Over/under bowl win totals for every power conference
Before the bowl games started, Bovada listed win totals for each of the major conferences. We’ll break down each of the conferences for you here. The current Vegas projection is based on the betting line as of Wednesday evening.
All the bowl win totals exclude a potential College Football Playoff championship appearance. An Alabama national championship, for instance, wouldn’t give the SEC an extra “bowl win” in this prop bet.
We’ll see how true the Vegas projections are, but the Big Ten may be in for a depressing offseason, while the Pac-12 and SEC may have plenty to celebrate.
If you want to keep track of the conference bowl standings, we update them here daily.
ACC: 4.5 (over: -140, under: EVEN)
There’s Florida State and there’s everybody else. And it seems unlikely the conference will get much credit even if the Seminoles pull off the upset of Oregon.
Number of total bowl games: 11
Current Vegas projection: 4-7
Biggest underdog: Florida State +9 vs. Oregon
Biggest favorite: Miami -3.5 vs. South Carolina
Big 12: 3.5 (over: -150, under: +110)
TCU and Baylor have an opportunity to prove the Big 12 deserved a College Football Playoff shot, while Kansas State and others can make the argument that this was the best conference in the country this season.
Number of total bowl games: 7
Current Vegas projection: 4-3
Biggest underdog: Texas +6 vs. Arkansas
Biggest favorite: West Virginia -3.5 vs. Texas A&M; Oklahoma -3.5 vs. Clemson; TCU -3.5 vs. Ole Miss
Big Ten: 3.5 (over: -125, under: -115)
If Ohio State can somehow beat Alabama, it would be huge for this conference — assuming it isn’t 0-9 in the rest of the bowls. Last year the Big Ten surprised with Michigan State winning the Rose Bowl. Maybe it can surprise again. But a winless bowl season would be an all-time disaster.
Number of total bowl games: 10
Current Vegas projection: 0-10
Biggest underdog: Maryland +13.5 vs. Stanford
Biggest favorite: None
Pac-12: 5.5 (over: -140, under: EVEN)
The Pac-12 needs Oregon to win a national championship to have a real argument as the best conference in the nation. The conference as a whole wasn’t loaded at the top this year, but could excel during bowl season with a deep middle class.
Number of total bowl games: 8
Current Vegas projection: 8-0
Biggest underdog: None
Biggest favorite: Stanford -13.5 vs. Maryland
SEC: 7.5 (over: -105, under: -135)
The window dressing — the two Mississippi schools, Auburn and Missouri all play in significant bowl games — is nice. The SEC East has a chance to acquit itself. But this bowl season is all about bringing back the national title to the SEC. Anything short of another championship for Nick Saban will be a conference-wide disappointment.
Number of total bowl games: 12
Current Vegas projection: 9-3
Biggest underdog: South Carolina +3.5 vs. Miami, West Virginia +3.5 vs. Texas A&M, Ole Miss +3.5 vs. TCU
Biggest favorite: Alabama -9 vs. Ohio State