The Big East Bowl Record

[SWC75]

I decided to look at the bowl records of the various Big East football schools for the time they were in the conference. Who represented the conference well…and who didn’t? And how good or bad was the overall record?

BOSTON COLLEGE (1991-2005)
1/1/93 Hall of Fame Bowl lost to Tennessee 23-38
1/1/94 Carquest Bowl beat Virginia 31-13
12/25/94 Aloha Bowl beat Kansas State 12-7
12/31/99 Insight.com Bowl lost to Colorado 28-62
12/25/00 Aloha Bowl beat Arizona State 31-17
12/28/01 Music City Bowl beat Georgia 20-16
12/26/02 Motor City Bowl beat Toledo 51-25
12/31/03 San Francisco Bowl beat Colorado State 35-21
12/30/04 Continental Tire Bowl beat North Carolina 37-24
12/31/05 MPC Computers Bowl beat Boise State 27-21
8 wins 2 losses. No BCS bowls.

CINCINNATI (2005-2012)
1/6/07 International Bowl beat Western Michigan 27-24
12/22/07 Papjohns.com Bowl beat Southern Mississippi 31-21
1/1/09 Orange Bowl lost to Virginia Tech 7-20
1/1/10 Sugar Bowl lost to Florida 24-51
12/31/11 Liberty Bowl beat Vanderbilt 31-24
12/27/12 Belk Bowl beat Duke 48-34
4 wins 2 losses, 0-2 in BCS games

CONNECTICUT (2005-2012)
12/29/07 Meineke Car Care Bowl lost to Wake Forest 10-24
1/3/09 International Bowl beat Buffalo 28-20
1/02/10 Papjohns.com Bowl beat South Carolina 20-7
1/1/11 Fiesta Bowl lost to Oklahoma 20-48
2 wins 2 losses, 0-1 in BCS games

LOUISVILLE (2005-2012)
1/02/06 Gator Bowl lost to Virginia Tech 24-35
1/02/07 Orange Bowl beat Wake Forest 24-13
12/21/10 St. Petersburg Bowl beat Southern Mississippi 31-28
12/27/11 Belk Bowl lost to North Carolina State 24-31
1/02/13 Sugar Bowl beat Florida 33-23
3 wins 2 losses, 2-0 in BCS games

MIAMI (1991-2003)
1/1/92 Orange Bowl beat Nebraska 22-0
1/1/93 Sugar Bowl lost to Alabama 13-34
1/1/94 Fiesta Bowl lost to Arizona 0-29
1/1/95 Orange Bowl lost to Nebraska 17-24
12/27/96 Carquest Bowl beat Virginia 31-21
12/29/98 Micron PC Bowl beat North Carolina State 46-23
1/1/00 Gator Bowl beat Georgia Tech 28-13
1/02/01 Sugar Bowl beat Florida 37-20
1/3/02 Rose Bowl beat Nebraska 37-14
1/3/03 Fiesta Bowl lost to Ohio State 24-31
1/1/04 Orange Bowl beat Florida State 16-14
7 wins 4 losses, 4-4 in BCS games

PITTSBURGH (1991-2012)
12/31/97 Liberty Bowl lost to Southern Mississippi 7-41
12/28/00 Insight.com lost to Iowa State 29-37
12/20/01 Tangerine Bowl beat North Carolina State 34-19
12/26/02 Insight Bowl beat Oregon State 38-13
12/27/03 Continental Tire Bowl lost to Virginia 16-23
1/1/05 Fiesta Bowl lost to Utah 7-35
12/31/08 Sun Bowl lost to Oregon State 0-3
12/26/09 Meineke Car Care Bowl beat North Carolina 19-17
1/8/11 BBVA Compass Bowl beat Kentucky 28-10
1/7/12 BBVA Compass Bowl lost to SMU 6-28
1/5/12 BBVA Compass Bowl lost to Mississippi 17-38
4 wins 7 losses, 0-1 in BCS games

