(Live Feed – College Football Bowl Season Review: The SEC)
Hey everyone, coming to you live with a breakdown of the SEC’s performance this bowl season. It’s safe to say it was… complicated.
Overall SEC Performance: A Mixed Bag: The SEC bowl season wasn’t a complete disaster, but it definitely didn’t live up to the usual hype of SEC dominance. While there were some bright spots, the conference also suffered some high-profile losses.
SEC Bowl Grade: Overall, we’re giving the SEC a C+.
Key Stats:
- SEC Straight Up: 7-8
- SEC Against The Spread: 8-7
Highs and Lows: For every exciting win like Arkansas over Texas Tech, LSU over Baylor, and Florida over Tulane, there were disappointing losses, most notably Alabama and Georgia both losing by double digits, and Texas falling short in the playoffs.
Individual Team Breakdowns: Let’s dive into some key team performances:
- Alabama (D-): A major disappointment. Losing to Michigan 19-13 as a heavy favorite (Alabama -13.5) was a major blow, especially after missing the expanded CFP in the first year post-Saban. This loss was a “referendum on the season.”
- Arkansas (A): A bright spot for the SEC. Despite missing several key players, they pulled off a 39-26 upset win over Texas Tech as underdogs.
- Florida (A): Did exactly what an SEC team should do against a Group of Five opponent, defeating Tulane 33-8.
- Georgia (C-): A surprising loss to Notre Dame 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl. Despite holding Notre Dame to 244 total yards and solid play from Gunner Stockton filling in for the injured Carson Beck, the SEC Champions looked lost in the big game.
- LSU (A): One of the few SEC teams to meet expectations, defeating Baylor 44-31 despite being underdogs. Garrett Nussmeier led a fantastic offensive performance.
- Missouri (B+): Did what they were supposed to, defeating Iowa 27-24 in a close one, requiring a late comeback.
- Oklahoma (C+): A loss to Navy (21-20) is never good for an SEC team, even considering the significant number of players they were missing.
- Ole Miss (A): Dominated Duke 52-20, living up to the SEC hype.
- South Carolina (B-): A disappointing 21-17 loss to Illinois as nine-point favorites.
- Tennessee (D): A humbling 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the playoffs. Even with the early loss of Dylan Sampson, it was a very one sided game.
- Texas A&M (C+): Blew a 24-7 lead against USC, ultimately losing 35-31.
- Texas (B): Defeated Clemson 38-24. While they had the game in hand, they made it closer than it needed to be.
- Texas (B-): A close 39-31 double-overtime win against Arizona State. They almost gave the game away.
- Texas (B): Lost to eventual national champion Ohio State 28-14 in the playoffs. They played better than other teams against them, but missed opportunities cost them.
- Vanderbilt (A): Pulled off a 35-27 upset win over Georgia Tech as underdogs.
Overall Conclusion: This bowl season raised some questions about the SEC’s dominance. While there were some strong performances, the high-profile losses overshadowed the wins, impacting the overall perception of the conference. Back to you in the studio.
