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CFB National Championship Preview and Prediction — Georgia Bulldogs vs TCU Horned Frogs

SEC Recap — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 14:53:39 GMT

CFP National Championship Preview and Prediction — Georgia Bulldogs vs TCU Horned Frogs

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

You can listen to the accompanying podcast for this article at the SEC Recap Podcast homepage with links to all of your favorite podcast platforms. You can also find us on YouTube. Available anywhere you prefer to chug your podcasts. 🍺

The Matchup

Georgia vs. TCU | January 9, 2023, 7:30 PM ET, Los Angeles, CA.

TCU blazed their way past Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl to earn their way to the National Championship stage under first year head coach Sonny Dykes. Though Dykes has had some success as a head coach prior to arriving at TCU, going 13–1 and playing for a National Championship exceeds all expectations I think most could have.

Georgia is back to defend the title of National Champions. They earned their way in by way of a spectacular 4th quarter comeback against Ohio State. If you didn’t see that game, pause this episode, go watch the highlights then come back and resume this episode.

Before we get into the National Championship matchup, let’s quickly recap how the SEC stacked up against other conferences this bowl season.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2023-01-02/2022-23-camconference-bowl-records-scores-updates-through-college-football-playoff

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Neutral

Defense:

Advantage — Georgia

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Georgia

Injuries — TE Darnell Washington (left ankle injury) seen on crutches following an exit from the Peach Bowl matchup against Ohio State.

27 rec, 426 yards, 2 TDs

TCU

Injuries — RB Kendre Miller (right knee injury). Received treatment at halftime and returned for the first series of the second half (1 carry for 1 yard, before exiting the game again).

224 car, 1399 yards, 17 TDs. 14th in the FBS.

16 rec, 116 yards

Key Players

Georgia

Defense— 4 different players each recorded a sack (2 LBs, 1 DB, 1 DL) against an Ohio State offensive line that had only allowed 8 sacks on the year up to that point, which was good enough for 3rd or 4th in the FBS.

TCU has allowed 24 sacks coming into the National Championship (1.7/game).

Pass catchers — Most teams distribute the ball to about 6 (at most) different pass catchers. Georgia regularly distributes the ball to about 10 different receivers, including the running backs.

Special shoutout to Arian Smith. Coming into the Peach bowl he had 3 catches for 66 yards. 1 catch vs. Mizzou for 7 yards, 1 catch vs. UT for 52 yards, and 1 catch vs. LSU for 7 yards. He put up 3 catches for 129 yards and a TD against Ohio State.

It just shows you how many different people you have to be aware of on Georgia’s offense.

TCU

QB Max Duggan — 63.7% cmp, 3546 yards, 32 TDs, 6 INTs. He’s doubled his TD total from last season. He makes this offense go. TCU passes more than they run. So I expect Max Duggan and those receivers to continue to try to move the ball in big chunks. He also runs in the red zone. He has 127 carries for 461 yards, and 8 TDs.

WR Quentin Johnston — Against Michigan’s #21 ranked pass defense Johnston had 6 rec for 163 and 1 TD.

RB Emeri Demercado — If Kendre Miller can’t play or is limited, Demercado is one to watch. Against Michigan’s #7 ranked rush defense, he had 17 car for 150 yards and 1 TD. He averaged 8.8/car. Miller averaged 7.1 before he exited.

What it comes down to

TCU found ways to run and throw on a good Michigan defense. They also managed to get 4 turnovers from Michigan. Michigan is not a strong passing team (#83 in the FBS) but TCU forced Michigan into that style of game because of how fast they got out ahead. Michigan never really had control of that game.

I think it’s fair to say that TCU’s offense is good enough to move the ball against just about any competition. But when we look at games where TCU was played close — e.g. the loss to Kansas St., the Baylor game — those two teams were able to get off the field on third downs and create turnovers. Neither of those teams were playing from huge deficits.

Michigan was out of rhythm and mistake prone in the whole first half of the Fiesta Bowl. TCU had a 2 offensive TD’s, a pick 6, recovered a Michigan fumble, held Michigan to a FG and ended the half 21–3.

In the second half Michigan went FG, TD, Pick 6, TD, TD, TD before they were forced to punt again.

TCU’s defense couldn’t really stop Michigan in the second half, and I don’t know if I see TCU’s defense being able to stop Georgia in either half.

Ohio State didn’t exactly stop Georgia’s offense in the first half. Georgia had a missed FG and 1 INT. They scored on every other possession and didn’t punt until the second half. Meanwhile Georgia forced the Ohio State offense to punt three times in the first half and twice in the second half.

Georgia is the 4th most efficient offense in the country per ESPN (Ohio State is #1). Georgia is the #2 most efficient defense in the country, while TCU is #18. The balance and efficiency of Georgia, I believe will be too much for TCU.

Georgia showed that they can close a 4th quarter from behind against a top 30 scoring, passing and rushing defense. TCU’s is in the back half of the FBS in each of those categories.

Georgia needs to watch out for the big play threat between Duggan → Johnston. Even if TCU manages to hit some over the top, I don’t think it will phase Georgia.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Georgia favored at an 72.2% chance to win vs. TCU at a 27.8% chance to win.

The spread favors Georgia at -13 as does the money line at -550.

The O/U sits at 62.5 at the time of writing with team totals for Georgia at 37.5 and TCU at 23.8.

Georgia is 7–7 ATS, and TCU is 10–3–1 ATS.

Final Prediction

I have been wrong about TCU all season. They are absolutely deserving of being in the CFP and playing for a National Championship. What an amazing season for Sonny Dykes, Max Duggan, and that whole squad. They have outperformed expectations, they out-physical’ed a Michigan team they were a -7.5 point underdog against, they unequivocally earned their right to be where they are.

It ends here. I think this can be a great game. I wouldn’t be surprise for TCU to play close for a half. But I think Georgia pulls away and I’m inclined to think that Georgia even covers 13.5.

I think TCU tries to pick up big plays early on to get that lead and play into that shootout type game script they’ve basically done all year. It’s possible that they can have some success here against Georgia’s passing defense if TCU’s offensive line can give Duggan some time. LSU threw for over 500 yards and had 3 TD’s through the air against Georgia. Ohio State threw for almost 350 yards and had 4 TD’s through the air on Georgia.

But if Georgia gets sacks, gets 3rd down stops and forces TCU to punt 6 times in this game, it’s only a matter of time before Georgia takes a lead then grinds out the clock. TCU couldn’t really stop Michigan once Michigan’s offense got some rhythm. I don’t see TCU’s defense stopping Georgia’s offense.

