BetOnline: Will SEC Be King Of Bowl Season Again?

Most people still believe the SEC is the best college football conference from top to bottom, although one could easily make an argument this year that the Big Ten was better at the very top. Sure, the SEC has Alabama, which has been No. 1 in the polls all season, is the only Power 5 unbeaten school and is a -225 favorite on BetOnline’s college football odds to repeat as national champion.

But the Big Ten has four teams in New Year’s Six bowl games in No. 3 Ohio State (Peach Bowl national semifinal), No. 5 Penn State (Rose Bowl), No. 6 Michigan (Orange Bowl) and No. 8 Wisconsin (Cotton Bowl). The Big Ten was so good that the Buckeyes didn’t even win their East Division yet they are playing for a spot in the national championship game and conference champion Penn State, which beat the Buckeyes in the regular season, is not.

What you can’t argue about is that the SEC has the most bowl teams with a whopping 12. Just two schools didn’t make it: Missouri (4-8) and Ole Miss (5-7). Mississippi State didn’t deserve to go with a 5-7 record, but there weren’t enough eligible teams to fill all the bowl slots around the country. MSU earned a spot by virtue of how its Academic Progress Rate ranked among other schools with a similar record.

At BetOnline, you can bet on the total number of bowl wins by the SEC, which is set at 6.5. The under is priced at -130 and the over at +110. Last year, the SEC set an NCAA record with nine bowl wins in 11 postseason games. The nine wins were by Alabama (twice), Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas by a combined score of 383-171. Alabama is counted twice because it played in the national semifinals and then championship game. The two SEC teams to lose were Florida in blowout fashion to Michigan and Texas A&M to Louisville.

For this prop, BetOnline is only counting games between Dec. 26-Jan. 2, so the national championship result would not count if the Tide get back there. If you believe the oddsmakers, the SEC will get seven wins this time as that’s how many teams are favored:

*-Mississippi State -14 vs. Mid-American Conference school Miami of Ohio in the Dec. 26 St. Petersburg Bowl.

*-Texas A&M -2.5 vs. Big 12 team Kansas State in the Dec. 28 Texas Bowl; it’s the final college game for Aggies star defensive end Myles Garrett, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 NFL draft.

*-Georgia -1 vs. the Big 12’s TCU in the Dec. 30 Liberty Bowl; obviously the Dawgs are the shortest favorites of any bowl team at that number.

*-No. 21 Tennessee -4.5 vs. the Big Ten’s Nebraska in the Dec. 30 Music City Bowl; it’s basically a home game for the Vols in Nashville.

*-No. 20 LSU -3 vs. ACC school 13th-ranked Louisville and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in the Dec. 31 Citrus Bowl; the Tigers will be without star running back Leonard Fournette, who has opted to skip the game to ensure full health for NFL draft workouts.

*-No. 1 Alabama -15 vs. Pac-12 champion and No. 4 Washington in the Dec. 31 Peach Bowl; the Tide are the biggest favorites of any bowl left on the schedule.

*-No. 17  Florida -3 vs. Big Ten school Iowa in the Jan. 2 Outback Bowl; this likely defensive battle is tied for the lowest total of any bowl game at 40.5.

However, note that SEC teams were just 6-8 in non-conference games against other Power Five teams during the regular season. The last time the SEC had fewer than seven bowl wins was in the 2012 season when its teams were 6-3. The conference hasn’t had a losing bowl record since 2002.

Bet on college football’s bowl season at BetOnline