SEC Debate: How many SEC teams will play in a bowl?
With two weeks remaining in the SEC regular season, five different conference teams are at the edge of bowl eligibility with five wins.
With that in mind, I figured there may be some debate about how many of them would secure that sixth win. Boy, was I wrong. The SDS staff agreed unanimously.
How many bowl teams will the SEC produce this year, and which team(s) get left out?
Jon Cooper (@JonSDS): 12 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
Everyone loves the feel good story of a record-setting 13 teams making a bowl, but it’s not going to happen. Vanderbilt has already been eliminated, and joining the Commodores will be Kentucky. I really like the odds of Arkansas beating one of Ole Miss or Missouri, and Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee will all gain the coveted six wins or more. That leaves Kentucky playing Louisville following the bye week. The Cats travel to UL, and the road hasn’t been kind at all to Mark Stoops’ troops. Vanderbilt and Kentucky will be the SEC’s only two teams left out.
Brad Crawford (@BCrawfordSDS): 12 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
It looks like 12 SEC teams will go bowling this season, an incredible number. There’s five teams on the five-win threshold right now with potential swing games remaining. Kentucky’s lost five straight since a 5-1 start and is no longer an attractive option for any bowl selection committee. The Wildcats must beat Louisville in two weeks to earn a bid, but that’s unlikely considering they’ve lost their last five by an average of 25.6 points per game. Arkansas’ shutout victory over LSU put the Razorbacks in prime position for six wins, but they’ll need to upset Ole Miss and take out East leader Mizzou to get there.
Chris Walsh (@CrimsonWalsh): 12 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
I’m going to be optimistic and say 12. Right now I believe both Alabama and Mississippi State make the playoff and the SEC still fills all 10 bowl slots. The two on the outside looking in are Vanderbilt and Kentucky, which has lost five straight and must win at Louisville to be bowl eligible. I think you have to wonder a little bit about Florida accepting a bid without having a coach, and Arkansas has to beat either Ole Miss or Missouri to have six wins, but don’t underestimate the Razorbacks.
Ethan Levine (@EthanLevineSDS): 12 (Arkansas, Vanderbilt)
Eight SEC teams have already clinched bowl eligibility through 12 weeks, and two more five-win teams are poised to join them with cupcake games in Week 13 (Florida and South Carolina). Tennessee also has five wins and should get a sixth in Week 14 against Vanderbilt. With Vandy eliminated from bowl contention, that leaves Kentucky and Arkansas as the proverbial “question marks.” Kentucky has five wins and one game left against a Louisville team missing its starting quarterback. Arkansas has two difficult games left against Ole Miss and Mizzou, and it must win one of the two to get to six wins. The Wildcats should get the job done with two weeks to prepare for Louisville, but the Hogs will not. Thus, we arrive at 12 bowl berths at season’s end.
Brett Weisband (@WeisbandSDS): 12 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
Arkansas is the wild card, sitting at 5-5 with two SEC games remaining. Now that they’ve got the first conference win under their belt, I see the Razorbacks knocking off at least one of Missouri and Tennessee, with their strength of schedule and they way they’ve played against top teams earning a bowl bid. Kentucky will be most disappointed to miss a bowl after a 5-1 start, but they have to go on the road against Louisville and Bobby Petrino to earn eligibility. With the way the Wildcats have been playing, I couldn’t imagine them winning anywhere, let alone on the road.
Jordan Cox (@Jordan_Cox): 12 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
I like Arkansas to beat either Missouri or Ole Miss in the next two weeks, getting the Hogs bowl eligible. If Arkansas can get a win during the next two weeks, it would be the first time in SEC history that an entire division would be bowl eligible. Vanderbilt and Kentucky will miss out, in my opinion. Derek Mason’s Commodores are already eliminated from bowl contention, and I don’t think the Wildcats beat Louisville to get bowl eligible.
Drew Laing (@DLaingSDS): 12 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
At 5-1 earlier in the season, the Cats missing out on a bowl game would have been ridiculous to think about, but I credit our own Brad Crawford for predicting a 6-6 finish at best. It’s come down to a Louisville matchup on the road for UK to reach a bowl game and UL will be a very tough opponent. I don’t think UK will get the job done and will finish the season with a five-game losing streak at 5-7.