Here's a look at postseason records by conference. It's been a rough bowl season for the mighty SEC.
Bowl games record by conference: SEC lags way behind Big Ten, others in 2025-26 postseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
College football’s bowl season provides a useful measuring stick each year, even as the sport continues to evolve. When teams from different conferences meet in postseason games, it offers one of the clearest looks at how leagues stack up against one another.
Yes, bowl games feature plenty of player opt-outs, which can make accurately evaluating each team’s performance difficult. Still, bowl records are cited year after year, at the very least for bragging rights.
One thing that stands out when looking at this year's bowl results? How poorly SEC teams have performed. Let’s check in on how the SEC and the rest of the conferences have fared in postseason games.
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Bowl games record by conference 2025-26
As you can see, the leaders are the Big Ten, with a 9-4 record, followed by the 8-4 ACC. The SEC is at 4-9, one of the worst in the FBS:
| Conference | Record | Win Percentage |
| AMERICAN | 5-4 | 0.555 |
| ACC | 8-4 | 0.667 |
| BIG 12 | 4-4 | 0.500 |
| BIG TEN | 9-4 | 0.692 |
| CONFERENCE USA | 4-3 | 0.571 |
| INDEPENDENTS | 0-1 | 000 |
| MAC | 2-3 | 0.400 |
| MOUNTAIN WEST | 2-5 | 0.286 |
| PAC-12 | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| SEC | 4-9 | 0.308 |
| SUN BELT | 4-6 | 0.400 |
The SEC has the second-to-last worst bowl record, with a 4-9 record, just behind the Mountain West's 2-5 mark.
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SEC bowl games record
The SEC has a 4-9 record this bowl season, with a 2-7 mark vs. non-SEC opponents. The conference has also lost its nine bowl games by combined margins of 279-190.
What makes the SEC's four wins worse? Two of those came against fellow SEC opponents. Even SEC homer Paul Finebaum can't find a way defend his conference's bowl season:
"There's no way to defend the SEC. It's been terrible." 😳@finebaum on if the SEC's days of dominance are over in college football 👀 pic.twitter.com/xy0rFiphS6
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 6, 2026
Here's a look at each SEC bowl game. As you can see, there are a couple that were SEC vs. SEC games.
| Bowl | Matchup | Record |
| CFP First Round | No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24 | 1-1 |
| CFP First Round | No. 10 Miami (Fla.) 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3 | 1-2 |
| CFP First Round | No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 20 Tulane 10 | 2-2 |
| Gator Bowl | No. 19 Virginia 13, Missouri 7 | 2-3 |
| Texas Bowl | No. 21 Houston 38, LSU 35 | 2-4 |
| Music City Bowl | Illinois 30, Tennessee 28 | 2-5 |
| ReliaQuest Bowl | No. 23 Iowa 34, No. 14 Vanderbilt 27 | 2-6 |
| Citrus Bowl | No. 13 Texas 41, No. 18 Michigan 27 | 3-6 |
| CFP quarterfinal (Rose Bowl) | No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 9 Alabama 3 | 3-7 |
| CFP quarterfinal (Sugar Bowl) | No. 6 Ole Miss 39, No. 3 Georgia 34 | 4-8 |
| Duke's Mayo Bowl | Wake Forest 43, Mississippi State 29 | 4-9 |
| -- | -- | 4-9 |
No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24 (CFP First Round)
In a rematch from earlier in the season, Alabama overcame a 17-0 road deficit to beat the Hoosiers 34-24 for the first time in a year, previously going 0-2 dating back to Nov. 2024. Since the Sooners are also in the SEC, this one still counts against (and for) the conference.
No. 10 Miami (Fla.) 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3 (CFP First Round)
Texas A&M was favored in this one, as Miami was one of the last few teams to just barely earn a bid. But the Aggies were held to their fewest points of the season, managing just a field goal. Since last season, the SEC is 1-3 in first-round playoff games.
No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 20 Tulane 10 (CFP First Round)
Pete Golding successfully led Ole Miss to its first-ever CFP victory in school history, beating Tulane from the AAC handily 41-20.
MORE: Why did Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss for LSU?
No. 19 Virginia 13, Missouri 7 (Gator Bowl)
Although Missouri scored a touchdown on its first possession, the Cavaliers scored 13 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Mizzou quarterback Matt Zollers had a chance to throw a game-winning touchdown pass on fourth down, but he was forced off the field by officials after taking a big hit.
No. 21 Houston 38, LSU 35 (Texas Bowl)
LSU had a chance to win a fourth straight bowl game but fell to Houston in the Texas Bowl. The Tigers even led 14-0 after a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Michael Van Buren. But Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman lit up the LSU defense, throwing for 236 yards and four touchdowns to lead Houston to a 38-35 victory.
Illinois 30, Tennessee 28 (Music City Bowl)
Tennessee led 7-0 early, but actually trailed Illinois for most of this game. Although Tennessee scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, Illinois kicker David Olano kicked two field goals to keep the Vols at bay. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar finished with 121 passing yards and no touchdowns, adding a rushing score.
No. 23 Iowa 34, No. 14 Vanderbilt 27 (ReliaQuest Bowl)
Vanderbilt’s first 10-win season in school history ended on a low note. The Commodores trailed 14-3 at halftime, but Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt tried to mount a dramatic comeback. Vandy pulled within a score in the third and fourth quarters, and Pavia threw for 347 yards with three total touchdowns.
But Iowa’s two scoring drives in the fourth quarter kept Vanderbilt at bay. Commodores coach Clark Lea was visibly emotional while talking about his team’s dream season coming to an end.
No. 13 Texas 41, No. 18 Michigan 27 (Citrus Bowl)
Folks, Arch Manning has arrived. Manning threw for 221 yards with two touchdowns and added another 155 yards with two scores on the ground, featuring a 60-yard rushing touchdown score in the fourth quarter. Texas' defense picked off Michigan's Bryce Underwood three times in the victory.
No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 9 Alabama 3 (CFP Rose Bowl quarterfinal)
Curt Cignetti's Indiana broke the 0-6 first-round records of teams with a first-round bye with a statement victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The Hoosier defense even impressively held the Tide to their lowest point total in the CFP era.
No. 6 Ole Miss 39, No. 3 Georgia 34
Yes, this was an SEC vs. SEC matchup, but it was an absolute thriller. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for a season-high 362 yards with two touchdowns against a menacing Bulldogs defense. He helped lead a game-winning 47-yard field goal drive with six seconds to go to give the Rebels a 2-0 CFP record.
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Wake Forest 43, Mississippi State 29 (Duke's Mayo Bowl)
Mississippi State's defense had no answers against Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. The Demon Deacons went for two in the first quarter early, and went up 8-0 in the first quarter. Wake led 15-9 at halftime, holding the Bulldogs to just three field goals.
Although MSU tried to make things entertaining in the second half, the Bulldogs couldn't keep Wake Forest out of the end zone. A 62-yard touchdown pass from Robby Ashford to Ty Clark III with two minutes left sealed Wake's 43-29 victory.
Category: General Sports