RUTGERS (1991-2012)
12/27/05 Insight Bowl lost to Arizona State 40-45
12/28/06 Texas Bowl beat Kansas State 37-10
1/5/08 International Bowl beat Ball State 52-30
12/29/08 Papajohns.com Bowl beat North Carolina State 29-23
12/19/09 St. Petersburg Bowl beat Central Florida 45-24
12/30/11 Pinstripe Bowl beat Iowa State 27-13
12/28/12 Russell Athletic Bowl lost to Virginia Tech 10-13
5 wins 2 losses, no BCS games

SOUTH FLORIDA (2005-2012)
12/31/05 Meineke Car Care Bowl lost to North Carolina State 0-14
12/23/06 Papjohns.com Bowl beat East Carolina 24-7
12/31/07 Sun Bowl lost to Oregon 21-56
12/20/08 St. Petersburg Bowl beat Memphis 41-14
1/02/10 International Bowl beat Northern Illinois 27-3
12/31/10 Meineke Car Care Bowl beat Clemson 31-26
4 wins 2 losses, no BCS games

SYRACUSE (1991-2012)
1/1/92 Hall of Fame Bowl beat Ohio State 24-17
1/1/93 Fiesta Bowl beat Colorado 26-22
1/1/96 Gator Bowl beat Clemson 41-0
12/27/96 Liberty Bowl beat Houston 30-17
12/31/97 Fiesta Bowl lost to Kansas State 18-35
1/02/99 Orange Bowl lost to Florida 10-31
12/29/99 Music City Bowl beat Kentucky 20-13
12/29/01 Insight.com Bowl beat Kansas State 26-3
12/21/04 Champs Sports Bowl lost to Georgia Tech 14-51
12/30/10 Pinstripe Bowl beat Kansas State 36-34
12/29/12 Pinstripe Bowl beat West Virginia 38-14
8 wins 3 losses, 1-2 in BCS games

TEMPLE (1991-2004, 2012)
No bowl games as a Big East team.

VIRGINIA TECH (1991-2003)
12/31/93 Independence Bowl beat Indiana 45-20
12/30/94 Gator Bowl lost to Tennessee 23-45
12/31/95 Sugar Bowl beat Texas 28-10
12/31/96 Orange Bowl lost to Nebraska 21-41
1/1/98 Gator Bowl lost to North Carolina 3-42
12/28/98 Music City Bowl beat Alabama 38-7
1/04/00 Sugar Bowl lost to Florida State 29-46
1/1/01 Gator Bowl beat Clemson 41-20
1/1/02 Gator Bowl lost to Florida State 17-30
12/31/02 San Francisco Bowl beat Air Force 20-13
12/26/03 Insight Bowl lost to California 49-52
5 wins 6 losses, 1-2 in BCS games

WEST VIRGINIA (1991-2011)
1/1/94 Sugar Bowl lost to Florida 7-41
1/02/95 Carquest Bowl lost to South Carolina 21-24
1/1/97 Gator Bowl lost to North Carolina 13-20
12/29/97 Carquest Bowl lost to Georgia Tech 30-35
12/26/98 Insight.com Bowl lost to Missouri 31-34
12/28/00 Music City Bowl beat Mississippi 49-38
12/28/02 Continental Tire Bowl lost to Virginia 22-48
1/1/04 Gator Bowl lost to Maryland 7-41
1/1/05 Gator Bowl lost to Florida State 18-30
1/02/06 Sugar Bowl beat Georgia 38-35
1/1/07 Gator Bowl beat Georgia Tech 38-35
1/02/08 Fiesta Bowl beat Oklahoma 48-28
12/27/08 Meineke Car Care Bowl beat North Carolina 31-30
1/1/10 Gator Bowl lost to Florida State 21-33
12/28/10 Champs Sports Bowl lost to North Carolina State 7-23
1/04/12 Orange Bowl beat Clemson 70-33
6 wins 10 losses, 3-1 in BCS games.

