NCAA: We are officially halfway done with the bowl game season following last night’s Kansas vs UNLV offensive firework show in the Texas Bowl, which was the most-scored (and most penalized) game of the season.
Being halfway done is, on one hand, sad because it means the end of college football is just around the corner, but on the other hand, it means some of the greatest football of the season is still ahead of us.
In the past, bowl game record by conferences wasn’t really a talking point. There may be an occasional tweet or mention of it, but in today’s college football atmosphere where every conference is trying to expand and put themselves in a position to succeed in the future, this conversation is starting to really heat up.
Current Conference Bowl Records
AMERICAN (6) 2-1
ACC (11) 2-1
BIG 12 (9) 2-1
BIG TEN (9) 2-0
C-USA (4) 2-1
INDEPENDENTS (1) 0-0
MAC (6) 2-3
MOUNTAIN WEST (7) 2-4
PAC-12 (8) 1-2
SEC (9) 0-0
SUN BELT (12) 5-7
— ✨College Football ✨ (@CFBspace) December 27, 2023
Ranking the Conferences Record in Bowl Games
The “official” ranking of the conferences can be seen in the Tweet above, but a simple win/loss record doesn’t tell the entire story. Below are the current rankings with other considerations such as matchups, storylines, and opportunity considered.
1. American Conference (2-1)
In a year where the American was left for dead, with Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati leaving the conference, the AAC has held up really well in bowl games, going 2-1 including a 45-0 win for South Florida against Syracuse. UTSA also had a great performance against Marshall blowing them out 35-17. The lone loss came from Rice, who lost to Texas State.
Going forward, the American has a great chance to continue to pick up wins with SMU (11-2), Tulane (11-2), and Memphis (9-3) still yet to play. Having three teams in the second half of bowl season for any G5 conference is a huge accomplishment.
2. Big 12 (2-1)
The Big 12 needs to have a big bowl season this year, and to this point they have performed well. Last night, Kansas took down Mountain West Conference runner-up UNLV 49-36 and earlier in the bowls Texas Tech dominated California 34-14. The lone loss is Big 12 newcomer UCF in a 30-17 loss to Georgia Tech.
3. Big 10 (2-0)
Yes, the Big 10 is 2-0, but their two wins have not been impressive and they’ve in my personal opinion underperformed. Northwestern needed Utah to sit about half of their roster and some late luck to beat the Utes 14-7, and Minnesota barely squeaked by 7-5 Bowling Green 30-24.
At the end of the day though, the Big 10 has found ways to win, and that deserves some recognition, regardless of how ugly it may have looked.
4. ACC (2-1)
Despite the ACC looking like they are in complete turmoil, they have to this point performed extremely well with a 2-1 record as well, although their one loss is an ugly one in the beforementioned Syracuse blowout to South Florida.
Despite picking up a win against the Big 12 (Ga Tech vs UCF), the other victory was a 17-10 Duke win over Troy. Overall, their wins have not been as impressive as what the other two conferences have done, and the loss was ugly.
5. SEC
The fact that the SEC has yet to play a game halfway through the bowl season shows the respect and dominance of this league. The SEC is known for “not caring” in bowl games, so they may not finish ranked here.
6. C-USA (2-1)
Western Kentucky may have the most exciting performance to this point in the bowl season after coming back from a 35-14 deficit at the start of the 4th quarter against Old Dominion. Georgia State also had a nice win against Utah State 45-22. The lone loss is New Mexico State’s 37-10 to Fresno State. Unfortunately for the conference, NMSU was the second best team in the conference, and this loss really puts a dent on the conference.
7. Pac 12 (1-2)
For a league that was getting a lot of praise during the season, they certainly haven’t started off the bowl games well. Utah was a heavy favorite against Northwestern despite a lot of opt-outs, and Cal was never really in the game against Texas Tech.
The single win for the league came in UCLA’s 35-22 win over Boise State, who featured the Bronco’s without their Head Coach or starting quarterback.
There are still plenty of opportunities for the Pac 12 to move up in this ranking with Top 10 teams Oregon and Washington still waiting to play.
8. MAC (2-3)
The MAC had a quiet year this past season with no team ever really breaking the Top 25. Their bowl performance has been the same with a losing overall record. The highlight to this point was Ohio’s 41-21 win over Georgia State in the first game of the bowl season.
Normally at this point, the MAC is finished with their games, but Toledo (11-2) is still yet to play. A win there would put the MAC at .500 and potentially move them up a few spots.
9. Sun Belt (5-7)
The Sun Belt has finished their bowl season already. With a 5-7 record, they may sneak into the 8th or 9th spot based on how other teams finish, but with the top two teams losing (James Madison and Troy), despite getting five wins, the overall feeling for this league is a disappointment.
The biggest highlight of their bowl games was Texas St picking up their first ever bowl win and rushing the field to celebrate. This game reminded college football fans that for some teams, bowl games still matter.
10. Mountain West (2-4)
The Mountain West are trying to become the AAC of the past in the G5. With less P5 teams out west, the Mountain West has an opportunity to really elevate, but this bowl season hasn’t helped to this point. Utah State had an embarrassing loss to Georgia State in a game that favored the Aggies in almost every way. The top three teams of the league (Boise St, San Jose St, and UNLV) all lost their bowl games.
The lone highlight has been Air Forces 31-21 win against James Madison.