Georgia 38

TCU 24

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Music City Bowl Preview and Prediction — Kentucky Wildcats vs Iowa Hawkeyes

SEC Recap — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 13:36:51 GMT

Music City Bowl Preview and Prediction — Kentucky Wildcats vs Iowa Hawkeyes

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Kentucky vs. Iowa | Dec. 31, Noon, Nashville, TN.

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Kentucky

Defense:

Advantage —Iowa

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Kentucky

Injuries — None listed

Opt-outs — QB Will Levis; RB Chris Rodriguez; CB Carrington Valentine NFL Draft

Transfers — RB Kavosiey Smoke, WR Chauncey Magwood

Iowa

Injuries — QB Spencer Petras, TE Sam LaPorta expected back for the bowl game.

Opt-outs — S Kaevon Merriweather

Transfers —WR Arland Bruce IV; WR Keagan Johnson; QB Alex Padilla; RB Gavin Williams (192 snaps); LB Jestin Jacobs (hurt earlier in season)

Key Players

Kentucky

QB Destin Wade — 3rd string QB gets his first start

Iowa

QB Joey Labas — 3rd string QB gets his first start

What it comes down to

Which offense can move the ball.

I don’t see much changing defensively for either team. It’s the offensive adaptations that interest me.

3rd string QBs against top 10 defenses? I’m sick doc, and the only prescription is this football game.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Kentucky favored at an 50.3% chance to win vs. Iowa at a 49.7% chance to win.

The spread favors Iowa at -2 as does the money line at -140.

The O/U sits at 31 at the time of writing with team totals for Iowa at 16.9 and Kentucky at 13.7.

Final Prediction

This one is for the true sickos, so I’m going to pick one of the sickest scores I can think of that hits the under and makes even the Sicko Committee puke their popcorn.

Kentucky 13

Iowa 11

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Sugar Bowl Preview and Prediction — Alabama Crimson Tide vs Kansas State Wildcats

SEC Recap — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 14:09:58 GMT

Sugar Bowl Preview and Prediction — Alabama Crimson Tide vs Kansas State Wildcats

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Alabama vs. Kansas State | Dec. 31, Noon, New Orleans, LA.

№5 Alabama takes on №9 Kansas State.

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Alabama

Defense:

Advantage — Alabama

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Alabama

Injuries — None listed

Opt-outs — None listed

Transfers — WR Traeshon Holden* (25 catches, 331 yards), WR JoJo Earle (12 catches, 151 yards), WR Christian Leary (1 catch), RB Trey Sanders (14 rushes, 80 yards), G Javion Cohen, OL Tommy Brockermeyer, OL Damieon George, DB Khyree Jackson

OG Cohen — off to TCU — was a starter, and an above-average one at that. WR Holden played 308 snaps as part of the receiver rotation, WR Earle played 223 (Nos. 4 and 6 among the WR corps in snaps).

Kansas State

Injuries — QB Adrian Martinez was seen without a boot but did not play Big 12 Championship.

WR Malik Knowles was rolled up on in the first half of the Big 12 Championship but communicated on social media he would not miss the Sugar Bowl. Expected to play.

CB Ekow Boye-Doe expected to play.

Opt-outs — None listed

Transfers — LB Krew Jackson, little-used backup.

CB TJ Smith, played 201 snaps as a rotational nickel defender, had one of the defense’s worst PFF grades (55.9)

Key Players

Alabama

QB Bryce Young — 64.1% cmp. 230/359 3,007 yards, 27 TDs, 5 INTs. 46 car 195 yards, 4 TDs.

Kansas State

RB Deuce Vaughn — Top 12 in FBS. 271 car 1,425 yards, 8 TDs. 42 rec 378 yards, 3 TDs.

What it comes down to

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Alabama favored at an 73.1% chance to win vs. Kansas State at a 26.9% chance to win.

The spread favors Alabama at -6.5 as does the money line at -267.

The O/U sits at 56 at the time of writing with team totals for Alabama at 31.6 and Kansas State at 24.4.

Alabama is 5–6–1 ATS, Kansas State is 9–3–1.

Final Prediction

Chris Klieman is a good coach. He’s taken Kansas State to two bowl games — a loss in the 2019 Liberty Bowl and a win in the 2021 Texas Bowl.

Nick Saban has coached 29 bowl games, 15 with Alabama. 6 National Championships. Alabama lives in the post season.

I know the word “motivation” has been tossed around a lot. Will Alabama be motivated to play in a Sugar Bowl that has no National Championship implications? Well, they had no players opt out of this game. So you tell me… Motivated? I don’t think there’s any question.

If Kansas State thinks there’s a chance they stroll into New Orleans and catch an unsuspecting Alabama team limping into this game, I’m here to tell you there is not. None. Are the Wildcats good enough to compete with the Crimson Tide? Certainly. Absolutely. But don’t for a second get it twisted and think that Alabama isn’t ready to play them.

I think a late touchdown by Kansas State makes the final score of this game appear closer than it really was.

Alabama 31

Kansas State 24

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Orange Bowl Preview and Prediction — Tennessee Volunteers vs Clemson Tigers

SEC Recap — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 14:35:38 GMT

Orange Bowl Preview and Prediction — Tennessee Volunteers vs Clemson Tigers

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Tennessee vs. Clemson | Dec. 30, 8:00 PM ET, Miami, FL.

The №6 Tennessee Volunteers get a slice of the №7 Clemson Tigers in the most orange Orange Bowl the college football gods could bless us with.

When making the preview graphic for this matchup, I experimented with using each team’s alternate colors — the Clemson regalia purple, and the Tennessee smoky gray. Why? Well, in my experience orange seems to be a polarizing color, far more so than other hues. As a Tennessee fan I have come to learn that people either love the orange, or they absolutely despise it. I’m not sure if Clemson fans experience the same reaction within the state of South Carolina. Even in Tennessee, there are many people who simply cannot stand that color orange.

But this video ain’t for folks who hate orange. This video, this game, this bowl matchup is ESPECIALLY for people who LOVE orange. So I did away with the alternate color palettes and simply leaned into all of the orange. Orange on orange on orange on orange. And I love the final product. It’s just so vibrant and alive. It represents the atmosphere that will be in this game — two top 10 programs from the American Southeast with so much history; two fan bases with so much pride and passion for their programs.

This one is for people who bleed orange through the good times and the bad. Tennessee Volunteers, Clemson Tigers— man I cannot WAIT to see that stadium packed with the best color in college football!

Orange you glad you tuned in for this episode?

