One Goal Each SEC Team Needs to Accomplish During Bowl Practice
For 12 SEC teams, an extra month (give or take) of bowl practice not only allows them to finish the season on a high note but also provides a much-needed jump-start to the future.
While Alabama needs to live in the "now" as it competes for yet another national championship under head coach Nick Saban, everybody else needs to have an eye toward 2017.
With so many four-loss teams, it isn't like the rest of the pack in the SEC has little to play for, but some positive vibes heading into the offseason would be beneficial for everybody.
Though it wasn't a banner year for the top of the league, the good news is the parity. The conference boasts 12 bowl-eligible teams after Mississippi State got in at 5-7 with a good Academic Progress Report score. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are in after resurgent seasons.
And though teams such as Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M disappointed, they can foster a little goodwill with their fanbases by beginning the next chapters of their programs with wins.
For some SEC stars, this game will be a swan song. For others, the bowl will be a coming-out party. So, let's take a look at a goal for every bowl-eligible team to accomplish over the next few weeks.
Alabama: Shore Up the Pass Defense
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Looking for flaws on Alabama's undefeated, powerful football team is like trying to find a brush stroke on the Mona Lisa.
It's just tough to find any negatives on a masterpiece of a football team.
Love them or hate them, you cannot deny what Saban has built in Tuscaloosa, and the football factory seemingly never shuts down. The top-ranked Crimson Tide will begin their quest for another national championship with a College Football Playoff showdown against No. 4 Washington in Atlanta.
Win that game, and they'll face the winner between Clemson and Ohio State.
At this point, who's going to bet against them?
So, how can the Huskies, Tigers or Buckeyes topple the Tide? It isn't going to be easy. If UW quarterback Jake Browning has any time to throw, he needs to attack Alabama's secondary. Perhaps the best chance for anybody to do that would be if Clemson and Deshaun Watson made it to the championship game.
But it can be done through the air.
"When you look at Alabama's Achilles' heel—it’s not at linebacker, it’s not up front—it's in the secondary," an SEC head coach told ESPN this month, per Edward Aschoff.
If you haven't already heard Alabama fans bragging about this, it still rings true this season: Perhaps, the only team that can beat 'Bama this year is 'Bama. But if there's one chink in the armor, it's that teams have found success throwing over the top against them. That has to be the primary game plan for any opponent.
Alabama has to work throughout December to make sure that doesn't happen.
Arkansas: Focus on Stopping the Run
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Though four teams were actually worse than Arkansas in run defense this year, the Razorbacks were still awful, ranking 10th in the league, allowing more than 209 yards per game on the ground.
That number swelled to 258 against league opponents, and there were just two teams worse than that against SEC foes.
They didn't have much luck against dual-threat quarterbacks, either, so Virginia Tech's Jerod Evans will present an awfully big challenge for Arkansas in the Belk Bowl.
Coach Bret Bielema needs to get his troops lined up and quit giving up the big plays on the ground, or the Hokies will shred the Razorbacks in a shootout that may not include much defense.
For that reason, the coach told SEC Country's Trent Shadid this week that he was "tinkering" with the idea of moving to a 3-4 base defense in '17 since Arkansas seemingly has the personnel to make the move.
Bielema singled out Michael Taylor and Randy Ramsey as guys who could help the move transition smoothly if he decides to do so. While making a move to another base D wouldn't be the wisest idea in a month leading up to a bowl game, running some sets in that personnel grouping may not be a bad idea.
It could mix things up and give VT coach Justin Fuente some looks he isn't used to seeing on film. Anything would be an improvement from what the Hogs tossed out there against the run this year.
They need to tighten that up if they're going to beat a good Hokies team.
Auburn: Get Sean White and Kamryn Pettway Healthy
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Gus Malzahn pulled one of the biggest coups of the recruiting season this past week when Baylor transfer quarterback Jarrett Stidham announced he'd play his final three years on the Plains at Auburn, according to SEC Country's Benjamin Wolk.
But the Tigers won't get to add the talented signal-caller into the mix until next season.
For now, AU needs to get its starting quarterback Sean White healthy before the Sugar Bowl showdown against Oklahoma. This would be a prime opportunity for White to prove he belongs under center for the Tigers one last time before Stidham arrives.
The sophomore was hurt for much of the last part of the season, and AU's offense suffered mightily because of it. Without him against Alabama, the Tigers couldn't do much of anything offensively against the Tide.
Emerging force Kamryn Pettway, who became the SEC's top running back for much of the season, also was banged-up late in the year. Those two injuries are big reasons why the Tigers didn't make much of a whimper on that side of the ball during the last quarter of the season.
