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Now that the regular bowl season is officially in the books, let’s look at the 15 biggest stories you may have missed since the regular season ended, in no particular order:
1. The SEC coaching carousel never stopped spinning this year, but a lot of the biggest moves came after the season ended. Mark Richt left Georgia and was almost immediately hired at Miami. The day after Alabama beat Florida for the SEC Championship, Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart announced he would be taking the head coach position vacated by Richt at Georgia. Smart will continue coaching the Tide until the national championship game is completed, but he has been recruiting for the Bulldogs since he was hired, and he cheered them on in the Taxslayer Bowl. Richt and Smart weren’t the only one aboard the carousel. South Carolina finally made a decision and hired Will Muschamp away from Auburn, giving him a hefty paycheck. There was criticism across the board from coaches and analysts alike.
2. Ole Miss teammates and brothers Robert and Denzel Nkemdiche were enthralled in their own separate dramas in the weeks leading up to bowl season. Rebels DT Robert was hospitalized and charged with possession of marijuana after falling from a hotel balcony in a delirium. Robert was suspended for the Sugar Bowl and decided to go ahead and declare for the NFL, but NFL scouts are hesitant to draft him. To make matters worse for the family, just days before Christmas, Denzel was hospitalized for the second time in just over a month. We have yet to see any news on his current status.
3. LSU won the Rodeo Bowl AND the Texas Bowl against Texas Tech. At the Rodeo Bowl, Tigers RB Leonard Fournette tried to take on a bull, but head coach Les Miles nixed it. After winning the Texas Bowl, Miles blessed us with the Dab. In the day before they took the field, the Tigers spent a few hours at the local Children’s Museum with the kids. Hand puppets and Dance, Dance Revolution were both involved.
4. After a mediocre season, Auburn crushed Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl to end the year with a winning record. Auburn PK Daniel Carlson set a single-season school record in the game, and LB Deshaun Davis was so excited that he tackled Aubie. Twice. But the game wasn’t a clean one on the other side of the field. Memphis DB Reggis Ball tackled an Auburn ball boy and stole the game ball, which got him dismissed from the team but didn’t stop him from flaunting his stolen treasure. It came out after the game that the Memphis players may have been spitting on their Auburn counterparts. Not to be outdone by Miles, head coach Gus Malzahn also did some dabbing after the win, but he admitted he needs some help.
5. Before the Belk Bowl, the superman known as Stingray delivered his final speech of the season. It must’ve done the trick, because the Bulldogs put on a clinic against NC State. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott played his final game to perfection, and he left behind a lasting legacy. He also left behind some advice for his fellow Bulldogs.
6. The Aggies found themselves in a tight spot when QB Kyle Allen announced his intention to transfer. It got even tighter when QB Kyler Murray followed suit. Some of the offensive linemen didn’t take the abandonment too well, but who can blame them? Enter QB Jake Hubenak. Hubenak led the Aggies in their icy white uniforms straight to a hard-fought 27-21 loss to Louisville in the Music City Bowl. Texas A&M tried to stage a comeback, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Aggies from the being the first SEC team to lose in bowl season.
7. After trailing Oklahoma for half of the game, Clemson came back for a convincing win in the Orange Bowl. When the Tigers came on the field in the second half, they were ready to turn things around and they did. It probably helped to have so many of their fans in attendance. Head coach Dabo Swinney celebrated the win like only he can. The Tigers will advance to the final to face Alabama, but they are the underdogs.
8. Before the Cotton Bowl, Tide CB Tony Brown was sent home for violating team rules. Alabama didn’t need him to embarrass Michigan State in a 38-0 shutout. Alabama had more points than the Spartans had rushing yards. Michigan State did a great job of holding Tide RB Derrick Henry in check (relatively), but Coker had a monster game. FOX Sports analyst Colin Cowherd infuriated the SEC fan base when he said he thinks Alabama’s dominant method football is boring, bland and bad for the sport. After the game, like Miles, Tide head coach Nick Saban also blessed us with a dance that will live on for years. The Crimson Tide will take on Clemson in the national championship game on Jan. 11.
9. Tennessee fans spent a lot of the time leading up to the bowl games in defensive mode, especially with former Vols QB Peyton Manning being accused of using HGH. But Vols Nation got to live the dream for a little bit when NFL legend John Gruden spoke to the Volunteers before their Outback Bowl matchup against Northwestern. Tennessee then went full beast on the Wildcats in the 45-6 pounding. Vols QB Josh Dobbs scored an impressive touchdown in this monster showing. As definitive as the win was, there was plenty of drama off the field when the clock hit triple zero. A Volunteer cracked on Northwestern’s nerdiness, ESPN analyst Scott Van Pelt defended the organization, and one Wildcats fan was destroyed on social media.
10. Things looked bad for Florida before the Citrus Bowl even got underway. Two Gators were ruled ineligible, while Florida’s kicking woes continued when Gators PK Austin Hardin injured himself during the walkthrough. It kept getting worse for the Gators, who suffered a 41-7 embarrassment to Michigan. Head coach Jim McElwain tried to take a page from Miles’ playbook, but it didn’t work out the same for him. After the game, the hits didn’t stop. Luckily, it wasn’t all bad. Gators WR Antonio Callaway set a record, and RB Kelvin Taylor delivered a rarity. This was the SEC’s second and last loss in this bowl season, making the SEC 8-2, which is an NCAA record.
11. Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey reminded the nation why he was in the Heisman race in a huge win over Iowa in Rose Bowl. One fan felt the need to keep reminding everyone, and one Cardinal player challenged the Tide.
12. Despite all of the off-field distractions circling the Rebels, Ole Miss took care of business in the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma State to the tune of 48-20. This was the first Sugar Bowl victory for Ole Miss since Archie Manning led the team in 1970. Rebels WR Laquon Treadwell showed everyone how valuable he is for any team, and we got to witness every football fan’s dream when Rebels LT Laremy Tunsil scored a big boy touchdown. The best thing about the fat guy touchdown? The fat guy touchdown dance (See No. 15). According to his teammates, Tunsil’s touchdown was the final blow against the Cowboys. And to the joy of Rebels fans everywhere, it looks like QB Chad Kelly and Treadwell will both return in 2016.
13. Georgia barely held on for a 24-17 win over Penn State in the Taxslayer Bowl. Other than Penn State’s attempted comeback and the Nittany Lions’ headbutting incident, the game stayed pretty tame. Not as much can be said for the week before the game when a Penn State lineman claimed his team has the best front seven in the nation. Yeah. Whatever you say, big guy.
14. The Razorbacks took the field for the Liberty Bowl sporting some snazzy new helmets, but the game wasn’t an easy one. Arkansas was picked to have the largest win margin of any SEC team this bowl season, but its 45-23 trouncing of Kansas State took some time. But they got it together nonetheless, and Hogs RB Alex Collins broke a school record in the process. On a somber note, Hogs WR Dominique Reed took a scary hit in the game that left him motionless for minutes. Thankfully, he later returned to the stadium and joined the team in the locker room.
Bret Bielema said Dominique Reed was back at the stadium and with the team in the locker room. "He is alive and well…smiling."
— Matt Jones (@MattJonesADG) January 3, 2016
Reed wasn’t the only Hogs player to make a return with all the feels.
15. The Dab has been replaced by a new touchdown dance. You just need to watch it.
