ESPN College Football

The bowl schedule for the 2013 season is out, so let's take a look at those games with SEC tie-ins.

And, yes, we're including the VIZIO BCS National Championship in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 6 since the SEC has had a standing spot in the title game (and won it) each of the past seven years.

The same goes for the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which has had an SEC team play in its game 12 of the past 13 years.

Jan. 6

• VIZIO BCS National Championship: BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Jan. 4

• BBVA Compass Bowl: SEC vs. American, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Jan. 3

• AT&T Cotton Bowl: SEC vs. Big 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX

Jan. 2

• Allstate Sugar Bowl: BCS vs. BCS, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Jan. 1

• Capital One Bowl: SEC vs. Big Ten, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
• Outback Bowl: SEC vs. Big Ten, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
• TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: SEC vs. Big Ten, noon, ESPN2

Dec. 31

• Chick-fil-A Bowl: SEC vs. ACC, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl: SEC vs. C-USA/American, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
• AdvoCare V100 Bowl: SEC vs. ACC, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Dec. 30

• Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: SEC vs. ACC, 3:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

DawgNation
From Radi Nabulsi : With a ranking in the ESPN 150, close to 40 offers and the SEC’s best among his favorites, Lorenzo Carter is all smiles about his recruiting this spring.

From Kipp Adams : With his decision looming, Nick Chubb is taking a few visits to help decide things.

GatorNation
From Derek Tyson : With big plans beyond football, ESPN 150 OLB Jacob Pugh is set on the road to success.

GeauxTigerNation
From Gary Laney : Even at a school with the storied tradition of New Orleans St. Augustine, the talent of No. 1 ESPN 150 recruit Leonard Fournette stands out.

Also from Laney : News and notes from LSU's week on the recruiting trail.

GigEmNation
From Sam Khan Jr. : Offers coming soon for 2015 Houston QB J.T. Granato.

Also from Khan Jr. : WR Sebastian LaRue is the Aggie freshman most likely to make an instant impact in 2013.

TideNation
From Greg Ostendorf : Five-star CB Marlon Humphrey ditched his cell phone and it’s helping him dominate in track and refocus on his recruiting.

From Alex Scarborough : Headlined by LSU’s Anthony Johnson and Ole Miss’ Robert Nkemdiche, Alabama will face a litany of talented defenders in 2013.

Vanderbilt likes its improved depth in both lines of scrimmage coming out of the spring.

Bruce Feldman has unveiled his annual list of "Freaks," which is his look at the 20 craziest athletes in college football.

Guess who's No. 1 on that list?

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has redefined what a "freak" is in football. As Feldman notes, Clowney ran a 4.54 40-yard dash this spring weighing 275 pounds and also recorded a 38-inch vertical leap.

There just aren't many of those guys walking around on the planet anywhere.

But what sets Clowney apart is his explosive first step, especially at that size.

Joe Connolly, the Gamecocks' strength and conditioning coordinator, told Feldman that Clowney has also become a harder worker.

"The difference is he sees the light at the end of the tunnel," Connolly said. "He's always been an average worker. But when you see, 'The draft before my draft is now done,' he's kind of flipped the switch. There's no question he's been very upfront and forward about the different things he wants to accomplish this year, and he realizes that strength and conditioning is a very important factor to getting to those goals."

Clowney was one of six players from the SEC on Feldman's list of "Freaks."

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was No. 6, Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney No. 8, Arkansas center Travis Swanson No. 11, Ole Miss receiver Donte Moncrief No. 13 and Auburn fullback Jay Prosch No. 20.

Among those who just missed the cut were Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison and Vanderbilt defensive tackle Vince Taylor.

Steve Spurrier discusses South Carolina's preparations and goals for the upcoming season, and talks about how important defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is to the defense.

The much anticipated Alabama-Texas A&M game on Sept. 14 at Kyle Field will be nationally televised by CBS and kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

It will be Alabama's first trip to College Station since 1988. The two teams played a classic game in Tuscaloosa last season with the Aggies holding on to win 29-24 over the then No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide. That game was played in November.

The two teams will be opening SEC play against each other next season. Alabama has a bye the second week of the season, while Texas A&M will be coming off a home game against Sam Houston State.

In other SEC schedule news, the Arkansas-LSU game will again be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving next season (Nov. 29) and will be televised nationally by CBS with a 2:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The teams played the Friday after Thanksgiving for 13 straight years from 1996 to 2008 before moving to Saturday in 2009 and 2010.

