Bowl season is almost upon us, and by know you likely know that 12 of the SEC’s 14 teams will be on display in various bowl games around the country.

But which of those teams needs a victory in a bowl game the most? We at Saturday Down South tried to answer that very question. Here’s what we came up with:

THE PLAYOFF TEAM

It’s pretty obvious that no SEC team needs a bowl victory more than Alabama does in the upcoming Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. That’s because the Sugar Bowl isn’t actually a bowl game at all, but rather a playoff game deciding which teams will compete for the national championship.

The Crimson Tide is the only SEC team still alive to win the conference’s eighth national title in the last nine years, but it must beat Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl to do so. If you elected to count the Sugar Bowl as a playoff game and not a bowl game, thus eliminating Alabama from this discussion, I’d allow it.

But since technically the Sugar Bowl is indeed still a bowl game, it’s easy to say Alabama is the SEC’s bowl team in most need of a victory.

THE NEW YEAR’S SIX TEAMS

The Magnolia State dominates this division of SEC bowl teams, as both Mississippi State and Ole Miss will put their historic seasons on the line in a pair of high-profile New Year’s Eve bowl games.

Mississippi State logged its first 10-win regular season in 74 years this year, but it lost two of its final three games to its two best opponents of the season (Alabama and Ole Miss). Those losses marginally cheapened Mississippi State’s magical run, and if the Bulldogs lose their Orange Bowl showdown with Georgia Tech to finish 10-3 the season will be remembered as much for its disappointing finish as it will for the 10 victories.

The same can be said for Ole Miss, which is seeking its 10th win for the first time since 2003 and just the second time since 1971. The Rebels boasted a historically good defense and began the year 7-0 before losing three of their final four SEC contests to close the year.

Ole Miss and its vaunted Landshark defense will be put to the ultimate test in their Peach Bowl showdown with TCU and the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense. The Rebels have won with defense all season, and if their defense can stymy TCU’s offense to earn a 10th win, it would be remembered as one of the great wins in Ole Miss history.

But if Ole Miss falls short and its defense is exposed by the Horned Frogs, the 9-4 season won’t seem quite as memorable 10 years from now.

Thus, both Mississippi schools must put forth strong showings this bowl season to legitimize their historic seasons and begin building toward the future. Positive momentum heading into the offseason will only help both programs, which have already achieved great success on the recruiting trail this winter. Negative momentum into the offseason could undo all of that.

Both the Rebels and Bulldogs must win on Dec. 31, even without a championship at stake.

THE OTHERS

In looking at the SEC’s nine remaining bowl teams, there are two SEC East teams that could really use a bowl win to carry some positive energy into the offseason.

The first is South Carolina, which lost six recruits in the last week or so after Steve Spurrier hinted he might not be in Columbia much longer. The Gamecocks need a strong showing on a national stage to remind the nation, and future recruits, that they are still an appealing program on a national scale.

Even if recruits think Spurrier might be gone before their college careers end, they could still find a desire to play for the South Carolina program and its devoted fan base in the highly regarded SEC. Not to mention an impressive showing in a bowl game could prove to fans and recruits alike that Spurrier is still a premier coach in college football.

If South Carolina loses to a modest Miami team, it could continue to spiral into the offseason, which would set up for a 2015 season potentially worse than the 2014 campaign. A Gamecocks win, however, could put the program back on track heading into a pivotal offseason.

The other SEC East team in need of a bowl victory is Tennessee, which is making its first bowl appearance since 2010 in this year’s TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa.

The Vols have a storied football tradition, but the program’s luster has begun to wear off after a string of mediocre (or worse) seasons in the last five years. If Butch Jones and company can make a statement in their bowl game this year, it could be the jumping off point that puts Tennessee back on the map.

Think about it: most high school recruits were in grade school when Phillip Fulmer left Tennessee. Some weren’t even born the last time UT won a national championship. The program’s history is not going to appeal as strongly to these recruits, meaning Tennessee must begin to write new chapters of success in its history book to sell to these kids.

A bowl win on a big stage would be a step toward doing just that. Recruits might see UT as an emerging threat in the SEC, and there will certainly be prospects who want to be a part of that. Couple that with Tennessee’s 100,000-seat stadium, top-notch facilities and passionate fan base, and all of a sudden you have the makings of a dominant program.

At the end of the day, every team needs a bowl win. After all, it was legendary coach Herman Edwards who once said “You play to win the game,” and that’s what every team is going to try and do this bowl season to close the 2014 and open 2015 with a bang.

But Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee are the SEC teams in need of a bowl victory more than the rest.

One thing’s for certain: this is going to be one helluva bowl season in the SEC.