In the past three seasons, as the SEC has won three consecutive national titles, the conference has also proven dominant in bowl games — SEC teams are a college best 19-7. The next most wins among big six conference opponents is 12, a number shared by the Pac-10, Big 12, and the Big East. The used-to-be big Ten (now not worthy of having the B capitalized) is 6-16. Putting that into context, that’s four less wins than the ACC, which is 10-16 in bowl games the past three seasons.
What’s more remarkable about that SEC record? In all three seasons the SEC teams have been playing up in terms of where they are slotted for bowl games because the BCS has selected two members of the conference each year. That means that the erstwhile second best team in the league has always been the third best, and on down the line. The Big Ten has dealt with the issue each of the last three years to disastrous consequences. As if that weren’t enough, other big conferences slot their top non-BCS teams against SEC teams in lower-tier bowl games. I’m looking at you Chik-fil-A Bowl when you draw the SEC’s fifth or sixth best representative to take on the ACC’s top at-large pick.
After dominating for the past three seasons, college football fans should take a breath, this year 10 SEC teams are playing in bowl games.
So if you want to be safe in your bowl pick ‘em leagues, you should have selected at least seven teams from the SEC to win.
It’s probably too late for that, but in the event you don’t pick until after Christmas, which some bowl pick-ems do, I’m picking them against the spread as the conclusion to my season-long contest with my family’s former French exchange student, Audrey.
You’ll recall that we’ve waged an epic struggle all season long. Currently here are our standings:
Clay: 30-27-3
Audrey: 26-30-4
Audrey has never been to a college football game and I’m currently dominating her by four games in the correct picks column. Plainly, I own France.
Call me de Gaulle.
I’ve decided to end our competition once and for all with a grand finale, picking all 10 SEC bowl games. So here we go.
But as if picking all 10 against the spread wasn’t enough, I’ve also ranked the 10 games according to confidence points since all the bowl pick’ ems require you to do this. (By the way, is this the most complicated challenge that most people compete in every year? How hard is it to keep track of the numbers 1-34 and assign values for bowl games? What’s more, isn’t picking against the spread for 34 games regardless of what value you place on the game, likely to be difficult enough that there aren’t many ties? I mean, no pool that I’ve ever participated in requires confidence value for the NCAA tournament. Anyway, that’s a pet peeve of mine because my wife always shows up a with a paper copy and asks me to fill in the confidence values for her after she’s made the pick. And inevitably I get the numbers crossed up somehow.)
In other words, the first game here — Florida and Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl — is the easiest game on the board for any SEC team. So wager your mortgage on that one.
1. Florida -11 vs. Cincinnati, Sugar Bowl
The Gators are going to beat Cincinnati so badly that in the post-game news conference Mardy Gilyard is going to say, “Now I understand why Coach Kelly left. If we played in the SEC, we’d have gone 4-4.”
Because with that defense, they would have been 4-4 … at best. Cincy’s given up 45, 36, and 44 in three of the past four weeks to vastly inferior offensive talent than they’ll see against the Gators. That means the Gators are going to score more than 40 against them.
And if there is one thing we’ve learned in the past three seasons it’s this: SEC defenses, when given a month to prepare for an opponent, can shut down otherwise high-flying offenses. (See, 12, Big; See also, Ten, Big)
Cincinnati, you’ve been forewarned. Tim Tebow is going to make you worship him.
Okay, maybe not, that violates the Bible.
He’s going to proselytize you.
Which sounds so much dirtier than it actually is.
Clay: Florida
Audrey: Cincinnati
2. Alabama -4 vs. Texas, BCS Title Game
There has been no surer bet in the BCS era than two things: A.) The SEC will win in the BCS title game if they’re allowed to play and B.) The SEC will win by at least a touchdown.
Yep, not only is the SEC 5-0 in title games, but they’ve won all of these games by at least a touchdown. That’s a stat that deserves more attention than it receives.
As if that weren’t enough, let me toss out two names for you: Nick Saban and Mack Brown.
Who you rolling with if your life depends on one man developing a gameplan for a single game with a month to prepare?
Bama will make it 6-0 and will win by at least a touchdown.
Late Thursday night Lauren Conrad is going to turn to Lo Bosworth and say, “What is with all these bangs in Hollywood tonight?”
And Lo is going to say, “Didn’t you read Dixieland Delight? It’s totes Bama Bangs.”
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