Recent SEC vs. Big Ten Bowl Record

by Ed
(Ohio via Florida)

I too have been curious about the head to head records of the SEC vs. Big Ten after listening to the SEC proclaim their vast superiority due to their speed the past few years.

I agree with another poster, that the overall record you have posted shows no regard to the Big Ten's relationship with the Rose Bowl over a long period of time.

So I looked at recent history...the past four years. If I missed something, please let me know. But it looks to me that the Big 10 has a slight edge (6 of 11) in the bowls games in this period. There is also a slight margin of victory for the Big Ten even with Florida's big win last year.

Since - (1) one poster shows the Big Ten with an overall advantage in wins historically (2) you show the SEC has the advantage, yet fail to mention the Big 10/PAC 10 Rose Bowl relationship, and (3) the SEC has has a slight disadvantage in recent history - I just don't see your case at all... unless you want to ignore critical thinking just to feel good about the SEC. You seem to be looking for an accurate comparison...best of luck. In any case, you have some good teams in the SEC...might be prudent to cool the Big 10 bashing by some of the SEC fans until the evidence supports their claims.

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Oct 13, 2007
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This is why the SEC vs Big Ten Debate Rages On
by: Mo

Thanks Ed, your points are well taken. But so are mine.

My points are simple:

1. The SEC leads the Big Ten in all-time head to head competition.

2. The SEC leads the Big Ten in all-time bowl appearances, wins, and win percentage.

There are articles on this site that detail those records. See, for example: All-Time College Football Bowl Record.

Your points are also simple:

1. The Big Ten leads in recent head to head bowl match ups.

2. The Big Ten leads in all-time head to head if you go back to pre-1900 before the SEC existed and simply add in the results when current SEC and Big Ten teams played each other. As, I've explained many times, I don't think counting those games are relevant to SEC vs Big Ten stats as obviously, there was no SEC at the time.

But, your points are well taken.

Thus, the debate goes on.

We'll see what happens this year.

Thanks again for your comments.

Mo

Oct 14, 2007
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How about some Bowl record stats?
by: SLN Commissioner

Recent years? Now that's a convenient stat.
How about all time bowl results?

To see Big 10 vs SEC in conference Bowl Game results you can go here:

Sports Link Network Stats.

For in conference Big 10 versus all conferences results:

Sports Link Network Trivia.

Oct 21, 2007
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SEC is great - but talk is cheap...
by: Wolverine

Big Ten's recent success against the league: a 2-1 record against SEC teams in bowl games last season; an 8-6 record against SEC teams in bowl games the last five years; and 15 BCS berths to the SEC's 13. Big Ten teams have produced five Heisman Trophy winners in the past 15 years, compared to the SEC's one.

and Michigan is the winningest program of all time...

Oct 23, 2007
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Trudat
by: Anonymous

Great points.

Nov 17, 2007
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hey
by: Anonymous

SEC rules!!!!!

Nov 04, 2008
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Um.
by: luciusETRUR

Well, just for sake of saying what conference is better, all-time stats don't make much sense. Namely, conferences change, teams change, coaches change, and siutations change, but over 5-15 years, makes a much better argument since it's more up to date and has validity with the current teams that play right now.

Nov 08, 2008
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Watta you know?
by: Anonymous

I agree that the more recent numbers are the ones that are most important. And those numbers seem to favor the Big 10, however slightly. But even that's huge, because the way the SEC waves their banner around, you'd think that the Big 10 NEVER beats them in a bowl game. But as it turns out, they do just that more often than not.

Nov 13, 2008
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Learn the words
by: Eat em up

Another thing, quit trying to say the sec has more tradition than the Big Ten. Besides Rocky Top what are the words to your fight songs? There is Hot Time in Madison, the Buckeye Battle Cry in Columbus, Falcone Fight in East Lansing, oh and I almost forgot the greatest college fight song of all time, The Victors in Ann Arbor. So sec fans don’t shut up please just stand up and try to sing the words to your own fight song for the sake of tradition, which the Big Ten has clearly has over you.

