Excepting the CFP championship game, bowl season has come to an end. The good news is we get to see one more SEC team lose. The bad news is the SEC is guaranteed bragging rights for another 12 months as national champions.
So who were the winners and losers this year? I've tabulated the conference bowl records below, but I wanted to hand out some superlatives first.
Participation Trophy
Southwestern Athletic Conference. Welp, you got to go to a bowl. So there's that.
Making the Most of It
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. To be honest, I didn't even know the MEAC was a thing. So, congrats on the invite AND the win, NCA&T.
P5 Punching Bag
Pac-12/14/16/whatever they are these days. And to think, we thought that leaving the PAC12 out of the playoff would end up being a real black eye to the selection process. Thank you, Utah, for saving them from complete embarrassment.
Consolation Prize
B1G. For a conference that was denied even a shot at the championship, you've gotta think they're pretty happy with the results, overall. Thanks a lot, Harbaugh...
Bench Warmers Award
ACC. On paper, we weren't the worst P5 conference (thanks PAC12!!), but when you look at who got the wins, it's not a pretty picture. Of the four Coastal teams to get bowl invites, only Duke pulled out a win. Our conference champion (who embarrassed the Coastal winner in the ACCCG) got taken behind the woodshed by Bama in the CFP semis. Wake and NC State took care of business, but they made so little noise this year that I was surprised to even find out they were bowl eligible.
| Conference | Bowl Invites | 2017 Bowl Record | Winners | Losers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAC | 7 | 4-3 | Temple, South Florida, Navy, UCF | SMU, Houston, Memphis |
| ACC | 10 | 4-6 | Duke, Florida State, Wake Forest, N.C. State | Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Clemson |
| B1G | 8 | 7-1 | Iowa, Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin | Michigan |
| Big12 | 8 | 5-3 | Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas, Oklahoma State, TCU | Texas Tech, West Virginia, Oklahoma |
| CUSA | 8 | 4-4 | Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee | North Texas, Western Kentucky, UAB, Southern Miss |
| MEAC | 1 | 1-0 | North Carolina A&T | None |
| MAC | 5 | 1-4 | Ohio | Akron, Central Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois |
| MWC | 6 | 3-3 | Boise State, Wyoming, Fresno State | Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State |
| Pac12 | 8 | 1-7 | Utah | Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, Stanford, Washington State, Arizona State, USC, Washington |
| SEC | 7 | 5-6* | Mississippi State, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama | Missouri, Texas A&M, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn |
| Sun Belt | 5 | 4-1 | Georgia State, Troy, Appalachian State, New Mexico State | Arkansas State |
| SWAC | 1 | 0-1 | None | Grambling State |
| Independent | 2 | 2-0 | Army, Notre Dame | None |
*The SEC stands at 4-5 heading into the CFPCG, but short of an asteroid hitting the stadium, they are guaranteed to go 1-1 in that game.
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