13 SEC teams in ESPN's Week 5 bowl projections — who's left out?

ESPN experts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach updated their bowl projections after Week 5, and the new edition features 13 of the 16 SEC squads, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com.

That leaves Arkansas, South Carolina and Vanderbilt as the only SEC teams not mentioned in the postseason picture.

The specific bowl matchups are projections, not final selections.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns and Ole Miss Rebels each received at least one vote to make the College Football Playoff in the updated projections.

WHO'S LEFT OUT AND WHY IT MATTERS

Arkansas, South Carolina and Vanderbilt are the only SEC teams not included in ESPN's Week 5 bowl projections, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com. That leaves them outside the postseason picture entirely as the college football calendar pushes deeper into the fall.

The source does not provide reasons for their exclusion. It is not confirmed why those three programs were left off while the other 13 SEC squads landed somewhere in the projections.

Missing the projection matters because these teams are not currently expected to reach a bowl game. That would end their seasons short of the postseason, cutting off an extra game and the practice time that comes with it.

With Week 6 already underway, bowl season is approaching quickly. Each week of results can reshuffle the board, and Saturday's outcomes will carry extra weight for those three programs still trying to play their way into the conversation.

The specific bowl matchups are projections, not final selections.

THE PROJECTED BOWL GAMES FOR EACH SEC TEAM

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach each see Alabama reaching the College Football Playoff, though they disagree on the opponent. Bonagura projects the Crimson Tide in a First Round matchup against No. 10 LSU, while Schlabach slots Alabama against No. 12 Boise State.