ESPN’s latest bowl projections after Week 4 paint a busy postseason picture for the SEC, with 13 teams still in the mix and only three left out of the field entirely.
South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Arkansas are the lone SEC programs that did not land in either Kyle Bonagura’s or Mark Schlabach’s updated projections. Everyone else from the league shows up somewhere on the board, and for several teams, the road points straight toward the College Football Playoff.
Florida is projected into the playoff by both analysts, though the seeding flips. Bonagura has the Gators facing No.
9 Florida in a first-round matchup with No. 8 BYU, while Schlabach has the same pairing with Florida and BYU swapped in the bracket.
Georgia is also in the playoff picture, with Bonagura slotting the Bulldogs into a quarterfinal against No. 8 BYU as the No. 1 seed. Schlabach did not list a projection for Georgia in the update.
Texas appears in both playoff forecasts as well. Bonagura has the Longhorns meeting Boise State in a first-round game as the No. 5 seed, while Schlabach takes Texas all the way to a quarterfinal matchup as the No. 1 seed against No. 8 Florida.
Ole Miss is another SEC team both analysts pushed into the playoff field. In each projection, the Rebels are slotted as No. 11 and matched up with No. 6 Ohio State in a first-round game.
Beyond the playoff spots, the bowl slate is filled out with familiar SEC names in a range of December destinations. Auburn shows up in two different places: Bonagura has the Tigers in the Gator Bowl against Duke, while Schlabach sends them to the Liberty Bowl against Kansas State.
LSU is projected to the Citrus Bowl in both forecasts, with Penn State on the other side. Kentucky is listed as LSU in the source text, followed by the same Citrus Bowl matchup in both projections.
Mississippi State lands in the postseason either way, though the opponent changes. Bonagura projects the Bulldogs in the Music City Bowl against Iowa, while Schlabach has them in the Gator Bowl against SMU.
Missouri is also in the mix. Bonagura sends Mizzou to the Liberty Bowl to face Houston, while Schlabach places the Tigers in the Las Vegas Bowl against USC.
Oklahoma appears in two different bowls as well. Bonagura has the Sooners in the Las Vegas Bowl against USC, while Schlabach puts them in the Birmingham Bowl against NC State.
Tennessee’s destination depends on which projection you follow. Bonagura has the Vols in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Nebraska, and Schlabach has them in the same bowl against Michigan.
Texas A&M rounds out the SEC group with a pair of Texas Bowl projections. Bonagura has the Aggies facing Cincinnati, while Schlabach sends them there against Oklahoma State.
In Other News...
Mizzou's Pass Rush Suddenly Looks Like A Major Florida Concern
Missouris defensive front took on a different look last week, and now the Tigers have to wait to see whether it changes again before Florida comes to Columbia on Saturday. Eli Drinkwitz said starting edge rushers Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen are questionable for homecoming, with Smith dealing with a lower-leg injury from a previous game and Kitchen leaving early last time out because of a lower-body issue. In their absence, sophomore Daeden Hopkins has handled more of the edge-rushing load, giving Missouri at least one answer if the depth chart stays in flux.
The timing matters because this is the sort of spot where the Tigers usually need their pass rush at full strength, especially at Memorial Stadium against an SEC opponent that will spend the week preparing for pressure off the edge. Missouri now has a short runway to get healthy, and the next practice stretch will go a long way toward clarifying how much of that original rotation is available when Florida arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Fans Are Debating Eli Drinkwitzs Biggest Late-Game Decision
Late in Missouris loss at Mississippi State, a spot on fourth-and-1 became the kind of call that lingers long after the final whistle. The Bulldogs were given the first down, and Eli Drinkwitz let the play stand after hearing it had already been cleared in the booth, choosing to preserve his timeouts instead of throwing the flag.
The decision became a flash point because the sequence soon swung the game for good, with Mississippi State tying things at 24-24 before pulling away for a 31-24 win. For Missouri, it was a frustrating SEC opener that dropped the Tigers to 3-1 overall and left fans wondering whether the late-game gamble should have gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Suddenly Has No Margin For Error Against Florida
Eli Drinkwitz spent the days after Missouris first loss of the season talking through the kinds of issues that can quietly flip a game before it ever settles in. The slow start at Mississippi State, the missed chances and the tackling problems all came up as the Tigers turned the page toward Florida, with Drinkwitz stressing that one setback does not define the season. He also pointed to the value of special teams and the way some younger defensive pieces have started to emerge, both of which have helped Missouri stay afloat even when the offense has been behind the curve.
Now the focus shifts to a Florida matchup that feels less forgiving by the day, because the margin for error has tightened in a hurry. Missouri still has areas it can lean on, but there are also personnel questions hanging over the week and a depth chart that will be worth watching right up to kickoff. For a team trying to steady itself after its first stumble, the next step is less about style points than surviving the kind of game that can turn on one or two small decisions. [Read more 🡒]