Without fear, here are my 2011 Bowl Projections for each of the SEC's Tie-ins. I am projecting that, as has been the case every year under the current bowl format, the league will have two teams in the BCS bowls. This effectively gives the league 10 slots. Coincidentally, I also believe that there will be 10 bowl eligible teams, with only Vanderbilt and Ole Miss out of the mix.
A couple of caveats are in order.
There are no New Year's Day bowls this season because January 1 falls on an NFL Sunday. Yet another reason why I am starting to prefer Thanksgiving weekend and championship game Saturday to bowl season.
As always, these picks are where I think the teams will end up, which isn't necessarily a reflection of how good each team is. As always, politics, money and geography are going to play a part. That said, I am going to play my "Mississippi State makes the leap" prediction to the hilt.
The opponent picks are shots in the dark based on how I think the BCS will shake out and where teams are ranked in the preseason. There are some great matchups in here.
BCS National Championship (January 9)
Alabama Crimson Tide v. Oklahoma Sooners
Sugar Bowl (January 3)
LSU Tigers v. Boise St. Broncos
Capital One Bowl (January 2)
Mississippi St. Bulldogs v. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Cotton Bowl (January 6)
Arkansas Razorbacks v. Texas A&M Aggies
Outback Bowl (January 2)
South Carolina Gamecocks v. Ohio St. Buckeyes
Chick-Fil-A Bowl (December 31)
Florida Gators v. Virginia Tech Hokies
Gator Bowl (January 2)
Georgia Bulldogs v. Michigan St. Spartans
Music City Bowl (December 30)
Tennessee Volunteers v. Miami Hurricanes
Liberty Bowl (December 31)
Auburn Tigers v. Central Florida Knights
BBVA Compass Bowl (January 7)