We have all heard the talk since last year about the SEC dominance and tsuns recent egg laying has certainly made it worse. I thought I'd throw some stuff out there so anyone can reference it during their next conversation with an SEC dominace believer.
Since the inception of the BCS system in 1998 B10 vs SEC head to head:
Overall: SEC 19 B10 17
SEC Home team: SEC 4 B10 O
B10 Home team: B10 3 SEC 2
Bowl Games:
B10 14 SEC 13
# of winning Bowl seasons:
B10 5 SEC 3 (2 ties)
Total combined scores of all Bowl games:
691-717
When B10 is higher ranked team:
6-7
When SEC is higher ranked team:
B10 5 SEC 6
When both unranked or same rank:
B10 2 SEC 1
So what myths are laid to rest here?
1)
The SEC owns the B10. I guess that would depend on ones definition of "owns." The B10 has the edge in head to head Bowl competetiton during the BCS era. Top to bottom SEC strength, southern speed and ill feelings still harbord from the Civil War dont mean anything. Bowl games are best teams on best teams, head to head. The B10 leads 13-11. Period.
2)
The B10 is overrated. Again, don't let the facts get in the way of a good opinion. When the B10 has the higher rated team in head to head Bowl competition the record stands at 6-6. When the SEC is the higher ranked team The B10 leads 5 games to 4. When both teams are unranked(or the same rank) the B10 leads 2-1.
3)
UF's win over OSU shows how much better the SEC is. My only question here is if the B12 has permanent bragging rights over the SEC from Nebraska's 62-24 beating of a previously undefeated UF in the '95 Fiesta Bowl?
Dominance? I think not. Anyone willing to look deeper than a SportsCenter sound byte can see its even at best for the SEC.
Bowls Year by year(year is for season not actually played), rankings are from AP:
1998: 2-0 B10
#15 UM 45-#11 Ark 31
#22 PSU 26-(NR) UK 14
1999: 2-1 B10
#9 MSU 37-#10 UF 34
#8 UM 35-#5 AL 34
#21 UGA 28- #19 Purdue 25
2000: 1-1
#17 UM 31-#20 Auburn 28
(NR) USC 24-#19
OSU 7
2001: 3-0 SEC
#14 USC 31-#22
OSU 28
#12 LSU 47-#7 ILL 34
#8 UT 45-#17 UM 17
2002: 2-1 B10
#12 UM 38-#22 UF 30
(NR) Minn 29-#25 Ark 14
#19 Auburn 13-#10 PSU 9
2003: 2-1 SEC
#13 Iowa 37-#17 UF 17
#11 UGA 34-#10 Purdue 27
(NR)Auburn 28-(NR)Wisky 14
2004: 2-1 B10
(NR)Minn 20-(NR)AL 16
#11 Iowa 30-#12 LSU 25
#8 UGA 24-#16 Wisky 21
2005: 1-1
#21 Wisky 24-#7 Aub 10
#16 UF 31-#25 Iowa 24
2006: 2-1 B10
#12t Wisky 17-#12t Ark 14
(NR)PSU 20-#17 UT 10
#2 UF 41-#1
OSU 14
2007:2-1 SEC
#18 Wisky 17- #16 UT-21
UR scUM 41- #9 UF 35
#1
OSU 24 - #2 LSU 38