41
SEC IN THE BCS/CFP BOWL ERA
• The SEC has won 11 of the last 15 national championships, 13 of the 23 BCS/CFP-era
National Championships, five runner-up finishes and 27 overall national titles (AP,
BCS, FWAA, coaches poll) in SEC history. The SEC has appeared in 14 of the last
15 National Championship Games and in 10 of the 16 BCS Championship Games,
winning nine.
• Four different SEC schools have won the National Championship since 2006 (Au-
burn, 2010; Alabama, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020; Florida, 2006, 2008;
LSU, 2007, 2019). Five programs have advanced to the national championship
game since 2008 as Georgia met Alabama in the 2018 CFP Championship Game.
Tennessee (1998) and LSU (2003) have also won the former BCS crown. Auburn
appeared in the 2013 BCS Championship Game, as did LSU in 2011. A team from
the SEC Western Division had advanced to five consecutive national championship
games prior to the 2014 season, when Alabama lost in the CFP semifinals. The ACC
(Clemson, Miami and Florida State) has had three schools win titles since 1998,
while the Big 12 (Texas and Oklahoma) has had two.
• Eight different SEC teams, including all seven from the SEC Western Division, have
made BCS/New Year’s Six bowl game appearances since 2006: Alabama, Arkansas,
Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS SINCE 1992
Since the first SEC expansion in 1992, the SEC has the most national championships
(AP, USA Today) with 15. During that time, the SEC has had more teams with national
titles than any other conference (5). Here is a breakdown:
SEC (15) Florida (2008, 2006, 1996), LSU (2003, 2007, 2019), Tennessee (1998),
Alabama (1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020), Auburn (2010)
Big 12 (5) Texas (2005), Oklahoma (2000), Nebraska (1994, 1995, 1997)
ACC (5) Florida State (1993, 1999, 2013), Clemson (2016,18)
Big Ten (3) Ohio State (2002, 2014), Michigan (1997)
Pac-10 (2) Southern California (2003, 2004)
Big East (1) Miami, Fla. (2001)
SEC IN BOWL GAMES
• Since 2006, the SEC has accrued more bowl wins (97) and appearances (152)
than any other conference. The conference’s .638 bowl winning percentage is first
among FBS leagues during that time.
SEC 97-55 .638
Sun Belt 32-20 .615
Mountain West 47-36 .566
Independents 18-15 .545
Big 12 56-52 .519
Pac-12 49-46 .516
American 45-45 .500
Conference USA 44-47 .484
ACC 63-76 .453
Big Ten 54-69 .439
MAC 22-54 .289
• The SEC is 10-3 in College Football Playoff games (not versus each other) and 3-2 in
College Football Playoff National Championship Games (not versus each other). The
SEC has appeared in six of the seven CFP National Championship Games, winning
four. The SEC finished 9-2 in BCS National Championship Games (LSU 2-1, Florida
2-0, Alabama 3-0, Tennessee 1-0, Auburn 1-1), 8-1 vs. non-SEC competition. The
SEC had the most wins (17) and the highest winning percentage of any conference
that has three-or-more appearances in BCS bowl games. The SEC was 17-10 in BCS
games (.630 percentage), 16-9 (.640) in non-conference. Since 2006, the SEC has
posted a 26-14 (.650) record in BCS/CFP games, more wins, appearances and win-
ning percentage than any other A5 conference.
• With conference limits being removed in 2014 with the College Football Playoff,
the SEC became the first conference to place three teams in CFP/BCS postseason
bowls: Ole Miss (Chick-fil-A); Mississippi State (Orange); Alabama (Sugar/National
Semifinal).