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Tennessee

Defense:

Advantage — Clemson

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Tennessee

Injuries — QB Hendon Hooker is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Opt-outs — WR Cedric Tillman; WR Jalin Hyatt; Jeremy Banks NFL Draft

Transfers — WR Jimmy Calloway (28 snaps)

Darnell Wright and Byron Young declared for NFL Draft but will play in the bowl game.

Alex Golesh OC has taken the HC job at USF and will not be coaching in this game.

Clemson

Injuries —WR Beaux Collins (shoulder, out for season); LB Trenton Simpson (ankle, out)

Opt-outs — DE Myles Murphy NFL Draft

Transfers — QB DJ Uiagalelei; WR Dacari Collins (61 snaps); WR EJ Williams (1 snap); RB Kobe Pace (RB3); LB LaVonta Bentley (163 snaps); LB Sergio Allen (5 snaps)

Key Players

Tennessee

QB Joe Milton III — 63% comp, 34/54 720 yds, 7 TDs. He’s added 7 car for 72 yards.

Which WR is the safety valve?

Bru McCoy — 619 yards, 3 TDs

Ramel Keaton — 486 yards, 4 TDs

Squirrel White — Jaylin Hyatt type role.

Clemson

QB Cade Klubnik — 67.4% comp, 31/46 377 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT. He’s added 22 car for 88 yards and 1 TD.

RB Will Shipley — 193 car, 1,110 yards, 15 TDs. 34 rec, 221 yds.

What it comes down to

This is Tennessee’s first New Year’s Six Bowl in the CFP era, however, and Clemson has won 2 National Championships. Clemson is accustomed to playing on big stages, while Tennessee is re-learning how to be in the spotlight.

Tennessee’s offense is not going to be the same absent Hooker, Hyatt, and Tillman. It just is, there’s no way around that. It doesn’t mean that can’t or won’t be effective, but I think especially optimistic Vols should approach this with tempered expectations. Any Josh Heupel offense is certainly capable of scoring 40+ points a game, but I don’t think that should be the expectation here.

But I know for a fact Tennessee’s coaching staff and players believe in Joe Milton as the QB — there is a reason he was named the starter two years ago. There is massive untapped upside potential there, and I expect them to turn him loose with the showcase of young offensive talent that has already flashed this year — most notably Squirrel White.

Cade Klubnik threw for 279 yards and a touchdown against North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. He also ran for 30 yards and a touchdown. He’s got a lot of talent and Tennessee’s defense has a habit of making every quarterback they face look like a Heisman candidate.

I know Clemson fans are looking at Tennessee’s pass defense and licking their chops. If Klubnik and the Tigers offense did that to the Tarheels’ #121 ranked pass defense, they can repeat against the Vols’ #127 ranked pass defense right? Well, maybe. There are some major statistical differences between NC and UT though.

Tennessee’s scoring defense is #45, NC is #105.

Tennessee’s rush defense by yards is #20, NC is #82.

Tennessee rush defense by TDs allowed is #40, NC is #115.

(It’s fair to say that Tennessee takes a hit in rush defense without Jeremy Banks. But not 60–70 spots.)

Tennessee is +9 in TO margin, NC is -1.

So overall, even defensively Tennessee is a much better team than the North Carolina squad that Clemson saw in the ACC Championship. Just as Tennessee shouldn’t expect their offense to roll the same minus some key personnel, Clemson shouldn’t expect the same performance against Tennessee they had against the Tarheels.

Tennessee and Clemson are both top 10 in Red Zone Offense — Tennessee #6 at 93% and Clemson #2 at 96%.

Tennessee is better in Red Zone Defense. Vols are #24 at 77%. Clemson is #48 at 81%.

Both teams are Tied for 10th in 4th down conversion rate at 66%, but here’s the difference: Clemson is 6/9, while Tennessee is 22/33.

Clemson is much better at getting to the QB — 40 sacks on the year (12th in FBS), while both teams have allowed 24 sacks on the season.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Tennessee favored at an 57.4% chance to win vs. Clemson at a 42.6% chance to win.

The spread favors Clemson at -5.5 as does the money line at -225.

The O/U sits at 63.5 at the time of writing with team totals for Tennessee at 28.2 and Clemson at 34.9.

Final Prediction

For some reason the computers like Tennessee while Vegas likes Clemson. This makes me think that the computers are just looking at stats, while oddsmakers are factoring in to what degree available and unavailable personnel affect the outcome of the game.

When I look at the opt-outs for Tennessee, their vulnerabilities on defense, it’s hard for me to feel most optimisitic about the Vols in this game. Tennessee would need to take really good care of the ball and capitalize on a turnover or two on defense. Tennessee plays best when they jump out to a really fast lead and then are able to just run the ball at tempo, with the threat of hitting you over the top if they catch you out of place. I don’t know that they get afforded that opportunity. I trust Josh Heupel to have some things scripted against Dabo, but Dabo has more time to prepare for Tennessee than any team has all season.

If Tennessee gets a fast lead, I think the Vols can hang on to it and close this game out. If they don’t and they’re just playing to keep up, I like Clemson’s chances.

Tennessee is 9–3 ATS and Clemson is 7–6. 5.5 points might be too many to give a Josh Heupel offense on a sunny neutral field in Miami. Their defense is going to need stops — like, they’re going to NEED stops. If they can get them, and the offense goes over 30, I like Tennessee.

Tennessee 35

Clemson 31

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Gator Bowl Preview and Prediction — South Carolina Gamecocks vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

SEC Recap — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 13:04:34 GMT

Gator Bowl Preview and Prediction — South Carolina Gamecocks vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

South Carolina vs. Notre Dame | Dec. 30, 3:30 PM ET, Jacksonville, FL.

№19 South Carolina Gamecocks draw the Gator Bowl vs. №21 Notre Dame. Both teams finished the regular season 8–4 with some ups and downs along the way. But most importantly, both of these teams finished in the top 25 to end the season, setting up one of the best non New Year’s Six bowl games of the season.

The Gator Bowl is one of the oldest Division I bowl games, starting in 1945–46. When most people think of iconic Gator Bowl moments they probably think of the Woody Hayes incident. In the 1978 Gator Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson, a Tigers defender intercepted a pass late in the game and ran it out of bounds at the Ohio State sideline where OSU head coach Woody Hayes was standing. Hayes struck the defender, Charlie Bauman with his forearm. That interception sealed Clemsons 17–15 win over the Buckeyes and Hayes was fired for the incident the next day before ever leaving Jacksonville.

https://medium.com/media/2e537766d25a46759cfbfdde7f16ad0e/href

South Carolina hasn’t appeared in the Gator Bowl since 1987, and Notre Dame makes their first Gator Bowl appearance since 2003. Notre Dame has a 1–2 Gator Bowl record while South Carolina is 0–4. The Gamecocks will be looking to notch their first dubby in this bowl series under second year HC Shane Beamer.

