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It’s here, you guys.

The month-long wait for SEC bowl games is finally over. Finally, we’ll get a chance to make sweeping generalizations about SEC teams based on how they perform in a neutral site game a month removed from the regular season. A wonderful time it is.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at one thought (some are more random than others) about each SEC bowl game:

Texas Bowl: Missouri vs. Texas — Drew Lock gets a showcase

Whether the Missouri quarterback leaves for the NFL or not, he’ll have a prime opportunity tonight to boost his stock in a primetime game on ESPN. Despite the fact that the Tigers enter the postseason riding a 6-game winning streak, it’s not like Lock has been doing his damage in must-watch games. In fact, look at the TV schedule of Missouri’s final 6 games (all times CT):

  • Oct. 21 vs. Idaho — 11 a.m., SEC Network
  • Oct. 28 at UConn — 5:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
  • Nov. 4 vs. Florida — 11 a.m., ESPN2
  • Nov. 11 vs. Tennessee — 6:30 p.m., SEC Network
  • Nov. 18 at Vanderbilt — 6:30 p.m., SEC Network
  • Nov. 24 at Arkansas — 1:30 p.m., CBS

That last game on CBS was on Black Friday, too. In other words, this will be Lock’s first time playing in primetime since the Georgia game, when Mizzou was a 1-5 team that was far from deserving of any sort of national attention. That’s big for Lock because chances are, many will be watching him closely for the first time.

Lucky for him, Texas ranks 107th against the pass.

Belk Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M — Win or lose, Jeff Banks somehow gets bank

Texas A&M fans might be fired up about starting the Jimbo Fisher era, but I’m more fired up about the circumstances surrounding the Aggies’ interim coach. Banks got $75,000 just to take on the role of interim coach for the game, and he can get an additional $25,000 if he wins it. That’s not a bad day, win or lose.

Keep in mind that this is a guy who, in my opinion, should’ve been fired a year ago for his role in a presentation to an all-female audience that was completely inappropriate. Banks was fortunate that he was only suspended for 2 weeks while the national story blew over.

So a year later, Texas A&M fired a coach who won 8 games per season, hired a coach for $75 million and begged Banks to take the interim job with a $100,000 incentive.

College football in a nutshell.

Music City Bowl: Northwestern vs. Kentucky — Wildcat backs attack

Nationally, not enough people know Justin Jackson and Benny Snell. They really should. Jackson is playing in his final game after a legendary career at Northwestern. Yes, legendary. The guy is 17 yards from moving into No. 3 on the B1G career rushing list (5,283). He’ll be a major challenge for a Kentucky defense that coughed up 4.75 yards per carry in 2017.

Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

On the other side, Snell is in the middle of his own legacy. The Kentucky running back earned Associated Press first-team All-SEC honors after racking up 1,318 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore. He’s the first Wildcat RB to top 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. That matchup against Northwestern’s 10th-ranked rushing defense will be a good one.

Kentucky and Northwestern might not drum up a lot of national interest, but the backfield battle will certainly be worth tuning in for.

TaxSlayer Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Louisville — Lamar’s revenge?

I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re going to see an extremely motivated Lamar Jackson. He’s got one more game (probably) to prove that he’s worthy of being a first-round quarterback. If he can torch a talented Mississippi State defensive line, that’ll send a loud message.

Call me crazy, but I think there’s something to be said for being the Heisman runner-up in the postseason. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jackson, who played his best ball down the stretch, will look to add one more exclamation point to end his career. There’s also the fact that he can get redemption against an SEC defense after faltering in the Citrus Bowl against LSU last year.

Jackson, who was passed over by many of the big-time SEC schools early on as a dual-threat quarterback recruit, actually took a visit to Starkville and thought about the idea of taking over for Dak Prescott. Ultimately, he turned down the Bulldogs and Florida and stuck with the school that was on him early.

Nearly 4 years later, the most electrifying player in the sport will look to save his best for last. Here’s hoping we can get at least one more viral moment in his decorated college career (and not of the Kentucky fight variety).

