After 35 bowl games we finally have a conference champion. To go along with its fifth straight BCS championship, the SEC also reigns supreme in the ESPN Stats & Information college football conference rankings.
The SEC did not have a great bowl season at 5-5, but did defeat three schools that finished in the top 20 in average computer rankings. The SEC also finished with an FBS-high .766 win percentage against other FBS conferences.
The Pac-10, similarly, went .500 during the bowl season but made its wins count. Stanford dominated the 11-win ACC champ, Virginia Tech, while Washington handled a 10-win Nebraska squad. Oregon’s loss in the BCS National Championship did not hurt the conference too much, either.
The Big Ten was the real loser during the past month. Its first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth bowl choices all lost by a combined 102 points.
The WAC ends the season ahead of its mid-major rival, the Mountain West. Boise State’s demolition of MWC No. 2 Utah clinched the fifth spot for the WAC. The Mountain West shouldn’t worry too much going forward, as it has the top four schools from the WAC in average computer rankings all heading its way over the next two years.
The Big East was the antithesis of the SEC in the bowl season. Its 4-2 bowl record might sound great, but the wins came against Kentucky (6-7), Clemson (6-7), Kansas State (7-6) and Southern Miss (8-5). The conference’s top two schools -- Connecticut and West Virginia -- lost by a combined 44 points.
For a brief recap on how we rank the conferences, click here.