Here is the latest SEC sports news from The Associated Press
By AP
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Southern California opened its season at Allegiant Stadium with a victory over LSU that set up the Trojans for early contention for the College Football Playoff. They instead will end the year where they started. Texas A&M also had high hopes for a playoff spot. The Aggies went even deeper into the season before that dream ended with three defeats in their final four games. Now both teams face each other in Friday night’s Las Vegas Bowl. It’s not the setting either side envisioned but a chance for both to finish the season on a positive note.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Navy coach Brian Newberry grew up near the University of Oklahoma campus, and the first college game he attended as a kid was to watch the Sooners. Now he’ll be trying to beat them in his first bowl game as a head coach. The 9-3 Midshipmen play 6-6 Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday. Newberry says it’s a full-circle moment. The Sooners are wrapping up their first season in the Southeastern Conference with their 26th consecutive bowl appearance. While Oklahoma tries to avoid its second losing record in three seasons, Navy looks for only its sixth 10-win season.
UNDATED (AP) — Georgia Tech knocked off two Top 10 teams while Vanderbilt toppled then-No. 1 Alabama. The two opponents in Friday’s Birmingham Bowl have each taken highly ranked teams into multiple overtimes. They’re also led by mobile quarterbacks who throw few interceptions. There’s a reason that Vandy coach Clark Lea calls the teams “mirror images” of each other, from playing styles to how their seasons went. SEC newcomer of the year Diego Pavia leads the Commodores offense while Haynes King directs the Yellow Jackets.
UNDATED (AP) — Joey McGuire grew up on the Texas-Arkansas border with his family season-ticket holders for the Razorbacks, a team known locally as the Hogs. The number for his first landline telephone as a teenager literally ended in 1464 — or 1HOG. McGuire is now wrapping up his third season as coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders with a game against Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl on Friday night. McGuire says his team won’t hear Arkansas fans doing their well-known cheer for long because his Red Raiders will be ready. A win gives Texas Tech its first nine-victory season since 2009. Arkansas sat out bowl season in 2023.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 14 Gonzaga meets No. 22 UCLA in the lone matchup of AP Top 25 teams for the Christmas holiday week. Both teams will be returning to action a week after their previous games. Gonzaga is coming off a win against Bucknell while UCLA is coming off a loss to North Carolina. The other notable game on the schedule is No. 16 Mississippi visiting Memphis on Saturday. The Tigers have twice been ranked this year and could return to the poll again with a win. In all, 12 of the 25 ranked teams don’t play a game this week.
