SEC in Review: Postseason

The SEC regular season is over. It's bowl season again, and it's time to review my predictions and the SEC season as a whole. First, my predictions:

1. Ole Miss will be good this year, and perhaps beat a team they shouldn't, but they will not go to the SEC Championship Game.

Ole Miss was good by Ole Miss standards (8-4 overall, 4-4 SEC) but finished third in the SEC West.

2. Vanderbilt will return to a bowl game.

No. Vanderbilt had a dismal season.

3. Of the three teams with a new coach (Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee), State will be the one that performs better than expected.

I think you could make a case that any of these teams was the best overall, but you could just as easily say that they failed to meet expectations. Auburn finished 7-5, which sounds good, unless you remember that they started off 5-0 - including losses to Kentucky and Georgia. Tennessee looked to have really righted the ship midseason, and they did finish 7-5 and second in the East. But then they tanked against Ole Miss, and second in the East was shared with four other teams. Mississippi State finished with a 5-7 record, which isn't great, but it is their second-best record since 2000, and given the fact that they wrapped the season with a blowout of hated rival Ole Miss, I will give the Bulldogs the nod.

4. Les Miles (LSU) will be on the coaching hot seat by the end of the year.

This didn't look likely to happen, until Miles shot both feet off in the Ole Miss game. After rectifying the clock management issues against Arkansas, Miles is safe for now, but the seat is definitely warmer than at mid-season.

5. Florida will beat Tennessee by at least 35 points.

Unfortunately, this didn't happen.

6. Alabama will win the SEC West.

Done.

7. Florida will win the SEC East.

Done.

8. Florida will win the SEC.

Wrong. Alabama crushed Florida 32-13 in the Championship Game.

9. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman Trophy.

Not likely. We'll find out Saturday. Expect the closest race we've seen in a while.

10. The national champion will come from outside the SEC this year.

We won't know this until January, obviously, but it will be either #1 Alabama or #2 Texas. Currently, I am picking the Tide.


Other observations:

Alabama (13-0, 8-0) - The Crimson Tide avenged last year's loss against the Gators in the SEC Championship game with a totally dominating performance. They have set themselves up to play for the team's 13th national championship against the Texas Longhorns as well as sweeping a number of postseason SEC accolades. My prediction: BCS Championship Game Result: BCS Championship Game vs. Texas

Arkansas (7-5, 3-5) - Arkansas has improved as a team over last year, but the overtime loss to LSU put a bit of a damper on things. The Hogs had an opportunity to tie for second in the West, but had to settle for fourth. My prediction: PapaJohns.com Bowl Result: Liberty Bowl vs. East Carolina

Auburn (7-5, 3-5) - Auburn started on a hot streak, winning five in a row, but finished the regular season with a 2-5 slide. Still, the Tigers' strong showing against Alabama has Auburn fans looking forward to the future under Gene Chizik. My prediction: Cotton Bowl Result: Outback Bowl vs. Northwestern

Florida (12-1, 8-0) - The Gators benefited from a weak schedule and honestly, a weak division. Florida is a good team, but missed an opportunity to be the greatest in school history. The only question remaining for the Gators is whether or not Tebow can bring them back from a devastating loss to the Tide. My prediction: Sugar Bowl Result: Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati

Georgia (7-5, 4-4) - The Bulldogs are an average team and finished with a disappointing record, but unlikely victories over Auburn and a top-10 Georgia Tech team helped ease the pain. Marc Richt has already cleaned house in an effort to keep himself off the hot seat, but next year may be make-or-break. My prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl Result: Independence Bowl vs. Texas A&M

Kentucky (7-5, 3-5) - Kentucky is a decent team, but missed an opportunity to make a good season a great one with an overtime loss to Tennessee. Still, historic victories over Auburn and Georgia, and the Wildcat's fourth consecutive bowl game, made 2009 a successful year for UK. My prediction: No bowl Result: Music City Bowl vs. Clemson

LSU (9-3, 5-3) - LSU's two losses to Alabama and Florida were not unexpected, but Les Miles' botching of the Ole Miss game was epic. Fortunately for Miles, he righted the ship against Arkansas. The Bayou Bengals still have an opportunity for a ten-win season, if they can take care of business against Penn State. My prediction: Capital One Bowl Result: Capital One Bowl vs. Penn State

Mississippi (8-4, 4-4)- Ole Miss is a split personality team, it seems. They tanked against South Carolina, Alabama, and Auburn, then seemed to be ready to turn things around by pummeling Tennessee and pulling out a miracle win over LSU. Then of course, they got dominated by MSU. Obviously, they did not win the West, and if anything, declined a bit compared to last year, although a big bowl win would help salvage the season somewhat. My prediction: Independence Bowl Result: Cotton Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

Mississippi State (5-7, 3-5) - State played a tough schedule out of conference (Houston, Georgia Tech) and in, and while they were unable to reach bowl eligibility, they go into the off-season feeling good about the program - especially the Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss. My prediction: Music City Bowl Result: No bowl

South Carolina (7-5, 3-5) - South Carolina didn't completely fall off the map at the end of the year, but close enough. Only a surprising victory over rival Clemson kept the season from a disastrous finish. Still, wrapping up 2009 in Birmingham is nothing to write home about. My prediction: Liberty Bowl Result: PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Connecticut

Tennessee (7-5, 4-4) - Tennessee finished 2009 strong, despite laying an egg against Ole Miss (aka Dexter McCluster). The Vols got jobbed out of the Outback Bowl, but may have gotten a better game in the process. My prediction: Outback Bowl Result: Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. Virginia Tech

Vanderbilt (2-10, 0-8) - Just horrible, or in other words, back to normal. My prediction: No bowl Result: No bowl