SEC bowl projections after Week 4
Alabama and Georgia are really good in 2020. Florida and Texas A&M are just a step below. Vanderbilt is not good at all. This much we know.
Anybody who tells you that they have figured out any of the other nine teams in the SEC after Week 4 is either extremely overconfident or lying.
The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs went toe-to-toe for much of their huge showdown on Saturday before Bama pulled away in the second half, cementing their status as the top team in the conference. Georgia lost but did nothing to make me think that the Dawgs are any worse than second best in the SEC. Both teams still look like strong College Football Playoff contenders.
Florida and Texas A&M are on the fringe of CFP consideration and are contenders for New Year’s Day 6 bowl berths. The edge goes to the Gators for now, even after the Aggies beat them head-to-head, just because A&M has a tougher path through the West Division.
Speaking of the West — it’s time to welcome Arkansas to the projections! The Razorbacks defense has improved every week, and new coach Sam Pittman is working wonders with what is still not a deep roster. Right now, the Hogs are the last SEC team in, pegged for the Birmingham Bowl.
Meanwhile, Tennessee and Auburn turned in head-scratching performances on Saturday and fell further into the quagmire of teams packed together for consideration in the “everything after the Citrus” bunch of bowls. Remember, six bowls in the pecking order after the Citrus — Outback, Gator, Music City, Texas, Liberty and Las Vegas — are considered equals in the conference’s eyes. So if you read these projections and don’t like where your favorite team is headed, just close your eyes, throw a dart and put them in one of the other five bowls in this pack.
If your team already has two losses and still has Alabama or Georgia left on the schedule (or both of them and Florida — sorry, Kentucky), then you probably can’t ask for much more.
Hey, at least y’all aren’t Vandy.
Now let’s look at this week’s projections:
What is this a joke, why is Georgia still a play off team. Even if they beat Florida, and that is a big IF, they’re probably going to get smacked by Alabama in the SEC Championship game AGAIN. Texas A&M at this point has a higher probability than Georgia to going to the play offs because Georgia ain’t coming out of December 19 with less than 2 losses, while A&M is likely to beat every team left in its schedule and only be a one loss team to Alabama. Every year Georgia is so overrated, it’s like even when they lose they barely fall off the polls and they’re still considered title contenders. Hell I think Miami has a higher chance to make the play offs than Georgia because its very likely Miami beast every team left in its schedule and only has one loss to Clemson (that is only if Notre Dame is picked to face off Clemson in the ACC final which is strange because Notre Dame and Miami aren’t playing each other).
I tend to agree about Georgia. Don’t know how they get in with two losses.
I’d be more than content seeing Aggies go to NY6. IF we do make it to the playoffs somehow miraculously, we’ll get rolled over so badly. We still have Arky, Ole Miss, Auburn, LSU that’s a big concern. I include Auburn and LSU just because we always somehow find a way to lose against them most of the time.
This is not going to age well.
What!!! State isn’t bowling?!! Didn’t people watch the LSU game?
We did. We also saw all your games that followed. Right now, its not pretty.
Pretty sure he’s joking
^!
There you go, Arkansas. Projected bowl game.
Yeah, but the Birmingham Bowl is guaranteed to have awful weather. This year it was a 2-1/2 hour rain delay for Cincinnati vs Boston College. Maybe, MAYBE 1,000 fans in the stands. It was in the contract that Birmingham signed with the NCAA that Birmingham must accept rain or snow from God. LoL
When you’ve been through the “shadow of the valley” that Arky has had to deal with under the offensive genius that is Chad Morris, even the Birmingham Bowl with rain is welcome relief after the fires of Morris hell.
You said it brother…..Anything better than last 3 years!!!!
WPS!!!!!
@ ImperialMajestyX02 – What do you think the outcome of a UGA vs TAMU game this week would be? UGA wins. But as you said UGA getting into the CFP relies on UGA getting to and winning in ATL. Same scenario as 2017 vs Auburn.
As for the “over rated” comment, compare UGA’s last 4 years vs TAMU’s last 4 years? Which record would you take?
I agree IF UGA wins Dec 19th, Clemson most likely #1 (although I would argue SEC schedule stronger than ACC or BIG-10), tOSU #2, UGA #3 and Bama #4.
If UGA loses in ATL and finishes 9-2, I highly doubt UGA gets into the CFP. At that point most likely Clemson #1, Bama #2, tOSU #3.
Assuming Clemson wins out…..that eliminates ND & Miami with their 2nd or 3rd season loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship.
Wisconsin doesn’t play tOSU in the regular season, so a lone loss in the BIG10 Championship game might be enough to get them in but I doubt it given the low SOS.
Any way way this plays out, I seriously doubt TAMU has the credibility to jump into the CFP without a Conference Championship as Bama did in 2012 & 2017.
Probably neither UGA nor A&M will get in, but if I had to bet, it would be A&M.
Its all good as long as ND is absent. The media darling has to deal with everyone’s favorite team…that is whoever is playing ND.
I’d like to see at least one of these sds writers grow a pair and put out an article about Florida’s offenses vs Georgia’s defense.
Stetson Bennett will still be starting because Kirby keeps getting himself into these situations where it would be bad optics to the team to pull the trigger on a QB move. So you guys probably hang 30-40 on us as well as our D tires out in 3rd and 4th quarter. Gator offense is nothing like Alabama’s offense,but y’all definitely are better than we are for sure.
Just hoping Kirby understands that the 2nd half of the Bama game, when they had their full team eligible again, represents Bennett’s ceiling. That won’t beat Bama in December, let alone Florida. It might not beat Kentucky.
I would argue against the Gator offense being “nothing like” the Bama offense. They are actually pretty comparable in the TAMU and Ole Miss games with UF having stats just under Bamas.
From what evidence can you conclude Florida is “for sure” better than UGA? Florida is good, yes. But they have their share of issues just like UGA. You need to quit overreacting.
I think he was just talking about the offense
Pre-season I picked Florida to win it all in the SEC East. But, the Georgia D is for real. Yes, Florida has a good QB and receivers but that D-line for UGA will be after Trask.
I still think the SEC East is a toss up between Florida and UGA. The explosive UF offense (but mediocre defense) against the dominant Georgia defense (but mediocre offense) should be a lot of fun. I will say this though, the Georgia defense is a lot more likely to tire out than Florida’s defense because Florida’s offense will batter them quarter after quarter whereas Georgia’s offense is just so soft with Bennet IV and idk if anyone has noticed but for some reason Florida’s defense usually does better in the second half than in the first, and I’m guessing its because Grantham makes some very needed half time changes to make the defense more efficient. One thing is for sure though, Florida and Georgia are on a league of their own down here in the EAST, UT showed their true colors. The SEC this year is Bama back on top in a league of their own, and Florida, Georgia, and A&M vying all for that second spot.
Off the wall thought…Plumlee transfers to Georgia after the season.
I believe he will transfer but I think it ends up being outside the conference…
Birmingham Bowl? Heck yeah, I’ll take it.