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Top College Football Bowl Conference



Most readers of SECSportsFan.com agree that college football is the greatest sport in the world.

And the culmination of the college football season is the bowl season. The bowl season is the time when most major college football teams (with winning records) get to play in bowl games.

The better a team does during the season; the better their bowl (generally).

The bowl games are the highlight of the year for players, fans, and coaches alike. If you are lucky, hopefully you get to travel to a warm, sunny place, in late December or early January, to play the game.

These games are big pay days for the teams that go (and the athletic departments and conferences they represent).




Click this link for the 2009-2010 College Football Bowl Game Schedule.





Given the importance of bowl games, a logical question is – which conference has the most all-time college football bowl victories?


Good question. And, we have the answer.


You will probably not be surprised to find that – the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has the top college football bowl record.


So, here is the bowl game record (through 2008-2009) of the major college football conferences (based on historical conference affiliation). The first number is total bowl games. The second is wins; third is losses; fourth is ties; fifth is bowl game win percentage.


Bowls Wins Losses Ties Win %
SEC 348 190 149 9 .559
Pac-10 193 103 88 2 .539
Big Ten 209 97 111 1 .467
ACC 166 81 83 2 .494
Big 8 127 63 63 1 .500
Southwest 151 63 80 8 .444
Big 12 92 45 47 0 .489
Big East 76 42 34 0 .553
WAC 101 42 58 1 .421



As you can see from the chart, the SEC basically dominates the field as the #1 all-time top bowl conference. The Southeastern Conference has more bowl wins and a higher winning percentage than anyone else. And, it really isn't even close.


To get the above numbers, we used a great calculator at Sports Link Network. It includes the bowl records of conferences by historical conference membership. So, it only counts a bowl result if the team was in the conference at the time of the bowl game.


Seems to make sense. But, surprisingly, this stat is seldom used. The more common stat (you'll get from the NCAA) is based on current conference affiliation. So, for instance, the ACC would get credit for all of Miami and Va. Tech's bowl wins -- even when they were in the Big East. Crazy.


Even if you do it that way, the SEC still comes out on top. Just not by quite as much.


Here's the chart for Top College Football Bowl Conference based on current conference affiliation.


Bowls Wins Losses Ties Win %
SEC 366 188 166 12 .530
Pac-10 208 110 95 3 .529
Big Ten 238 114 121 3 .485
ACC 283 144 134 5 .518
Big 12 318 152 162 4 .484
Big East 108 52 54 2 .491
WAC 67 34 31 2 .522



You can see that when we look at "current conference affiliation" the ACC and Pac-10 do better. The ACC, for instance, picks up the great Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech numbers -- which the Big East loses (thus Big East numbers go down). But, in any event, no one's win percentage in all-time bowl games exceeds the SEC (except the WAC) and no one comes close in number of bowl victories. So, the SEC is still the #1 college bowl conference -- no matter how you look at it.


NUMEROUS Big Ten fans have posted on this site about the fact that apparently the Big Ten only allowed one team to play in a bowl game up until 1976. The Big Ten Champ played in the Rose Bowl; everyone else went home. So, obviously, this would severely restrict the number of Big Ten teams that went to bowl games during those years. Of course there were far fewer bowls back then; still, it's a valid point worth mentioning.


But, however you slice it -- them's the numbers and the SEC is still #1!


But what about the college football conference bowl record for the just passed 2008 - 2009 bowl season? Here it is:


  1. Pac-10: 5-0


  2. SEC: 6-2


  3. Big 12: 4-3


  4. Big East: 4-2


  5. ACC: 2-6


  6. Big Ten: 1-6


  7. WAC: 1-4


  8. Mountain West: 3-2


  9. Sun Belt: 1-1


  10. WAC: 1-4



Obviously the Pac-10's performance (on the upside) is notable; as is the Big Ten's (on the downside -- again); and the ACC's (moved the ACC all-time bowl record from above .500 to below). And, I note the SEC did just fine (including Florida winning it all -- 3rd straight BCS Championship for the SEC) -- despite all the talk about it being a down year for the SEC.

Ok, How bout last year's (2007-2008) bowl season?

Here you go:

  1. SEC: 7-2


  2. Pac-10: 4-2


  3. Big 12: 5-3


  4. Big East: 3-2


  5. Big Ten: 3-5


  6. ACC: 2-6


  7. WAC: 1-3


  8. *Mountain West: 4-1 (great job by the MWC, but they simply didn't play in any major bowls or face the tough competition the other conferences faced).


  9. Sun Belt: 1-0 (Florida Atlantic won the New Orleans Bowl against Memphis)



You can see that the SEC finished the 2007-2008 Bowl Season as the top college football bowl conference. It set an all-time record with 7 bowl victories in one season.


