SEC Bowl Projections after Week 12: UT vs. Vandy to settle last spot

So, it has come down to a loser-leaves-town match.

The SEC has 10 bowl-eligible teams. Of those, all but South Carolina have 7 or more wins, so they are very comfortably in the postseason picture.

After Cupcake Week nothing changed for the SEC at the top of our projections except Georgia’s projected opponent in the Sugar Bowl. Thanks to West Virginia’s loss to Oklahoma State and Texas topping a ranked Iowa State team, we project the Longhorns to go to New Orleans.

SEC teams will, of course, have a ton at stake in Rivalry Week. Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida put their College Football Playoff or New Year’s 6 hopes on the line.

Then we have the one rivalry matchup that is a true bowl elimination game: Tennessee at Vanderbilt.

The Vols are in this position because Missouri crushed them at home on Saturday. The Commodores are in this position because they squeaked past Ole Miss in overtime at home to remain in the hunt for a bowl bid.

Tennessee and Vanderbilt are 5-6 overall,so it really could not be simpler: The winner of their game earns that 6th victory to become bowl eligible. The loser will be 5-7 and I do not project that there will be any 5-7 teams in bowls this season. For what it’s worth, I even have a couple of Group of 5 teams staying home at 6-6.

Again as a reminder, the SEC considers the next six bowls in the pecking order after the Citrus to be equal, and this is a prediction of where teams will be after Dec. 1, not where they are now.

On to the new SEC bowl projections: