With an SEC champion crowned and 10 conference bowl games announced, Uncle Mo takes a look at the momentum each team takes into bowl season and 2016.

  1. Alabama: An SEC Championship Game win over Florida locked up a College Football Playoff berth for the Crimson Tide. No. 2 Alabama (12-1) will face No. 3 Michigan State (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, and the Tide is rolling.
  2. Ole Miss: Back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls for Coach Hugh Freeze’s Rebels is a big accomplishment even if the team had hopes of playing for more. No. 12 Ole Miss (9-3) should expect a shootout against No. 16 Oklahoma State (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl.
  3. Tennessee: The No. 23 Volunteers (8-4) will take a five-game winning streak into an Outback Bowl showdown with No. 13 Northwestern (10-2). Tennessee’s thumping of Iowa (45-28) in the TaxSlayer Bowl gave the team significant momentum heading into the 2015 season.
  4. Florida: The No. 19 Gators (10-3) are certainly disappointed not to be in a New Year’s Six bowl, but the Citrus Bowl is the next best option. In a matchup of former BCS powers on quick turnarounds, Jim McElwain’s team will try to snap its two-game losing skid against Jim Harbaugh and No. 14 Michigan (9-3).
  5. Arkansas: After a crushing loss in Week 12 to Mississippi State, the Razorbacks (7-5) finished the season with a win over Missouri. A Jan. 2 Liberty Bowl matchup with Kansas State gives Arkansas a chance to leave an impression on what should be a large national audience due to its Saturday afternoon timeslot.
  6. LSU: A primetime matchup (Dec. 29 at 9 p.m.) against Texas Tech should draw interest in the Texas Bowl. The No. 20 Tigers (8-3) can end a rocky 2015 on a high note with a win over the Red Raiders.
  7. Georgia: Even with a lame-duck interim coach taking the Bulldogs (9-3) into the TaxSlayer Bowl, UGA comes in ahead of seven SEC teams in terms of momentum. The hiring of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has UGA fans expecting a Bama-like turnaround.
  8. Texas A&M: A matchup with Louisville in the Music City Bowl is not what the Aggies (8-4) hoped for this season, especially after starting 5-0. But it’s a chance to finish on a high note, at least.
  9. Mississippi State: The Belk Bowl against North Carolina State at 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday (Dec. 30) is hardly the finish MSU (8-4) imagined for QB Dak Prescott.
  10. Auburn: The Tigers (6-6) were dealt a significant blow when defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and secondary coach Travaris Robinson left to take on new jobs at South Carolina. Auburn should benefit from a home-state advantage in the Birmingham Bowl against Memphis.
  11. Vanderbilt: The Commodores finished 2-6 in conference play, good enough for fourth place in the SEC East.
  12. Kentucky: For the third time in Coach Mark Stoops’ three seasons, the Wildcats (5-7) will not be going to a bowl game.
  13. Missouri: Mizzou will have continuity heading into 2016 with former defensive coordinator Barry Odom becoming the new head coach.
  14. South Carolina: After Muschamp’s 28-21 tenure at Florida (2011-2014), he looks to be a questionable fit to take the Gamecocks to the next level in 2016 and beyond.