With most other conferences finalizing their 2014 bowl tie-ins, it would seem that the SEC is about to do the same, according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy and others. There are actually more changes to the SEC’s bowl lineup than with most other conferences, so here are some answers to frequently asked questions so you can get squared away.
FAQ: SEC football’s bowl lineup for 2014 and beyond
Conferences are changing their bowl lineups for 2014. It’s confusing. Here’s everything you need to know about the SEC’s bowl situation heading forward.
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What will the SEC’s new bowl lineup look like?
In years where the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl do not host College Football Playoff semifinals, the SEC’s top non-playoff teams will go to those games. The SEC does share the Orange Bowl tie-in with the Big Ten and Notre Dame, so that may not happen every time.
After those games, their lineup is as follows, with a fluid order for the bottom six bowls from year to year:
1. Capital One Bowl (vs. Big Ten/ACC)
2. through 7. Outback Bowl (vs. Big Ten), Gator Bowl (vs. ACC/Big Ten), Music City Bowl (vs. ACC/Big Ten), Liberty Bowl (vs. Big 12), Belk Bowl (vs. ACC), Texas Bowl (vs. Big 12)
What’s changed?
The SEC will lose its tie-ins with the Chick-fil-A Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, which are both becoming access bowls and part of the College Football Playoff semifinal rotation. They could still appear in them as part of the playoff, but they’re not tied to them anymore.
The conference will also bid adieu to its two lowest bowls, the BBVA Compass Bowl and the Advocare V100 Bowl, replacing them with the Belk and Texas Bowls.
Also, according to McMurphy, more could be on the way.
Where are these games?
Florida: Miami (Orange), Orlando (Capital One), Tampa (Outback), Jacksonville (Gator)
Tennessee: Nashville (Music City), Memphis (Liberty)
Louisiana: New Orleans (Sugar)
North Carolina: Charlotte (Belk)
Texas: Houston (Texas)
Any impact?
I doubt it. The SEC doesn’t need new bowl games to attract recruits. They’ve solidified their bowl lineup with games against other major conferences, so they’ve successfully circled the wagons in preparation for the College Football Playoff era. Not that they were really in any kind of danger, but hey, if everyone else is doing it, why not?
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