After a record-setting bowl season last year, the SEC has struggled to a 6-6 record. There have been some notable wins and notable losses, but the book has been (mostly) closed on 2016.
Now, everybody except Alabama must turn its attention to next season and focus on improving and reaching new highs. Some are in a better position to do that than others, and the bowl games highlighted that disparity.
Here are 10 things we learned about the SEC this bowl season.
1. Equality was the name of the game: Although the SEC West largely dominated the East in 2016, the same hasn’t held true in bowl season. Both divisions have a 3-3 record this postseason, although that will change depending on the outcome of the national championship game. Still, the East’s premier teams – Florida, Georgia and Tennessee – carried the mantle, while the West was bolstered by Alabama, LSU and Mississippi State.
2. South Carolina’s offense is in good hands: When Jake Bentley took over as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback, the offense found a new spark. Although South Carolina fell short against high-scoring South Florida, Bentley and the offense had a performance they can build upon. Were it not for several untimely turnovers, the Gamecocks might have outscored the Bulls, which is something very few people expected heading into the game. Bentley finished with a career-high 390 yards and 3 touchdowns.
3. Jarrett Stidham can’t get on the field fast enough: Auburn’s offense is extremely difficult to stop when it’s firing on all cylinders. That wasn’t the case against Oklahoma. After Sean White left the game due to a broken forearm, the Tigers struggled mightily at quarterback. There hasn’t been stability at the position in recent years, but Stidham (below) looks poised to fix that. If the former Baylor quarterback can live up to his hype, Auburn’s offense could once again become a major problem for opposing defenses.
4. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are important for Georgia: The biggest news for Georgia this offseason came when Chubb and Michel announced they would be returning for their senior seasons. Their importance became even more apparent in the Bulldogs’ bowl victory against TCU. The duo combined for 268 total yards and 3 touchdowns. With Jacob Eason struggling to locate his receivers, Chubb and Michel generated most of the offense.
5. Alabama needs more from its offense: Bo Scarbrough had his best performance of the season, at just the right time for the Crimson Tide, but they will need more out of the offense against Clemson. Alabama’s defense is one of the best we’ve seen in a long time, arguably Nick Saban’s best yet, but the Tigers are one of the few teams with the potential to put up points against the Tide. If that turns out to be the case, Jalen Hurts and the offensive line must be better than they were against Washington. Perhaps the switch to Steve Sarkisian will help bring some balance to this offense.
6. Tennessee is going to miss Joshua Dobbs: This season did not turn out the way Tennessee fans had hoped, but Dobbs never stopped giving his all for the team. The Vols’ quarterback had a remarkable stretch to end the season and finished his career with another incredible outing. Dobbs gained 409 total yards and 4 touchdowns in Tennessee’s 38-24 victory over Nebraska. It was a fitting end to a great career for Dobbs, but now the Vols will have to face life without their talented quarterback.
7. Arkansas needs more from its run game: Austin Allen looks the part of a franchise quarterback, but he can’t do everything on his own. That became apparent against Virginia Tech, which scored 35 second-half points to beat Arkansas 35-24. Allen threw for 278 yards with 2 touchdowns, but he also had 3 costly interceptions. He didn’t receive much help from the Razorbacks’ running backs, however. Arkansas gained just 36 yards on 34 carries in its bowl game. The team’s leading rusher was Rawleigh Williams III, who carried the ball 12 times for 34 yards.
8. Florida’s secondary has another budding star: Quincy Wilson will leave for the NFL and Teez Tabor is likely to join him, but Florida’s secondary appears to have another ballhawk waiting in the wings. The Gators’ terrific defensive performance against Iowa was highlighted by a great outing from freshman Chauncey Gardner. He intercepted two passes in the second half against the Hawkeyes, including a 58-yard return for a touchdown. Gardner finished the season with three interceptions, tied with Wilson for the second most on the team.
9. Derrius Guice is nice: Behind a monster defensive performance and a strong outing from Guice, LSU defeated Louisville and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Although the Tigers are losing Leonard Fournette, their running game is still in great shape with Guice, who won the SEC rushing title with 1,387 yards.
He had some memorable performances in Fournette’s absence this season and proved once again that he can lead the way in the bowl victory. Guice had 138 yards on 26 carries with 2 total touchdowns and one epic kickoff return.
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10. Nick Fitzgerald does it all for Mississippi State: Speaking of replacing a veteran quarterback, Mississippi State took a step back without Dak Prescott but appears to have a nice future ahead with Nick Fitzgerald behind center. Earlier this season, Dan Mullen revealed that Fitzgerald might actually be a better runner than Prescott. That became evident this season, and Fitzgerald continued to prove him right in the bowl game. He ran for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with his 136 yards through the air.
Fitzgerald finished the season with 1,375 rushing yards, second in the SEC and a program record for Bulldogs quarterbacks.