Nov 13, 2008
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Learn the words
by: Hawkeye

Another thing, quit trying to say the sec has more tradition than the Big Ten. Besides Rocky Top what are the words to your fight songs? There is Hot Time in Madison, the Buckeye Battle Cry in Columbus, Falcone Fight in East Lansing, oh and I almost forgot the greatest college fight song of all time, The Victors in Ann Arbor. So sec fans don’t shut up please just stand up and try to sing the words to your own fight song for the sake of tradition, which the Big Ten has clearly has over you.

Nov 14, 2008
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the Buckeyes are the problem
by: MB

I'm a Buckeye fan if you throw us out of the mix 0-8 I believe since early 90's, the Big 10 has done quite well head to head during the bowl season versus the SEC. Michigan alone is 7-3 in their history. (hate to admit that) We curl up in a ball and suck our thumbs when we see an SEC team coming. Somehow we were able to hold off one of the greatest college teams ever in Miami in 02 that was absolutley loaded with NFL stars, but can't handle South Carolina the year before in the flippin Outback Bowl. But we are equal opportunity losers as we've taken if on the chin from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and South Carolina - twice. Pretty good in a rougly 18 year span os really we are "friend of the SEC".

Nov 22, 2008
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SEC education
by: Bill (I attended a real school) Macari

With an SEC education, you get brilliant comments like those from "MO"....as in Mo education needed please. Get your facts straight....the problem with posting on an SEC blog is that A)you have uneducated clowns posting facts and B) you have uneducated clowns believing them. The all-time head to head Big Ten vs. SEC record is 95-78 - and no, that is NOT in favor of the SEC. Solid effort though...even a blind squirrel can find a nut from time to time.....keep throwing worthless facts around and perhaps you'll get one right some day.

Dec 02, 2008
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Apples to Apples
by: Anonymous

I did a comparison of the games between the major 6 conferences which indluded how the teams finished in their respective conferences, equating 3rd and 4th in the Big 10 to a division 2nd, etc. Conference 1st andd 2nd was preserved, having been settled in the SEC by the title game.

This is a necessity to get an accurate comparison, otherwise you equate FL over OSU to Mich over Vandy.

Even means the teams finished the same in both conferences, higher means the SEC team finished higher than the Big 10 team, lower means the SEC team finished lower in their conference than their opponent finished in the Big 10.

From 2002 thru 2007, the cumulative record of the SEC is:
.....Even.Higher.Lower.Overall
2007..1-0....1-0...0-1.....2-1
2006..2-1....1-1...0-2.....3-4
2005..3-2....1-2...0-2.....4-6
2004..4-2....2-3...0-3.....6-8
2003..5-2....4-4...0-3.....9-9
2002..5-3....5-5...1-3...11-11

As you can see, the results aren't that favorable for the SEC. They are the outcome of 1 game better when evenly matched, but they are only 50% when the higher team, only have 1 win as the lower team, and are at or below .500 most of this time period.

If you want an impressive apples to apples record for the SEC, look at the SEC-Big 12 record.

Between all of the conferences, the ACC has been down for 2 years (this might be the 3rd year), the Big East has been in turmoil, the other 4 majors are about even overall.

Dec 16, 2008
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Location! Location! Location!
by: Midwesterner

Its easy to compare bowl records and make a judgement on conference strength. But are you getting a valid evaluation?
I say no. Why?
Almost all bowl games the Big Ten plays are ROAD games. That is not true for all conferences.
Sure Ohio State has a rotten record against the SEC. But I would think that many of those games are in SEC territory. Almost all Bowl games are played in the South, Southwest or California. I hardly think its fair to be critical of a Big Ten school that loses to USC, UCLA or other Pac 10 team in Pasadena. Or a Big Ten team that loses to an SEC team in places like New Orleans, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami etc.
Why don't they move a few Bowl games to domes in Indianapolis or Minneapolis? Or better yet an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati or Pittsburg!
Then invite Bama to play Wisconsin Minnesota or invite Georgia to play Ohio State in Pittsburg.
Of course it isn't practical to do this, bowl sponsors want to have warm weather sites. But please, SEC fans don't brag so much when it is an unfair fight.

Dec 23, 2008
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Big 10 has served me well in bowl bets
by: Anonymous

I am a Michigan fan and every year I bet my buddy (LSU alumn) on the SEC / Big 10 bowl games. I didn't research the exact outcomes over the 9 years we've been betting but I can tell you he's paid me more than I've paid him.

One other point...if the SEC truly has better athletes then why does the Big 10 consistently produce better NFL players at the speed positions such as WR, CB and Safety? Maybe for the same reasons they have a better head to head record with the SEC in recent bowl games?

Jan 04, 2009
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Weather? Nice Try.
by: Anonymous

The weather comment does not really hold considering that Big 10 teams train in warm weather, especially in the late spring. While they may be used to cold weather in the winter, they generally have a whole month to aclimatize.

A better argument would be the proximity of SEC schools to bowl sites, but then again Big 10 fans travel in force and often present a 50/50 ratio in bowl games in Orlando, Tampa, Miami, etc.

I also don't appreciate the condescending remarks about the academic quality of SEC schools. As public schools rely mainly on the students their states produce, you can not really blame schools for having lower SAT scores if they mirror the state averages.

The Big 10 is quick to criticize the SEC in terms of US News rankings, but don't forget that Vanderbilt is Top 20 and UF is Top 50 (and probably drastically underrated). Big 10 universities are great, but that doesn't make SEC schools bad. Some of the most successful people in the world have come from the South.

You can complain all you want about the SEC, but most everyone in the country agrees that it is the best conference by far year-in and year-out.

Jan 10, 2009
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2008 season notes
by: Anonymous

The fact is that over the past three seasons the best team from the SEC has been better than what the Big 10 has to offer. But if you look at what Florida did to LSU, Georgia, etc. it's not like the rest of the SEC was really competitive with them either.

Just like last year's Michigan / Florida game and this year's S.C. Iowa game, the conferences match up well with each other and usually make for entertaining games.

In order to get a better national perception the Big 10 will have to get a BCS title in the next few years but for those who actually pay attention to the top half of both conferences we know that it is pretty much a draw.

Jan 14, 2009
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When it counts
by: MIke

Congrats to the SEC for their RECENT streak of titles. But if we want to talk all time best conference let's talk when it counts. The Big 10 has 28 National Championships (EXCLUDING PENN STATE)and the SEC...18. Alabama is the only traditional National Champion in the SEC but even they are sandwiched between Michigan and Ohio State. So, once again, congratulations on your recent title stretch.

Jul 02, 2009
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An Overlooked Factor
by: Celebrity1160

I believe that an overlooked factor in analyzing the bowl performance of SEC teams in comparison to Big Ten teams is the bowl system. I am a member of a major bowl game's selection committee.

I am also a 7th generation southerner and very proud of that fact. However, the fairly recent trend of crowning college football's national champions and determining final poll positions based on bowl wins has unfairly skewed the process strongly in favor of the SEC.

The simple fact is that nearly all bowl games of consequence are played in the Southeastern United States. These are home games for the SEC, pure and simple. Those games played outdoors are in much warmer weather than the Big Ten teams are conditioned and, more importantly, schemed for.

The presence of more fans for the Big Ten than for the SEC, as is most often the case, simply cannot overcome the endemic advantages caused by the bowl game's geographic uniqueness. There are no Big Ten region bowl games. Never have been and likely never will be. What do you call a Big Ten team that could win 8 games in the SEC? Illinois or Indiana.

Light fast teams with option quarterbacks don't often succeed for long when the weather gets harsh. Thus, the fact that the Big Ten in fact has an advantage in head-to-head bowl game competition should be both sobering and extremely disquieting to the intelligent SEC fan.