SEC IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
SEC: 8 (11-4; .733) (Includes 2018 All-SEC National Championship Game)
(10-3; .769 in games not versus each other)
ACC: 7 (6-5; .545)
Big Ten: 5 (3-4; .429)
Pac-12: 2 (1-2; .333)
Big 12: 4 (0-4; .000)
Independent: 2 (0-2; .000)
CFP National Championship Game Appearances
SEC: 7
ACC: 4
Big Ten: 2
Pac-12: 1
Big 12: 0
SEC BOWL SUCCESS
SEC 26-14 .650
Big Ten 17-16 .515
ACC 11-16 .407
Pac-12 10-11 .476
Big 12 10-14 .417
AAC 7-6 .538
Mountain West 3-1 .750
WAC 2-1 .667
MAC 0-2 .000
Independents 0-4 .000
CFP Era (2014-Present)
(Includes CFP Championship Game)
SEC 17-9 .654
Big Ten 12-8 .600
ACC 8-10 .444
Big 12 5-6 .455
Pac-12 3-6 .333
AAC 1-3 .250
Mountain West 1-0 1.000
MAC 0-1 .000
Independent 0-2 .000
Most Bowl Appearances – Single Season
1. 12 – SEC, 2014, 2016
2. 11 - SEC, 2018
11 – ACC, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018
3. 10 – SEC, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015
10 – ACC, 2008, 2017, 2019
10 – Big Ten, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016
10 - Pac-12, 2015
Most Bowl Wins – Single Season
1. 9 – SEC, 2015 (9-2)
9 – ACC, 2016 (9-3)
3. 8 – SEC, 2019(8-2)
• Since 2006, over half of the slots in the National Championship
Game have been taken by SEC teams (17 of 32). The ACC and
Big Ten have four during that time, while the Big 12 and Pac-12
have two.
• Since 2006, the SEC has posted 26 wins in BCS - now New Year’s Six/
Access bowls - more wins than any other conference.
• The SEC has now won 47 games in the last six postseasons. With 12
teams advancing to bowl games in 2016, the SEC became the first
conference to send at least 10 teams to postseason bowls in four
consecutive seasons. The SEC also sent a NCAA-record 12 teams to
participate in postseason bowl games in 2014 and has sent no less
than eight teams to post-season bowls in each of the last 13 sea-
sons. The SEC established a national-record with nine postseason
victories in 2015 and owned the previous record for postseason
bowl victories with seven wins in 2007, 2013 and 2014.
Since 2006, the SEC has posted 23 wins in BCS - now New Year’s Six/Access bowls
- more wins than any other conference. Here are the BCS/CFP bowl records of all
conferences since 2006:
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4242
2021 SEC BOWL AGREEMENTS
The Southeastern Conference has six-year agreements with nine
football post-season bowls, which includes the addition of the Las
Vegas Bowl and the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, beginning with
the 2020 postseason. ESPN Events has the next selection to fill the
Birmingham and Gasparilla Bowls.
The nine bowls are in addition to bowl games in the College
Football Playoff system for which SEC teams are eligible to quali-
fy. Also, the SEC participates in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in years it
is not a CFP semifinal game and the Capital One Orange Bowl in
selected years.
The SEC has extended its current agreements through 2025 with
the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the Outback Bowl in Tampa, the
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, the Transperfect Music City
Bowl in Nashville, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
in Houston, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the
Birmingham Bowl.
In addition, the SEC will continue its relationship with the
Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, participating in that bowl game
in 2021, 2023 and 2025. For the remaining three years of the
six-year cycle, SEC teams will participate in the Las Vegas Bowl
against a Pac-12 opponent in 2022 and 2024. The SEC has also
added a new bowl partnership with the Union One Gasparilla
Bowl in Tampa through 2025.
The SEC will maintain its current bowl selection process in
which the Citrus Bowl has the first selection of available SEC
teams after any conference schools have qualified for the College
Football Playoff, the Allstate Sugar Bowl or the Capital One
Orange Bowl, after which the SEC assigns teams to a Pool of Six
bowls.
The SEC Pool of Six consists of the Outback Bowl, Gator Bowl,
Music City Bowl, Texas Bowl and Liberty Bowl, as well as the Las
Vegas Bowl in 2022 and 2024, and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in 2021,
2023 and 2025. In consultation with SEC member institutions, as
well as these six bowls, the conference will make assignments for
the bowl games in the pool system. ESPN Events selects teams
to participate in the Birmingham and Gasparilla Bowls after the
Pool of Six have been assigned.
