UT Vols left out of bowl fun again, but these SEC teams aren't

As if you needed another reminder of how bad Tennessee’s recent football season was, the bowl season provides it.

Eighty teams including nine SEC teams qualified for bowls. The Vols weren’t one of them.

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If you want to give Tennessee a bowl compliment, congratulate it on beating Southern Mississippi, which will play Florida State in the Independence Bowl. The Vols lost their other six games against teams that qualified for bowls.

And they lost by an average of 23.5 points per game.

Those wishing to remember the Butch Jones Era more fondly can think back to the last Music City Bowl when the Vols carried their beloved coach off the field following a victory over Nebraska. For current SEC bowl business, keep reading. 

Missouri 30, Texas 28: The Longhorns are so fired up about playing a former Big 12 rival that two starters passed on the Texas Bowl to ready themselves for the NFL draft. Fortunately for the Tigers, All-SEC junior quarterback Drew Lock will stick around for at least one more college game.

Wake Forest 38, Texas A&M 34: The Aggies will entrust their program to interim coach Jeff Banks for the Belk Bowl. But if you're paying a coach $75 million over 10 years, as Texas A&M is Jimbo Fisher, do you really need an interim coach on the payroll, too?   

Northwestern 37, Kentucky 32: My most recent bowl memory of Northwestern is a 45-6 drubbing at the hands of Tennessee in the 2016 Outback Bowl. So why do I think it can beat an SEC team two years later in the Music City Bowl?

Answer: Because my most recent memory of Kentucky is a 44-17 loss to Louisville in which its defense gave up 562 yards.

Louisville 34, Mississippi State 27: The Bulldogs have lost quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to injury, coach Dan Mullen to Florida, and their last regular-season game to arch-rival Ole Miss. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson will extend their losing streak in the TaxSlayer Bowl. 

Michigan 24, South Carolina 20: The Gamecocks' SEC affiliation shouldn't scare the Wolverines a bit in the Outback Bowl. They began the season by routing Florida. Then they beat out Ole Miss for star quarterback Shea Patterson, who announced after the regular season that he was transferring to Michigan.

Auburn 40, UCF 27: Knights running back Adrian Killin has called out Auburn for its lack of speed. But the Tigers are fast enough to outrun UCF's defense, which gave up 97 points in its past two games combined. If you want to see real speed, check out UCF coach Scott Frost's Nebraska getaway after the Peach Bowl.

LSU 27, Notre Dame 23: Notre Dame loves to run the ball, as evidenced by its 279.1-yards-per game average. But all its running will succeed only in making LSU linebacker Devin White MVP of the Citrus Bowl.

Oklahoma 34, Georgia 30: The Bulldogs have enough defense to slow down the Sooners in this College Football Playoff semifinal. But Heisman Trophy quarterback Baker Mayfield will make just enough plays to put Oklahoma in the national championship game. His postgame celebration could be epic.

Clemson 30, Alabama 27: Surely, Nick Saban will make good use of the extra time in preparing the Tide for the College Football Playoff semifinal game. But time won't change the fact that Clemson is a more complete team. And it's just as comfortable on a CFP stage.

Record: 89-22 (.802) overall, 65-34 (.657) against the spread.

Reach John Adams at john.adams@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6284 and on Twitter @johnadamskns.