Jul 02, 2009
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An Overlooked Factor - Continued
by: Anonymous

As part Two to my prior post: The SEC, for all of its glory, has never actively pursued a truly national schedule, save for the Great Bear Bryant's desire to take on all comers home and away.

Florida rarely plays more than 400 miles from home and never further north than Lexington or further west than Baton Rouge. Florida fans speak of the "Gator Nation", but that nation is smaller than a Micronesian Island chain. The Gators have never, ever strode on the fields of the nation's great and storied programs like Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma, So Cal or Texas. Ever.

Heck, the only time they went to Syracuse they lost by 4 touchdowns. Indoors. Georgia played Arizona State to mark the first time an SEC team actually traveled west in anyone's recent memory. Georgia cruised to an easy win and reaped the hype and accolades of the cross-continental match-up - although ASU was very weak and finished far down in the Pac-10 standings in a very down year for that conference.

Auburn traveled to Morgantown and got their coach fired and their behinds handed to them by a mediocre Big East team. Heck, LSU doesn't even go the 150 miles to play A&M anymore.

And of course, the Rose Bowl is and always will be a So Cal home game. Watching the Trojans play bowl games anywhere other than in LA confirms they have greatly benefited from having a bowl game 11 miles from their campus.

So, let's talk about where they play when the discussion turns to the superiority of who plays. There can be no legitimate argument that the location of the game doesn't matter. Until the SEC begins to play a national schedule, the chest-thumping is a hollow sound in a remote corner of the nation. Calling a home game a few miles away a bowl game does not make it a neutral contest for purposes of reasoned comparison. And, again, despite these impediments and hobbles, the Big Ten has prevailed, for the most part, or held its own despite the adversity of always playing bowl games 1000's of miles from home in climates that do not and cannot match their schemes and personnel.

But it is fun to discuss with dignity, honor and integrity.

Oct 08, 2009
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Weather Factor In Bowl Games
by: Badger in Florida

I am a Wisconsin grad and live in SEC country so i get very tired of hearing that the SEC is a superior , faster conference. It is true that the south produces Some of the fastest players, but there is speed everywhere in the country.

When a player from the south stays in the south and then makes it to the nfl, most of them struggle. Why?? Because the NFL is a national league and some of these pampered speed guys will play their first sub 50 degree game in the pros!!

An earlier comment said that big ten teams have a month to get acclimated to the warm weather.. WHAT???? Does this poster think the team comes to the bowl location a month before???? Not the case, my friend. Even if they crank up the heat in the practice facility, as soon as practice is over, its back to 10 below and snow.

I know for a fact(had a best friend who played for the badgers) that these athletes are walking back home in the freezing cold after practice, and most of them, at wisconsin, lived about a mile away from the stadium.. Something happens to a persons body when it hits the sub zero weather, especially when you grow up in it.

I lived in WI for 27 years and never really complained about the cold (maybe once because it was 70 below with the wind chill!) After living in FL for 7 years, i went back to visit over xmas and holy sh*t!! It was colder than i can ever remember and i could not handle it for long. Just like i could not handle being outside in the summer in FL when i 1st moved down,Unbearably hot!!)

My whole point is that the vast majority of the athletes in the big ten are from the big ten states and most of the sec athletes are from the sec states. There is NO doubt that since ALL bowl games are played in warm climates, that there is an advantage to the athletes that are used to that climate. Even if its just a slight advantage, its still a distinct advantage that shifts the scales in favor of southern teams.

Until Florida plays Ohio State in Columbus in January, this entire debate is an exercise in futility.

Oct 14, 2009
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2 great conferences
by: buckeyebly

I love both these conferences I am a buckeye fan and always will be whether we ever beat an sec team or not.. I grew up in southern ohio and now live in georgia. College football has been my favorite sport to watch my whole life. I believe both conferences are great.

