The season has come to a halt (save the Alabama-Missouri title game and the bowls), and the tale of the tape is at hand. Starting with our beloved Rebels, their league-leading defense (fewest points allowed) clearly make them a top consideration for a New Year’s bowl.
With marquee wins over two teams that held the No. 1 position in the nation, it’s almost impossible to see them with anything less. And they are very exciting to watch!
The biggest surprise team by far in 2014 was Mississippi State. No one anticipated this banner season, including their own fan base! They ran the table at home against a subpar list of opponents, however, the road victory over LSU was huge for their worksheet.
As to the biggest disappointment, the ole ball coach limped to the finish line, barely getting bowl eligible even with the 11th hour trouncing to the hands of Clemson. And let us not forget that they were picked eighth in the nation in preseason!
Alabama performed as expected, as did Georgia. Missouri was another surprise, but the early season home loss to Indiana was devastating to their national ranking. LSU and Auburn were both above average; Arkansas and Florida very average; and Kentucky and Vandy well below average.
Now for the bowl pecking order. Here’s how I see it.
No. 1 without a doubt is Bama as they will enter the final four playoff pending an upset to Missouri. The Tigers from Columbia will probably be looking at the second spot with either a Cotton or Fiesta Bowl lurking. Next there is probably our Ole Miss Rebels (yes, ahead of 10-2 State) because of their marquee wins, great finish and fan base that loves to travel. I fully expect an Orange, Outback or Cotton in their future.
As for State, the two touchdown loss to Ole Miss was huge. The Gator, Citrus or possibly Peach awaits — not what coulda been! Georgia’s 9-3 worksheet including the season-ending loss to Georgia Tech could get them either a Peach, Gator or Citrus (just like State), but probably not less. Losing the final game of the season especially to an instate rival never makes you a leading candidate.
As for Auburn and LSU, they would fall next with the Citrus, Texas, Music City and Liberty all being prime candidates. Teams with 8-4 records are secondary draws at best. Rounding out the bowl eligible core, we have Texas A&M, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas and South Carolina grabbing up the crumbs left.
There you have it for 2014. Ole Miss receives a final grade of A. The Rebs continue to improve each and every year under Hugh Freeze (getting better is better than being good), but the most important aspect is that this team is truly exciting to watch. To quote my lifelong friend Gene Kidd (who left us 2 years ago), “it’s only entertainment.” Gene, you were ever so correct and what a Hollywood production we just witnessed!
Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. In addition, he is a certified economic and community developer and currently, a highly successful leader in the real estate business with Premier Properties of Oxford.You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.