Spreading a little "propaganda" in the SEC:

• Vanderbilt offensive line coach Herb Hand calls out a profane Tennessee fan on Twitter.
• Prominent Vanderbilt booster John Rich dies. He was 85.
• Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart is ahead of schedule with his hires, writes John Adams of The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• There's no need for LSU fans to worry about the decommitment of top junior college prospect D'haquille Williams, writes Scott Rabalais of The Baton Rouge Advocate.
• Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph ranks place-kicker Marshall Morgan No. 8 in his countdown of Georgia's 10 most important players.
• Even in a blindfold, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is pretty accurate.
• Don't ask Alabama coach Nick Saban for his favorite memory over the last four years. Said Saban, "We don't look back."
• Former NFL executive Scott Pioli blasts Florida offensive line coach Tim Davis for calling Nick Saban the devil.

In this episode of the Official Visit, touted receiver Ryeshene Bronson and Florida part ways, ESPN 150 linebacker Jacob Pugh names a top three, and more.

Monday, we took a look at the 100-days checklist for the SEC. Today, we're taking a look back at what the SEC was able to do during the BCS era. In short, the conference has had a ton of success and is hoping to close out the BCS the way it began it -- with yet another national championship.

Here's a look at the best and worst for the SEC during the BCS era:

Best

1. Rings/crystals for days: The SEC and the BCS have had a great relationship. The SEC kicked the BCS era off with a bang in 1998 when Tennessee took home the first BCS national championship with its 23-16 win over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl. Five years later, LSU won the conference's second BCS title with a 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. But things really got out of hand starting in 2006, when Florida's 41-14 win over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl sparked a string of seven straight BCS national titles for the SEC. Florida won again in 2008, Alabama has won three (2009, 2011, 2012), two-loss LSU won in 2007 and Auburn won in 2010. The SEC has won nine of the 15 BCS national championships, and its only loss came to itself when Alabama beat LSU 21-0 in the Allstate BCS National Championship in 2011.

2. Two's company: If five straight championships wasn't enough, the SEC got really greedy in 2011, when Alabama and LSU met in New Orleans, shutting the rest of the country out of a chance at the belt. This game sparked a ton of controversy after LSU had already defeated Alabama 9-6 in Tuscaloosa earlier in the season. But the Crimson Tide went unbeaten afterward and jumped up to the No. 2 spot in the BCS standings after Oklahoma State was upset by Iowa State. After LSU beat Georgia in the SEC championship game, the all-SEC title game was set, in which Alabama would have its revenge.

3. Alabama's dominance: Nick Saban brought LSU a national title in 2003, but he's done real wonders at Alabama. With Alabama's 42-14 win over Notre Dame in last season's Discover BCS National Championship Game, the Crimson Tide became the first team in modern history to win three national championships in four seasons. Alabama has won two straight national championships, has dynasty status and should be one of the favorites to win it all in 2013.

4. Heisman collection: The SEC's dominance during the BCS era hasn't just been about bling. The league also has a nice collection of bronze statues, as four of the past seven Heisman Trophy winners have come from the SEC. Last season, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the award, while Florida quarterback Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win it in 2007 when he became the first player to rush and throw for 20-plus touchdowns in a single season. Alabama running back Mark Ingram took home the trophy in 2009, while Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who became the first SEC player to run for at least 1,000 yards and pass for at least 2,000 in the same season, won in 2010.

5. Dominating the NFL draft: The SEC couldn't have won all those BCS titles without a little talent here and there. In last month's NFL draft, the league had 63 players drafted. That's a record for any league. The next closest was the ACC with 31 picks. The SEC had 32 players drafted within the first three rounds, including 12 in the first round.

Worst

1. Auburn getting snubbed: It wasn't often that the SEC got the short end of the BCS stick, but it certainly did in 2004 when Auburn was left out of the national championship after going undefeated during the regular season and winning an SEC title. Auburn went on to beat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, while Oklahoma, which passed Auburn in the BCS standings late, was blown out by USC in the national championship.

2. Not showing up: The SEC had two Sugar Bowl appearances it would love to get back. Fresh off its only blemish of the season in its loss to Florida during the 2008 SEC championship game, Alabama truly looked uninspired a month later in its 31-17 loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl. Last season, Florida, which was No. 3 in the BCS standings at the time, laid a real egg with its 33-23 loss to Louisville in the Sugar Bowl. Both Alabama and Florida were favorites and the more talented teams.