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Neutral

Defense:

Advantage — Notre Dame

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

South Carolina

Injuries — WR Josh Vann (325 snaps) suffered a non-ACL-related knee sprain.

Opt-outs — CB Cam Smith (top cornerback), DL Zacch Pickens (started all 12 games); NFL Draft

Transfers — RB Marshawn Lloyd, RB/TE Jaheim Bell, TE Austin Stogner, DB RJ Roderick (77 snaps)

Notre Dame

Opt-outs — TE Michael Mayer, DE Isaiah Foskey; NFL Draft

Mayer was the receiving yards and TDs leader for the Irish.

Transfers — QB Drew Pyne, DL Jacob Lacey (73 snaps), DE Ositadinma Ekwonu (8 snaps), DB Jayden Bellamy (0 snaps)

Key Players

South Carolina

QB Spencer Rattler — 66.6% cmp, 2780 PY, 16 TDs, 11 INTs. Sacked 28 times.

WR Juice Wells — 63 catches, 898 yards, 6 TDs. #43 in FBS in receiving yards, but #2 in the SEC.

Notre Dame

QB Tyler Buchner — 56% cmp rating, 28/50, 378 yards, 2 INTs.

Suffered a lower leg injury in the Marshall game after throwing his second INT and is just now returning.

RB Audric Estime — 142 car, 825 yards, 11 TDs.

What it comes down to

Notre Dame has averaged 29.7 PPG on offense against Power 5 opponents, while holding them to under 21 points (20.2).

SCar has averaged 26.5 PPG on offense against Power 5 opponents, while allowing 31.7.

Against common opponent Clemson, Notre Dame allowed 281 total yards of offense, which included just 90 RY and 191 PY. SCar allowed 336 total yards of offense, which included 237 RY, but just 99 PY.

Notre Dame defends well what SCar does best offensively — Pass.

SCar does not defend well what Notre Dame does best — Run.

I also think it’s going to matter who is calling plays for South Carolina, and Shane Beamer has not let on as to who that will be.

Defensively, Notre Dame ranks #18 in team sacks, averaging almost three sacks per game while SCar allows an average of 2.3 sacks per game.

SCar is tied for 2nd in most blocked punts at 5 on the year. But at #1 for most blocked punts in the FBS is Notre Dame with 7. SCar is tied for 3rd in most blocked kicks with 6. But Notre Dame is tied for #1 with 7!

Notre Dame ranks #15 in fewest penalties, while SCar ranks #95.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Notre Dame favored at an 67.4% chance to win vs. SCar at a 32.6% chance to win.

The spread favors Notre Dame at -2.5 as does the money line at -135.

The O/U sits at 52 at the time of writing with team totals for Notre Dame at 26.2 and SCar at 25.

Notre Dame is 6–6 ATS. SCar is 7–5 ATS.

Final Prediction

I look for Audric Estime and Logan Diggs to have a successful day on the ground, as Tyler Buchner and the offense leans on them for the bulk of the production with top reciever TE Mayer declaring for the NFL draft.

Having Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells in this game will be huge for South Carolina, who will be looking to ride the momentum from the end of the season.

South Carolina 24

Notre Dame 24

And this one goes into OVERTIME!

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Texas Bowl Preview and Prediction — Ole Miss Rebels vs Texas Tech Red Raiders

SEC Recap — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 13:42:53 GMT

Texas Bowl Preview and Prediction — Ole Miss Rebels vs Texas Tech Red Raiders

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech | Dec. 28, 9 PM ET, Houston, TX.

The 8–4 Ole Miss Rebels under third year HC Lane Kiffin draw the Texas Bowl with the 7–5 Texas Tech Red Raiders under first year HC Joey McGuire. Kiffin has taken the Rebels to three consecutive bowl games in his tenure at Mississippi while this will be McGuire’s first bowl game as a head coach.

Ole Miss started the season on a hot 7–0 streak, but criticism of a back-loaded schedule proved true when the Rebels lost 4 of their last 5 games. Texas Tech had more of a rollercoaster ride, but they finished confidently with three straight wins over Big 12 opponents to conclude their season.

This will be Texas Tech’s third appearance in the Texas Bowl — that’s tied with Texas A&M and Kansas State for most appearances in the bowl’s history. That does not include the team’s appearances in the predecessor bowls, the Houston Bowl or the Bluebonnet Bowl.

It was known as the Bluebonnet Bowl from 1959–1987, and while it alternated between a couple of locations, it typically (not always) featured a team from Texas vs. an at-large opponent. After a period of being defunct, it was resurrected as the Houston Bowl in 2000 and resumed for a period of about six years. In 2006 it rebranded as the Texas Bowl and as been played under that brand ever since.

Texas Tech holds a 1–1 record in the Texas Bowl. This will be Ole Miss’ first Texas Bowl appearance. This year will be the 8th consecutive year the game features an Big 12 vs. SEC matchup. Over that span, the Big 12 is 4–3 vs SEC opponents in this bowl game. Can Ole Miss get the dubby and even things up with the Big 12 in this year’s Texas Bowl?

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Ole Miss

Defense:

Advantage — Ole Miss

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Ole Miss

Transfers — DE Demon Clowney (31 snaps); QB2 Luke Altmyer; CB Miles Battle (322 snaps, 33 ToT, 1 INT)

QB depth is somewhat of a concern now for Ole Miss. Behind Altmyer is Kinkead Dent who’s thrown just 9 passes for 14 yards in 3 years at Ole Miss.

Miles Battle was a pretty solid corner. He was 2nd on the team among CB’s for Solo and ToT. I don’t know that there is a huge drop off in productivity without him but losing a starter isn’t ideal. He’s a graduate with a year of eligibility remaining. Perhaps there’s a realization that there’s no real NFL future and he’s trying to make some NIL money as a guaranteed starter somewhere.

Texas Tech

FS Reggie Pearson; QB3 Donovan Smith

Pearson is an experienced Senior DB. 3 year starter who started at Wisconsin before transferring to Texas Tech for 2 years. He has 2 INTs and 55 ToT on the season. No doubt he’ll get offered somewhere and probably land a little NIL money as well.

Smith had an up and down season but the starting QB job went to Tyler Shough after a series of injuries and swapskis among all 3 starting QBs this season. Morton Behren is behind Shough now as the #2 but I think either of those guys could win the starting job next year. You never like to lose a productive player, but it seems clear that the team is comfortable with Shough and Behren.

