It’s bowl season once again in college football, and it’s time to take a trip down nostalgia lane, at least in terms of your favorite SEC team’s recent history in postseason games.
Some were memorable, and some were forgettable, but we can all agree on this: There’s nothing like SEC football games in December and January.
A few bowl numbers from the past decade:
Here’s a look at how each SEC team has fared in bowl games over the past 10 seasons:
2005: Cotton Bowl — Alabama 13, Texas Tech 10
2006: Independence Bowl –Oklahoma State 34, Alabama 31
2007: Independence Bowl — Alabama 30, Colorado 24
2008: Sugar Bowl — Utah 31, Alabama 17
2009: BCS National Championship Game — Alabama 37, Texas 21
2010: Capital One Bowl — Alabama 49, Michigan State 7
2011: BCS National Championship Game — Alabama 21, LSU 0
2012: BCS National Championship Game — Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14
2013: Sugar Bowl — Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31
2014: Sugar Bowl — Ohio State 42, Alabama 35
Note: The Crimson Tide’s bowl record over the past 10 seasons isn’t impressive, but Nick Saban’s 3-0 mark in championship games over that span certainly is. Alabama won those matchups by an average score of 33-12. Maybe Saban is right about his players being distracted in non-championship games; let their past 3 Sugar Bowl losses serve as proof. Alabama’s 12-year bowl streak began in 2004.
2006: Capital One Bowl — Wisconsin 17, Arkansas 14
2007: Cotton Bowl — Missouri 38, Arkansas 7
2009: Liberty Bowl — East Carolina 20, Arkansas 17
2010: Sugar Bowl — Ohio State 31, Arkansas 26
2011: Cotton Bowl –Arkansas 29, Kansas State 16
2014: Texas Bowl — Arkansas 31, Texas 7
Note: They might not be all good things, but things seemed to have happened in threes for the Razorbacks over the past decade, starting with 3 wins and 3 losses in their bowl games over that stretch. On top of that, they reached those games under three coaches: Houston Nutt, Bobby Petrino and Bret Bielema. In the meantime, John L. Smith is still telling the media somewhere to “Smile!”
2005: Capital One Bowl — Wisconsin 24, Auburn 10
2006: Cotton Bowl — Auburn 17, Nebraska 14
2007: Chick-Fil-A Bowl — Auburn 23, Clemson 20 (OT)
2009: Outback Bowl — Auburn 38, Northwestern 35 (OT)
2010: BCS National Championship Game — Auburn 22, Oregon 19
2011: Chick-Fil-A Bowl — Auburn 43, Virginia 24
2013: BCS National Championship Game — Florida State 34, Auburn 31
2014: Outback Bowl — Wisconsin 34, Auburn 31 (OT)
Note: Like Arkansas, the Tigers won and lost bowl games under three coaches: Tommy Tuberville, Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn. The two BCS Championship Game appearances are impressive; most would probably agree that Auburn should have beaten Florida State two seasons ago. With three overtime results, Auburn apparently has a flair for the dramatic, not to mention a propensity for drawing Big Ten bowl opponents. All the Tigers have to do is avoid playing Wisconsin in the postseason.
2005: Outback Bowl — Florida 31, Iowa 24
2006: BCS National Championship Game — Florida 41, Ohio State 14
2007: Capital One Bowl — Michigan 41, Florida 35
2008: BCS National Championship Game — Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
2009: Sugar Bowl — Florida 51, Cincinnati 24
2010: Outback Bowl — Florida 37, Penn State 24
2011: Gator Bowl — Florida 24, Penn State 17
2012: Sugar Bowl — Louisville 33, Florida 23
2014: Birmingham Bowl — Florida 28, East Carolina 20
Note: What an impressive decade for the Gators: two national championships, and a .778 winning percentage in bowl games. They obviously have Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow to thank or that outstanding run. It will be interesting to see how Jim McElwain does in his first postseason trip with Florida.
2005: Sugar Bowl — West Virginia 38, Georgia 35
2006: Chick-Fil-A Bowl — Georgia 31, Virginia Tech 24
2007: Sugar Bowl — Georgia 41, Hawaii 10
2008: Capital One Bowl — Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
2009: Independence Bowl — Georgia 44, Texas A&M 20
2010: Liberty Bowl — Central Florida 10, Georgia 6
2011: Outback Bowl — Michigan State 33, Georgia 30 (3 OTs)
2012: Capital One Bowl — Georgia 45, Nebraska 31
2013: Gator Bowl — Nebraska 24, Georgia 19
2014: Belk Bowl — Georgia 37, Louisville 14
Note: The bad losses outnumber the big wins. Losing to UCF stands as the worst defeat, but the triple-overtime setback to Sparty four years ago was definitely the toughest. Even the Sugar Bowl victory seems a bit hollow because it came against Hawaii. Mark Richt’s overall record and bowl mark with the Bulldogs wasn’t bad; the lack of BCS National Championship Game appearances is more than likely what did him in. Georgia’s consecutive bowl streak began in 1997.
2006: Music City Bowl — Kentucky 28, Clemson 20
2007: Music City Bowl — Kentucky 35, Florida State 28
2008: Liberty Bowl — Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
2009: Music City Bowl — Clemson 21, Kentucky 13
2010: Compass Bowl — Pittsburgh 27, Kentucky 10
Note: It’s hard not to think of Rich Brooks and how good things were in Lexington when he was the Wildcats’ coach, when he took Kentucky to consecutive bowl games in his final four seasons and won three of them. Considering how hard it has been for the Wildcats to reach postseason play lately, the past five seasons have felt like an eternity.