Now, Malzahn has the unenviable task of working his offensive stars (who are both expected to play) back into the mix, getting them into game shape and, yet, not getting them hurt. It's that fine balance of rest and repetitions.
If the Tigers can get those two back, they'll give the Sooners all they can handle in a big game. Don't be fooled by Auburn's four losses; at one point of the season, the Tigers were playing at a high level. Coach Bob Stoops' team had better watch out if all the weapons are back for AU.
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Florida: Prepare for Life Without Defensive Coordinator Geoff Collins
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The only reason why Florida has played for the past two SEC championships and enjoyed a modicum of success despite the division overall being down is because of its elite defense.
The architect of that unit in defensive coordinator Geoff Collins is now leaving, heading to Temple to replace Matt Rhule as head coach of the Owls. That's effective immediately, too, as Collins will hit the ground in Philadelphia and begin recruiting for that program as Rhule bolts for Baylor.
That leaves the Gators in a lurch.
While head coach Jim McElwain told the Orlando Sentinel's Edgar Thompson that defensive assistant Randy Shannon would "absolutely" be considered to coordinate the defense in the Outback Bowl, no decision has been made for that game or beyond officially.
Collins' promotion, however, is a good thing, according to McElwain.
"The guy’s a heck of a coach," McElwain told Thompson last week. "They’re going to get a guy that motivates players, a guy that really understands the game and understands both sides of the ball—not just the defensive side."
That's going to be hard to replace. Considering the Gators could lose as many as seven defensive starters before next year, it could be a full transition time for that side of the ball. This bowl practice is a good time to take a long look at some of those defenders of the future.
Jabari Zuniga and CeCe Jefferson are a pair of defenders who could be the next big stars for the Gators.
It's also an opportunity to decide if Shannon is the right guy to move into the coordinator role or if UF needs to search outside of the staff. A strong month of practice and a quality showing against Iowa could go a long way in helping make up McElwain's mind.
Georgia: Give Jacob Eason Some Confidence Heading into the Offseason
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It hasn't been the best of seasons for first-year head coach Kirby Smart, who finished the regular season with a frustrating home loss to Georgia Tech to fall to 7-5.
That isn't going to cut it for long between the hedges after the Bulldogs fired long-time coach Mark Richt to move on to another era with the hiring of favorite son Smart, the former defensive coordinator at Alabama.
Smart is recruiting at an elite level, and he already decided to commit to a bit of a youth movement in 2016, playing a lot of youngsters, including going through the season and taking his lumps with star true freshman Jacob Eason at quarterback.
He completed 55 percent of his passes for 2,266 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Though Eason had flashes of brilliance, he also struggled to get a full grasp of the offense and made too many mistakes. But that's what happens usually when you rely on a first-year player.
Heading into the Liberty Bowl against a TCU team that has allowed some big offensive numbers this year, Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney need to find ways to get Eason some big statistics and help the Bulldogs break out in a high-scoring win.
What could rejuvenate a fanbase more than a high-powered air attack and a win over Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs to close the year?
If Eason can have a big game, the hype train will get rolling for the future in Athens, especially with all the talent Smart is bringing to Georgia.
Kentucky: Convince Players a Win Could Mean a Program-Defining Season
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For some teams (such as Georgia in the previous slide), a 7-5 season is a major disappointment.
For Kentucky and fourth-year coach Mark Stoops, it's a humongous step in the right direction, especially considering it's the first time in his tenure the Wildcats have gone to the postseason.
Throw in a major win over a good Louisville team and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson to close the year, and you'll find plenty of reasons for excitement in the Bluegrass State.
The euphoria experienced in the postgame celebration hasn't dissolved after several weeks, either.
“It's crazy to see what this place could be like if we’re winning 9, 10 games. That was really cool,” tight end C.J. Conrad said to SEC Country's Joe Mussatto. "We appreciate it and we loved every second of it. But it also motivated us like, 'We've got to get this thing really going.'"
The only way to do that is keep winning. Though the Wildcats got a tough draw in Georgia Tech at the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, it's also a big opportunity.
Beating a team like the eight-win Yellow Jackets, who just beat Georgia to close the year, would be a major steppingstone for the program. Let's face it: The TaxSlayer Bowl is a big bowl game for a Wildcats program that is trying to sustain some growth under Stoops.
That's why this entire month of practices needs to be approached with equal parts seriousness and fun. Sure, enjoy the experience, because it's been a long time since you've been there, but also, these Wildcats need to understand the magnitude of what a win would mean.
