How every SEC program fared during bowl season

The shorthanded Gators struggled to get anything going offensively in this one in quarterback Jack Miller’s first start. Florida falls to 6-7, finishing below .500 for the second-straight season, and it needed a field goal in the final seconds to keep its nation-high (and FBS record) shutout avoidance streak alive.

Mizzou got bowl eligible with an upset over Arkansas in rivalry week, but it was overmatched against Wake in Sam Hartman’s last hurrah with the Demon Deacons. Hartman threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, including a score to make it a 10-point game with just over two minutes to play.

Arkansas survived one of the wildest bowl games you’ll ever see despite squandering a 31-7 second-quarter lead. Kansas stormed all the way back and, thanks to a successful onside kick, sent the game to overtime with a touchdown and two-point conversion. The game went to three overtimes with the teams trading blows, but after the Hogs successfully converted on a two-point conversion in the third, Kansas came up short.

This was a very disappointing result for the Rebels, who finish what began as a promising year at just 8-5 after dropping five of their final six games. Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw three interceptions while the defense had no answer for Tech’s Tyler Shough, who had more than 350 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. This game was never particularly close, and it served as something of an announcement for Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders against an SEC opponent.

Another instant classic from bowl season, the Gamecocks couldn’t quite pull off a third-straight win against a ranked opponent. Spencer Rattler looked the part, but Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner accounted for five touchdowns in place of Drew Pyne, who transferred to Arizona State. Buchner threw three interceptions, two of which went for touchdowns the other way, but the Irish still survived. South Carolina becomes just the second team in the FBS this season to lose while scoring twice on defense.

In a very orange Orange Bowl, the Vols proved that their offensive success doesn’t rely on quarterback Hendon Hooker playing under center. Joe Milton III seems to have finally honed his arm strength, and he had a fantastic game while torching a fairly tough Clemson defense. Meanwhile, the oft-criticized Tennessee defense showed up in Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik’s first start. He made some big plays but also threw two interceptions. Josh Heupel is making a strong case as the best quarterback whisperer in the country, and it’s going to be a very confident summer in Knoxville.

It feels criminal that Bryce Young’s run at Alabama will end without a national title, but he and Will Anderson Jr. ended things on a high note. The Crimson Tide avoided the malaise the program is known for in non-CFP bowl games, delivering an absolute beatdown against Big 12 champion Kansas State. Young threw five touchdowns and may have cemented himself as QB1 in the 2023 NFL draft, while the Tide beat the checked-out allegations.

I won’t waste any more time on this game than is absolutely necessary. Will Levis didn’t play, but that doesn’t excuse a 185-yard offensive performance that resulted in two of Iowa’s three touchdowns on pick-sixes. The Hawkeyes won this game in a shutout despite going 0 for 11 on third downs and managing only 206 yards of offense themselves. Embarrassing. Next.

The Bulldogs got punched in the mouth by the Buckeyes, struggling much more defensively against CJ Stroud and Marvin Harrison Jr. than many expected. Coach Ryan Day had a brilliant game plan to attack the UGA defense, and Ohio State took a halftime lead and was still up 14 entering the fourth quarter. But Georgia got some timely stops, including thwarting what would have been a successful fake punt with a timeout at the last second. They took the lead on a touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett IV to AD Mitchell in the final minute, and a potential game-winning kick from OSU sailed way left as the final seconds ticked off.

The Bulldogs honored late head coach Mike Leach’s legacy, winning one for the pirate in Tampa against a good Illinois team — though it didn’t have defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who left to become the head man at Purdue. Zach Arnett’s first win as the head man at MSU also featured one of the worst beats you’ll ever see, as the four-point favorite Bulldogs returned a failed hook-and-ladder as time expired to win by nine instead of three. Still, it was a great moment for a program and group of players that have had a very difficult month.

There’s no denying the Tigers ended the regular season in disappointing fashion, but they b