Key Players

Ole Miss

RB Quinshon Judkins — 251 car, 1476 yards, 16 TDs. #8 in FBS in rushing yards. The freshman RB is one spot ahead of Blake Corum who many felt should have been a Heisman finalist. I’m not suggesting Judkins should have been a Heisman finalist, rather I’m just illustrating how good he has been as a freshman. He has a huge future ahead if he continues at this level.

OL — Rebels aren’t terrific in preventing tackles for a loss, but they’re #20 in sacks allowed. A solid OL helps the #1 key player on this team do what he does best.

Texas Tech

QB Tyler Shough — 59.4% cmp isn’t wow’ing anyone. But the strength of this Texas Tech offense is the passing game. The team has 530 pass attempts to 477 rush attempts. That doesn’t scream out-of-balance pass heavy but three different QB’s have thrown for over 1,000 yards, combining for 3,684 PY to 1,830 RY. That passing yardage makes them a top 12 passing team, while 1,830 RY is dead middle of the road.

OL — Tied for 114th in sacks allowed. 39 sacks for -251 yards is atrocious. They’re going to have to play better pass protection against an Ole Miss defense that averages 2.75 sacks per game.

What it comes down to

Piggybacking off of my previous point — Offensive line play. Texas Tech’s offensive line play is… well, offensive.

Ole Miss ranks #27 defensively in team sacks while Texas Tech ranks #114 in sacks allowed. When the strength of your offense is the passing attack, that’s a bad matchup.

Now the Red Raiders did turn in three of their best rushing performances of the season in the back half of the season. They have a couple of nice RBs in Thompson and Brooks who have combined for 1,271 yards and 13 TD’s on the season.

The problem is that during those six games they also allowed an average of 186 yards to opposing RB’s. You just can’t do that, especially to a team that’s bringing the #3 rushing attack in the country, already averaging 261 RY per game.

I don’t really believe momentum from the end of the season directly translates into bowl performance. There’s a lot of time in between to address and correct issues. You also have the portal now which impacts team dynamic in addition to coaching and staff turnover. But we all know exactly the game plan Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss will be bringing. It’s the same one they ended the season with. They’re going to run Quinshon Judkins and make Texas Tech stop him. If they can’t stop him, they’ll just keep running him.

But this brings me to my next key to the game:

Red Zone — Texas Tech ranks #8 in red zone offensive efficiency. They average 92% on scoring attempts in the red zone. That’s really really good, but it’s not exactly where I’m going to tie in from my previous point.

The Red Raiders also rank #9 in red zone defensive efficiency. They allow just 73% of red zone scoring attempts to opponents. However I do need to point out that when it comes to red zone attempts, the Red Raiders have allowed opponents to get inside the red zone 53 times. That’s a high number comparitively to other teams ranked ahead of them in that category (for example Georgia has allowed just 28, Illinois 27, Penn State 39). So while their defensive efficiency is good, they’re still allowing opponents to get there quite often.

I will mention though, they held Kansas, TCU, Oklahoma to a combined 2 rushing touchdowns. Those are all solid rushing attacks. Ole Miss will be the best they have seen.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Ole Miss favored at a 61.7% chance to win vs. Texas Tech at a 38.3% chance to win.

The spread favors Ole Miss at -3.5 as does the money line at -170.

The O/U sits at 69.5 at the time of writing with team totals for Ole Miss at 36.4 and Texas Tech at 32.2.

Texas Tech is 7–5 ATS, while Ole Miss is 4–7–1.

Final Prediction

Every game this season in which Ole Miss has been a 3 point favorite or less, they have lost or pushed. -3.5 doesn’t inspire confidence to lay the points with the Rebels.

I actually don’t think either team will get their point average here and the total comes in under the 69.5.

I know Ole Miss didn’t finish strong, while Texas Tech did. But I don’t think that momentum carries into this game for either team.

I like this game to go under 69.5 and I don’t think both teams crack 30 points.

Texas Tech is -9 in turnover margin with 17 INTs. I know most of those came in the firt half of the season. But they also fumbled 3 times in their last two games. I think Texas Tech turns it over once or twice, Ole Miss capitalizes, and that’s the difference in this ball game.

Ole Miss 34

Texas Tech 28

Ole Miss covers 3.5, gets the dubby, and SEC improves to 4–4 vs the Big 12 in the Texas Bowl.

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Liberty Bowl Preview and Prediction — Arkansas Razorbacks vs Kansas Jayhawks

SEC Recap — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 21:00:03 GMT

Liberty Bowl Preview and Prediction — Arkansas Razorbacks vs Kansas Jayhawks

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Arkansas vs. Kansas | Dec. 28, 5:30 PM, Memphis, TN.

The drought is over, and Kansas will bowl for the first time since the Insight Bowl in 2008. Even better, for the first time since 1906, Kansas and Arkansas will meet. Kansas’ Jalen Daniels and Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson, who will return to the Hogs in 2023, should provide an entertaining quarterback matchup. Both teams finished 6–6, but Arkansas should have done much better, according to the metrics (four losses by three points or fewer).

The Liberty Bowl is one of the oldest non-New Year’s Six bowls. It was first played in 1959 in the city of Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell. The first cold weather bowl at the time, attendance was poor for four years at which point a group of Atlantic City businessmen convinced the bowl’s founder, Bud Dudley, to move the game to Atlantic City’s Convention Hall (currently known as Boardwalk Hall). This would make it the first Division I bowl game to be played indoors.

Astroturf was still in development and unable to be used for this game. Instead the bowl organizers put down two inches of burlap over the concrete floor for padding, and then laid 4 inches of natural grass turf. Artificial lighting had to be installed and kept on 24 hours a day to keep the grass growing. After all of the effort and expenses, the game hosted just 6,000 attendees and Dudley made a mere $10,000 profit.

The next year in 1965, he moved the game to Memphis Memorial Stadium in Memphis, TN. The venue was eventually renamed to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in 1975, and the Liberty Bowl has been played there every season since.

This will mark Kansas’ second appearance in the Liberty Bowl. Their last was in 1973 which saw them lose to NC State. The Jayhawks hold an 0–1 record in the Liberty Bowl.

Arkansas holds the record for most Liberty Bowl appearances. This will mark their 6th. The Razorbacks have a 2–3 all time record in the Liberty Bowl.

That’s your history lesson. Let’s look at some stats.

Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Kansas

Defense:

Advantage — Neutral/Lean Arkansas

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Arkansas

Jadon Haselwood WR (NFL Draft), Drew Sanders LB (NFL Draft), Myles Slusher DB (Transfer Portal), Malik Hornsby QB (Transfer Portal), Chase Lowery DB (Transfer Portal), Bumper Pool LB (hip surgery)

Kansas

Steven McBride WR (Transfer Portal), Jarrett Paul S (Transfer Portal), Lawrence Arnold WR (Injury)

Steven McBride has 2 catches for 23 yards and Jarrett Paul has just 4 total tackles on the season.