It would be massive for the program.
LSU: Regain That Bayou Bravado Under Coach O
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The past few weeks haven't gone the way LSU fans everywhere had hoped.
If you believe message board rumors and anonymous sources galore, the Tigers hoped to be getting Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to join his old buddy Ed Orgeron on the Bayou to head LSU's offense. But Kiffin accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic this week, instead.
The Tigers wound up instead with Pittsburgh's Matt Canada, whose hire is official, per ESPN.com's David Ching.
A few recruiting losses (such as stud defender Dylan Moses electing to stick with Alabama) haven't gone LSU's way, either, which hasn't gotten the Orgeron era off swimmingly, according to the Advocate's Scott Rabalais, especially considering Kiffin seemingly spurned the Tigers.
"New LSU coach Ed Orgeron clearly wanted his old buddy Lane to come be his play caller and thought him worth the wait," Rabalais wrote. "That’s understandable, too. And Kiffin, once upon a time, made it plain to LSU’s administration that he was coming to help his friend Ed out."
Regardless of being Lane-less, the Tigers and Orgeron must move on. While nobody is suggesting Orgeron bring back the "Wild Boys" days, it is essential the Tigers recapture what made them one of the league's most imposing, enforcing teams of the past decade.
They've got to get that swagger back.
With defensive coordinator Dave Aranda locked up and an offensive coordinator coming soon, Orgeron is about to have the key components of his staff in place. He knows the state, hailing from there. He knows the recruiting stomping grounds, and he knows what makes them tick in Cajun country.
He also connects with players unlike a lot of other coaches.
All that needs to congeal to start the success again in Baton Rouge. It all begins with LSU's Citrus Bowl battle against Louisville.
Mississippi State: Find Fitzgerald Some Weaponry
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So, it wasn't the most memorable year for Mississippi State.
So what.
The Bulldogs will finish with a losing record and backed into a bowl game with a 5-7 final tally. They also lost a shocking season opener to South Alabama and had more embarrassing setbacks along the way.
They also upset Texas A&M and erased any chances of an Ole Miss postseason by closing the season with an Egg Bowl victory, too. So, while there were certainly more lowlights, there were reasons for coach Dan Mullen to smile as well.
Now, thanks to some good work in the classroom, MSU is going bowling and set to play Miami (Ohio) in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26, where they're expected to win. At this point, it doesn't matter how the Bulldogs made it into a bowl, only that they did.
Mullen's young team needs the bowl practices, and the Bulldogs need to focus on finding sophomore breakout star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald some offensive playmakers to be surrounded by in the future. With receiver Fred Ross heading to the NFL after this year, the Bulldogs needs some offensive stars.
Sophomore running back Aeris Williams looks like he could be a premier every-down back in the future, and this would be a good opportunity to get him some reps under the bright lights. Receivers Donald Gray and Malik Dear also will return in '17, and both of those guys could fill Ross' shoes.
So, this is an opportunity for Mullen to find some guys around which to build the future of his offense. Fitzgerald is the centerpiece, but a breakout game by MSU's offense in the bowl would go a long way in determining who else will help moving forward.
South Carolina: Ride Rico
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The future is now at South Carolina with a wealth of young talent, including freshman quarterback Jake Bentley, freshman receiver Bryan Edwards and others.
But perhaps the biggest surprise this season was first-year running back Rico Dowdle, a late addition to the Gamecocks' signing class last year, who wound up leading the team with 714 rushing yards to go along with a 5.9 yards per carry average and six touchdowns.
He looks like a budding star. Given how teams need to be able to run the ball successfully in this league, head coach Will Muschamp would be right to learn to feed the youngster from North Carolina the football, starting with a tough bowl contest against South Florida.
The 5'11", 211-pound runner can make things easier on Bentley, and he can continue his rise to becoming a household name. Now that the Gamecocks have a horse, they need to ride him.
"Rico, the more snaps he takes, the better he’s going to get," Muschamp told the State's Ben Breiner. following a 226-yard performance against Western Carolina. "He's a very good football player. He runs through contact. He runs for daylight and he’s got good top-end speed. He is also a guy, as the game wears on, they get tired of tackling him."
That sounds like a cry for more reps if there ever was one. There is plenty of excitement in Columbia given all the youth, the new coaching regime and the fact that the Gamecocks won six games in a year when everybody was expecting them to struggle.
Dowdle is one of those reasons. Over the next month, Muschamp needs to keep trusting his young runner and watch him grow as the offense develops.