The SEC also further established itself as the Top All-Time NCAA College Football National Championship Conference.


How about all-time head to head SEC vs Other Conferences in bowl games?


Here you go (historical affiliation):


SEC Wins vs. SEC Losses vs. Ties SEC Win %
ACC 31 13 0 .705
Big Ten 34 21 0 .618
Big 12 15 9 0 .625
Southwest 32 26 3 .549
Pac-10 7 7 1 .500
Big East 6 6 0 .500
Big 8 13 19 1 .409
WAC 5 3 0 .625


So, head-to-head, all-time Conference vs Conference CFB bowl games -- the SEC beats every conference but three. And, two of those (Pac-10 and Big East) the SEC Ties. The only conference the SEC has lost more bowl games than one against is the Big-8 which doesn't exist any more.


How about SEC vs Other Conferences in bowl match-ups -- using current conference affiliation? Here you go:


SEC Wins vs. SEC Losses vs. Ties SEC Win %
ACC 43 27 2 .611
Big Ten 38 26 0 .594
Big 12 41 48 3 .462
Pac-10 9 8 2 .526
Big East 6 12 1 .342
WAC 1 0 0 1.000


Well, SEC haters -- you finally have some stats to back you up. Based on current conference affiliation, the Big 12 and Big East both beat the SEC in all-time head to head bowl game match-ups.


But, all in all, when looking at all the stats on this page (and we cover them all) -- we surely have settled that the SEC is clearly the top college football bowl conference. Right?


To compare the head to head records (in all games) of the SEC vs the major college football conferences (and the Ivy League), check out:









What do you think?

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What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Congrats! but misleading  starstarstarstarstar
Just like the Big 10, the Pac-10 would only allow the champion to play in the Rose bowl. Everyone else had to stay home. This is why the Pac-10 bowl appearances ...

Schedule More Regular Season Games Between the Major Conferences   starstarstarstarstar
I do not think it's fair to knock conferences based on these stats - especially the PAC 10, Big Ten, and Big East based on the location of the majority ...

All-Time Bowl Record -- Consistent Numbers  starstarstarstarstar
When calculating conference numbers, you are only counting games when teams are a member of a conference. To calculate bowls, you are counting a total ...

SEC Academics...pathetic!  starstarstarstarstar
How about we handicap the winning percentages by the number of students that would be eligible to be admitted in a big ten school...

Oh, that's right,...

THE Big Ten  starstarstarstarstar
I am a 35 year fan of, and probably very biased toward my school, U of M, and the Big Ten conference.

I have relished the argument surrounding the best ...

Great site  starstarstarstarstar
I am a Big Ten-OSU fan. Of course I take exception with many of your opinions....but you have made your case well. Two things that would help the Big ...

Bowl Restrictions in the Big 10 before the 1980s  starstarstarstarstar
You might also realize that well into the 1970s the Big 10 did not allow more than one team to go to a bowl game each year. The only bowl a Big 10 team ...

No Northern Bowl Games  starstarstarstarstar
One great disadvantage the Big Ten has in bowl games is the fact that they have to come to the south or out west to play the bowl games. This basically ...

Bowl stats skewed because SEC has Geography Advantage  starstarstarstarstar
I think you are out of date here. The PAC 10 is 4-2. You can brag if you like but the SEC is skewed by the fact that they 1)they have more teams, 2) Are ...

Big East Football Should Be Taken Seriously  starstarstarstarstar
You guys must have failed logic 101.

How could you include the Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College wins with the ACC prior to them joining that ...

It's all Good!  starstarstarstar
I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL, OK I am a Ohio State Buckeye fan, hard not to be growing up just a few miles from campus.

It's all Good, Loved watching the ...

Pac 10 Bowl record...Not impressive  starstarstar
I applaud the Pac-10 for an undefeated bowl season. However, most of their bowl games were before Dec. 31. That means that the quality of opponent they ...

SEC is not dominant  starstarstar
You are not on the right track dude. It doesn't matter how many wins you have, it matters how often you pull out wins over losses.

For instance, a ...

Need SEC vs PAC 10 Bowl Match-Ups  Not rated yet
as a NOTRE DAME FAN (tear) and PAC 10 follower, i would like to say that this is an excellent site and appreciate the time you put into the page with statistics....

One Give: SEC Fans Best  Not rated yet
As a Pac-10 Fan, I will give the SEC one best (not conference strength!)

The Fans of the SEC are, not probably, but, the best in the Country. Players ...

PAC-10: Toughest Conference In the Nation!  Not rated yet
http://www.collegegameballs.com/2009/05/20/2009-out-of-conference-schedule-strength-by-conference-and-team/

http://www.kiva.net/~jsagarin/sports/cfsend....

