SEC teams are looking at the final two weeks of the season. Time is running out for teams on the bubble of bowl eligibility. An updated version of the postseason outlook is here.
All the same players from the last update plus Texas A&M. A&M dominated their last two games against UTSA and South Carolina to secure a bowl bid.
Florida has earned their ninth win of the season which gives their bowl game a boost in relevancy. They’ve put themselves in good position to receive a New Year’s Six bowl.
LSU, Georgia and Alabama have placed themselves in prime position for the College Football Playoff. There still remains the chance that two teams will make it. If Georgia can beat LSU in the SEC Championship they’ll likely get a bid. LSU will be left wondering if they’ll receive a bid but it’s a safe guess that they’ll make the playoff before Alabama if that scenario plays out that way.
Tennessee is winners of four of their last five and are on course for a bowl game. (Photo by utsports.com).
Enter SEC East. All three teams are just one win away from bowl eligibility. In a perfect world all three make their sixth or seventh win. But in the SEC East nothing is guaranteed.
Tennessee just has a road game at Missouri and a home game against Vanderbilt left en route to a sixth win. Missouri has dominated Tennessee the last two years by a score of 50-17 in both games. Vanderbilt has won the last three matchups.
Tennessee has been playing excellent football of late. They should be able to win one if not both of their remaining games.
Kentucky’s path is near guaranteed. They’ll have UT Martin at home this week which should be an automatic win. That leaves a home game against Louisville in a rivalry game that is sure to live up to the excitement.
Missouri is the team in the most danger of missing a bowl game. What looked like a sure thing a month ago has quickly gone south. Missouri started the season 5-1 and has since dropped four straight. They’ll have Tennessee at home and Arkansas on the road, both aren’t sure things. Tennessee has played great of late and Missouri has proven they can’t play on the road against anyone. This all of course is irrelevant if Missouri is till under a bowl ban.
Mississippi State has an easy win this weekend against Abilene Christian. That leaves just Ole Miss in the way in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving. Ole Miss would love nothing more than to ruin the Bulldogs season with a win. The Bulldogs will need to defend Davis Wade to earn a spot in the postseason.
Mississippi State beat Ole Miss in last year’s Egg Bowl 35-3. (Photo by forwhomthecowbellstoll.com).
While Ole Miss does have seven losses already, there is an ever slight chance they can make a bowl game. If 78 teams are not at the six win mark, the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) will be used to determine which 5-win team is offered a bowl game.
At present time 64 teams are eligible with 15 needing one more win to earn eligibility. Ole Miss sits at 38th in the APR rankings. It’s a mess of a scenario but there is a slim chance the Rebels receive an invitation at 5-7. This all of course is irrelevant if they do not win the Egg Bowl.
The final three teams in the SEC who are not eligible. South Carolina will likely get a final loss against Clemson and finish 4-8. The Gamecocks have already announced Muschamp returning for next season.
Vanderbilt also has announced Derek Mason returning for next season despite what looks like a potential 2-10 season. Arkansas has of course already fired Chad Morris after a blowout loss at home against Western Kentucky.
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