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Which SEC bowl teams will show up excited and ready to play?
By John Brasier
Published:
Who wants it the most?
The old coaches’ cliche seems to apply to bowl games. Every year, teams glad to be at their bowl destination outperform the teams that had bigger dreams crushed late in the season.
No need to worry about Alabama. The Crimson Tide is playing for a national championship and should be appreciative of the chance after dropping a September home game to Ole Miss.
Let’s size up the likely attitude of the 10 SEC bowl teams when they take the field for the final (except Alabama) time this season:
Texas Bowl — LSU vs. Texas Tech: Les Miles has a new lease on life as coach and Leonard Fournette should be excited about a chance to run wild all over one of the nation’s worst run defenses. The Tigers will be ready.
Birmingham Bowl — Auburn vs. Memphis: The Auburn Tigers aren’t happy to be home in Alabama for the holidays. Picked to win the SEC West, they were the conference’s biggest disappointment. Beating Memphis won’t do anything to ease the hurt. But they won’t want to play poorly on home soil and make it worse. Memphis would love to add another SEC scalp, but the AAC team lost its New Year’s Day 6 hopes down the stretch then coach Justin Fuente left for Virginia Tech. Neither team is likely to be excited about this matchup.
Belk Bowl — Mississippi State vs. N.C. State: Both teams should be ready to play. The Bulldogs want to make up for a poor showing last season in the Orange Bowl and send Dak Prescott out with a victory.
Music City Bowl — Texas A&M vs. Louisville: Kyler Murray doesn’t have to look over his shoulder any more now that Kyle Allen is transferring. The Aggies and Kevin Sumlin need a victory more than any other SEC team in the lower-tier bowls.
Cotton Bowl — Alabama vs. Michigan State: Playoff teams show up. In Alabama’s case, any game that doesn’t have the national title on the line is a disappointment. The Crimson Tide won’t overlook the Spartans, who beat Ohio State.
Outback Bowl: Tennessee vs. Northwestern: There may be reason to fear the Vols may show up flat. The Wildcats are the best opponent Tennessee has faced in several weeks. Still, the Vols are on a roll and should be enthusiastic about a Florida bowl date against a Big Ten team with a top 25 finish at stake.
Citrus Bowl: Florida vs. Michigan — It’s going to be tough for the Gators to generate much momentum after humbling losses to Florida State and Alabama. Quarterback Treon Harris knows his days are numbered. Michigan will be pumped up with an enthusiastic crowd happy to be out of the cold. Jim McElwain has a tough task ahead in the next few weeks.
Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State — The Rebels are back on top after a roller-coaster season, climbing back with victories over LSU and Mississippi State. And they want to rebound from last year’s Peach Bowl disappointment. The Rebels’ only concern is keeping their NFL-bound stars interested. The Cowboys may be down for the count after losing their last two games to let a conference title and a Playoff berth slip away. Hugh Freeze needs to keep his stars focused on going out strong.
TaxSlayer Bowl: Georgia vs. Penn State — Neither Mark Richt nor Kirby Smart will be on the sideline. The Gator Bowl hasn’t been kind to the Bulldogs, who may not be sharp with the coaching staff in transition. It would help the Bulldogs if their returning players consider the game an audition for Smart. Christian Hackenberg and the Nittany Lions would love to finish a disappointing season with a victory over an SEC team.
Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs. Kansas State — The Razorbacks must avoid overconfidence against a poor Kansas State team, especially if Bill Snyder announces his retirement before the game. The Hogs are riding a wave of momentum and Brandon Allen and Alex Collins don’t want to finish their college careers with a loss. Arkansas should have a big, supportive crowd in Memphis.