3. The Albert Means scandal: Back in 2002, the NCAA placed Alabama on five-year probation, gave the Tide a two-year bowl ban and reduced football scholarships by 21 over three years for major recruiting violations. The NCAA said a booster agreed to give Means' high school coach more than $100,000 to get Means, a highly-rated defensive lineman, to sign with Alabama. He signed with the Tide but later transferred to Memphis. Alabama narrowly missed getting the death penalty, but, as chairman of the infractions committee Thomas Yeager said, it was "absolutely staring down the barrel of the gun."

4. Tennessee's fall: The Vols might have captured the first BCS title, but Tennessee's program has been a shell of its former self since. Tennessee has endured losing seasons in four of the past five, has missed out on bowl trips in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the late 1970s and will enter the fall with its fourth different head coach in the past six seasons. Since winning it all in 1998, the Vols have been to the SEC championship game three times -- all losses.

5. Bobby Petrino's disgraceful exit: Last spring, Arkansas felt like a legitimate national championship contender. With the talent Bobby Petrino had assembled, the Razorbacks appeared equipped with the team ready to take the SEC West and more. However, Petrino's motorcycle accident in early April changed everything. He was caught lying about an affair he was having with a woman he hired and was later fired. Arkansas hired former special teams coach John L. Smith, who brought more giggles than wins, as Arkansas fell from contender to pretender with a 4-8 season. Petrino completely embarrassed himself and the program, but confidence seems to have been restored with the hiring of former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema.

In conjunction with the 100-day countdown to the start of the 2013 college football season, ESPN's Stats & Info group has put together 100 numbers to know.

Not surprisingly, there are more than a few that might be of interest to SEC fans:

1. (Preseason No. 1): Who will be this year's AP Preseason No. 1? Whoever it is must overcome recent history. Only two teams in the BCS era have won the national title after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, 1999 Florida State and 2004 USC.

6. (Bear Bryant's national titles): No coach in the poll era (since 1936) has won more national championships than Alabama's Bear Bryant's six. In fact, no other coach has more than four. Nick Saban will go for his fifth this season.

7. (Jadeveon Clowney): Jersey number of South Carolina's freakish defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, the top NFL prospect in college football and a serious threat to become the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997.

8. (SEC dominance continues?): Conference goes for its eighth straight BCS title.

9. (Nine-game SEC schedule?): Much has been made of the Big Ten announcing a nine-game conference schedule as part of its expansion. Though the SEC remains steadfast in its adherence to an eight-game conference slate, many people (including Nick Saban) have shown preference for adding a game as well.

20. (Aaron Murray touchdown passes needed): Aaron Murray needs 20 more touchdown passes to surpass Danny Wuerffel's SEC career record.

21. (Johnny Manziel rushing touchdowns): Heisman winner Johnny Manziel rushed for 21 touchdowns last season, second most by a quarterback in the FBS. Collin Klein had 23.

28. (Ole Miss recruits): Players signed by Ole Miss in its 2013 class. The Rebels landed two of the top five players in the ESPN 150 rankings, including the No. 1 overall recruit, DE Robert Nkemdiche.

38. (George Rogers' jersey number): South Carolina RB George Rogers wore No. 38 while amassing 1,894 yards and 14 scores en route to winning the 1980 Heisman Trophy.

55. (Alabama ESPN 150 recruits): The Tide have signed 55 players ranked in the ESPN 150 over the past five seasons, most of any school.

59. (Billy Cannon wins Heisman): LSU HB Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy in 1959 and led the Bayou Bengals to the Sugar Bowl. He remains the only Heisman winner in LSU history.

60. (Bowl appearances for Alabama): The Crimson Tide have appeared in 60 bowl games, the most in FBS history. Bama is 34-22-3 with one vacated victory in those games and has won four straight.

63. (SEC players drafted): The SEC has big holes to fill after a record 63 players were drafted in the 2013 NFL draft. No other conference had more than 31 players drafted.

66. (The Head Ball Coach as player): Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. He'70. (Percentage of Texas A&M's offense accounted by Johnny Manziel): Johnny Football accounted for more than 70 percent of Texas A&M's total offense en route to shattering the SEC record for total offense offense in a season.ll try to coach Jadeveon Clowney to the award and become the 12th head man to coach multiple Heisman winners.

