SEC Bowl Previews: From Auburn to Vanderbilt

Friday, Dec.30

Georgia (7-5) vs. TCU (6-6), AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN (Noon/ESPN)

As has seemingly become tradition, Georgia once again fell short of preseason expectations.Freshman QB Jacob Eason, a five-star recruit who was supposed to set the world on fire, finished with a pedestrian 14 TD and 8 INT and 2,266 yards. The run game never took off as Nick Chubb had only 988 rushing yards and seven scores in 207 carries. Luckily for the Dawgs, they’ll take on a TCU team that has been shaky with its defense. The Horned Frogs are surrendering an average of 35 points per loss, meaning when they lose, they lose big.

But as usual with TCU, they have a high-powered offense. They average 31 points per game (54th in FBS) led by a great passing game (25th in FBS with 278 passing ypg). QB Kenny Hill has just more than 3,000 passing yards on the season, but a frightening 15 TD to 13 INT. Much like the majority of TCU’s games, this could either be a shootout where their defense falters or a low-scoring affair where neither QB takes off and instead it becomes a turnover competition.

Nebraska (9-3) vs. #21 Tennessee (8-4), Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN (ESPN/3:30 p.m. ET)

Much like Georgia, this was supposed to be The year for the Vols. Picked to win the SEC East in the preseason, Tennessee raced to a 5-0 start before dropping three straight, including one to South Carolina. Though they got a key victory over Florida in late September, the season is marked my missed opportunities. It turned ugly when Jalen Hurts left the team. If they want to eek out a win, it rests on QB Joshua Dobbs who led the SEC with 26 touchdown passes. He’s not immobile either, adding 713 yards with nine scores on the ground. But he can’t do it all. The team has issues with their defense (29 points against) and offense (319 yards per game, 113th in FBS).

The Cornhuskers had a similar season to Tennessee’s. Nebraska started out 7-0 and was ranked as high as 7th in the AP poll after nine weeks. But they finished 2-3 after losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State. All eyes are on Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong, who’s been dealing with a hamstring injury since the end of the season. He also suffered a concussion scare in early November. He is the team’s all-time passing yards leader with 8,871 yards. In his final regular season game, he had a meager 125 yards and was a paltry 13-for-35 in a 40-10 Iowa blowout. A mediocre season has seen the Cornhuskers’ offensive prowess drop, but a defense surrendering only 22 points per game should give Armstrong some breathing room.