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In a relative down year for the SEC, the conference is still commanding serious respect among oddsmakers. With 12 teams in bowl games, the SEC representative opened as favorite in 11 of those games on the Monday after selections.
No. 1 Alabama, matched up with No. 4 Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal, opens as the biggest SEC favorite at -9.5. Alabama, which just wrapped up another SEC title, hasn’t been an underdog in any game since they upset Florida in the 2009 SEC Championship.
Texas A&M, playing in the Liberty Bowl, is the only SEC team to open as an underdog. They square off against West Virginia (-4), one of the teams that replaced the Aggies in the Big 12 for the 2012 season.
Here are the rest of the initial lines for bowl season.
| Matchup | Kickoff Time^ | Line# |
|---|---|---|
| Independence Bowl: South Carolina vs. Miami | Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. | South Carolina -1.5 |
| Liberty Bowl: Texas A&M vs. West Virginia | Dec. 29, 2 p.m. | WVU -4* |
| Texas Bowl: Arkansas vs. Texas | Dec. 29, 9 p.m. | Arkansas -6 |
| Music City Bowl: LSU vs. Notre Dame | Dec. 30, 3 p.m. | LSU -6 |
| Belk Bowl: Georgia vs. Louisville | Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m. | Georgia -7.5 |
| Chick Fil A Bowl: Ole Miss vs. TCU | Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. | Ole Miss -3 |
| Orange Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech | Dec. 31, 8 p.m. | Miss St. -7 |
| Outback Bowl: Auburn vs. Wisconsin | Jan. 1, 12 p.m. | Auburn -6 |
| Citrus Bowl: Missouri vs. Minnesota | Jan. 1, 1 p.m. | Missouri -6 |
| Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State | Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. | Alabama -9.5 |
| TaxSlayer Bowl: Tennessee vs. Iowa | Jan. 2, 3:20 p.m. | Tennessee -3.5 |
| Birmingham Bowl: Florida vs. ECU | Jan. 3, 1 p.m. | Florida -1.5 |
^ All times Eastern Time Zone
#Based on Wynn LV lines as of 12:45 p.m. ET, Dec. 8
* Based on 5Dimes lines as of 12:45 p.m. ET, Dec. 8
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
