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Even in a perceived down year in the SEC, an astounding, record-tying 12 of its 14 teams found their way to a bowl game. And each had its own unique path.
Some were winding. Others were a little more direct.
Whatever the path, there’s multiple reasons 12 SEC schools are preparing to play one more game (Alabama hopes two more) during the holiday season. And we’ve picked out three reasons each team is bowling and not thinking about the 2017 season quite yet.
Alabama
1. Incredibly quick development of Jalen Hurts: Freshman quarterbacks aren’t supposed to just take over, especially at a program like Bama, lead undefeated regular seasons and top it all off with a win in the SEC title game. And not many should be betting that he doesn’t have two more wins in him.
2. A defense that is one of Nick Saban’s best at Bama: The Tide’s latest defensive reincarnation held its past seven opponents to 16 points or less as it surged to the SEC title and a No. 1 seeding in the College Football Playoff.
3. Overwhelming talent depth, winning culture: The crystal balls in Bama’s trophy case speak for themselves, so much so that the question in Tuscaloosa every Labor Day isn’t whether the Tide will make a bowl but whether it will once again be lifting the crystal after the season’s very last game.
Arkansas
1. An offense that scored 30-plus points in six of its seven wins, masking an oft-porous defense: The Hogs simply outscored enough teams on their way to seven wins and a bowl bid, not the ideal way to live but it was enough.
2. Big-time victories over Florida as well as Ole Miss and TCU when they were ranked: The defense gave up a combined 68 points to the Rebels and Horned Frogs, but the Florida win was the true gem, as the Hogs allowed just 10 points and beat the SEC East champions going away.
3. Austin Allen: He threw for over 3,100 yards and 23 touchdowns in first season as starter taking over for brother Brandon. It’s tough enough stepping into any starting quarterback role in the SEC, but imagine following your big brother? It didn’t seem to faze Austin Allen.
Auburn
1. Kamryn Pettway’s emergence and dominance during Tigers’ rise in rankings: Pettway became the weekly show as the Tigers went from irrelevant to on the brink of playing Bama for the SEC West crown. He finished with 1,123 yards, but didn’t it seem like he had more?
2. The unforgettable home victory over LSU that kick-started the six-game win streak: Auburn lost to LSU, and then suddenly it won, a microcosm of a roller-coaster season that started badly before gaining steam. What a difference one second can make.
3. A mostly stifling defense that held all but three opponents under 20 points: Those early season home losses to Clemson and Texas A&M weren’t the defense’s fault, with the Tigers and Aggies combining for only 48 points while Auburn’s offense struggled mightily.
Florida
1. Strong-willed defense that has overcome injuries: Coach Jim McElwain seemingly never had his full defense at his disposal this season, but his players wanted no part of that excuse, and the goal-line stand at LSU to clinch the SEC East was its signature show of resilience.
2. Ability of McElwain to keep team together: The second-year coach hasn’t brought home an SEC title (yet), although you can blame Bama for that. But McElwain somehow got the Gators back to Atlanta this season despite the litany of injuries on both sides of the ball, an offense that again struggled to score points consistently and a hurricane that moved the LSU showdown from Gainesville to Baton Rouge.
3. Ability to win home games and games they were supposed to win: Sure, there were disappointing road losses to Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State. But the Gators protected The Swamp all fall, beat every inferior opponent and snuck out a win at LSU to snatch the SEC East title.
Georgia
1. Late-season wins over Kentucky and Auburn when season was on verge of collapse: The Bulldogs were fading before breaking Kentucky’s heart in Lexington, followed by the upset of Auburn that ruined a winner-take-all Iron Bowl.
2. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel being just good enough: The fans in Athens are thankful the duo will be back next season, but they were also appreciative of the combined 1,741 yards Chubb and Michel cranked out this fall as Jacob Eason took his freshman lumps.
3. Not letting the Hail Mary against Tennessee or home loss to Vandy drown its season: Those were low moments, both at home no less, and while Kirby Smart’s first season wasn’t nearly the smashing success fans hoped, it could have been a whole lot worse.
Kentucky
1. The dazzling running back duo: Stanley Williams (1,135) and Benny Snell Jr. (1,057) pummeled opponents and became the first Wildcats RB tandem to reach 1,000 in the same season.