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
Jan. 1 • 8:45 p.m. ET • ESPN
New Orleans, La. • Mercedes-Benz Superdome (72,500)
Teams: SEC vs. Big 12
VRBO CITRUS BOWL
Jan. 1 • 1 p.m. ET • ABC
Orlando, Fla. • Camping World Stadium (60,219)
Teams: SEC vs. Big Ten
OUTBACK BOWL
Jan. 1 • Noon ET • ESPN2
Tampa, Fla. • Raymond James Stadium (65,657)
Teams: SEC vs. Big Ten or ACC
TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL
Dec. 30 • 3 p.m. ET • ESPN
Nashville, Tenn. • Nissan Stadium (69,143)
Teams: SEC vs. Big Ten
TAXSLAYER GATOR BOWL
Dec. 31 • 11 a.m. ET • ESPN
Jacksonville, Fla. • Everbank Field (77,511)
Teams: SEC vs. ACC
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL
Dec. 28 • 6:45 p.m. ET • ESPN
Memphis, Tenn. • Liberty Bowl Stadium (58,211)
Teams: SEC vs. Big 12
TEXAS BOWL
Jan. 4 • TBD • ESPN
Houston, Texas • NRG Stadium (71,795)
Teams: SEC vs. Big 12
DUKE’S MAYO BOWL
Dec. 30 • 11:30 a.m. ET • ESPN
Charlotte, N.C. • Bank of America Stadium (74,867)
Teams: SEC vs. ACC
TICKETSMARTER BIRMINGHAM BOWL
Dec. 28 • Noon ET • ESPN
Birmingham, Ala. • Protective Stadium (45,000)
Teams: SEC vs. American
UNION HOME MORTGAGE GASPARILLA
BOWL
Dec. 23 • 7 p.m. ET • ESPN
Tampa, Fla. • Raymond James Stadium (65,657)
Teams: SEC vs. American
43
• Fourteen times in the last 15 seasons, a team from the SEC has advanced to the
national championship game. The SEC has won 11 of those contests, with two
of the losses coming in the game’s final seconds. The winner of the SEC Cham
-
pionship Game has advanced to the National Championship Game all but once
since 2006.
• The SEC finished 7-2 in the postseason in 2020 to lead the nation in bowl wins,
with all seven wins coming against Top-25 competition - the most in history for
the conference. In the four bowl games where an unranked SEC team played a
Top-25 opponent, the SEC went 3-1.
• Since Florida in January 2009, five different teams from the SEC have played for
the national championship. Four of those five have multiple appearances and at
least one victory since 2007.
• Not counting games versus each other, the SEC is 10-3 all-time in College
Football Playoff games, playing in six of the seven CFP Championship Games
(winning four of those six). Since 2006, the SEC has posted a 27-14 (.659) record
in BCS/CFP games, more wins, appearances and winning percentage than any
other A5 conference.
• More than 350 players from Southeastern Conference schools were listed on
the initial 53-man NFL rosters to begin the 2020 season. Seven SEC schools were
represented by at least 25 former players on active rosters, including Alabama
with a league-high 57. In addition to the 53-man active rosters, more than 100
former SEC players are listed on reserve lists or practice squads for NFL teams. A
total of 25 former SEC players were on active rosters of the Super Bowl between
the Chiefs and Bucs.
• The SEC is 97-55 (.638) in bowl games since 2006, the only FBS league with
a .600 or better winning percentage and 30 wins more than the next closest
conference.
• The SEC has now won 47 games in the last seven postseasons and has sent no
less than eight teams to post-season bowls in each of the last 14 seasons.
• In the seven seasons of the College Football Playoff era, only six programs
nationally have been ranked No. 1 in the weekly CFP Top-25 Poll (which begins
in late October each year) – four of those six programs (Alabama, Georgia, LSU,
Mississippi State) are from the SEC.
• With Georgia and Alabama both earning victories in the CFP Semifinals in
2017, the national championship game featured two SEC teams for the second
time in the last nine seasons.
SEC BOWL REVENUE DISTRIBUTION
(a) For bowl games providing receipts which result in a balance of less than $1,500,000,
the participating institution shall retain $1,050,000, plus a travel allowance as deter-
mined by the SEC Executive Committee. The remainder shall be remitted to the Com-
missioner and shall be divided into 15 equal shares with one share to the Conference
and one share to each member institution.
(b) For bowl games providing receipts which result in a balance between $1,500,000
and $3,999,999, the participating institution shall retain $1,325,000, plus a travel al-
lowance as determined by the SEC Executive Committee The remainder shall be remit-
ted to the Commissioner and shall be divided into 15 equal shares, with one share to
the Conference and one share to each member institution.