Outback Bowl: Michigan vs. South Carolina — The Shea Patterson impact

Wait … how can the Ole Miss transfer impact a game that he’s not even eligible to play in yet? Well, it’s simple. Michigan redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters is expected to return from injury. What will his goal be? To dice up South Carolina’s defense and make a lasting impression on why he deserves the No. 1 job.

Peters has been nothing but confident leading up to the Outback Bowl, saying that be believes he can lead Michigan to a B1G Championship in 2018 (the Wolverines haven’t won a conference title since 2004). In other words, he’s ready to show the world that Patterson’s arrival is only going to elevate his game to new levels.

We often say that the more motivated team usually winds up winning bowl games. We don’t know if Michigan’s entire team will be motivated after missing out on a B1G East crown again, but there shouldn’t be any doubts about how motivated Peters will be on New Year’s Day.

Peach Bowl: UCF vs. Auburn — That SEC speed, man

All UCF had to do was sit there and be America’s favorite Cinderella story. They could’ve played the Boise State role and been the darling that everyone rooted for. They still might be. But after hearing what UCF running back Adrian Killins said about SEC football “not having a lot of speed,” you’re going to see a whole lot of “SEC speed” comments if UCF so much as trails.

UCF did something it shouldn’t have done, which was, motivate a team that probably needed a bit of motivation after the stretch it endured to end the season. If the Knights get thumped, that’ll be an easy narrative to draw up. Shoot, it’s an easy narrative now.

And if UCF somehow wins? Killins is basically Joe Namath.

Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Notre Dame — Will we see peak Derrius Guice?

I’m curious if we actually see the LSU running back look like his usual self. Guice has been “nursing an injury” but he’s still expected to play in the Citrus Bowl. Does that mean he’ll get anywhere near the 20 touches he got in each of LSU’s final 6 games? Or will this be something where he’s active, but clearly, he’s working with some restrictions.

The expectation is that Guice will declare early for the NFL Draft and that the bowl game will be his last college game. Could he then treat it as a showcase to try and show everyone that he’s healthy entering the pre-draft process? LSU fans wouldn’t mind seeing that. Still, I’d be surprised if he touched the ball 29 times like he did in last year’s Citrus Bowl.

Rose Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Georgia — Kirby Smart can flex in a big way

It’s one thing to contain an Auburn offense that was obviously limited with a banged up Kerryon Johnson. It’s another thing to shut down the Heisman Trophy winner and earn a spot in the national championship. Smart has a chance to add his most impressive win yet.

Oklahoma ranks No. 1 in America in total offense after putting up at least 29 points in every game this season. Georgia allowed only one team (Auburn) to hit that mark all year. The expectation is that this will still be a high-scoring game.

Can you imagine the praise Smart would earn if he held Oklahoma to less than 20 points? That raise would get even richer. But more important, it would be yet another Nick Saban-like effort with the season on the line.

I imagine Smart would feel something like this:

I mean, if you shut down that Oklahoma offense, you deserve to strut like that.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson — This time feels different

So last year, some were debating if Alabama had the best defense in college football history. That defense still let up 35 points to Clemson last year. In fact, these two teams both scored at least 31 points in the first two matchups. Call me crazy, but I don’t think that happens this year.

Neither offense looks like it’s going to be able to move the ball consistently against these defenses. There’s no Deshaun Watson and Alabama’s offense just doesn’t seem as invincible as it did last year. Vegas agrees that both teams are unlikely to match that high offensive output. That’s why the over/under is 47 points.

This does feel like a 24-23 game. Alabama might’ve had the No. 12 offense in America, but against Florida State, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn, the Tide averaged just 24 points. Clemson has a better defense than all of those teams, too.

After 2 years of thrilling, back-and-forth shootouts, this feels more like a defensive slugfest. Who delivers the knockout blow?

If Alabama has it its way, it’ll be anybody other than Hunter Renfrow … and preferably someone in Crimson.