SEC Bowl projections after Week 6: Vanderbilt, Arkansas receive massive boosts following impressive weekend

Sorry to all the fans around the country who decided Week 6’s slate didn’t offer enough to stay at home and watch football. You made the wrong choice, and that’s okay. I’ve made many wrong choices in my life.

Let’s just take an example from just the past week and a half: I actually thought Mizzou was a College Football Playoff caliber program in the Year of Our Lord 2024.

Another mistake? Not realizing that Iowa State has a bit of a cakewalk to the CFP if they can defend home turf against Kansas State at the end of the season. Sorry Wildcats, despite making the projections last week and being idle in Week 5, I’m not sure you belong here either.

Based on how this college football season is going, it wouldn’t shock me if BYU – yes, the pesky Mormons out in Provo – made the playoff. You may look at me funny, but the Aggies have a great opportunity ahead of them as well. If Conner Weigman can be more like his Mizzou self and less like his Notre Dame self the remainder of the year, the path is absolutely there. It starts in 3 weeks at Kyle Field against LSU.

I learned something else this weekend: Not having Boise State as the G5 representative at this point in the season is completely unjustifiable. I hear the Navy crowd, sure, but Boise State has a true Heisman-caliber workhorse in the backfield who has racked up 16 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards through 5 games this season. There are not enough adjectives in the English language to express how completely absurd (there’s one) that is. Take a bow, Ashton Jeanty.

Let’s get to the SEC’s projections, which have been almost completely reworked on account of the nuclear bomb that was Week 6 in college football.

I graduated from Tennessee, but I have no faith that these Vols can beat Georgia or Alabama, which is pretty much required at this point to reach the 12-team field. I think this is a 9-3 program, but 8-4 is not crazy considering how the Commodores are playing.

Vanderbilt! What an amazing moment for the folks in Nashville. Saturday’s win over No. 1 Alabama was earned, not given. The Commodores never trailed and Diego Pavia was a bona fide superstar throughout. I don’t know how on Earth that team we all saw Saturday lost to Georgia State, but I absolutely think they can take down Ball State, Auburn and South Carolina to get to 6-6.

Arkansas threw any and all concerns of missing bowl season directly out the window with its performance against the Vols. It was far from perfect, but it the effort from Arkansas’ defense was inspiring, and Fayetteville absolutely showed up for its team. The Razorbacks will at least take down MSU and Louisiana Tech for a spot at 6-6, but I could see them doing even more.

Until next week, college football.

College Football Playoff

Sugar Bowl: Ohio State vs. 8/9 winner

Rose Bowl: Texas vs. 7/10 winner

Peach Bowl: Iowa State vs. 5/12 winner

Fiesta Bowl: Miami vs. 6/11 winner

First Round

From Eugene, Oregon: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Boise State

From State College, Pennsylvania: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Texas A&M

From Clemson, South Carolina: No. 7 Clemson vs. No. 10 BYU

From Tuscaloosa, Alabama: No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Georgia

The Rest

Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Indiana

Reliaquest Bowl: Tennessee vs. Michigan

Music City Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Illinois

Las Vegas Bowl: Mizzou vs. Arizona

Gator Bowl: Kentucky vs. Iowa

Texas Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech

Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs. TCU

Birmingham Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. NC State

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.