(c) For bowl games providing receipts which result in a balance between $4,000,000
and $5,999,999, the participating institution shall retain $1,525,000, plus a travel
allowance as determined by the SEC Executive Committee. The remainder shall be
remitted to the Commissioner and shall be divided into 15 equal shares, with one share
to the Conference and one share to each member institution.
(d) For bowl games providing receipts which result in a balance of $6,000,000 or
more and all College Football Playoff games, the participating institution shall receive
$2,050,000 ($2,050,000 if the SEC team is a participant in the College Football Play-
off semi-finals game; an additional $2,150,000 if the SEC team is also a participant
in the College Football Playoff championship game, which determines the National
Champion), plus a travel allowance as determined by the SEC Executive Committee.
Institutions participating in a College Football Playoff game may also request addi-
tional travel expenses, which may be granted to such institution at the Commissioner’s
discretion. The remainder shall be remitted to the Commissioner and shall be divided
into 15 equal shares, with one share to the Conference and one share to each member
institution.
(e) Bowl Revenue Protection Insurance shall be deducted prior to Conference distribu-
tion.
(f) The cost of unused tickets up to the contractually guaranteed ticket purchase num-
ber shall be deducted prior to Conference distribution for all bowl games providing
receipts of $6 million or more. For bowl games providing receipts of less than $6
million, the participating institution shall be fully responsible for the contractually
guaranteed ticket purchase number.
(g) For bowl games in which a member institution participates as an “alternate” (e.g.,
5-7 team) under NCAA Postseason Bowl Game requirements, the participating institu-
tion shall retain all revenue distributed by the bowl. The participating institution shall
not receive a base retainage or travel allowance as set forth in subsections (a) through
(d) above. The participating institution shall also be fully responsible for the contrac-
tually guaranteed ticket purchase number and any other expenses associated with
participation in the bowl.
THIS IS SEC FOOTBALL
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4444
2021 SEC BOWL SELECTION PROCESS
CFP BOWLS
Cotton (SF), Orange (SF), Sugar, Rose, Peach, Fiesta, CFP Championship
CONTRACT BOWLS:
Sugar (SEC vs. Big 12 when Sugar is not a seminal game)
Rose (Pac 12 vs. Big Ten when Rose is not a seminal game)
Orange (ACC vs. highest ranked SEC/Big Ten non-champion or Notre
Dame when Orange is not a seminal game like in 2021)
Access Bowls:
Fiesta
Peach
Cotton (Seminal in 2021)
1) Which SEC Team qualies for the CFP?
The winner of the SEC Championship Game automatically qualies
for a spot in the Sugar Bowl if that team is not selected to participate
in the four-team playoff. If the SEC Champion is selected to participate
in the four-team playoff it will play in the Cotton Bowl or Orange
Bowl. The next highest-ranked SEC team not in the four-team playoff
goes to the Sugar Bowl.
2) How can additional SEC teams be selected for the CFP?
Additional SEC teams may be selected for the CFP Seminals (Cotton
or Orange) or one of the CFP access bowls (Peach or Fiesta) based on
its ranking in the nal CFP Selection Committee rankings. There is no
limit on the number of teams from any one conference that can be
selected to participate in the CFP bowls.
3) How can a SEC Team be selected to participate in the Orange
Bowl?
When the Orange Bowl is not a seminal game and a SEC team is
the highest ranked team by the CFP Selection Committee among the
non-champions of the SEC and Big Ten and ranked higher than Notre
Dame after the CFP seminal games have been lled, then that team
will participate in the Orange Bowl. There are eight years in which
the Orange Bowl is not a seminal game and the SEC is guaranteed
three of the eight years, the Big Ten is guaranteed three of the eight
years and the remaining two years can be lled by Notre Dame, the
SEC or the Big Ten based on CFP Selection Committee rankings. The
SEC Champion can never participate in the Orange Bowl unless it is a
seminal game, which it is in 2021.
4) How does the CFP selection process work in 2021-22?
The CFP Selection Committee ranks the top 25 teams and selects the
four teams to participate in the seminal games (Cotton and Orange).