PAC 10 more than Worthy  Not rated yet
I have been having this debate for over 20 years.. PAC-10 or SEC.. where do I begin...

Let's start with the almighty SEC (chuckles). Why does a Conference ...

This is a great SEC Stats Site  Not rated yet
Wow! I can't believe I finally found all these stats! I have been looking for 2 seasons about this very subject.

We have friends and acquaintances ...

wyo cowboy  Not rated yet
2008 = head to head...Mountain West 2 - SEC 0
Nothing more to add

What about CUSA?  Not rated yet
What about Conference USA...although a newer conference, they do well against most conferences in bowl games. --So Miss Fan - Bob


Editor's Note:...

Great Site  Not rated yet
Finally someone who puts it in numbers, and the numbers don't lie. Naturally the Big 10 and ACC fans aren't very happy...because the numbers say their ...

Fair Enough (from a BE fan).  Not rated yet
Hard to argue most of the facts, the SEC is the dominant football conference, much like the BE owns college basketball now (sorry ACC, but 2 teams [Duke ...

This is sooooo funny..  Not rated yet
I'm not a SEC HATER, but I do believe SEC fans are a little dilluted when talking about thier conferance. This person that put up this site is pretty ...

Undecided on Who's the Best!  Not rated yet
Until each team in each conference plays each time in all of the other conferences, there is no way to determine the best team. The argument that I get ...

When did college football become a "conference" thing?  Not rated yet
I was under the impression that when you liked a team, you liked that team? Its one thing to say, "my team didn't make the big bowl game, but I like this ...

Time Frames and Conference Members in Bowl Win Comparison   Not rated yet
I think your total bowl win comparison between the SEC and ACC are a little out of comparison. Please put in time frames and what teams composed the conferences ...

By Your Count -- Michigan is #1 All-Time  Not rated yet
Just an observation.

I noticed most of the points you are making are based solely off wins and losses and records vs. and such.

Using just wins, Michigan ...

Educated Insight  Not rated yet
I very much appreciate your educated and well researched look into this information.

I am a Big 10 guy, and more importantly an Ohio State guy. Its ...

Buckeye for life  Not rated yet
This site is amazing. As a Florida resident, I have reluctantly admitted time and again that SEC is a better overall conference. What can I do? Our ...

Big 10 is simply weak  Not rated yet
I live in Ohio State land yet I'm an Oklahoma fan. Take if from this outsider...your conference is simply weak. OSU is 0-for-9 against SEC teams in bowl ...

Head To Head Bowl Record  Not rated yet
Cool site with a bias towards the SEC but still has a lot of good info. I'm a big ten fan but I love all college football.

It seems a little strange ...

Couple of things  Not rated yet
I like how Arkansas and South Carolina joined the SEC relatively recently (1992) but, FSU joined the ACC very recently (also 1992). Also, the ACC used ...

LSU and Matt Flynn win!!!  Not rated yet
"LSU quarterback Matt Flynn passed for four touchdowns as second-ranked LSU (12-2) won its second national title in five seasons."
Way to go Matt Flynn ...

Stat Sources Skewed Against SEC  Not rated yet
There is an error in the win percentage calculation.

The SEC calculation is taking the 13 ties as half wins giving 6.5 wins while the ACC calculation ...

Mountain West Conference Football 2007 Bowl Record  Not rated yet
You conveniently forgot the Mountain West Conference at 4-1. While you may argue that it is a lesser conference they have certainly provided teams as ...

Genius -- Forgot Mountain West  Not rated yet
Ummm.... I think you forgot about the Mountain West?? they went .800 in the 2008 bowl season...? You can't just choose to ignore conferences that outperformed ...

Mountain West Conference Football Bowl Record  Not rated yet
Hey elitist SEC ****

The Mountain West Conference is 4-1 in bowl games, best in the country this year. Can't wait for BYU to beat an SEC team in the ...

big12backer  Not rated yet
Great site!

While I have a tremendous amount of respect for the SEC, it's not yet true that the SEC "has already clinched the top conference bowl record ...

Including Penn State Boosts Big Ten Numbers  Not rated yet
Please note that the Big Ten would have a significantly worse winning percentage without the addition of Penn State. The Nittany Lions are No. 3 in the ...

your numbers are skewed  Not rated yet
since the ACC and SEC have not been around for the same number of years it seems silly to compare overall bowl wins. a confrence with schools with older ...

Nonbeliever  Not rated yet
the percentage that you calculated is not the win %. What u calculated was the non-losing %. To calculate the win% you cannot exclude the ties as non-...

Another good job on Top College Football Bowl Conference page  Not rated yet


"But the Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College wins while they were in the Big East should be credited to the Big East."


EDITOR'S NOTE: I ...




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