SEC Favored to Win Most Bowl Games of Power 5 Conferences
- Eleven SEC football teams will play in bowl games
- Sportsbooks pick the SEC to win the most bowl games, setting the total at 7.5
- SEC teams were 5-6 in bowl games last season
Is the SEC the best football conference in the NCAA? They like to think so, but lately, bowl-game season is offering a different viewpoint.
But…I thought the SEC was so good? pic.twitter.com/u56Ofaam9z
— Standard UCF (@UCF_National) December 15, 2018
In 2017, 11 SEC schools were also represented in bowl games, but just five emerged victorious. Winning the biggest bowl game of them all, though, the national championship, as Alabama has done twice in the last three years and is favored to do so again, helps to bolster the SEC’s argument.
But is the SEC truly the best of them all? Sportsbooks seem to think so. The sportsbooks are picking the SEC to win the most bowl games of any conference, setting the total bar at 7.5 wins.
Total Bowl Wins By NCAA Conference Odds
| Bowl Game Wins | Over | Under | Total Bowl Wins By NCAA Conference Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | +130 | -170 | SEC |
| 4.5 | -150 | +110 | ACC |
| 4.5 | Even | -140 | Big Ten |
| 2.5 | -120 | -120 | Big 12 |
Which conference is set to dominant bowl-game season? Let’s break it down by conference.
SEC Looking Good
Although last year didn’t go their way, the odds appear to be in the SEC’s favor this bowl season. Alabama is the odds-on favorite to win the College Football Playoff. Georgia gave the Crimson Tide all they could handle in the SEC Championship Game and the Bulldogs figure to be too much for the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl. Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is a stud, as the Iowa Hawkeyes will find out in the Liberty Bowl.
Vanderbilt QB Kyle Shurmur is having a much better year than his dad, New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur, and should lead the Commodores past Baylor in the Texas Bowl.
Vanderbilt QB Kyle Shurmur is having a much better year than his dad, New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur, and should lead the Commodores past Baylor in the Texas Bowl. Take South Carolina over Virginia (Belk Bowl) and Missouri will run roughshod over Oklahoma State (Liberty Bowl).
In the last 20 bowl games which an SEC team has been at least a 6-point dog (dates back to 1999), the SEC team is 16-4 ATS with 11 outright wins. Kentucky and Florida both getting more than 6 points right now.
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) December 12, 2018
Purdue has been a giant-killer and Auburn could be next in the Music City Bowl. Florida is 0-4 all-time against Michigan, who the Gators face in the Peach Bowl. Kentucky has enjoyed its best season since 1984, but won’t enjoy facing Penn State in the Citrus Bowl. Can LSU silence unbeaten UCF in the Fiesta Bowl?
Pick: 8-3
Big Ten A Coin Flip
Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has dominated Florida, winning two games by a combined score of 74-24. Ohio State should be fired up to win Urban Meyer’s farewell against Washington in the Rose Bowl. And we’ve already given Penn State (Citrus Bowl) and Purdue (Music City Bowl) the edge.
2018 College Football Conference Power Rankings: SEC back on top, but where does the Big Ten land? https://t.co/q1gr5RtsQJ pic.twitter.com/gV3Lgs9PSG
— College Football (@CollegeFootball) December 13, 2018
Beyond those contests, there are a number of toss-up Bowl games involving Big Ten schools. And in any 50-50 situation, it can go either way.
Pick: 6-3
At Least The ACC Has Clemson
Cast as a basketball conference, there is some basis in fact to that theory. Other than Clemson, there isn’t a true football power currently residing in the ACC. Miami, Florida State and Pittsburgh aren’t what they used to be.
After tearing through the ACC, can @ClemsonFB keep it going in the College Football Playoff? Check out our special preview issue featuring @swaggy_t1: https://t.co/KUIpdS5B90 pic.twitter.com/8KXnMM9f1Y
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 14, 2018
The Cotton Bowl battle between unbeaten Clemson and Notre Dame should be epic, but the rest of bowl season could be trying for the ACC.
Pick: 3-8
Big 12 in Deep
They have the Heisman Trophy winner for the second year in a row, a team in the College Football Playoff… and not much else going for them.
Kyler Murray #AwardsSZN Tracker.
☑️ Big 12 Offensive Player of The Year
☑️ Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
☑️ Pro Football Focus First-Team All-American
☑️ AP National Player of The Year
☑️ Davey O'Brien Award#KylerKnows | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/1svgx6MhIe— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) December 7, 2018
TCU should topple California (Cheez-It Bowl) and West Virginia can beat Syracuse (Camping World Bowl). But much like the Big Ten, the Big 12 faces plenty of toss-up Bowl matchups, and it’s doubtful that many will go their way.
Pick: 2-5
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
