An Obervation about NCG Results by Conference

[cotton]

Since the SEC went to 12 teams and a conference championship in 1992, the conference has gone 4-1 in National Championship Games.* This compares to 5-4 for the Big 12, 2-1 for the Pac-10, 2-0 for the Big 10, and 3-7 for the Big East and ACC combined.

Does the strength of the conference, plus the additon of the SECCG, create a circumstance where an SEC champ who is capable of navigating a regular season with a record that puts them in postition to play for a NC insure that the team is of National Champion caliber? 4-1 is both impressive in its winning percentage and noteworthy because of the small number of appearances compared to the B12 (9) and ACC/BE (10.) Do we do a better job of weeding out pretenders?

*I used some judgment in evaluating 1997 and 2003, where split National Championships were awarded. In '97, I counted a win for Big10 (#1 Mich over #8 Wash St,) and for the Big12 (#2 Nebraksa over #3 Tennessee,) but not losses for the Pac-10 or SEC. In '03, I counted wins for the SEC (#2 LSU over #2 Oklahoma,) and the Pac10 (#3 USC over #4 Michigan,) but not a loss for the Big10.

[#10_Ainge_#10]

I think that means we do a better job of weeding out contenders simply because our conference is tough from top to bottom with the exception of MSU and now Ole Miss.....I think that's weakest two teams in the conference.....Vandy isn't weak by any means, they've lost some close games....But I think the sEC does a good job of weeding out pretenders and that's why the record is so good in the NCG

[cotton]

Well, because I have too much time on my hands, I looked at how the same conferences have faired in the Bowls that currently make up the BCS since the 1992 season.

The SEC has gone 10-7

The Big 10 has gone 14-7

The Big 12 has gone 11-11

The Pac 10 has gone 8-9

The Big East and ACC combined have gone 13-17

I don't know if that means anything relative to the strength of the conferences, but a couple of interesting trends came to light:

1. The SEC is 7-3 in the Sugar Bowl. It is not a good idea to come to the South to play an SEC school.

2. The Big 10 should lobby to move their conference tie-in from the Rose to the Fiesta. They are 7-4 in the Rose, but a perfect 4-0 in the Fiesta.

3. The Pac 10 should lobby to move their conference tie-in to anywhere except the Rose. They are a putrid 3-9 in Pasedena; they are a perfect 5-0 elsewhere (3 Fiestas, 2 Oranges.)

4. The Big 10 has played in all four bowls since 92, as has the Big 12 and the combined Big East/ACC . The SEC did not play in the Rose Bowl in this timeframe (and hasn't since Alabama in 1946.) The Pac10 has never played in the Sugar.

EDIT: Fixed the ACC/Big East record

[tvolsfan]

How could their have been 107 bcs bowl games?

[#10_Ainge_#10]

Florida won does that mean a National Championship game for them since USC lost?

[cotton]

Originally Posted by tvolsfan

How could their have been 107 bcs bowl games?

14 seasons since '92, 8 teams per year, gives us 112 teams. Teams not in one of the conferences, such as Notre Dame and Utah, have appeared, to make up the difference.

I counted all Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, and Orange Bowls since after the '92 season, because that is when the SEC began it's current format. That pre-dates the BCS, but, as those were the big 4 throughout that timeframe, I think it still works.

[tvolsfan]

I hate to be picky, and I think I may be wrong, but from that list I had 58 winners out of a possible 56 winners.

[cotton]

Originally Posted by tvolsfan

I hate to be picky, and I think I may be wrong, but from that list I had 58 winners out of a possible 56 winners.

It is very possible I made a mistake, but there were a few strange situations I found that may make the results a little confusing at first glance.

First, the ACC/Big East combo faced itself a few times. Second, the weird NC situations in '97 and '03 gave me 4 winners with only 1 looser.

If you'll spell out for me which numbers you are adding, I can either fix the mistake or explain the reason for the weird result.

EDIT: I figured out your question, now let me figure out the answer.

EDIT AGAIN: For some reason, I credited the ACC with a 3-3 Fiesta Bowl record, when in fact, they are 1-5. I adjusted the record in the BCS post--thanks for pointing out the error.