliman is a game-changer in the secondary.

Peach Bowl

Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil vs. TCU defensive line

Why: The Horned Frogs don’t pull any punches. They create a ton of havoc in opposing backfields and are good at it. TCU led the Big 12 with 101.0 tackles for loss on the season. Fortunately for Ole Miss, the Rebels have a talented offensive line anchored by sophomore standout Laremy Tunsil. He’ll have his hands full, but we’ve seen how important Tunsil is to the success of Ole Miss’ offense. The more time Bo Wallace has, the more likely “Good Bo” will show up instead of “Bad Bo.”

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Orange Bowl

MSU front seven vs GT triple-option offense

Why: No matter how long a team has to prepare for a triple-option offense, it’s incredibly tough to match Georgia Tech’s actual offense come game time. MSU has one of the top front-sevens in the SEC, but with how gimmicky GT’s triple-option offense can be, the Yellow Jackets are more than capable of putting up big numbers on the ground and scoring a lot of points against the Bulldogs.

Outback Bowl

Auburn LB vs Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon

Why: Containing a Heisman Trophy finalist running back is tough for any defense, but with a run defense as average as Auburn’s, the task is even tougher. Gordon could easily take over this game if he’s able to get the blocking downfield. As for Auburn, the Tigers have the offense to keep pace with anyone but if Gordon is able to gain yards and eat up clock, Wisconsin may be able to neutralize the fast-paced Auburn offense.

Citrus Bowl

Missouri RB Russell Hansbrough vs Minnesota LB Damien Wilson

Why: Hansbrough will be Missouri’s go-to running back in the Citrus Bowl, but Minnesota’s Damien Wilson will be awaiting him on every rushing attempt. Wilson isn’t known by many SEC fans, but he’s been dominant for the Golden Gophers this season. He racked up 111 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and picked off four passes this year. If Hansbrough wants to have a big game to make up for his dismal SEC Championship performance, he’ll need to avoid Wilson at all costs.

Sugar Bowl

Alabama OT Cam Robinson vs Ohio State DE Joey Bosa

Why: Perhaps there will be no bigger matchup along the line of scrimmage during all of bowl season than Robinson and Bosa in the Sugar Bowl. Bosa is an All-American and the two figure to battle each other all game come Jan. 1. We’ve seen Alabama struggle when pressure gets to Blake Sims, so if Bosa is able to fight his way through Robinson, the Buckeyes could neutralize the Crimson Tide’s explosive passing attack (read: throw to Amari Cooper).

TaxSlayer.com Bowl

Tennessee DBs vs Iowa QB Jake Rudock

Why: Iowa doesn’t boast a ton of talent offensively (the Hawkeyes were average in most Big Ten offensive stats), but quarterback Jake Rudock will pose the biggest threat to the Vols’ defense. He’s very efficient with a 16:5 touchdown to interception ratio and will be a tough quarterback to rattle. Tennessee’s DBs will have their work cut out for them in this TaxSlayer.com Bowl matchup and it may come down to whoever makes the biggest play in the passing game.

Birmingham Bowl

Florida DB Vernon Hargreaves vs ECU WR Justin Hardy

Why: Individually, Hargreaves and Hardy may be two of the most talented players at their respective positions. Hardy doesn’t get as much attention since he goes to ECU, but in the Pirates Air-Raid offense, Hardy gets a ton of looks and you can bet he’ll garner Hargreaves’ attention on Jan. 3. ECU loves to pass, so expect the ball to come Hardy’s way a lot throughout the game.

RELATED: List of TV commentators for every SEC bowl game