2005 :Peach Bowl — LSU 40, Miami 3
2006: Sugar Bowl — LSU 41, Notre Dame 14
2007: BCS National Championship Game — LSU 38, Ohio State 24
2008: Chick-Fil-A Bowl — LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
2009: Capital One Bowl — Penn State 19, LSU 17
2010: Cotton Bowl — LSU 41, Texas A&M 24
2011: BCS National Championship Game — Alabama 21, LSU 0
2012: Chick-Fil-A Bowl — Clemson 25, LSU 24
2013: Capital One Bowl — LSU 21, Iowa 14
2014: Music City Bowl 2014 — Notre Dame 31, LSU 28
Note: The two BCS National Championship Game appearances are nice, but you get the feeling that the Tigers’ bowl mark should be better. If LSU could have found a way to beat Penn State, Clemson and Notre Dame in single-digit games, its bowl record over the past decade would have been 9-1, which would have been the best in the SEC over that span.
2007: Liberty Bowl — Mississippi State 10, Central Florida 3
2010: Gator Bowl — Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14
2011: Music City Bowl — Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17
2012: Gator Bowl — Northwestern 34, Mississippi State 20
2013: Liberty Bowl — Mississippi State 44, Rice 7
2014: Orange Bowl — Georgia Tech 49, Mississippi State 34
Note: The four bowl victories were good, but the four losses were not so much. Georgia Tech’s option offense is always a tough attack to stop, so losing to the Yellow Jackets — even by 15 points — is not the worst thing in the world. But falling to Northwestern by two touchdowns is hard to defend.
2005: Independence Bowl — Missouri 38, South Carolina 31
2006: Sun Bowl — Oregon 39, Missouri 38
2007: Cotton Bowl — Missouri 38, Arkansas 7
2008: Alamo Bowl — Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT)
2009: Texas Bowl — Navy 35, Missouri 13
2010: Insight Bowl — Iowa 27, Missouri 24
2011: Independence Bowl — Missouri 41, North Carolina 24
2013: Cotton Bowl — Missouri 41, Oklahoma State 31
2014: Citrus Bowl — Missouri 33, Minnesota 17
Note: Hat’s off to Gary Pinkel for his outstanding career with the Tigers and for the fact that he ends his career having won his final 3 bowl games. All Barry Odom is doing replacing the all-time wins leader at Missouri — and Toledo, to boot. Best of luck to Odom and his staff.
2008: Cotton Bowl — Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
2009: Cotton Bowl — Ole Miss 21, Oklahoma State 7
2012: Compass Bowl — Ole Miss 38, Pittsburgh 17
2013: Music City Bowl — Ole Miss 25, Georgia Tech 17
2014: Peach Bowl — TCU 42, Ole Miss 3
Note: As solid as the Rebels’ recent bowl history is, it can’t minimize the stench of last season’s rout at the hands of the Horned Frogs. Coincidentally, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss renew acquaintances in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Rebels are favored by a touchdown.
2005: Independence Bowl — Missouri 38, South Carolina 31
2006: Liberty Bowl — South Carolina 44, Houston 36
2008: Outback Bowl — Iowa 31, South Carolina 10
2009: Papajohns.com Bowl — Connecticut 20, South Carolina 7
2010: Chick-fil-A Bowl — Florida State 26, South Carolina 17
2011: Capital One Bowl — South Carolina 30, Nebraska 13
2012: Outback Bowl — South Carolina 33, Michigan 28
2013: Capital One Bowl — South Carolina 34, Wisconsin 24
2014: Independence Bowl –South Carolina 24, Miami 21
Note: Say what you want about Steve Spurrier leaving South Carolina in the middle of its season this year. At least he finished strong in bowl games with the Gamecocks, winning his final four. If you’re wondering what happened to the Papajohns.com Bowl, it is now the Birmingham Bowl, which features a matchup between Auburn and Memphis on Dec. 30.
2006: Outback Bowl — Penn State 20, Tennessee 10
2007: Outback Bowl — Tennessee 21, Wisconsin 17
2009: Chick-fil-A Bowl — Virginia Tech 34, Tennessee 14
2010: Music City Bowl — North Carolina 30, Tennessee 27
2014: TaxSlayer Bowl — Tennessee 45, Iowa 28
Note: In case you forgot, but Derek Dooley actually took the Volunteers to a bowl game, but lost it by a field goal to the Tar Heels. When you include Phillip Fulmer, Lane Kiffin and Butch Jones, Tennessee is another SEC school that has already had at least three coaches this decade. Wow.
2006: Holiday Bowl — California 45, Texas A&M 10
2007: Alamo Bowl — Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17
2009: Independence Bowl — Georgia 44, Texas A&M 20
2010: Cotton Bowl — LSU 41, Texas A&M 24
2011: Meineke Car Care Bowl — Texas A&M 33, Northwestern 22
2012: Cotton Bowl — Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 13
2013: Chick-fil-A Bowl — Texas A&M 52, Duke 48
2014: Liberty Bowl — Texas A&M 45, West Virginia 37
Note: What a difference Johhny Manziel and Kevin Sumlin have made this decade. After going 1-4 in bowl games under Dennis Franchione and Mike Sherman, the Aggies have won their past three under Sumlin, while averaging 46 points in each. A&M has a chance to extend that streak on Dec. 30 against Louisville in the Music City Bowl.
2008: Music City Bowl — Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14
2011: Liberty Bowl — Cincinnati 31, Vanderbilt 24
2012: Music City Bowl — Vanderbilt 38, N.C. State 24
2014: Compass Bowl — Vanderbilt 41, Houston 24
Note: For all the abuse that the Commodores take year after year, their .750 winning percentage in bowls this decade is nothing to sneeze at. Among SEC teams, only Ole Miss and Florida have better bowl winning percentages over the last 10 seasons, but Derek Mason knows he still has work to do to get Vandy back into the postseason.