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SEC Football: SEC Sets Record for Most Bowl Wins by One Conference

By John Richardson

Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (1) celebrates after the Rebels defeated Oklahoma State Cowboys 48-20 in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (1) celebrates after the Rebels defeated Oklahoma State Cowboys 48-20 in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports /
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A bowl season after many proclaimed that SEC football was dead, the conference managed to set the record for the most bowl wins by one conference.

College football can be a fickle beast.  After years of dominance, the SEC struggled during the 2014 bowl season.  I use the term struggle loosely, though, as the team did post a 7-5 record as a conference.  Many took the 5 losses as a sign of the SEC being overrated, especially since all 5 of those losses came from ranked SEC teams.

The PAC-12 led the way with 7 bowl victories and the Big 10’s top 3 teams all won, including Ohio State in the National Championship.  It looked like both conferences were in better shape than the SEC.  Fans and pundits alike were ready to proclaim the death of SEC football.

What people fail to take into account is how many mismatches SEC teams were placed in last year during bowl season.  SEC teams that weren’t even close to the top of their division were facing off with conference champions and runner-ups.

Those with a sense of logic realized that middle tier SEC teams couldn’t beat conference champions from others.  Admittedly Alabama lost to Ohio State last year, but that was about the only top tier loss.  Things looked like they may not get better in 2015.

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The SEC East going 5-0 enabled SEC football to still boast a winning bowl record last year.  Unlike 2014, only three SEC East teams even qualified for a bowl game in 2015.  It was up to the SEC West to make SEC football look good in 2015 and to kick off 2016 on the right foot.

Boy did they.

The winning SEC West teams outscored their opponents by over 26 points a game.  What happens if you add in the SEC West

teams

team that lost?  The average margin of victory only drops to just over 22 points a game.  It is safe to say that the SEC West and SEC as a whole is back.

Of course I’d argue they never left.  Such is life in the SEC.

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