Key Players

Arkansas

QB KJ Jefferson — 66.4% cmp, 2361 yards, 22 TDs, 2 INTs.

RB Rocket Sanders — 219 car, 1426 yards, 10 TDs. Top 10 in the FBS in terms of rushing yards.

Kansas

QB Jalon Daniels — 65.7% cmp, 1470 yards, 13 TDs 3, 4 INTs.

RB Devon Neal — 171 car, 1061 yards, 9 TDs. Top 30 rusher in the FBS in terms of total yards and yards per game.

What it comes down to

Kansas ranks 7th in the FBS in 3rd down conversion rate, averaging 50.4% of 3rd down attempts. Arkansas ranks 27th.

Both teams are bad on 3rd down defense. Arkansas is 116th in the FBS in 3rd down conversion defense, allowing 44.3% of 3rd down conversion attempts to opponents. Kansas ranks 124th.

Arkansas ranks 6th in the FBS in team sacks, averaging 3.25 per game.

Kansas ranks 7th in the FBS in sacks allowed, giving up just .75 per game.

However Arkansas’ team-leader in sacks and total tackles, Drew Sanders, has declared for the NFL Draft and will not play.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Arkansas favored at a 58.2% chance to win vs. Kansas at a 41.8% chance to win.

The spread favors Arkansas slightly at -3 as does the money line at -160.

The O/U sits at 69 at the time of writing with team totals for Arkansas at 35.7 and Kansas at 33.2.

Final Prediction

Kansas has not been to a bowl since the 2008 Insight Bowl. Lance Leipold owns a 4–1 ATS record in bowl games.

I don’t think we see a lot of defense in this game. Arkansas ranks 90th and Kansas ranks 119th in scoring defense.

Defensive Coordinator Barry Odom has accepted the UNLV head coaching position.

This one feels like the first team to 40 wins.

Arkansas’ top 10 rushing offense should be enough to tip the game in their favor. I like the over.

Arkansas 41

Kansas 38

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Gasparilla Bowl Preview and Prediction — Missouri Tigers vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

SEC Recap — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:53:48 GMT

Gasparilla Bowl Preview and Prediction — Missouri Tigers vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Missouri vs. Wake Forest | Dec. 23, 6:30 PM ET, Tampa, FL.

7–5 Wake Forest makes its first Gasparilla Bowl appearance after losing 4 of its last 5 games. 6–6 Mizzou also makes it’s first Gasparilla Bowl appearance coming off of consecutive wins to end the season, including a win over Arkansas in the Battle Line Rivalry.

The Gasparilla Bowl is only 14 years old. It began in 2008 at Tropicana Field as the St. Petersburg Bowl. In 2017 it was renamed the Gasparilla Bowl after the legendary mythical pirate Jose Gaspar, nicknamed Gasparilla, who supposedly terrorized the Gulf of Mexico from his pirate base around Tampa Bay. In 2018 the organizers moved the game to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay.

The Gasparilla Bowl does not commonly feature teams from the SEC or the ACC. In total only 2 teams each from the SEC and ACC have appeared in this bowl game. Mizzou and Wake Forest will be just the third teams from each conference to appear, and the first SEC/ACC matchup in this bowl’s history.

This game presents a far more intriguing matchup than many may give it credit on the surface. Mizzou’s defense is much improved over last year and has been somewhat of the team’s calling card. They also feature a phenomenal kicker, Harrison Mevis, who at 245 lbs styles himself the “Thicker Kicker”.

Meanwhile Wake Forests boasts a top 20 offense, including a top 10 passing attack led by quarterback Sam Hartman. Hartman missed time early in the season due to a blood clot condition which required surgery. A week or so ago he announced that the surgery required removal of one of his ribs, which he apparently kept. It’s currently in his refrigerator and he plans on having it made into a necklace.

💫🅰️♈️🆔 on Twitter: "Sam Hartman just revealed that he had to have a rib removed and he now has it in his refrigerator and plans to get it made into a necklace. Also he shaved his beard. This is all so disturbing. / Twitter"

Sam Hartman just revealed that he had to have a rib removed and he now has it in his refrigerator and plans to get it made into a necklace. Also he shaved his beard. This is all so disturbing.

So without further ado, let’s jump into this bizarre and disturbing matchup.

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Stats

Offense:

Advantage — Wake Forest

Defense:

Advantage — Mizzou

Injuries/Opt-outs/Transfers

Mizzou

Dominic Lovett WR (Transfer Portal), Zach Lovett LB (Transfer Portal), DJ Jackson DB (Transfer Portal), Travion Ford DL (Transfer Portal), LJ Hewitt DB (Transfer Portal)

Wake Forest

Gavin Holmes CB (Transfer Portal)

Key Players

Mizzou

QB Brady Cook — 65% comp, 2509 yards, 13 TDs. It’s not his passing game that’s the true threat, it’s his running ability. 125 car, 547 yds, 6 TDs.

WR Luther Burden — With Lovett hitting the portal, Burden stands to gain the most. He has the most touchdowns of any WR, including Lovett, but third most receiving yards. I expect his yardage number to increase.

Wake Forest

QB Sam Hartman — 63% cmp, 3421 yards, 35 TDs.

WR A.T. Perry — 70 rec, 980 yds, 11 TDs. If Wake is going to hurt Mizzou, it’s going to be through the air.

What it comes down to

Mizzou is tied for 8th in the FBS in team tackles for loss at 89 on the season; an average of 7.4 per game.

Wake Forest ranks 71st in team tackles for loss allowed, at 69 on the season; an average of 5.75 per game.

WF ranks 19th in offensive 3rd down conversion rate; averaging 46.5% of 3rd down attempts.

Mizzou ranks 28th in 3rd down conversion rate defense; allowing 34% of 3 down attempts to opponents.

WF 29th in Red Zone Defense, allowing 79% of red zone scoring opportunities.

WF 38th Red Zone Offense, avg 87%.

Mizzou 122nd Red Zone Defense, allowing >91% of red zone scoring opportunities.

Mizzou 103 Red Zone Offense, avg. 79.5%

Both teams are -3 turnover margin. The likelihood of both teams turning the ball over in this game is very high. If I could get odds on 1.5 total turnovers I’d probably take the over.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Wake Forest favored at an 59.4% chance to win vs. Mizzou att a 40.6% chance to win.

The spread favors Wake Forest at -1 as does the money line at -115.

