With the 2024 college football season less than 50 days away, it's never too early to project the bowls and playoff contenders for the expanded 16-team SEC. With Oklahoma and Texas joining this fall, the nation's top conference is deeper and better than before. However, adding two programs of that caliber, as well as the removal of divisions in the conference, could have an impact on the win total for some of the teams fighting for bowl eligibility. Athlon Sports projects 13 SEC teams to reach the postseason and four to make the CFB Playoff.
The SEC isn't short on national championship contenders in the 2024 college football season, as Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Alabama take spots in the top six of the projected top 25 teams this fall. The league has additional depth with Missouri, LSU, and Tennessee are all considered playoff teams, as well as Oklahoma and Texas A&M looming as wild-card programs to watch.
With fall practice just around the corner, where do SEC teams stack up in bowl projections for '24? Athlon Sports projects SEC teams and bowls for this fall:
SEC '24 Preview: Predictions | All-Conference Team | 134 Rankings
Coach Rankings | All-America Team | Bowl Projections
SEC Bowl Projections for 2024
Athlon Sports released its complete preseason bowl projections earlier this offseason, so let's take a look at how the predictions stack up for where SEC teams will spend their postseason:
The Order of Selections for 2024
1. College Football Playoff
2. Citrus (Has first selection after CFB Playoff picks are completed)
The next selection will be determined by the Pool of Six bowls - Reliaquest, Gator, Music City, Texas, Liberty, and Las Vegas Bowl. The SEC will make selections for these games after consulting with programs and bowl games.
Reliaquest (Pool of Six)
Las Vegas (Pool of Six)
Music City (Pool of Six)
Texas (Pool of Six)
Liberty (Pool of Six)
Gator (Pool of Six)
After the Pool of Six selections are completed, two more bowls will select SEC teams:
Birmingham
Gasparilla
Related: SEC Coach Rankings for 2024
The Projections for 2024-25
College Football Playoff
The new 12-team CFB Playoff field features five automatic bids to conference champions and seven at-large selections. The four highest-rated conference champs will receive a bye in the first round.
SEC Teams Projected: Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, and Alabama
First Round
Games will be played on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21
No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Notre Dame
No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Michigan
Numbers indicate projected seed by preseason projections
Quarterfinals
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1) - No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1) - No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Ole Miss
Peach Bowl (Jan. 1) - No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 Texas
Semifinals
Orange Bowl (Jan. 9) - No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 5 Oregon
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10) - No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Texas
National Championship (Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta)
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State
SEC '24 Preview: Predictions | All-Conference Team | 134 Rankings
Coach Rankings | All-America Team | Bowl Projections
In order of selection process for SEC:
Citrus: SEC vs. Big Ten (Dec. 31)
Projection: Missouri vs. Nebraska
Pool of Six
Reliaquest: SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten (Dec. 31)
Projection: Tennessee vs. Iowa
Las Vegas: SEC vs. Pac-12* (Dec. 27)
Projection: Texas A&M vs. Arizona
*Due to conference realignment, former Pac-12 teams will play in bowl games assigned to that league in '24.
Gator: SEC vs. ACC (Jan. 2)
Projection: LSU vs. Miami
Texas: SEC vs. Big 12 (Dec. 31)
Projection: Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Music City: SEC vs. Big Ten (Dec. 30)
Projection: Kentucky vs. Wisconsin
Liberty: SEC vs. Big 12 (Dec. 27)
Projection: West Virginia vs. Auburn
Remaining SEC bowls:
Birmingham: SEC vs. American/ACC (Dec. 27)
Projection: South Carolina vs. Georgia Tech
Gasparilla: SEC vs. ACC/American (Dec. 20)
Projection: Florida vs. SMU
Related: SEC Football 2024 Predictions
Related: Ranking the SEC's College Football Coaches for 2024
Related: College Football Top 134 Team Rankings for 2024
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2024-25
Most Popular
Comments / 0