NCAA FOOTBALL: DEC 30 Music City Bowl - Georgia Tech v Ole Miss
The Ole Miss Rebels go home with the Championship Trophy after the 2013 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Georgia Tech versus Ole Miss at LP Field in Nashville. (File photo)
AUBURN, Alabama -- When the dust settles and the playoff games are set, Steve Hogan will push the first domino in the SEC.
The Citrus Bowl chief executive officer has options, but he's still uncertain which way to go entering a slew of conference championship games today. He'll get the first shot at picking an SEC team after the playoff committee settles two national semifinal games and four bowls comprising the New Year's Six.
Uncertainty reigns until 1:45 p.m. on Sunday. When the SEC calls Hogan and asks for his pick, the puzzle will start to make sense.
"Once that telephone rings, we have to be ready to give them an answer," Hogan said.
Not every bowl, however, gets the luxury afforded the Citrus Bowl, which has the freedom to pick the best available SEC team. The bowl destinations of six SEC teams below the Citrus Bowl will be determined by the conference office, which will weigh feedback from the bowls and schools while also considering popular match-ups.
The SEC's new pool selection process, which will place six teams into bowls on equal footing beneath the Citrus Bowl, is a new addition to the mix this season. The days of the SEC following a pecking order based loosely on records are over.
Bowl presidents shared their preferred teams this week. They're not certain what the bowl picture will look like Sunday, but the possibility of bowls such as the Music City getting a high-profile team rather than a six- or seven-win team is quite the shift from previous seasons.
"You could be there thinking it's going to go one way," said Music City Bowl president Scott Ramsey. "But you're not going to be able to confirm anything until Sunday."
Committees for the Belk, Liberty, Music City, Outback, TaxSlayer and Texas bowls provided the SEC office lists ranking its most-desired teams this week. Schools in consideration also provided the SEC with a similar list.
Representatives at the Music City Bowl, for example, believe there are as many as five possibilities from the SEC.
The unknown factor in the equation is the yet-to-be released college football rankings. The possibility of the SEC landing three teams in the New Year's Six has bowl presidents across the SEC's footprint scratching their heads this weekend. Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State (and potentially Missouri if it upsets the Tide) could play in the semifinal or access bowls, and the bowl picture in the SEC's pool below that could change drastically when the playoff committee releases its New Year's Six match-ups and last rankings Sunday afternoon.
The key might be Ole Miss. If the Rebels do not reach the New Year's Six, bowl presidents feel confident match-ups will fall in a clear order.
"It doesn't take four upsets, it only takes really one move in the poll and it changes a number of teams in the pool," said Rick Catlett, president of the TaxSlayer Bowl.
The uncertainty hasn't stopped bowl committees from discussing hypothetical match-ups, especially with more flexibility than in past seasons. The Music City and TaxSlayer bowls, for example, could switch ACC and Big Ten teams for better match-ups against the SEC -- and avoid repeat match-ups from recent years.
"The flexibility in the system is really healthy versus the real structured and rigid format of the selection process before," Ramsey said. "I really think over the next six-plus years we're going to see more matchups and fresh destinations for the fans."
The introduction of the playoff rankings has affected the way bowls have prepared this week. Unlike the past, bowl representatives will depend on the SEC to announce team placements. A surprise or two could be in store, too, in the playoff rankings.
Elsewhere, a Texas-Texas A&M match-up in the Texas Bowl could be the perfect opportunity for the Houston-based bowl to generate buzz in its first year affiliated with the SEC. Bowl reps would love to see the game, but it doesn't appear likely, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
"If it were to happen it would be great for our game and be great of the region," Texas Bowl president David Fletcher said. "We're not in control of that process. The SEC has the ultimate say of who comes to our game from our side."
LSU and Arkansas appear to be the bowl's top options.
Every bowl executive has their dream game, but the decision is not completely up to them thanks to the new playoff rankings and the SEC's pool format. They have an idea of what to expect and are excited -- and in that sense they're more like fans this year than in the past -- but they're also traversing new territory.
Anything can happen.
"The new system is going to work and I think it's going to work very well," Catlett said. "I like it. I really enjoy this time of year."