Some interesting stuff in here.
https://www.seccountry.com/sec/the-last-time-each-sec-team-won-a-major-january-game
https://www.seccountry.com/sec/the-last-time-each-sec-team-won-a-major-january-game
SEC teams winning January bowls
- Thread starter Veer2Eternity
- Start date
Somewhat of subjective article since the tier of bowls has changed because of the playoff. If we are going to call the Cotton Bowl a major bowl, then Tennessee would also meet that category in January 1, 2005 and not January 1999.
In my opinion, major bowl games are the old BCS Bowl Games: Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, and Rose.
In my opinion, major bowl games are the old BCS Bowl Games: Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, and Rose.
They laid out the criteria in the article. Ranking played a role. Like playing Northern Illinois or some schmuck like that really doesn't prove anything.
2002 Citrus - #8 Tennessee vs. #17 Michigan. Somehow that wasn't mentioned. Again, its subjective to what is really a "big game".
(BASIC CRITERIA: The January game in question must have featured at least one Top-10 team and one Top-15 team.)
There are three major bowl games now. The only ones that count for anything. Should be an easy criteria.
Actually glad to see the Cotton Bowl elevated back up with the way things are decided now....In the old days it was a biggie, it had dropped off during the BCS years (not sure it was really at the top level during some of the years listed in the article) All that aside, good article though, interesting to see.
Frankly the BCS bowls (outside the title game) were a sham. UCONN, Northern Illinois, Syracuse, Purdue, Hawaii, Pitt, Wake Forest, UCF, kU*...come on man.
The Cotton Bowl is a major bowl and always has been. SWC used to put some great teams in that bowl
Totally agree that it was a great Bowl at one time and it is again... It has always been one of my favorites... the only one that was close enough for me to even try to go to growing up... But as much as I like it, even I admit that it lost a little of its luster for a while.
"For 53 years, the champion of the now-defunct Southwest Conference (SWC) played as the home team in the Cotton Bowl Classic, a tie-in which continued through the 1994 season. Until the mid-1980s, the contest was universally considered as a major New Year's Day bowl. However, by the late 1980s the Cotton Bowl Classic's prestige had fallen, as many SWC teams served NCAA probations for rule violations, rendering them bowl-ineligible. Also, the conference's quality of play suffered a marked decline. The SWC champion lost the last seven times they hosted the event, and the last national champion to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic was Notre Dame in 1977. "
When the game has no chance at Conference Champs it is bound to suffer a little, and it did. As you said when the old SWC was going strong and sending their Champ to the game every year, it meant something to go.... and now, being part of the playoff, it means something... the in between years, there were some great games, but like the BCS or not, they used the Bowls they did for a reason.
When the game has no chance at Conference Champs it is bound to suffer a little, and it did. As you said when the old SWC was going strong and sending their Champ to the game every year, it meant something to go.... and now, being part of the playoff, it means something... the in between years, there were some great games, but like the BCS or not, they used the Bowls they did for a reason.
