The Big 12 is 6-1 in its bowl season over these last few weeks, bringing up a conversation about conference dominance since the SEC represents both final teams in the National Championship contest. Some voters say that Oklahoma State deserves some first place consideration if LSU loses to Alabama. Perhaps that’s the case, perhaps not. But it does bring up a bigger discussion about the SEC versus the Big 12: which one is the better conference.
It’s also something brought up by the shift in conferences by Missouri and Texas A&M. Both schools left the Big 12 for the “greener pastures” of the SEC and were replaced by TCU and West Virginia. The SEC has the elite opportunities that both schools are seeking and yet the Big 12 has done nothing but win nearly every bowl game this off-season besides Iowa State, and it’s clear that the teams top to bottom are better in the Big 12.
The Cotton Bowl, however, is not the right thermometer for measuring head to head impact, writes David Ubben of ESPN.
“It’s a great game, but unfortunately, it’s not enough this year,” writes Ubben. "More regular-season matchups between the two leagues might settle this, but for now, we’re left to what is essentially chance each year in Dallas, an opportunity to meet and decide annually which is better. The Big 12’s been unable to crack the national title game the past two seasons while the SEC has racked up six consecutive national championships.
“Two teams that have had success as the antithesis of their leagues will meet in this year’s Cotton Bowl. It could be a classic. But it won’t tell us much about which league is better.”