‘Uncle Mo’ bowl edition poll, as momentum heads down the home stretch

With an SEC champion crowned and 10 conference bowl games announced, Uncle Mo takes a look at the momentum each team takes into bowl season and 2016.

1. Alabama: An SEC Championship Game win over Florida locked up a College Football Playoff berth for the Crimson Tide. No. 2 Alabama (12-1) will face No. 3 Michigan State (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, and the Tide is rolling.
2. Ole Miss: Back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls for Coach Hugh Freeze’s Rebels is a big accomplishment even if the team had hopes of playing for more. No. 12 Ole Miss (9-3) should expect a shootout against No. 16 Oklahoma State (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl.
3. Tennessee: The No. 23 Volunteers (8-4) will take a five-game winning streak into an Outback Bowl showdown with No. 13 Northwestern (10-2). Tennessee’s thumping of Iowa (45-28) in the TaxSlayer Bowl gave the team significant momentum heading into the 2015 season.
4. Florida: The No. 19 Gators (10-3) are certainly disappointed not to be in a New Year’s Six bowl, but the Citrus Bowl is the next best option. In a matchup of former BCS powers on quick turnarounds, Jim McElwain’s team will try to snap its two-game losing skid against Jim Harbaugh and No. 14 Michigan (9-3).
5. Arkansas: After a crushing loss in Week 12 to Mississippi State, the Razorbacks (7-5) finished the season with a win over Missouri. A Jan. 2 Liberty Bowl matchup with Kansas State gives Arkansas a chance to leave an impression on what should be a large national audience due to its Saturday afternoon timeslot.
6. LSU: A primetime matchup (Dec. 29 at 9 p.m.) against Texas Tech should draw interest in the Texas Bowl. The No. 20 Tigers (8-3) can end a rocky 2015 on a high note with a win over the Red Raiders.
7. Georgia: Even with a lame-duck interim coach taking the Bulldogs (9-3) into the TaxSlayer Bowl, UGA comes in ahead of seven SEC teams in terms of momentum. The hiring of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has UGA fans expecting a Bama-like turnaround.
8. Texas A&M: A matchup with Louisville in the Music City Bowl is not what the Aggies (8-4) hoped for this season, especially after starting 5-0. But it’s a chance to finish on a high note, at least.
9. Mississippi State: The Belk Bowl against North Carolina State at 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday (Dec. 30) is hardly the finish MSU (8-4) imagined for QB Dak Prescott.
10. Auburn: The Tigers (6-6) were dealt a significant blow when defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and secondary coach Travaris Robinson left to take on new jobs at South Carolina. Auburn should benefit from a home-state advantage in the Birmingham Bowl against Memphis.
11. Vanderbilt: The Commodores finished 2-6 in conference play, good enough for fourth place in the SEC East.
12. Kentucky: For the third time in Coach Mark Stoops’ three seasons, the Wildcats (5-7) will not be going to a bowl game.
13. Missouri: Mizzou will have continuity heading into 2016 with former defensive coordinator Barry Odom becoming the new head coach.
14. South Carolina: After Muschamp’s 28-21 tenure at Florida (2011-2014), he looks to be a questionable fit to take the Gamecocks to the next level in 2016 and beyond.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.