247Sports predicts Auburn to return to bowl season in Freeze’s debut season

Bowl eligibility in Year 1 for Hugh Freeze on The Plains would appease the fan base as long as there aren’t many lopsided losses mixed into a .500 or 7-5 season. Auburn’s not far away from being a tough out in the SEC West, and the Tigers believe they’ve signed a few instant-impact portal players — including Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne — that bring instant competition to vital position groups.

According to Crawford, it looks as if Alabama will miss the College Football Playoff for the second season in a row by dropping two games (LSU, Tennessee, maybe Texas?). Their reward will be the Tulane Green Wave, who upset USC and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams in the Cotton Bowl.

The Hogs went through a disappointing season that resulted in a 6-6 record. The Music City Bowl is usually reserved for a seven or eight win SEC member, so expect Arkansas to earn more wins in 2023 based on this projection.

Early projections see the Gators heading to another obscure (for SEC standards, anyway) bowl game. The first bowl under Billy Napier was the Las Vegas Bowl, and ended with a 30-3 blowout loss to Oregon State. Florida could sneak into the First Responders Bowl with another six-win campaign.

Could the Bulldogs win their third title in as many years? Crawford sees Georgia heading to the College Football Playoff again as the SEC’s representative, and could square off with the Michigan Wolverines. Crawford also predicts Georgia will win this semifinal game, and will face Ohio State in the national championship.

Based on this projection, the Kentucky Wildcats will be the last team UCLA will face as members of the Pac-12. This bowl game is still new for the SEC. Florida became the first team from the conference to compete in the bowl last season. This draw could mean the Wildcats are in for a seven-win season.

Like UCLA, it appears as if the last opponent USC will face as a Pac-12 member will be a representative of the SEC. Crawford sees another 10-plus win season for LSU, but is not quite ready to say that they will challenge Georgia for the SEC title. Nevertheless, the Bayou Bengals will still have a great season, and will be rewarded with another great bowl draw.

The Bulldogs are heading back to Tampa according to this projection. Crawford says this bowl will be interesting because it will feature two first-year head coaches, Zach Arnett and Matt Rhule.

Last season, Arkansas earned a Liberty Bowl bid by winning six games. If the same logic is applied here, expect head coach Eli Drinkwitz to be on the hot seat, as it will mean that he has failed to win seven-or-more games in every season of his tenure at Missouri.

A Gator Bowl appearance for the Rebels would mean an eight- or nine-win season, which is strong for Ole Miss. As for Clemson, it will have to battle Florida State for the ACC crown to even have a shot at the College Football Playoff.

Outside of the usual competition with Georgia and Tennessee, South Carolina could battle its way to a nine-win season under third-year head coach Shane Beamer, which would land it a spot in a New Year’s Day Bowl.

Like LSU, Tennessee is expected to lose to Georgia, thus taking it out of SEC Championship contention. The first pick outside of the New Year’s Six bowls is the Citrus Bowl, so expect Tennessee to have another great season, and to make strides for a playoff  appearance in 2025.

After missing a bowl last season, it looks as if Texas A&M will do enough to get back into the postseason. This prediction is interesting, as it means TCU, which played Georgia for the national championship last season, will take a drastic fall in 2023.

Well, there has to be one. It looks as if 13 SEC teams will earn a bowl bid this season according to Crawford, with Vanderbilt being the lone program to miss out.