Like the turning of the tide, bowl season comes around for the Southeastern Conference like the warm feel of a Gulf Coast summer night. Bowl season for the Southeastern Conference brings a sense of pride to a region that has dominated college football for over 100 years. Unlike other conferences, the Southeastern Conference takes postseason football as another opportunity to show the dominance of the best conference in college football.

A week from December 20th, Texas A&M will take the field at NRG Stadium against the Cowboys of Oklahoma State in the 2023 TaxAct Texas Bowl. Texas A&M ( 7-5) will be the first Southeastern Conference team of nine competing in the 2023-2024 College Football postseason. Texas A&M comes into the bowl game with Oklahoma State trying to salvage an overall disappointing season by the Texas A&M standards. A new coach is in College Station, ready to take over for next fall, but first, the Aggies must find a way to slow down the potent Cowboys offensive unit. We’re not sure what the roster will look like for the Aggies next Wednesday, but Texas A&M will be playing in front of a pro-Texas A&M crowd playing with house money. However, Oklahoma State might have too much firepower for the Aggies to overcome next Wednesday night. Kick-off between the Aggies and Cowboys will be at 8:00 on ESPN.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 35 – Texas A&M 31

Friday, December 29th, we will see two Southeastern Conference Football Programs looking to finish their seasons on the sweet mountaintop of victory.

Early that morning, Kentucky will take on the Clemson Tigers in the 2023 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in lovely Jacksonville, Florida. A rematch of the 2009 Music City Bowl, where the Clemson Tigers got the best of a Rich Brooks-coached Kentucky Wildcats team, the 2023 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl between the Wildcats and Tigers has the potential to deliver one of the most exciting games during the bowl season. With great potential comes even more questions that the Big Blue Nation has been asking of the Wildcats since a week six defeat at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. Even more confusing is the almost departure of Head Coach Mark Stoops to Texas A&M. On the brisk morning of the Louisville game, reports started to surface that Head Coach Mark Stoops would be leaving Lexington to take the job in College Station. However, as the day progressed, Texas A&M fans overturned the decision, and Mark Stoops remained Head Coach of the Wildcats. Despite the distractions, Kentucky is the better team in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Kentucky dominated the ACC runner-up in Louisville and holds the advantage over the Clemson Tigers. Kentucky and Clemson will start the day with an early kick-off on ESPN.

Prediction: Kentucky 28 – Clemson 24

Following the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl between Kentucky and Clemson that Friday night, it’ll be the Missouri Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. Missouri comes into the Ohio State matchup riding high from the magical season that the Tigers have been on. Missouri has had the season that Tiger fans have dreamed about, finishing 10-2 overall, with wins over Kansas State, Tennessee, and Kentucky and a thumping of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Missouri has too much offensive firepower for Ohio State and will cruise to a victory over the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Missouri 45 – Ohio State 17

Saturday, December 30th:

With an early kick-off in the 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Ole Miss Rebels have a highly anticipated date with Head Coach James Franklin and his Penn State Football program. Ole Miss comes to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl looking to win their 11th game in year three under Head Coach Lane Kiffin. Like their counterparts to the north in Missouri, Ole Miss has too many weapons for Penn State to keep up.

Prediction: Ole Miss 49 – Penn State 14

Kicking off two hours later on ABC, Head Coach Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers will play in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Maryland. Auburn comes into the matchup with Maryland as one of the most challenging teams in the Southeastern Conference to figure out. Will the team that almost beat Alabama show up on Saturday, or will it be the team that was embarrassed at Jordan Hare Stadium against New Mexico State? Nobody knows, but Coach Hugh Freeze has an entire month to prepare for a Maryland team that struggled against mediocre competition in the Big Ten. Word on the street is that Auburn fans have bought all the tickets and plan on making Nissan Stadium into Jordan Hare Stadium North.

Prediction: Auburn 21 – Maryland 10

After the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on ESPN, Georgia will take on the undefeated ACC Champion, Florida State, in one of the most intriguing matchups of the entire bowl season. Georgia saw their 29-game winning streak end in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game as Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff. Many thought Florida State and Georgia belonged in the 2023 College Football Playoffs; instead, both will play each other in the Capital One Orange Bowl. With Carson Beck and Brock Browers leading the charge for the Georgia Bulldogs on the offensive side of the ball, Head Coach Kirby Smart and his Georgia Bulldogs return to the win column.

Prediction: Georgia 56 – Florida State 14

Monday, January 1st, 2024

What better way to ring in the New Year than three Southeastern Conference Bowl Game?

Starting the morning off on ESPN2 will be the LSU Tigers taking on Wisconsin in the Relliquest Bowl. LSU comes into the postseason looking to win ten games for the second time in two years under Head Coach Brian Kelly. Despite having a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Jayden Daniels, the LSU Tigers will be without Daniels as he has elected to forgo the bowl game to start preparations for the NFL Draft in April. LSU has struggled all season on defense but looks to continue to score at will against the Badgers of Wisconsin on New Year’s Day.

Prediction: LSU 28 – Wisconsin 14

Starting an hour later on ABC, the Tennessee Volunteers will meet the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Coming into the postseason matchups for the Southeastern Conference, the Citrus Bowl between the Volunteers and Hawkeyes, college football fans got excited about the matchup between two polar opposite teams. Tennessee likes to play up-tempo and score points, and Iowa has trouble reaching the 50-yard line, leaning on special teams and a still defense to lead them to victory. In all likelihood, Tennessee will push the tempo, and Iowa will not be able to keep up.

Prediction: Tennessee 49 – Iowa 10

That afternoon at 4:00 central on ESPN, the Granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines, with a spot in the National Championship on the line, will take center stage for the entire country to enjoy. Alabama earned their trip to the CFP after the best coaching job of Coach Nick Saban’s career. Alabama went undefeated in Southeastern Conference play, adding icing to the cake with a win over the defending two-time national champion, Georgia Bulldogs. As the season progressed, Alabama got better. You can’t name a team in the country that wants to see Alabama line up on the other side of them. We saw evidence of that when Michigan found out they had to play Alabama in the CFP when Michigan seemed distraught over the idea of playing the Crimson Tide.

Prediction: Alabama 35 – Michigan 21

National Championship prediction: Alabama 38 – Texas 35