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The Most Interesting Thing About Each SEC Bowl Contest

By
Rolando Rosa
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There’s 11 SEC teams that will take part in bowl season beginning in a few weeks.

With so many conference teams in action, there’s a high possibility for plenty of excitement, not only for Alabama who will vie for a second straight national title, but also for the rest of the SEC field to build momentum heading into next season.

Saturday Down South’s Jim Tomlin compiled a list of all 11 matchups with the best thing about each.

Texas: Vanderbilt vs. Baylor

“Former Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd is now at Baylor. Hurd transferred to the Bears and switched to wide receiver as well and has done just fine, leading Baylor with 69 catches for 946 yards this season. He’s banged up, but he might not want to miss this one.”

Music City: Auburn vs. Purdue

“David Blough gets another shot at an SEC team. He passed for a career-high 572 yards against Mizzou, but the Tigers prevailed 40-37.”

Peach: Florida vs. Michigan

“Florida is looking to avoid a fifth loss in five tries against Michigan.”

Belk: South Carolina vs. Virginia

“Gamecocks receiver Deebo Samuel seeks to finally break the 1,000-yard receiving barrier in his final game with South Carolina. It will be tough because the Cavaliers are ranked No. 14 in FBS in pass defense.”

Orange: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

“Come for the high stakes in this CFP semifinal, stay for the offense. Alabama is averaging a mind-boggling 47.9 points per game this season. Oklahoma is putting up 49.5 points per game and averages about 50 yards a game more than the Crimson Tide. Oh, by the way, the two likely Heisman Trophy frontrunners square off — quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa (Bama) and Kyler Murray (Oklahoma). If you don’t like this matchup, throw your TV out the window.”

Liberty: Missouri vs. Oklahoma State

“Missouri faces a former Big 8/Big 12 foe for the third time in six years in a bowl, and this is the second time the Tigers have met the Cowboys in that span.”

TaxSlayer Gator: Texas A&M vs. N.C. State

“The Aggies have been to the Sunshine State in the postseason just twice. And of course what makes this even more interesting is that former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is bringing his A&M bunch back to his old stomping grounds.”

Outback: Mississippi State vs. Iowa

“For the Bulldogs, this gives head coach Joe Moorhead a foe he’s familiar with. The former Penn State offensive coordinator (from 2016-17) faced the Hawkeyes twice. Mississippi State and Iowa should make for a close matchup.”

Citrus: Kentucky vs. Penn State

“The best thing about this one is simply that the Wildcats got such a good destination and matchup after their best season in a generation or more. This is Kentucky’s best postseason assignment since the 1951 season when Bear Bryant’s bunch played in the Cotton Bowl.”

Fiesta: LSU vs. Central Florida

“The Tigers get to go to a different bowl destination. LSU has never played in the Fiesta Bowl and never played any bowl in Arizona. How much does it mean to them that LSU gets a chance to snap UCF’s 25-game winning streak?”

Sugar: Georgia vs. Texas

“The best thing about this matchup is that these two blue bloods have not met since the 1984 Cotton Bowl, when the Bulldogs shut down the No. 2 Longhorns’ chance at a national championship with a 10-9 victory.”

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