82. (Bear's finale): Bear Bryant's legendary career came to a close in 1982 when he announced his retirement. His final game was a 21-15 win over Illinois in the Liberty Bowl, his 323rd career win. A month later, Bryant died of a massive heart attack.

85. (Bo knows): In 1985, Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and was named the SEC Player of the Year. In that year, he also batted .401 with 17 home runs and 43 RBIs.

89. (Scary punt return): On Halloween night in 1959, with top-ranked LSU trailing third-ranked Ole Miss 3-0, LSU's Billy Cannon returned a punt 89 yards to give the Tigers a 7-3 win. It was perhaps the most famous punt return in NCAA history. Cannon would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that season.

92. (SEC changes college football landscape): In 1992, the SEC became the first conference to showcase a championship game. The first game was Dec. 5, 1992, when Alabama used a late Antonio Langham interception return to seal a 28-21 win over Florida and go on to win the national championship a few weeks later.

98. (The BCS is born): 1998 was the first season for the BCS, which will conclude in 2013. Tennessee won the first BCS national title in 1998.

Alabama coach Nick Saban discusses his team's preparations for the 2013 season.

Florida is the class of SEC athletics ... again.

For the 23rd time, the Gators have walked away with the SEC All-Sports Trophy as presented by the Halifax Media Group.

Florida won eight SEC championships this past year. Georgia was second, and Texas A&M was third in its first year in the league.

Florida won SEC titles in men's basketball, women's cross country, gymnastics, soccer, softball, men's swimming and diving, women's tennis and volleyball.

In the men's competition, Florida was also first followed by Alabama in second and Georgia in third.

It was the 13th time that Florida had swept all three titles. The Gators are the only school ever to sweep.

Here's a look at the overall standings:

1. Florida .7230
2. Georgia .6372
3. Texas A&M .6284
4. Tennessee .5491
5. Arkansas .5448
6. LSU .5225
7. Alabama .5023
8. South Carolina .4794
9. Kentucky .4730
10. Vanderbilt .4354
11. Missouri .4234
12. Auburn .3916
13. Ole Miss .3516
14. Mississippi State .3359

If the 2013 Rimington Trophy watch list is any indication, the SEC will be stout up the middle next season on the offensive line.

The Rimington Trophy is awarded each year to the top center in college football, and nine of the 44 players on the preseason watch list are from the SEC -- which is the most in the country.

Alabama's Barrett Jones won the award last season.

Here's a look at the nine SEC centers on the 2013 list:

• David Andrews, Georgia
• Evan Boehm, Missouri
• Dillon Day, Mississippi State
• Reese Dismukes, Auburn
• Jonotthan Harrison, Florida
• Ryan Kelly, Alabama
• James Stone, Tennessee
• Travis Swanson, Arkansas
• Evan Swindall, Ole Miss

DawgNation
From Kipp Adams: D’Andre Walker racked up 105 tackles in his junior season. Then the offers started pouring in.

From Radi Nabulsi : Speedy 2014 CB Kendarious Webster added an offer from in-state Georgia.

GatorNation
From Derek Tyson : Four-star WR Moral Stephens is wide open with the big programs coming after him.

GeauxTigerNation
From Gary Laney : Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic, the alma mater of Warrick Dunn and Travis Minor, are known for churning out running backs. The tradition continues in the 2014 class with 2015 RB Derrius Guice, who already has an offer from LSU.

GigEmNation
From Sam Khan Jr. : Class of 2014 kicker Aaron Medley talks about being offered by Texas A&M.

TideNation
From Alex Scarborough: Starting with Logan Thomas and Johnny Manziel in the opening few weeks, the Tide face a litany of elite offensive players.

From Greg Ostendorf : ESPN 150 athlete Ronnie Clark talks about where he might play at the next level and his spring visits.

Our Tuesday stroll around the league:

• Butch Jones has the Big Orange Caravan rolling and recruiting along, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Former Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner signs on with Pat Dye Jr.
• Derrick Thomas' College Hall of Fame snub inspires "boycott" from former Alabama great Cornelius Bennett.
• Other schools are still chasing Tennessee running back commitment Treyvon Paulk.
• LSU's Les Miles hasn't given up on getting the SEC schedule changed.
• LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is glad to be able to give back, writes Scott Rabalais of the Baton Rouge Advocate.
• Georgia still wants to see more from sophomore offensive tackle John Theus.
• A Q&A with former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, now the head coach at Western Kentucky.
• Former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Mitchell will transfer to North Carolina State.