Alabama Football: Regaining SEC Bowl Dominance
By Ronald Evans
In recent seasons the juggernaut that SEC Football was has slipped. Even though Alabama Football and the Georgia Bulldogs have done their part, other SEC programs have not consistently delivered in post-season play.
In the 2020-21 season, a full slate of bowl games did not take place. Even with reduced games, the SEC had eight teams that competed in bowl games and the CFB Playoff National Championship Game. Alabama Football boosted the SEC total with two wins, making the SEC's record 7-2. Along with the Crimson Tide, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Mississippi State had wins. The only losing SEC teams were Florida and Auburn.
The 2021-22 season was nearly a total reversal for the SEC. The conference finished with a 6-8 record and three of the six wins were in CFB Playoff games. In terms of winning percentage by conference, the SEC at 42.9% was better than only the ACC at 33%, and the MAC and C-USA, each at 37.5%.
The SEC's only winning teams in 2021-22 were Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas and Kentucky. SEC losses in bowl games came from LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and Florida - plus Alabama's loss to Georgia in the National Championship Game.
The 2022-23 season was better for the SEC, with a record of 7-5, but two of the wins came from the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFB Playoff. The only other SEC wins were by Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and LSU.
Alabama Football and SEC: 2023-24 Bowl Schedule and Odds
Dec. 27 - Texas Bowl - Texas A&M Aggies are a 2.5-point favorite over Oklahoma State
Dec. 29 - Gator Bowl - Clemson is a 5.5-point favorite over the Kentucky Wildcats
Dec. 29 - Cotton Bowl - Missouri Tigers are a 2.5-point favorite over Ohio State
Dec. 30 - Peach Bowl - Penn State is a 3.5-point favorite over the Ole Miss Rebels
Dec. 30 - Music City Bowl - Auburn is a 2.5-point favorite over Maryland
Dec. 30 - Orange Bowl - Georgia is a 14-point favorite over Florida State
Jan. 1 - ReliaQuest Bowl - LSU is a 9.5-point favorite over Wisconsin
Jan. 1 - Citrus Bowl - Tennessee is a 7.5-point favorite over Iowa
Jan. 1 - Rose Bowl, CFP Semi-Final - Michigan is a 1.5-point favorite over the Alabama Crimson Tide
Note: Game records provided by NCAA.com and points spreads provided by FanDuel