The bowl season is underway and SEC teams, after watching others play in the postseason for a few days, finally hit the field starting with Friday’s Texas Bowl when Texas A&M faces Oklahoma State.

That’s just an appetizer for the enormous LSU-Oklahoma clash in the first College Football Playoff semifinal Saturday afternoon in Atlanta. Depending on how that goes, the SEC could see its bowl season end on Jan. 2 or, if LSU wins, the Tigers will stretch it all the way into the National Championship Game on Jan. 13.

Every game has a reason or more to recommend it, some fun aspect that even non-alumni can get excited about. So here, in chronological order, is the best thing about every SEC bowl game this holiday season:

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State, Texas Bowl

The first SEC bowl of the season (6:45 ET Friday, ESPN) features a fun guy to keep an eye on and that’s the nation’s leading running back, Chuba Hubbard. Oklahoma State’s star (1,936 rushing yards, 21 touchdowns) faces an Aggies defense that has been up and down against the run — Texas A&M surrendered 200+ yards rushing against Ole Miss and Mississippi State but held Georgia’s vaunted running attack under 100. Interestingly, A&M beat both Mississippi teams but lost to UGA. This is also a Big 12 rivalry reunion, but the Aggies and Cowboys were never each other’s most hated foes.

LSU vs. Oklahoma, Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal)

Jalen Hurts vs. LSU, one more time. A game (4 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN) with everything on the line in a College Football Playoff semifinal. Really, what more do you need? Hurts faced the Tigers twice as starter when he was at Alabama and won both. Now as Oklahoma’s star QB following a move as a graduate transfer, Hurts has set career highs in passing yards (3,634), passing TDs (32) and passer rating (200.3) in coach Lincoln Riley’s high-production offense. Small wonder he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up — behind his foe in this game, Joe Burrow. And hey, Bama fans get to root for Hurts one last time.

Mississippi State vs. Louisville, Music City Bowl

The prospect of a pinball-machine type of score awaits in this one (4 p.m. ET Dec. 30, ESPN) perhaps more than in any other SEC bowl matchup. Mississippi State was 10th in the SEC in total defense and 67th in the nation, allowing 389.9 yards per game. But that was positively stingy next to Louisville, which ranked 107th in defense, 12th in the ACC, at 446.1 ypg. If the Bulldogs want to see on film how to hurt Louisville’s D, they will not have to go far back into the vault: Kentucky set a school record with 517 rushing yards against the Cardinals in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Florida vs. Virginia, Orange Bowl

The Gators will have a tricky task in this game, as will Cavaliers coach Bronco Mendenhall: Where is this Virginia team emotionally heading into its biggest bowl game (8 p.m. ET Dec. 30, ESPN) since the 1990 season? Is the Virginia squad that shows up in Miami the team that won 4 in a row late in the season, including a stirring victory over Virginia Tech to end a 15-game skid to its arch-rival and clinch its first ACC title game berth? Or the team that got smoked by Clemson in that title game, giving up a season-high 62 points after not allowing more than 35 all season?

Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech, Belk Bowl

This game (Noon ET Dec. 31, ESPN) gives us an enticing glimpse of offensive innovation born of necessity vs. a defensive mind as old-school as it gets. Kentucky has kept winning despite playing a wide receiver at quarterback — turns out having the ball in Lynn Bowden’s hands on every play was the best idea the Wildcats have had on offense all season. The Wildcats broke their school single-game rushing record twice in November. Now they play a Hokies defense led by longtime crafty coordinator Bud Foster, who is retiring after this game. Can UK conjure enough trickery to outwit Foster in his Tech finale?

Auburn vs. Minnesota, Outback Bowl

The best thing about this game (1 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2020, ESPN) is seeing how far Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck’s passion and energy take the Golden Gophers in a game where Auburn has a decided edge in talent. Under Fleck, Minnesota has gone from a Big Ten also-ran to a 10-game winner that shocked the nation with its rise up the national rankings. Auburn, meanwhile, has to avoid the pitfalls that bit the Tigers 2 years ago when, in a bowl where they were supposed to roll, the Tigers lost to UCF in the Peach Bowl. Can Auburn maintain its Iron Bowl mojo for a month?

Alabama vs. Michigan, Citrus Bowl

This could be an actor’s audition tape. Call this game (1 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2020, ABC) the “What’s My Motivation” Bowl. Alabama is very unaccustomed to missing out on the national championship picture while Michigan is much too familiar with its role as a very talented team that does not quite put it all together and can’t get past Ohio State. Alabama has Nick Saban and that should be an edge in any game where one might wonder how fired up the Crimson Tide will be. But note that in similar circumstances in the 2013 and 2008 seasons, Bama “settled” for a Sugar Bowl bid — and lost both times.

Georgia vs. Baylor, Sugar Bowl

This game (8:45 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2020, ESPN) is fascinating because it might finally tell us once and for all how good Baylor actually is. The Bears lost 2 heartbreakers to Oklahoma, the 2nd one in overtime in the Big 12 Championship Game. Baylor is 40th in the nation in total defense and 51st in rushing defense, not a good sign against a team that runs the ball as well as Georgia. Then again, Big 12 defenses sometimes look worse than the actually are in a high-octane league. It’s worth noting that the Sooners were held under 6.0 yards per play only twice this season. Those were the two meetings against Baylor.

Tennessee vs. Indiana, Gator Bowl

This one has the opposite vibe of Michigan vs. Alabama. Rather than 2 teams trying to salvage something from a season when they were supposed to be in the CFP, Tennessee and Indiana meet in a game (7 p.m. ET Jan. 2, 2020, ESPN) where the best thing is that we’ll find out who can get over that “So happy the be here!” feeling long enough to actually win. The Vols picked themselves up after a 2-5 start and found a way to win 5 in a row to close the regular season. The Hoosiers had their first 8-win season since 1993 and have probably their best bowl assignment since the 1979 Holiday Bowl.