There might be some more added pressure in SEC country for the Georgia Bulldogs to win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl.
A win would not only keep Georgia alive in the College Football Playoff, but keep the prestige of the SEC alive. The Big Ten has had a strong showing this bowl season and may be catching up to the SEC.
The SEC has not been the top conference in bowl games this year. SEC teams are 7-5 in bowl games. The .583 winning percentage is behind the Big Ten who is 8-5 after Oregon lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
Ranking Power four conferences by bowl/Playoff record
- Big Ten (8-5, .615)*
- SEC (7-5, .583)
- Big 12 (4-4, .500)
- ACC (2-9, .183)
*Oregon and Ohio State played each other.
A few of the SEC’s notable losses are to Big Ten teams. The Alabama Crimson Tide lost 19-13 to the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl, and the South Carolina Gamecocks couldn’t pull through against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Cheez-its Citrus Bowl. The Texas A&M Aggies blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to the USC Trojans to lose the Las Vegas Bowl.
Most notably, the Tennessee Volunteers were blown out by the Ohio State Buckeyes in their first-round playoff matchup. The SEC has only two remaining teams in the playoff in Georgia and Texas.
The SEC still has plenty of chances to usurp the Big Ten. Ole Miss plays Duke in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, and Texas plays at least one more game after winning a thrilling Peach Bowl matchup vs. the Arizona State Sun Devils that went to double overtime.
Regardless, at least two Big Ten teams (Penn State, winner of Rose Bowl) and one SEC team will be playing in the college football semifinals. If Georgia loses to Notre Dame, then the Big Ten could be considered this season’s best conference in college football.