The O/U sits at 60.5 at the time of writing with team totals for Wake Forest at 31 and Mizzou at 30.

Both teams are 7–5 ATS.

Final Prediction

This is literally a coin flip of a game that comes down to Sam Hartman playing. If he plays, I think Wake wins by a field goal. If he doesn’t, I don’t think Wake’s defense is good enough to stop Brady Cook passing or running.

I don’t think both teams get to 30 points in this game, and I don’t see the team that does eclipsing 30 by much. I think 60.5 is pretty close, but if I could get 61.5 somewhere I would lean the under.

Mizzou’s average is 25.5 ppg, while Wake’s is 36.8. Therefore I’m pulling my final scores in toward the middle. Mizzou is still a solid defense and ok against the pass. They’ll make it tough enough on a Wake Forest team that doesn’t really have a strong run game to lean on in order to open up the pass.

Each of Wake Forest’s last six games in Florida have gone under the total points line.

Both teams are a combined 9–15 O/U.

Mizzou 28

Wake Forest 31

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Las Vegas Bowl Preview and Prediction — Florida Gators vs Oregon State Beavers

SEC Recap — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 18:00:14 GMT

Las Vegas Bowl Preview and Prediction — Florida Gators vs Oregon State Beavers

2022–23 College Football Bowl Season

by Ben Warren, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

The Matchup

Florida Gators vs. №14 Oregon State Beavers | Dec. 17, 7:30 PM ET, Las Vegas, NV.

Oregon State comes in having won six of its last seven games, including an upset of rival Oregon. Florida lost its rivalry game to Florida State as well as four of its last six games, including one of the worst teams in the SEC — Vanderbilt.

On paper this seems like a mismatch. How does №14 ranked 9–3 Oregon State get paired up in the Las Vegas Bowl with a 6–6 middle of the road Florida Gators team, that even with superstar Anthony Richardson at QB, was up and down all season?

Oregon State might not have all of the offensive pieces they need to be competitive at a higher level, but they have a greatly improved defense that has surprised a lot of people. Florida, meanwhile, has underwhelmed everyone following a surprise upset of Utah in their season opener.

Oregon State comes into this game basically at full strength while Florida is decimated by opt-outs. Is there anything Billy Napier’s squad can do to make this competitive? Or will the Beaver dam keep the Gators out? Let’s dive in!

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Stats

Offense

Advantage —Neutral/Lean Oregon State

Defense

Advantage — Oregon State

Injuries/Opt-Outs/Transfers

Florida

Anthony Richardson QB (NFL Draft), Ventrell Miller LB (NFL Draft), Justin Shorter WR (NFL Draft), O’Cyrus Torrence OL (NFL Draft); 6 transfers out.

Jalen Kitna QB, (arrested) dismissed from the team.

Oregon State

Chance Nolan QB (Transfer Portal), Luke Musgrave TE (NFL Draft), Ron Hardge DB (Transfer Portal)

Key Players

Florida

RB Montrell Johnson Jr. — 144 car, 10 TDs

RB Trevor Etienne — 110 car, 6 TDs

Combined for 1532 yards

Oregon State

RB Damien Martinez — 158 car, 970 yards and 7 TDs. Avg. 6.1 yds/car

What it comes down to

Florida is down to 3rd string quarterback Jack Miller. He was a backup to CJ Stroud at Ohio State but only completed 7 passes for 101 yards. He was suspended from the Buckeyes last November following a drunk driving arrest. This eventually leads to his decision to transfer to Florida where he has not taken a snap all season due to a thumb injury in August requiring surgery. He comes into this bowl game 0/0 for 0 yards.

Behind Miller, Florida has walk-on Kyle Engel and freshman Max Brown.

Oregon State 9th FBS in 4th down conversion rate. They convert 68.2% of their 4th down attempts. Defensively, they are tied for 8th in FBS in 4th down conversion rate allowed, at just 33%.

Florida is going to have to take some chances that may include trying to pick up 4th downs. It’s going to be tough against the Beavers.

The Beavers rank 3rd in FBS in red zone defense allowing just 67.5% of red zone scoring attempts by opponents. What that means for Florida is, even if you manage to get in the red zone, it’s still going to be a tough fight.

Offensively, both teams have allowed just 12 sacks on the year, tied for 11th in the FBS. The catch is that neither passing game is all too dangerous.

One bright spot is the Gators being +10 in turnover margin (T-8th FBS) compared to the Beavers being -1. Maybe the Gators defense can create some opportunities for their offense in the turnover game or snag a couple of outright defensive scores.

The Odds

ESPN’s FPI has Oregon State favored at an 56.9% chance to win vs. Florida at a 43.1% chance to win.

The spread favors Oregon State at -11 as does the money line at -420.

The O/U sits at 51 at the time of writing with team totals for Oregon State at 31.9 and Florida at 19.3.

Final Prediction

The Gators are down an experienced starting OL player in O’Cyrus Torrence and one of their top receivers in Justin Shorter. They’re also starting a QB who has not played in a game all season. Sure he knows the offense, but knowing and doing are completely different things in football.

I like Oregon State to cover the 11 points.

I think Oregon State is too good defensively for a patchworked Florida Gators team where morale is in the dumps. Billy Napier needs to work the transfer portal, get through this signing class and into Spring practice. Brighter days are ahead for the Gators, I believe.

Florida 17

Oregon State 31

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SEC BOWL BLITZ | Georgia’s Reign of Dominance Continues + SEC Bowl Game Rundown.

SEC Recap — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 17:45:48 GMT

Wrapping up Championship Weekend in College Football and getting ready for Bowl Season | Date, time, location, & opponent for each SEC bowl game.

by Ben Warren — Creator, Host of the SEC Recap Podcast

“We Are The Champions”

PAC 12

Utah 47

USC 24

Tie game at halftime 17–17, but it was all Utah in the second half. Utes held USC to just a single touchdown and rolled 47–24. Second time the Utes have defeated USC this season and they are headed to the Rose Bowl.

Big 12

Kansas St 31

TCU 28

I picked this one perfectly. Ty Zentner kicked the FG that sealed it for the Wildcats. Deuce Vaughn broke a lot of ankles. This was one game the Horned Frogs just couldn’t come from behind to steal. They’ve done it many times this season but the Wildcats denied them that and take home the Big 12 Championship and will make a trip to the Sugar Bowl.

Big 10

Michigan 43

Purdue 22

No Spoilermaker magic this year. A second consecutive Big 10 title for the Michigan Wolverines and their first 13 win season in school history. They’ll stay at #2 and get #3 Horned Frogs in the Fiesta Bowl Semifinal.

