QB Casey Clausen was among the most disappointed when Tennessee blew its Rose Bowl chances. Jonathan Daniel/Allsport
	1   Florida 2   Tennessee 3   LSU 4   South Carolina 5   Georgia 6   Auburn 7   Arkansas 8   Ole Miss 9   Alabama 10   Mississippi State 11   Kentucky 12   Vanderbilt
	8 Number of SEC teams going to bowls, including LSU and Florida to BCS games. The only bowl-eligible team left out was Ole Miss.
	"It's one thing to win a game, to win a championship. It's another thing to act like a champion. I think that's the next challenge that we have." -- LSU head coach Nick Saban on the Tigers' SEC championship win against Tennessee and looming Sugar Bowl date.

One way or another, the bowl season was sure to hold plenty of drama for at least one of the SEC teams. But who could have predicted the anti-climatic ending to the regular season?

Tennessee is still smarting from its 31-20 loss to LSU in the SEC Championship Game. The Vols gagged away a chance to play for the national championship against Miami in the Rose Bowl.

The week before, Florida did the unthinkable and lost at home to Tennessee, 34-32, effectively blowing its chance to play for the national championship. The Gators were No. 2 in the BCS standings at the time and would have been a win away in the SEC championship game from heading to Pasadena.

Just like that, the SEC was on the outside looking in at the national title chase -- and there's no telling when and where the hemorrhaging will cease.

"I was mad, mad at the opportunity we had and let get away," said Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen. "The opportunity was there for us right in our hands, and we didn't get it done. How can a team have a chance to play for the national championship and win an SEC championship and go out and play the way we did? I have no words to explain it. I don't think I'll ever forget that game, but we've got to get over it."

The Vols fell all the way out of the BCS picture and will face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. The Gators were able to salvage a BCS date and will meet Maryland in the Orange Bowl. But that doesn't mean the sting of losing Tennessee has subsided.

"You can't make up for it," said Florida defensive end Alex Brown. "Nobody is going to forget it. If we beat Maryland 100-0, nobody is going to forget the Tennessee game."

The one team that does head into the bowl season with some momentum is LSU, which is coming off its first outright SEC championship since 1986. The Tigers, having won five in a row, will travel right down the road to New Orleans to take on Illinois in the Sugar Bowl.

"I think it's important that our players and everyone understand that we are carrying the SEC banner in this game," said LSU head coach Nick Saban. "I have been very flattered with all the positive attention we have received from winning the SEC championship and playing in a BCS bowl game. But now I think we have to put that behind us and look forward to playing the Big Ten champion."

The stunner during the whole bowl selection process was that Georgia slipped all the way to the Music City Bowl. The Outback Bowl took South Carolina in a rematch with Ohio State. The Cotton Bowl took Arkansas (and guaranteed a sellout in the process) to face Oklahoma, while the Peach Bowl opted for Auburn to play North Carolina.

"We have to prove to people that we're a better team than the bowl people gave us credit for," said Georgia receiver Terrence Edwards.

Very few players in the league improved as much from the first game to the last game as Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen. As much as anything, the sophomore from Northridge, Calif., became a leader. In the aftermath of the bitter defeat to LSU in the SEC championship game, Clausen stood up at a team meeting and delivered a terse message to his teammates. The gist of that message: The Vols had better be emotionally and mentally into it when they face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. "I said what happened last year at the Cotton Bowl -- that's not happening this year," Clausen recounted. "If you're not going to be ready to play this game, if you think this game is going to be a letdown compared to the Rose Bowl, then just don't go. Just stay here. Don't even pack your bags. We're not going out the way we did last year."		HOT: LSU LB Bradie James James was everywhere in the SEC championship win over Tennessee. He's the best all-around linebacker in the league. NOT: Auburn's offense The Tigers tailed off toward the end of the season, scoring 17 points or less in three of their last four games -- all three losses. HOT: Florida WR Jabar Gaffney Gaffney led the SEC with 13 touchdown catches and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in receptions for the second consecutive season. NOT: Tennessee TB Travis Stephens Stephens lost a costly second-half fumble and was held to a season-low 37 yards in the SEC championship game loss to LSU.
When the coaches' All-SEC selections were released earlier this month, there was a glaring omission. Kentucky defensive end Dennis Johnson was left off both the first and second teams by the coaches. That's despite the former USA Today national defensive player of the year leading the league in sacks (12), tackles for loss (19) and fumbles caused (5). It was clearly a breakout season for the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Johnson. His not making either the first or second team raises a couple of questions: Are the coaches really doing their own voting, and if they are, what were they watching this season?		LSU QB Matt Mauck Filling in for the injured Rohan Davey, Mauck engineered a pair of fourth-quarter TD drives to send the Vols packing. South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz Holtz has the Gamecocks in position to win nine games, which would be only the second time ever they've won more than eight. Alabama QB Andrew Zow Zow kept his mouth shut and delivered when Alabama needed him most. He's clearly the Crimson Tide's best passer.
In a dream world, this wouldn't be the circumstances under which Michigan and Tennessee would be meeting for the first time. The truth is that neither team wanted to be in the Citrus Bowl. Michigan appeared headed to the Big Ten championship and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, but was upset by Ohio State. Tennessee had a chance to play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl, but stumbled in the SEC championship game to LSU. "Any time you lose a game that has as much meaning as the SEC championship game or the Michigan-Ohio State game, it's very disappointing," said Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. "But disappointment is part of life. The key is how you deal with it. That's the challenge for both teams going into this game." Michigan will be making its 27th consecutive appearance in a bowl game and Tennessee its 13th. The Vols' streak is the fourth longest active streak in the country. Nebraska leads the way with 33 consecutive bowl appearances, while Florida State has been to 20 in a row.
Florida running back Earnest Graham, who missed the Tennessee game with a sprained knee, said he should be able to play against Maryland in the Orange Bowl. Graham also said he would return for his senior season and wouldn't explore the possibility of turning pro. ... Graham, declining to be specific, said he would deal with any potential legal action against Florida State's Darnell Dockett after the bowl game. "I really don't want to go into it, but it's not over with. There's no doubt in my mind [Dockett tried to injure Graham]. He knows what he did. All I'll say is it's not over with." ... Alabama running back Santonio Beard has been reinstated to the team by head coach Dennis Franchione. Beard was suspended indefinitely after a Nov. 24 arrest for DUI in his hometown of Nashville. ... Alabama has self-imposed 15 scholarship cuts and 44 official visit cuts over the next three years. The NCAA could add to those penalties when it rules on the case in January. ... Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe fired defensive coordinator Don Lindsey, and the Rebels are looking for a new defensive coordinator for the second time in less than a year. ... LSU tailback LaBrandon Toefield will miss the Sugar Bowl after tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game. Quarterback Rohan Davey, however, will be back after missing most of the SEC championship game with bruised ribs. ... Florida head coach Steve Spurrier said his hunch is that receiver Jabar Gaffney and cornerback Lito Sheppard will be back next season instead of turning pro, but he's not so sure about offensive lineman Mike Pearson and receiver Reche Caldwell. Quarterback Rex Grossman has said that he will return next season. ... Arkansas receiver George Wilson on the Cotton Bowl matchup with heavily favored Oklahoma: "It's supposed to be lopsided. They probably feel like they shouldn't be playing us. Let them think that. We know what we're capable of doing." ...