Then, after the contract bowls (Sugar and Rose) are lled based on
conference agreements, the Committee will assign teams to ll the
remaining access bowls (Peach and Fiesta). Each conference cham
-
pion from the contract bowls (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC & Pac 12) has
a guaranteed spot in its contracted bowl or in an access bowl (Peach
or Fiesta) if the contracted bowl is a seminal game and the confer-
ence champion is not selected to participate in a seminal game. The
highest ranked champion from the Mountain West, American, Confer-
ence USA, Sun Belt or MAC is guaranteed a spot in a CFP bowl and
the remaining spots are lled based on the rankings of teams after the
contract bowls have been lled.
Bowl Contract Teams Date Time Network
Cotton
Bowl
Seminal Dec. 31, 2021
3:30 or 7:30
p.m. ET
ESPN
Orange
Bowl
Seminal Dec. 31, 2021
3:30 or 7:30
p.m. ET
ESPN
Peach
Bowl
Filled by CFP
Selection Committee
Dec. 30, 2021 7 p.m. ET ESPN
Fiesta
Bowl
Filled by CFP
Selection Committee
Jan. 1, 2022 1 p.m. ET ESPN
Rose
Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 Jan. 1, 2022 5:00 pm ET ESPN
Sugar
Bowl
SEC vs. Big 12 Jan. 1, 2022 8:45 pm ET ESPN
CFP
NCG
Winners of Seminal
Games (Indianapolis,
Ind.)
Jan. 10, 2022 8:00 pm ET ESPN
SEC BOWLS
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
(Orlando, FL) vs. Big 10 January 1, 2020 – 1 p.m. ET – ABC
After the CFP selection process the Citrus Bowl gets the first selection of
available SEC Teams.
POOL OF SIX BOWLS:
After the Vrbo Citrus Bowl selects a team, there will be a pool of six bowls
and the Conference, in consultation with the institutions and the bowls, will
make the assignments for these six bowl games from all eligible SEC teams.
The pool of six bowls for 2021-22 are as follows:
Texas Bowl (Houston, TX) vs. Big 12 – Jan. 4 – TBD – ESPN
Duke Mayo Bowl (Charlotte, NC) vs. ACC – December 30 – 11:30 a.m.
ET – ESPN
Transperfect Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN) vs. Big Ten – December 30 – 3
p.m. ET – ESPN
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL) vs. ACC – Dec. 31 – 11 a.m. ET –
ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN) vs. Big 12 – December 28– 6:45
p.m. ET – ESPN
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL) vs. Big 10/ACC – January 1 – Noon ET – ESPN2
BOWLS AFTER THE POOL OF SIX:
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
(Birmingham, AL) vs. American – December 28 – Noon ET – ESPN
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
(Tampa, FL) vs. American – December 23 – 7 p.m. ET – ESPN
ESPN Events selects teams to participate in the Birmingham and Gasparilla
Bowls after the Citrus Bowl and Pool of Six.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
PLAYOFF
EVER Y GAME COUNTS
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is a postseason event to determine college football's
national champion on the field, while emphasizing the significance of college football's
unique regular season where every game counts.
RANKINGS
The selection committee ranks the teams based on the members' evaluation of the teams'
performance on the field, using conference championships won, strength of schedule,
head-to-head results, and comparison of results against common opponents to decide
among teams that are comparable.
TRADITION
The New Year's holiday period belongs to college football, with two semifinal games
rotating annually among the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose
Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY
The two teams that win the Playoff Semifinals compete for the College Football Playoff
National Championship. The national championship game is in a different city each year,
always on a Monday night.
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
Every Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team has equal access to the College Football Playoff
based on its performance during the regular season. No team automatically qualifies.
GOVERNANCE
University presidents and chancellors from all 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame serve
as the board of managers and govern the administrative operations, with commissioners
and Notre Dame athletics director (the Management Committee) managing the event.
A small staff in the CFP office in Irving, Texas, carries out the day-to-day responsib
ilities.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
A talented group of 13 high-integrity individuals with experience as coaches, student
athletes, college administrators and journalists, along with sitting athletics directors,
comprise the selection committee. Members of the committee are Mitch Barnhart, Gary
Barta (chair), Paola Boivin, Tom Burman, Charlie Cobb, Boo Corrigan, Chris Del Conte, Rick
George, Will Shields, Joe Taylor, John Urschel, Rod West and Tyrone Willingham.
A. � BIG USA ¥
47
