The SEC has long been considered the most powerful conference in college football and for good reason with the top teams including mainly Alabama competing in the BCS National Championship game and celebrating national titles. The Crimson Tide, Auburn, Georgia and Mississippi are all expected to make some noise out of the SEC this season but while there is plenty of talent at the top, there are also a handful of teams in the conference that will have an uphill climb getting to a bowl game. Here is a look at the four SEC teams most likely to miss bowl games this season.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Running back Ralph Webb is a star but there are major question marks almost everywhere else including no clear starter at quarterback. Head coach Derek Mason is optimistic about his defense’s potential but Vanderbilt is clearly facing an uphill climb in the loaded SEC and its schedule doesn’t help. The Commodores have to go to Florida and Tennessee, and also have games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, so those four contests alone could produce a 0-4 record. Factor in tough non-conference games against Western Kentucky and Houston, and it’s clear that Vanderbilt is the most obvious choice for the SEC team most likely to miss out on a bowl game.
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Kentucky Wildcats
Just when it seemed as though Kentucky had turned a corner with a 5-1 record to open the 2015 season, they hit a sudden spiral and lost their final six straight games to close out the season. Patrick Towles is an underrated quarterback but like the Commodores, the schedule won’t do any favors for the Wildcats this season.
Kentucky gets to host Auburn but that game is on a short week with the Tigers coming off a bye and then the following week they have to visit rival Mississippi State. Factor in a September schedule that includes games against South Carolina, Florida and Missouri, and there is no doubt the Wildcats will have a tough time making a bowl game. A lot of people are optimistic about this program but it looks like they are still a year away from being a factor in the conference.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Nobody is predicting South Carolina will finish at the bottom of the SEC East division but they will be challenged to get to a bowl game in 2015. The Gamecocks have several areas of concern following a 6-6 season including at quarterback and running back, as well as on the defensive side of the football where this team had its biggest issues last season.
A tough schedule includes road games at Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri as well as home dates with Texas A&M and LSU not to mention their non-conference opener against North Carolina. If they were stable at some of the key positions like the offensive backfield, then there would be more confidence to say they can go bowling. As it stands now, it wouldn’t be a major shock if South Carolina falls just short of the postseason this year.
Florida Gators
There is plenty of optimism in Gainesville following the arrival of head coach Jim McElwain but expectations should be tempered in Year One. The Gators still have a lot of work to do playing out of the SEC East. Florida definitely has the talent to make a bowl game but whether or not the coaching staff can put everything together in time for this team to thrive in a tough conference is a difficult question to answer at this point.
A new offense that features an inexperienced quarterback and concerns on the offensive line could spell trouble. There is no reprieve in the SEC where the schedule includes consecutive road games at Missouri and LSU in mid-October as well as a trip to South Carolina in November. Factor in the annual rivalry game with Florida State at the end of the season and this rebuilding program could have a tough time. While the Gators certainly have the talent to make a bowl game, it shouldn’t be a shock if they miss the festivities in McElwain’s first season.
