As the end of the regular season nears, the postseason discussion heats up and some new faces are emerging in top-tier bowl games.
The view towards the top of this week’s SEC bowl projections remains the same with the exception of Florida and LSU flipping for the Allstate Sugar Bowl bid; Alabama is still expected to represent the conference in the College Football Playoff.
With Arkansas knocking off the Tigers in Death Valley on Saturday, the Razorbacks continue to make a push for a higher-tier bowl appearance. Meanwhile, LSU moves out of a New Year’s Six bowl spot to the Citrus Bowl with its second loss of the season.
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Elsewhere, Kentucky (4-6) joins South Carolina and Vanderbilt as SEC teams missing out on the postseason entirely, as it would need to win out against Charlotte and Louisville just to finish .500.
Replacing the Wildcats in the Independence Bowl is an energized Missouri team that’s playing inspired football for coach Gary Pinkel in his last few games. The Tigers (5-5) will have an opportunity to clinch bowl eligibility with a win over Tennessee at home this Saturday or by knocking off Arkansas on the road in the last week of season.
Here’s a look at this week’s SEC bowl projections:
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Camping World Independence Bowl: Missouri vs. Duke
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech
Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. Memphis
Belk Bowl: Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Penn State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Ole Miss vs. TCU
TaxSlayer Bowl: Arkansas vs. Florida State
Outback Bowl: Georgia vs. Wisconsin
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Michigan
Allstate Sugar Bowl (NY6): Florida vs. Baylor
Goodyear Cotton Bowl (CFP Semifinal): Alabama vs. Ohio State
Teams not receiving a bowl bid: Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
After LSU’s recent struggles, the Gators (9-1) are in prime position to reach a New Year’s Six bowl as long as Alabama qualifies for a final four spot. Let’s be honest — they probably will. The Tigers will need to rebound this weekend in Oxford if they’re to make it to their presumed postseason destination in Orlando, FL.
Additionally, some teams are now poised to meet in a rematch from last year’s bowl season (Alabama-Ohio State from the 2014 Playoff Semifinal; Ole Miss-TCU from last year’s Peach Bowl).
Needless to say, there were some changes in this week’s bowl projections — and more should be expected in the upcoming weeks.
Next: College Football Playoff: How Alabama Remains in the Top 4
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