But I think the Sec has an overall advantage, and that is coaching. College football is all about coaching and getting the most out of their players. Every great football program has had great coaching. Bear Bryant,Woody Hayes, Joe Paterno, Johnny Majors, Bo Shembechler, and the list can go on.

These days the sec has the advantage to any other conference overall in their coaching. Spurrier, Meyer, Nutt, Richt, Miles, Saban. recently excluded Tuberville and Fulmer. These are all great football minds and get the most out of their players.

The big ten is trying to catch up with the likes of Tressell, Rodrigz, Ferentz, and old Joe Pa. But all in all the rivalry will always be North and South going head to head You got to love it.

Dec 30, 2009
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I get a sense of a inferiority complex
by: Ronnie Pudding

What is it with SEC fans? You guys seem to go on and on about how much better you are than everyone else. Do you feel that strongly that nobody is convinced? You come off like you have a inferiority complex. I hear the same thing when I go to the south to visit. Yankee this Yankee that. I never hear anyone in the north say redneck this and cracker that to visiting southerners. Talk about rude. What is it with you people anyway? Have you ever noticed when a non-american, english speaking or not, makes fun of the U.S. it's always with a southern accent and they're impersonating some sort of moron. Do you like coming off like that? I digress.
You need to accept that the Big Ten gets a lot of press because they simply have a higher population than the SEC. Are you honestly going to argue that Ala, Miss, Ark, LA, SCAR, etc have the population to rival Ill, OH, Mich, Penn, Wisc, Indy? There are simply more people in the Big Ten. It has been around decades longer than the SEC as well. Get a grip. You have a few great football programs. Shut up about it. You're coming off like the whiner morons the rest of the world think you are.

Dec 28, 2010
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count this!
by: topconfrence

BCS Bowl wins and appearances by conferenceConference Appearances At-large bids W L Pct # Schools School(s)

Big Ten 21 9 10 11 .476 7 Ohio State (5-3)
Michigan (1-3)
Wisconsin (2-0)
Penn State (1-1)
Illinois (0-2)
Iowa (1-1)
Purdue (0-1)
SEC 19 7 14 5 .737 6 Florida (5-1)
LSU (4-0)
Georgia (2-1)
Alabama (1-2)
Tennessee (1-1)
Auburn (1-0)

Dec 28, 2010
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oh how about these
by: TOPCONFRENCE

BCS National Championship Game appearances by conferenceConference Appearances W L Pct # Schools School(s)

Big 12 7 2 5 .286 3 Oklahoma (1-3)
Texas (1-1)
Nebraska (0-1)
SEC 6 6 0 1.000 4 Florida (2-0)
LSU (2-0)
Alabama (1-0)
Tennessee (1-0)
ACC 3 1 2 .333 1 Florida State (1-2)
Big East 3 1 2 .333 2 Miami, FL (1-1)
Virginia Tech (0-1)
Big Ten 3 1 2 .333 1 Ohio State (1-2)
Pac-10 2 0* 1 .000* 1 USC (0*-1)

Jan 09, 2012
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Apples and Oranges
by: Silly Tiger ...tricks are for kids

The reality is not going to lie in the final scores...I think most fail to take into account weather conditions. The southern teams rarely play in snow/cold/icy conditions which means they recruit speed and fineese. The northern teams often play in volatile conditions so they play more of a physical running game and recruit more brawn and size. My gut read is that the tables would turn if the SEC teams had to travel north for bowl season and play in volatile conditions...the Big 10 teams would trounce them as the SEC teams do when they play in the south.
Add snow or cold to the mix and I think most would agree it changes your play calling and style. Just my two sense anyway.

May 19, 2012
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titles
by: Justwinbaby

just looking at recent national titles, I will go with the SEC....oh yes Appalachain St.

May 19, 2012
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titles
by: Anonymous

Judging by recent national titles, I go with the SEC. Their top teams would never lose to an Appalachain State and the conference is stronger now with Tex. AM and Missouri.

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