Tennessee: Find a Way to FiIl Some Gaping Defensive Holes
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No matter how some around the Tennessee program want to paint the 2016 season, it was a major disappointment.
That isn't diminishing the work of a senior class that helped bring the Volunteers from the bowl-less doldrums to being frustrated with eight-win seasons, but the standard on Rocky Top is as high as the Smokies.
For guys such as Joshua Dobbs, Cam Sutton, Dylan Wiesman and likely Derek Barnett and Alvin Kamara, the Music City Bowl against Nebraska will be the final time they ever wear the orange and white. In order to send them out on a winning note, the Vols simply must get a better performance from their defense.
Tennessee was historically horrible in the season's final three games, allowing more than 600 yards of total offense and at least 36 points against Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt, including a season-ending setback against the Commodores that erased hopes of a Sugar Bowl.
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop told VolQuest's Austin Price and Paul Fortenberry there's no sugarcoating the forgettable finish:
"Those last three games were tough and I own those. Those are on me. We found a way to win two of those last three. You have a sour taste in your mouth after that last game, but TK (Todd Kelly) looks a lot better, DK (Darrin Kirkland Jr.) looks a lot better and Cam looks a lot healthier than he did two weeks ago before the last game of the regular season.
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Those guys need to re-emerge as leaders after injuries and inconsistencies robbed them of the type of season they expected. The Vols also must find a way to patchwork the defensive front, where they've lost tackles Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie to season-ending injuries as well as Danny O'Brien getting booted from the team.
If UT can't find a way to slow the Cornhuskers down, the Vols will finish 8-5. And if head coach Butch Jones thought there was pressure now, he doesn't want to endure an offseason after a setback, especially with so many question marks on the roster in '17.
Texas A&M: Rebound from Another Late-Season Fall
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The Texas A&M Aggies vowed after a midseason loss to Alabama they wouldn't experience the same sort of late-season collapse they did the previous couple of seasons under head coach Kevin Sumlin.
Those words rang hollow unfortunately for the Aggies, who dropped four of their final six games, including setbacks to losing teams Mississippi State and Ole Miss to wind up 8-4 on the season. Yet another November to forget has A&M's future unclear.
After an injury to senior transfer Trevor Knight, it's uncertain whether or not he'll play against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl, and while the Wildcats are ecstatic to be playing in that postseason game under long-time coach Bill Snyder, the Aggies must be frustrated.
That's not a good recipe for success.
"The challenges for us are that nobody was talking to us about the playoffs before the season," Sumlin told SportsDay.com's Ben Baby. "Then we got to this point and that's all anybody talked about. So, we have a lot to play for (now)."
Again, the words are strong, but how will A&M respond? Players such as Knight, junior defensive end Myles Garrett and others are playing their last game under Sumlin, and they need to leave the kind of legacy that can be built upon in the future.
There are questions at key positions next year, so Sumlin needs to build some positive momentum entering the offseason. How difficult is it going to be to get up for a game like this when they thought they'd be playing for so much more, going from fourth in the initial College Football Playoff rankings to a four-loss season?
The challenges are many for Sumlin. How his team responds may just decide the coach's future.
Vanderbilt: Expand the Playbook for Kyle Shurmur
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Now, we turn from a frustrated team to perhaps the program most excited about being in a bowl game: the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Last time the college football world viewed coach Derek Mason's team, VU was upsetting hated rival Tennessee 45-34 to get to six wins in the season finale, and Mason was busting a move on the Commodores' sideline in a black puffy vest on a chilly night in Nashville.
Considering Vandy already beat Georgia earlier in the season, 2016 was a year that included some steps in the right direction for Mason's regime.
Yes, everybody already knew running back Ralph Webb was a star, and he didn't disappoint. The defense, led by SEC star linebacker Zach Cunningham, was solid for most of the season.
But the Commodores really began to turn the corner when sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur came of age. The signal-caller is the son of Minnesota Vikings interim offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, so he's grown up around the game, and things began to click for him the second half of the season.
He shredded the Vols in the pivotal win, and now, he gets to face the nation's 94th-ranked pass defense in North Carolina State in the Independence Bowl.
That's why Mason needs to put the game on the shoulders of Shurmur. Go ahead and let him know this is his team in the season's biggest game and watch to see what kind of developing leader he has under center. If he responds, Shurmur may just make Vanderbilt a tough out for anybody over the next couple seasons.
Quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics obtained from cfbstats.com, unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information obtained from Scout.com, unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter: @Brad_Shepard.
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