(#7) The \u201cProdigal\u201d Bowl<\/h3>\n
Kansas St. Wildcats (8-4)<\/strong> Dec. 28, 9pm ET.<\/em><\/p>\n Texas A&M was in the Big 12 from 1996 to 2011. Then, at the tender Big 12 age of 16 and with a new head coach in Kevin Sumlin,<\/strong> the Aggies set out on their own. The bright-eyed A&M program entered the SEC with a bang, going 11-2 in year one and defeating the mighty Alabama. Their star quarterback\u00a0Johnny Manziel<\/strong><\/a> broke school records and won the Heisman. But then Johnny Football went to the Cleveland Browns (and thus is no longer in the NFL), and the program began to come back to earth. The Aggies haven\u2019t won more than eight games since Manziel departed. The program that thrived in their new home upon arrival is now attempting to get to nine wins for the first time since 2013\u2026and it will be against an old Big 12 roommate.<\/p>\n Kansas St. has had an impressive 8-4 year. But back in the spring and summer of 2012 they stood between some bears from Waco and some Sooners from Norman and watched the Aggies and Tigers prance off south and east. While Texas A&M was in the Big 12, they faced the Wildcats ten total times, winning exactly half of them. One of those match ups was in the 1998 Big 12 Championship game, a 36-33 Texas A&M win.<\/p>\n Now the Aggies will return home as a visitor, even if for a brief moment, on Dec. 28th. Both squads will be going for their ninth win. Don\u2019t expect the Wildcats to welcome the Aggies back with open arms.<\/p>\n TCU Horned Frogs (6-6)<\/strong> Dec. 30, noon ET.<\/em><\/p>\n Kirby Smart<\/strong> made his way to Athens this year to take the reigns from exiting chief Bulldog Mark Richt.<\/strong> In his first year as top-dog, Smart led the Bulldogs and freshman QB Jacob<\/strong> Eason<\/strong><\/a> to a 7-5 season. They became bowl eligible on Nov. 12th with a big upset win over Auburn, but bowl eligibility is nothing new for the program.<\/p>\n Georgia ranks fifth in the nation in bowl appearances at 51. They also rank second in the SEC at bowl winning percentage at .598 (Auburn, .600) and second in the SEC with bowl wins at 29 (Alabama, 36). The most important stat though for Smart\u2019s Dawgs is the number 20. That\u2019s the number of consecutive bowl games Bulldog fans have been able to enjoy. That streak is currently tops in the SEC and third longest in the country. While Smart may still be getting accustomed to his team, the Dawgs are well acquainted with bowl season.<\/p>\n TCU began the season with high hopes. The Horned Frogs spent\u00a0a total of three weeks in the AP top-25 but were in need of their own vet by season\u2019s end. They became bowl-eligible though with a 31-9 win over Texas on Friday Nov. 25th. And just like Georgia\u2026TCU is no stranger to this time of year. TCU has played in thirty bowl games, good for 29th in the nation. Their bowl record sits at .500, an even 15-15 with one tie.<\/p>\n Counting this year, the teams have played in a combined 82 bowl games. This Dec. 30th match-up with feature two teams looking to rebound from mediocre seasons and gain momentum heading into 2017.<\/p>\n Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4)<\/strong> Dec. 31, 11am ET.<\/em><\/p>\n Georgia Tech finished 2015 with a 3-9 record. This season was much different. The Yellow Jackets went 8-4 this year and finished with three straight wins, including a stunning last-second win over their rival Georgia. The Yellow Jackets made most of their success with the running game, racking up over 3,000 rushing yards and averaging 254.1 rushing yards per game (good for 11th in the nation).<\/p>\n The Wildcats started the season poorly, losing their first two games and giving up at least 44 points in each. Calls for Mark Stoops\u2019<\/strong> job began ringing again. But the season turned around as Kentucky won five of their next six. The highlight of Kentucky\u2019s season came in their final game when they pulled off a huge upset over Louisville and soon-to-be Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. Kentucky can run the ball themselves. They average 244.1 yards, just one yard behind Georgia Tech and 15th in the nation.<\/p>\n Benny Snell Jr.<\/strong> and Stanley \u201cBoom\u201d Williams<\/a><\/strong> lead this UK rushing attack opposite dual-threat QB Justin Thomas<\/strong><\/a> and Marcus Marshall<\/strong><\/a> for Georgia Tech. This game begins four hours before the first CFP semi-final. If these two teams stick to what got them here in their successful running games, the game should be one of the quicker bowls. This means you should have plenty of time to run out and grab a few more fireworks before the CFP starts!