Computer Guru Palm Makes SEC Bowl Picks

August 1st, 2012 01:05 PM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Tags: Gator Bowl, Mississippi State, Outback Bowl, Sugar Bowl

Jerry Palm — the computer guru/numbers-cruncher who made a name for himself ranking college basketball teams — has posted his predictions for this season’s bowl matchups. You might want to hold off on ordering tickets with the season still a month away and all, but for a late-summer read, eh, it’s worth a look.

In chronological order, here’s how Palm expects things to shake out for the SEC’s team this season (the comments after each game are mine):

Music City Bowl, 12/31 (SEC #7 vs ACC #6): Missouri vs Georgia Tech (A so-so first year for Mizzou.)

Liberty Bowl, 12/31 (SEC #8 or #9 vs C-USA #1): Tennessee vs Houston (Enough to save Derek Dooley?)

Chick-fil-A Bowl, 12/31 (SEC #5 vs ACC #2): South Carolina vs Virginia Tech (A disappointment for the Cocks?)

Capital One Bowl, 1/1 (SEC #2 vs Big Ten #2): Georgia vs Michigan State (A rematch from last year and another reason we don’t like automatic tie-ins.)

Gator Bowl, 1/1 (SEC #6 vs Big Ten #4 or #5): Mississippi State vs Iowa (Pretty good expectations for the Bulldogs.)

Outback Bowl, 1/1 (SEC #3 or #4 vs Big Ten #3): Florida vs Nebraska (Will Muschamp makes some progress.)

Sugar Bowl, 1/2 (SEC champ or At-large BCS bid vs At-large BCS team): Alabama vs Louisville (Bama fans still remember the name of Browning Nagle.)

Cotton Bowl, 1/4 (SEC #3 or #4 vs Big 12 #2): Arkansas vs Oklahoma State (Good, but probably not good enough to land John L. Smith the full-time gig.)

BBVA Compass Bowl, 1/5 (SEC #8 or #9 vs Big East #5 or a C-USA fill-in): Auburn vs Cincinnati (Folks would start to have their doubts about Gene Chizik.)

BCS Championship Game, 1/7 (BCS #1 vs BCS #2): LSU vs Southern Cal (Tiger fans won’t have to wonder if Les Miles will play Jarrett Lee.)

The squads Palm doesn’t envision going bowling: Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

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6 comments

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Chris94

Here is my plan on how the Bowl System and Selection Process should be.

Have the Bowls draft matchups by whichever bowls have the biggest payouts, and have the NCAA approve the matchup as far as from a competitive standpoint, so 7-5 Texas wouldnt get to go to the Cotton Bowl because they were UT. Of course this wouldnt include the BCS Bowls

Here is a mock of how last seasons bowl matchups could have gone.

1. Cotton Bowl: #6 Arkansas vs #15 Baylor

2. Capital One Bowl: #10 South Carolina vs #12 Michigan State

3. Outback Bowl: #18 Georgia vs #21 Nebraska

4. Chik-fil-A Bowl: #11 Kansas State vs #25 Florida State

(They could easily pick a SEC team instead of KSU, but I feel like they would take a flyer and take KSU and KSU wouldve have turned out in great numbers)

5. Insight Bowl: #8 Boise State vs #19 Oklahoma

6. Gator Bowl: Notre Dame vs Auburn

7. Holiday Bowl: #20 Houston vs BYU

8. Alamo Bowl: #16 TCU vs Texas

9. Champs Sports Bowl: Florida vs Georgia Tech

10. Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia vs Cincinnati

11. Sun Bowl: Ohio State vs Washington

12. Texas Bowl: #22 Southern Mississippi vs Texas A&M

ect, ect. A team can refuse to go to the bowl that drafted them but that is a calculated risk they have all the right to take

AllTideUp

If going to the Sugar Bowl means getting Louisville or anyone else from the Big East then I'd rather go to the Cotton Bowl. A prestigious game with a crappy opponent...what's the point? I will be so glad to see the BCS go away.

MoKelly1

So, if Mizzou really was 7th in the SEC what record does that represent in the Conference ---- 4-4 or maybe 5-3. With us playing Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina a 5-3 conference record would not be too poor in my opinion. A 4-4 Conference record would be a little disappointing.

AllTideUp

@MoKelly1 A Music City Bowl team from the SEC is usually a 7-win team. Depending on your OOC record, I would say 4-4 or maybe even 3-5 would be the SEC record for that team.

stonejonathan

Louisville being an at large bid? Did I miss something....

TheN8tureBoy

There is no way Florida is third in the SEC. Maybe third in the East.

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