The SEC went 6-7 in the postseason in 2016, losing its final game on the final play of the national championship game. That fueled talk of a league on the decline.

It won 9 bowl games, including the national championship, in 2015. That, too, fueled talk of the SEC reclaiming its top spot.

With only nine bowl teams playing this postseason, equalling that 2015 win total isn’t likely. But will the league bounce back from its subpar showing last year?

That’s something we’ve been discussing for a couple of weeks.

Michael Bratton, news editor: The SEC will go 5-4 this bowl season, 6-5 if you factor in the National Championship Game.

I like Alabama and Georgia to cruise in the semifinals and reach the title game — with the Tide taking the Playoff trophy back with them to Tuscaloosa after winning the title in Atlanta’s (real) SEC Championship Game.

LSU (vs. Notre Dame) and Missouri (vs. Texas) should both have big wins this bowl season while Mississippi State (vs. Louisville) and Texas A&M (vs. Wake Forest) will struggle to adjust to new eras following coaching changes at each program.

I don’t like either team to win those bowl games.

Kentucky should manage to keep it close against Northwestern, but I don’t like UK’s chances to win while South Carolina will pull an upset and send Michigan home a bowl loser. Jim Harbaugh and his khakis just can’t seem to catch a break this season, look for that trend to continue.

Adam Spencer, SEC reporter: I fully expect Mizzou to get the SEC off to a good start this bowl season with a win over Texas in the Texas Bowl later tonight.

Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

From there, though, it might be tougher sledding for the SEC, as the conference will find it difficult to match last year’s six victories. Having two teams make the College Football Playoff means the other bowl games with SEC ties will have lower-ranked squads facing tougher teams from other conferences.

By no means will the conference embarrass itself this postseason, but there will be a lot of pressure on teams like Kentucky, Mississippi State and LSU to pull off bowl victories in their games against difficult opponents. Then there are the CFP semifinal games, neither of which will be a cakewalk for the SEC teams involved.

That said, I believe an SEC team (probably Georgia) will win the national title, so it won’t matter how well the rest of the SEC squads fare if the conference can claim the ultimate prize when all is said and done.

Jim Tomlin, bowl expert: I think the SEC will finish 5-4, one win fewer than last year.

The breakdown? Winners: Missouri (over Texas in the Texas Bowl), Texas A&M (over Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl), South Carolina (against Michigan in the Outback Bowl), Auburn (over UCF in the Peach Bowl), LSU (over Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl).

Losers: Kentucky (against Northwestern in the Music City Bowl), Mississippi State (against Louisville in the TaxSlayer Bowl), Georgia (against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl), Alabama (against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl)

As for the Playoff predictions, Georgia keeps it close, but Oklahoma makes enough big plays to defeat the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff semifinal in Pasadena, Calif. At the other CFP semi in New Orleans, Clemson’s front seven slows down the Crimson Tide’s rushing attack and, in a replay of its loss to Auburn, Alabama won’t strike through the air enough to compensate.

Chris Wright, executive editor: As long as the SEC wins the final game, the overall record won’t matter, right?

The SEC’s Playoff performance will drive the offseason narrative, one way or another.

As for the other bowls, motivation, health and NFL decisions have a huge impact on most of those outcomes. Fortunately, the SEC’s studs are saying they’re interested, engaged and intent on playing.

That bodes well for Auburn, Mizzou and LSU in particular.

Mississippi State vs. Louisville would have been fun to watch, maybe the most fun to watch of the bowl season, but Nick Fitzgerald’s injury and Dan Mullen’s departure likely robbed us of a shootout against Lamar Jackson.

I enjoy watching narratives twist. Worst case, both SEC teams lose in the Playoff, a couple others slip up and the league limps back home 3-6. That’s certainly possible.

Anything fewer than five wins would be a step back, but it would be fascinating if three of those victories came in the Playoff.

Then what? Most of the country already has weighed in on Alabama and Georgia beating up on a weak conference. So, in that five-win scenario, getting just two wins from the other seven could confirm that … but Alabama and Georgia winning their semifinals would send an even more powerful message.

More likely? A routine 5-4 record capped by another disappointing end in the title game.