<\/p>\n South Florida Bulls (10-2)<\/strong> Dec. 29, 2pm ET.<\/em><\/p>\n Quinton Flowers<\/strong><\/a> is probably the best player you\u2019ve never heard of. If South Carolina wants any chance at getting their fifth straight bowl win, they\u2019ll have to find a way to contain him. Flowers accounted for 37 TD\u2019s this season while leading the Bulls to a 10-2 record. But South Florida head coach Willie Taggart<\/strong> has gone to Eugene to lead the Ducks.<\/p>\n South Carolina wasn\u2019t supposed to make a bowl game this year. Under first year head coach Will Muschamp,<\/strong> many experts predicted that South Carolina would win somewhere around three or four games. On Oct. 22nd, Muschamp made the controversial decision to pull the red-shirt off of freshman QB Jake Bentley<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Bentley went 4-2 as the Gamecocks\u2019 starter, including a big upset win over Tennessee. South Carolina had three straight 11-win seasons under previous head coach Steve Spurrier<\/strong> before tailing off. The Gamecocks\u00a0went 7-6 in Spurrier\u2019s final full year (2014) and 3-9 in 2015.<\/p>\n The Bulls will enter the 2017 season with new head coach Charlie Strong,<\/strong> hoping to raise the program to new heights. The Gamecocks look to continue to rise under Muschamp. Whichever \u201csouth\u201d wins this game will carry huge momentum into the off-season.<\/p>\n NC State Wolfpack (6-6)<\/strong> Dec. 26, 5pm ET.<\/em><\/p>\n The day after Christmas will feature three bowl games, the last being this SEC-ACC match-up between Vanderbilt and NC State. These are two teams that won games they weren\u2019t supposed to win and lost games they weren\u2019t supposed to lose.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with NC State. The Wolfpack started the season 4-1 before losing five straight. They shouldn\u2019t have lost five straight though. The first of those five was a 24-17 OT loss to Clemson. The game was in OT because of a missed 33-yard field goal by State kicker Kyle Bambard<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> If State could\u2019ve found a way to win that game, we\u2019d be looking at a very different CFP final four. But State came away with some good wins as well. On October 8th, State had an impressive win over Notre Dame in the throes of a Hurricane Matthew downpour. The day after Thanksgiving saw the Wolfpack take down an 8-3 UNC team, one of their fiercest rivals.<\/p>\n Vanderbilt opened up the season with a disappointing home loss to South Carolina in their head coach\u2019s first game. On Oct. 8th, they were 2-4 and needing a season turnaround to make it to bowl eligibility. That\u2019s exactly what happened. The Commodores won four of six down the stretch, ending the season with back to back wins over Ole Miss and arch-rival Tennessee. And while they did play better during that stretch, they still lost their game to arguably the SEC\u2019s worst team in Missouri.<\/p>\n In true office Christmas party nature, good luck guessing what\u2019s behind the wrapping when these teams face off in Shreveport.<\/p>\n Miami (OH) (6-6)<\/strong> Dec. 26, 11am ET.<\/em><\/p>\n This is not exactly the most exciting bowl matchup. But that\u2019s ok, only one bowl can make that claim. While it may not be the most sparkling game, it\u2019s a tremendous opportunity for both of these teams. It\u2019s an opportunity that at one point didn\u2019t seem possible for either team.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with Miami (OH). On Oct. 8th, the Redhawks lost to Akron 35-13 to fall to 0-6 on the season. What Miami (OH) did next was remarkable. The team that seemed hopeful to just win a game rattled off six straight, beating two other bowl teams in the process.<\/p>\n
\nTexas A&M Aggies (8-4)<\/strong><\/p>\n(#8) The \u201cWiley Old Vet\u201d Bowl<\/h3>\n
\nGeorgia Bulldogs (7-5)<\/strong><\/p>\n(#9) The \u201cMore Time for Fireworks\u201d Bowl<\/h3>\n
\nKentucky Wildcats (7-5)<\/strong><\/p>\n(#10) The \u201cThe South Will Rise Again\u201d Bowl<\/h3>\n
\nSouth Carolina Gamecocks (6-6)<\/strong><\/p>\n(#11) The \u201cWhite Elephant Gift Exchange\u201d Bowl<\/h3>\n
\nVanderbilt Commodores (6-6)<\/strong><\/p>\n(#12) The \u201cReviva-bowl\u201d<\/h3>\n
\nMississippi St. (5-7)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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