By Chris Marler
It took 13 weeks of the season, but the bowl projections for SEC teams finally went haywire with two more teams busting through the six-win glass ceiling and one more potentially doing so this weekend. Florida and Oklahoma both got two huge wins at home against College Football Playoff contenders to get their sixth win of the season and firmly place them into the postseason.
With those wins SEC boasts 13 bowl-eligible teams heading into rivalry week. Auburn sits at 5-6 before their annual matchup against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. If the Tigers can win, that would give the SEC a record 14 teams from one conference in the postseason.
The big question that remains is whether or not the SEC will get a fourth team in the 12-team field of the College Football Playoff. As of right now it looks like the best chance of that happening would come from South Carolina beating a No. 12 ranked Clemson team on the road in the regular season finale.
Spoiler alert: I think South Carolina does beat Clemson and with that win ESPN gives them a 58 percent chance of making the 12-team field. Here’s where I think every SEC team will land this bowl season heading into the last week of the regular season.
Gasparilla Bowl
Tampa, Fla – Dec. 20
Florida vs South Florida
Birmingham Bowl
Birmingham, Ala – Dec. 27
Oklahoma vs Kansas
Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas, Nev – Dec. 27
Ole Miss vs Washington
Independence Bowl
Memphis, Tenn – Dec. 27
Vanderbilt vs Kansas St
Music City Bowl
Nashville, Tenn – Dec. 27
LSU vs Michigan
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, Fla – Dec. 31
Alabama vs Illinois
Reliaquest Bowl
Orlando, Fla – Dec. 31
Missouri vs Iowa
Texas Bowl
Houston, Tex – Dec. 31
Arkansas vs TCU
Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, Fla – Jan. 2, 2025
Texas A&M vs SMU
College Football Playoff First Round
No. 5 Oregon vs No. 12 Arizona State
No. 6 Notre Dame vs No. 11 South Carolina
No. 7 Texas vs No. 10 Indiana
No. 8 Penn State vs No. 9 Tennessee
College Football Playoff First Round Byes
No.1 Ohio State
No. 2 Georgia
No. 3 Miami
No. 4 Boise State
