It’s hard to find a silver lining in the Tigers’ heartbreaking post-Thanksgiving loss to Arkansas. “It makes you sick,” coach Les Miles said of his team’s breakdown in the 31-30 loss Friday in War Memorial Stadium.The game had been billed as a chance to salvage a disappointing four-loss season and build momentum before a bowl matchup.Instead, the Tigers’ losses mounted to five after they squandered a 16-point third quarter lead and allowed Arkansas to methodically march down the field to score a game-winning touchdown in the last minute.But if there’s any postgame optimism to be found, it might be in the fact that LSU’s bowl options did not take a big hit after the loss.The Tigers still have high odds of landing a bid to the Chick-fil-A or Outback bowls, according to many projections released this weekend.Assuming that Southeastern Conference Championship contenders Alabama and Florida will receive BCS bids, the remaining bowl-eligible SEC teams are Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina, LSU, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.The Capital One bowl gets top pick after the BCS selections and will likely opt for Georgia (9-3), the SEC team with the best record.The Outback and AT&T Cotton bowls get the next selections, with the Cotton Bowl getting first pick on a western division team and the Outback Bowl having first choice for the eastern division. Ole Miss, with an 8-4 record and a win against LSU, is likely Dallas-bound for the Cotton Bowl. The Outback Bowl would then face a choice between two 7-5 teams, either South Carolina or LSU. The other eligible teams, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, have 6-6 records. The Chick-fil-A Bowl (formerly the Peach Bowl) picks immediately following the Cotton and Outback bowls.The Outback Bowl, played at 11. a.m. EST in Tampa, Fla. on New Year’s Day, usually pits an SEC Eastern Division team against a Big Ten team.The last time the Outback Bowl selected a West team was in 1997, when Alabama defeated Michigan.But Mike Schulze, Outback Bowl director of communications and sponsorships, said the bowl isn’t opposed to looking at a team from the West.”The two [South Carolina and LSU] are very likely candidates,” he said. “We cannot lose with either team.”Schulze said it’s too early for the Outback Bowl to make a selection, given all the national scenarios that could affect other bowl picks.He predicts the selection will not be made until Sunday.”We have realized and recognized that it does not make sense to move forward with selections when we don’t know for sure what our options are,” he said. “We can assume certain things will happen, but sometimes that is not the case.”The financial difference between the Outback Bowl and Chick-fil-A bowl is minimal, as the Outback Bowl pays $3.1 million minimum per team compared to the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s approximate $3 million.Gary Stokan, president of the Chick-fil-A Bowl, said LSU is high on the list of SEC teams to face an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent at 7:30 p.m. EST on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.Stokan said the committee planned to meet Monday night to discuss options, but like other bowls, must wait for other scenarios to unfold. Stokan said the committee is looking at South Carolina, LSU, Vanderbilt and Kentucky but considers either LSU or South Carolina to be the best option.LSU defeated Florida State, 31-27, in the inaugural Peach Bowl in 1968. LSU’s most recent appearance was in 2005, when Miles led the Tigers to a 40-3 win against Miami.Stokan said he has been in contact with LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva about LSU’s potential invitation.”From what I understand Les and Joe have both said, ‘What do we have to do to get to Atlanta? We want to get up there and play in the Chick-fil-A bowl,'” Stokan said. “We’re in an unopposed TV time-slot that is ranked higher than Outback.”The upside of picking South Carolina, Stokan said, would be the school’s close proximity to Atlanta and the ACC rivalry, considering South Carolina was once in the league.Stokan said he is confident LSU fans would travel well despite disappointment from a five-loss season.”I have a great deal of faith in the LSU fans that they would be excited,” he said.Depending on the outcomes this weekend, LSU might face an outside chance of falling down to the AutoZone Liberty bowl, which sent representatives to the LSU vs. Arkansas game. The Liberty Bowl pits the Conference USA champion against an SEC opponent.”Nothing has been determined,” said Verge Ausberry, LSU senior associate athletic director. “Nothing is known officially. Everything is kept under strict confidentiality. We probably won’t know until Saturday night or Sunday morning.”—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]