In a week, the bowl season for the SEC will kick off when Ole Miss takes on Georgia Tech in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn.
It's the first of 10 postseason games involving SEC teams, culminating with Auburn facing Florida State in the VIZIO BCS National Championship.
Who in the SEC has the most to prove this season in the bowl games? We’re talking head coaches, assistant coaches, players, teams and particular units on teams.
Here's a look:
Alabama: It's been a while since Alabama has played in a BCS bowl game when there wasn't a national championship at stake. Not that Alabama fans need to be reminded, but it was the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl following a tough loss to Florida in the SEC championship game. The Crimson Tide looked uninspired from the start and were throttled 31-17 by Utah. This year, Oklahoma awaits in the Sugar Bowl, and that bitter loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl won't seem quite so bitter if the Crimson Tide can take care of business in the Big Easy.
Ole Miss' offense: The Rebels managed just one offensive touchdown in their last two games -- both losses -- after putting up big numbers all season long. They were in the red zone three times against Missouri and came away with a grand total of three points, and twice they were at the goal line. They get a chance against Georgia Tech to show what they genuinely are offensively, and you know quarterback Bo Wallace can't wait to get back onto the field after losing that fumble in overtime against Mississippi State.
Auburn's secondary: Talk about a tall order. The Tigers ranked last in the SEC in pass defense this season, allowing an average of 260.2 yards per game. Now, they have to go up against Jameis Winston, Kelvin Benjamin and a Florida State attack that has generated 40 touchdown passes.
Johnny Manziel: Johnny Football's last collegiate stand will come in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Duke. He gets a chance to go out with a flourish after a pair of un-Johnny Football-like performances in his last two regular-season games.
Mike Davis: South Carolina's sophomore running back was one of the SEC's breakout stars with 1,134 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. But he was slowed by bruised ribs during the final few weeks of the season. He missed the Coastal Carolina game and was held to 76 rushing yards in the two games against Florida and Clemson. Davis should be back to full strength against Wisconsin and will be looking to upstage the Badgers' one-two rushing punch of Melvin Gordon and James White.
Les Miles: The Mad Hatter has had a lot of success at LSU, but the Tigers' last two postseason experiences haven't been particularly memorable. They collapsed against Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season and were shut out against Alabama in the BCS National Championship two years ago. Nobody on the Bayou wants to see that bowl drought extend to three consecutive years.
Vanderbilt's fans: James Franklin has brought unprecedented success to Vanderbilt's program in the last two years, but the Commodores haven't necessarily been a commodity in the eyes of the bowls. The only way that's going to change is for the Commodores to keep winning and for their fans to turn out in force in Birmingham, Ala.
Missouri's defense: When last seen, Missouri was being shredded by Auburn to the tune of 545 rushing yards in a 59-42 SEC championship game loss. The hard part for the Tigers was that they had been stout defensively all season and went into that game allowing just 119 rushing yards per game. They get a chance for redemption in the AT&T Cotton Bowl against an Oklahoma State team that scored 38 or more points in five of its last six games.
Anthony Jennings and Hutson Mason: Fans are always wanting to know what the future looks like. Because of injuries to Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray, we'll get to see the future at quarterback at both LSU and Georgia in their respective bowl games. LSU's Jennings and Georgia's Mason have already shown that they have plenty of game, but the lights will be a little brighter in the postseason.