ACC

Clemson 39

North Carolina 10

It looks like Clemson finally figured out the QB situation with Cade Klubnik, 20/24 279 1 PaTD, 1 RuTD and a QBR of 94.2. The drive summary for the Tarheels is laughable if you believe they’re supposed to be a top 25 team. All ten of their points came in the first half. Other than that is was Punt, Fumble, Missed FG, Punt, Pick 6, Turnover on Downs, Interception. Clemson is your ACC Champ and will make an appearance in the Orange Bowl.

SEC

Georgia 50

LSU 30

LSU/Georgia Breakdown

When Christopher Smith picked up the ball on the 4 yard line and ran it back for a touchdown while LSU players were trudging off the field, you knew how the rest of the game was going to go.

Special teams woes came back to haunt the Tigers and Saturday’s SEC Championship was never in doubt as Georgia went up by three scores and never really slowed down.

Georgia sits comfortably at #1 overall while 2–4 looks like a grab-bag of teams that stumbled their way into the college football playoff by comparison.

Bennett was 23/29, threw 4 TD’s. Georgia’s TE matchups continue to be a nightmare for opposing defenses. Bowers and Washington both caught TD passes. Their entire offense continues to show balance — 279 PY, 255 RY and they added two TD’s on the ground.

Georgia did have a fumble and a missed FG, but they got to 50 points in the 3rd quarter and then just ate clock and punted through the 4th.

Georgia’s defense had 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss.

But LSU, to their credit, did not give up. Jayden Daniels re-injured his ankle in the 2nd quarter and Garrett Nussmeier has to come in, and he plays really well. The issue is they were down 28 points already and nobody has been able to close a gap like that against Georgia.

But LSU did do some things no other team has been able to do against Georgia. They only had 47 yards rushing, but they put up 502 yards through the air. Prior to this game, the most PYs Georgia’s defense allowed was 271 to Florida. LSU piled up 231 more PY’s on Georgia than Florida.

Malik Nabers and Kayshon Boutte both went over 100 yards receiving and Jaray Jenkins had 72. All three guys had TDs.

Altogether LSU put up 542 yards of total offense on the Bulldogs, thanks to the passing game, but I don’t think the teams that Georgia will see in the playoffs should look at this game as a blueprint to score on Georgia. They’re going to have to be 2-dimensional on offense to have a chance against this Georgia defense.

I noted the Jayden Daniels ankle injury. For Georgia, Ladd McConkey exited the game with a knee injury and didn’t return. Warren McClendon went out with an MCL sprain.

Nick Saban’s Bizarre Alabama Propaganda Campaign

During the Big 10 Championship FOX halftime report, Nick Saban gets on in the most bizarrrely contrived propaganda campaign many of us have seen in the CFP era.

He pleads the case for Alabama to be in the CFP Top 4, citing:

They’ve been favored in every game.

Ok, but you still lost two games you were favored in — Tennessee and LSU. That doesn’t support your case when Tennessee lost by 20 something to an unranked South Carolina and the world just watched LSU get blown out at Texas A&M and to Georgia in the SEC Championship game that YOU’RE NOT PLAYING IN.

Vegas odds don’t and shouldn’t decide the CFP. If they did, why wouldn’t we just pick the CFP Top 4 in the second week of September?

2. They beat Ole Miss who was #9 at the time.

Ole Miss ended the season 1–4 in their last 5 games, with their only win coming at Texas A&M. The Texas A&M you almost lost to at home. Ole Miss is no longer ranked in the CFP Top 25. If you’re citing Ole Miss as your signature win to be in the CFP, that is the last ditch-iest of last ditch efforts.

The CFP should not be something that you can politic your way into.

You know who isn’t doing that? Tennessee.

Tennessee doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs with the way they finished the season. They’re also NOT making the case on national television that they deserve to be in the playoffs. Tennessee has two losses and they have to deal with the consequences that. Alabama has two losses and one of those is to Tennessee. So why does Nick Saban get to appear on FOX and ESPN in an attempt to politic his way into the CFP? It’s a bad look for those networks, those media members, and Alabama.

Nick Saban is a living legend; not just at Alabama, but to all of college sports. To watch him spew that half-cocked propaganda plea was just embarassing.

CFP & New Year’s Six Games

CFP Top 4 are:

Georgia
Michigan
TCU
Ohio State
Alabama
Tennessee

Georgia stays at #1 and locks in the Peach Bowl vs. Ohio State

Peach Bowl — Saturday Dec. 31, at 4 or 8 PM, Atlanta

SEC Recap Podcast 🏈🎙️ on Twitter: "Venues for Georgia's biggest games this season:Oregon - AtlantaTennessee - AthensLSU - AtlantaCFP Semifinal - Atlanta / Twitter"

Venues for Georgia's biggest games this season:Oregon - AtlantaTennessee - AthensLSU - AtlantaCFP Semifinal - Atlanta

Alabama heads to the Sugar Bowl vs. Big 12 Champ Kansas St.

Sugar Bowl — Saturday Dec. 31, Noon, New Orleans

With Ohio State back in the CFP, Tennessee secures the Orange Bowl vs. ACC Champ Clemson.

Orange Bowl — Friday Dec. 30, 7:30 PM, Miami

Other SEC Bowl Games

Each school’s bowl game — date, time, location,& opponent. All times are Eastern Time.

Citrus

LSU vs. Purdue | Jan. 2, 1 PM Orlando, FL

SEC vs. Big Ten

Reliaquest

Mississippi State vs. Illinois | Jan. 2, Noon, Tampa, FL

SEC vs. Big 10/ACC

Music City

Kentucky vs. Iowa | Dec. 31, Noon, Nashville, TN

SEC vs. Big 10

Gator

South Carolina vs. Notre Dame | Dec. 30, 3:30 PM Jacksonville, FL

SEC vs. Big 10/ACC

Texas

Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech | Dec. 28, 9 PM Houston TX

SEC vs. Big 12

Liberty

Arkansas vs. Kansas | Dec. 28, 5:30 PM Memphis, TN

SEC vs. Big 12

Gasparilla

Missouri vs. Wake Forest | Dec. 23, 6:30 PM Tampa, FL

SEC or ACC vs. Pool

Las Vegas

Florida vs. Oregon State | Dec. 17, 7:30 PM Las Vegas, NV

SEC vs. PAC 12

I will be putting out game previews and predictions for every SEC bowl game. Stay tuned for those by following me on Twitter @ SecRecap, subscribing to the podcast anywhere you prefer to chug your podcasts, and subscribing to our YouTube channel where you’ll not only find full breakdown episodes but also Shorts highlighting interesting stats and keys to the game for our SEC boys.