National media projects bowl games for SEC teams after Week 4

Week 4 held some big surprises for the SEC, and they weren’t all of the “happy” variety.

The biggest news of the week was the firing of both LSU head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron after Auburn pulled the upset of the Bayou Bengals. The upset was a punch in the gut for LSU, but it gave Auburn a huge boost in bowl projections.

The Rebels manhandled Georgia in Oxford, and the Bulldogs’ postseason outlook definitely suffered for it.

In Knoxville, the Volunteers were hoping to end an 11-year losing streak against the Gators, and they succeeded in spectacular fashion. And this week’s bowl projections reflect the rise of Tennessee and the fall of Florida into less favorable bowl games.

As for the rest of the SEC, Vandy is still out after Week 4, while Kentucky got just one vote from ESPN and South Carolina got a single vote from CBS Sports.

Here’s how a few national media outlets are projecting bowl games for SEC teams after Week 4.

ALABAMA

CBS Sports: Peach Bowl* vs. Stanford
ESPN: Peach Bowl* vs. Michigan (Schlabach); Fiesta Bowl* vs. Ohio State (McMurphy)
SDS: Peach Bowl* vs. Stanford

ARKANSAS

CBS Sports: Music City Bowl vs. Iowa
ESPN: Texas Bowl vs. Texas (Schlabach); Citrus Bowl vs. Iowa (McMurphy)
SDS: TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Michigan State

AUBURN

CBS Sports: Belk Bowl vs. Wake Forest
ESPN: Music City Bowl vs. Indiana (Schlabach); Liberty Bowl vs. Oklahoma State (McMurphy)
SDS: Music City Bowl vs. Wake Forest

FLORIDA

CBS Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. West Virginia
ESPN: TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Miami (Schlabach); Outback Bowl vs. Nebraska (McMurphy)
SDS: Outback Bowl vs. Nebraska

GEORGIA

CBS Sports: Citrus Bowl vs. Miami
ESPN: Outback Bowl vs. Michigan State (Schlabach); Music City Bowl vs. Maryland (McMurphy)
SDS: Belk Bowl vs. Virginia Tech

KENTUCKY

ESPN: Independence Bowl vs. Wake Forest (McMurphy)

LSU

CBS Sports: Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State
ESPN: Belk Bowl vs. North Carolina (Schlabach); Belk Bowl vs. Miami (McMurphy)
SDS: Liberty Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

MISSISSIPPI STATE

ESPN: Birmingham Bowl vs. East Carolina (Schlabach); Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma (McMurphy)

MISSOURI

CBS Sports: Independence Bowl vs. NC State
ESPN: Liberty Bowl vs. TCU (Schlabach)
SDS: Texas Bowl vs. TCU

OLE MISS

CBS Sports: Outback Bowl vs. Michigan
ESPN: Citrus Bowl vs. Nebraska (Schlabach); TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Notre Dame (McMurphy)
SDS: Citrus Bowl vs. Wisconsin

SOUTH CAROLINA

CBS Sports: Birmingham Bowl vs. Tulsa

TENNESSEE

CBS Sports: TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Notre Dame
ESPN: Orange Bowl† vs. Clemson (Schlabach); Orange Bowl† vs. Clemson (McMurphy)
SDS: Sugar Bowl† vs. Oklahoma

TEXAS A&M

CBS Sports: Sugar Bowl† vs. TCU
ESPN: Sugar Bowl† vs. Baylor (Schlabach); Sugar Bowl† vs. Baylor (McMurphy)
SDS: Cotton Bowl† vs. Houston

*Playoff semifinal
†New Year’s Six game

Jessi Lee