Bringing Home the Trophy!

At this point of the season it is a fairly safe bet that the national championship game will feature two of the current BCS Top-5 teams. That said I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how each of those teams have faired in their most recent bowl appearances.

1.      Ohio State

After a dismal 1-11 ATS run from 1990 thru 2002 the Buckeyes have turned things around. Ohio State ripped off four straight SU/ATS wins before Florida dismantled them 41-14 for the championship. During that stretch they are a solid 3-1 SU/ATS in January.

2.      LSU

Posting a marginal 4-5 SU/ATS record through the 1980’s and 90’s LSU turned the quarter I the new millennium with a 5-2 SU/ATS mark winning the last two years by a combined 82-17 over Miami (FL) and Notre Dame. In their last eight bowl appearances the Tigers are 6-2 SU/ATS including a solid 4-2 SU/ATS in January.

3.      Oregon

Oregon is one of the worst bowl teams in this group. In their last 14 bowl appearances the Ducks hold a below average 5-9 SU/ATS record. From 1997 thru 2002 they had a little success posting a 4-1 SU/ATS record but have gone 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS since. Their only January bowl game in the last 10 seasons was a 38-16 upset over Colorado in 2002.

4.      Kansas

With only five bowl appearances since 1981 the Jayhawks have the least experience of any team in the Top-5. Kansas posted SU/ATS wins in 1992, 1995, and 2005, with SU/ATS losses in 1981, and 2003. The Jayhawks hold a 3-2 SU/ATS bowl record and have never played a bowl game in January.

5.      Oklahoma

Making 19 appearances including 13 in January the Sooners are no stranger to the pressures of playing in a bowl game. However, qualifying for a bowl game doesn’t always mean you will win it. In those 19 appearances Oklahoma holds a 10-9 SU and an 8-11 ATS record. In their last four bowl games they are a poor 1-3 SU/ATS and in January games they are 3-3 SU, 2-4 ATS.

With seniors graduating and underclassmen stepping in to fill holes I don’t know how much faith you can put into a teams bowl record, but the amount of BCS experience Ohio State and LSU have should count for something. Oregon and Oklahoma are next with limited bowl experience. Then there is Kansas who has only played in five bowl games over the past quarter century. However it plays out it should be interesting!

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