2. Strong finish: The Wildcats had zero inferiority complex, taking down Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in his stadium to get that seventh win against Louisville, just for good measure.
3. Phenomenal coaching job by Mark Stoops to make his team believe: It was a rebirth season in Lexington engineered by Stoops, who got the Wildcats to their first bowl game since 2010.
LSU
1. Coach O taking over for Les Miles and making the team — and program — his own: Ed Orgeron saved an LSU season that could have been a complete disaster, his popularity soared week by week, and the Tigers’ offense had a buzz about it that was non-existent in Miles’ final weeks.
2. Leonard Fournette’s perseverance and Derrius Guice’s emergence: Fournette was never really 100 percent, yet he had electric moments that reminded the Tigers faithful how special he was. And while Fournette limped through 2016, Guice galloped and gave defenses nightmares every Saturday.
3. Overall resilience in the face of coaching change and not meeting expectations: The Tigers could have sulked after Miles got fired. They could have tuned Coach O out and finished with something like five wins. But they sucked it up, and ultimately that’s why Orgeron will be LSU’s coach in 2017 and beyond.
Mississippi State
1. Academics and Egg Bowl blowout: The Bulldogs went into Oxford and put up 55 points on their underachieving rival, getting a fifth win that ultimately was enough to get them to St. Petersburg thanks to a high APR score. Without the grades, the Bulldogs would have stayed home.
2. In the every win counts department, that shocker over Texas A&M: The stubborn Bulldogs started the Aggies’ free-fall with the stunner in Starkville.
3. Nick Fitzgerald making Bulldogs fans (mostly) get over their Dak Prescott withdrawal: The sophomore multi-threat dazzled all season, putting up a staggering 2,287 yards passing and 1,243 rushing — a school record for a QB.
South Carolina
1. The monster home upset of Tennessee in late October: That was the victory that ultimately made the difference in the Gamecocks getting to six wins, as the Vols limped into Williams-Brice Stadium after two consecutive losses and were ripe for the picking. South Carolina pounced.
2. Gamecocks finding their quarterback of present and future in Jake Bentley: What a revelation Bentley was, throwing for 1,030 yards and only two interceptions after being inserted into the lineup for the last six games.
3. A solid defense that gave Gamecocks a shot to win every game except Clemson: The defense often had little help, especially during the first half of the season before Bentley took over at quarterback.
Tennessee
1. The thrilling early-season comeback victories: The Volunteers became the talk of the early season with their ability to rally from first-half deficits with second-half surges. The game-winning Hail Mary in Athens was an all-time Vols moment.
2. Ability to regain its footing after three-game midseason skid: The Vols’ magic dust vanished after that 5-0 start, but they answered with a three-game win streak highlighted by the home shootout victory over Kentucky.
3. An explosive offense led by quarterback Joshua Dobbs: The senior finished off his career with 2,655 yards passing and 26 touchdown passes, and also rushed for over 100 yards three times.
Texas A&M
1. Another hot start: The electric 7-1 start had Aggies loyalists dreaming of January crystal balls — before the late fade. The Aggies were already bowl-eligible at 6-0 before they hit Tuscaloosa and everything changed.
2. Overtime heroes: The Aggies beat UCLA in overtime and Tennessee in double OT: The Aggies were resilient and courageous in those two dramatic wins, before their bad alter ego took over down the stretch.
3. Emergence of freshman running back Trayveon Williams: Williams had 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns, going for 217 yards in the Tennessee thriller.
Vanderbilt
1. Huge SEC wins at Georgia and against rival Tennessee: The bad losses to South Carolina and Missouri were balanced out by the thrilling win in Athens and the Commodores’ takedown of their in-state rivals to seal that all-important sixth win — even though they would have gone bowling at 5-7 thanks to their high APR score.
2. Defense, defense, defense: The Commodores held Florida to 13 points, Georgia to 16 and Auburn to 23.
3. Ralph Webb, Ralph Webb and more Ralph Webb: The junior continued to build his all-time legacy in Nashville, carrying Vandy’s offense with 1,172 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. He set Vandy’s career rushing record in the process and needs just 22 yards to break Zac Stacy’s single season mark.
Cory Nightingale, a sports copy editor at the Miami Herald, lives for Saturdays. He especially enjoys the pageantry, tradition and history of SEC football.