All told the conference was:
56-42 in all bowl games
11-13 in BCS games
17-18 vs. the ACC (is it really so different?)
9-9 vs. the SEC (yup, we broke even)
1-2 vs. the Big Ten, (bowls games rarely feature two northern teams)
11-7 vs. the Big 12 (o-v-e-r-r-a-t-e-d)
2-4 vs. the PAC12
2-1 vs. the Mountain West
1-0 vs. the WAC (and it was Boise State!)
6-2 vs. Conference USA
5-0 vs. the MAC

The Big East was doubted and criticized through it’s football existence but it was legitimate BCS conference.

 

[wfschrec]

I decided to look at the bowl records of the various Big East football schools for the time they were in the conference. Who represented the conference well…and who didn’t? And how good or bad was the overall record?

BOSTON COLLEGE (1991-2005)
1/1/93 Hall of Fame Bowl lost to Tennessee 23-38
1/1/94 Carquest Bowl beat Virginia 31-13
12/25/94 Aloha Bowl beat Kansas State 12-7
12/31/99 Insight.com Bowl lost to Colorado 28-62
12/25/00 Aloha Bowl beat Arizona State 31-17
12/28/01 Music City Bowl beat Georgia 20-16
12/26/02 Motor City Bowl beat Toledo 51-25
12/31/03 San Francisco Bowl beat Colorado State 35-21
12/30/04 Continental Tire Bowl beat North Carolina 37-24
12/31/05 MPC Computers Bowl beat Boise State 27-21
8 wins 2 losses. No BCS bowls.

CINCINNATI (2005-2012)
1/6/07 International Bowl beat Western Michigan 27-24
12/22/07 Papjohns.com Bowl beat Southern Mississippi 31-21
1/1/09 Orange Bowl lost to Virginia Tech 7-20
1/1/10 Sugar Bowl lost to Florida 24-51
12/31/11 Liberty Bowl beat Vanderbilt 31-24
12/27/12 Belk Bowl beat Duke 48-34
4 wins 2 losses, 0-2 in BCS games

CONNECTICUT (2005-2012)
12/29/07 Meineke Car Care Bowl lost to Wake Forest 10-24
1/3/09 International Bowl beat Buffalo 28-20
1/02/10 Papjohns.com Bowl beat South Carolina 20-7
1/1/11 Fiesta Bowl lost to Oklahoma 20-48
2 wins 2 losses, 0-1 in BCS games

LOUISVILLE (2005-2012)
1/02/06 Gator Bowl lost to Virginia Tech 24-35
1/02/07 Orange Bowl beat Wake Forest 24-13
12/21/10 St. Petersburg Bowl beat Southern Mississippi 31-28
12/27/11 Belk Bowl lost to North Carolina State 24-31
1/02/13 Sugar Bowl beat Florida 33-23
3 wins 2 losses, 1-1 in BCS games

MIAMI (1991-2003)
1/1/92 Orange Bowl beat Nebraska 22-0
1/1/93 Sugar Bowl lost to Alabama 13-34
1/1/94 Fiesta Bowl lost to Arizona 0-29
1/1/95 Orange Bowl lost to Nebraska 17-24
12/27/96 Carquest Bowl beat Virginia 31-21
12/29/98 Micron PC Bowl beat North Carolina State 46-23
1/1/00 Gator Bowl beat Georgia Tech 28-13
1/02/01 Sugar Bowl beat Florida 37-20
1/3/02 Rose Bowl beat Nebraska 37-14
1/3/03 Fiesta Bowl lost to Ohio State 24-31
1/1/04 Orange Bowl beat Florida State 16-14
7 wins 4 losses, 4-4 in BCS games

PITTSBURGH (1991-2012)
12/31/97 Liberty Bowl lost to Southern Mississippi 7-41
12/28/00 Insight.com lost to Iowa State 29-37
12/20/01 Tangerine Bowl beat North Carolina State 34-19
12/26/02 Insight Bowl beat Oregon State 38-13
12/27/03 Continental Tire Bowl lost to Virginia 16-23
1/1/05 Fiesta Bowl lost to Utah 7-35
12/31/08 Sun Bowl lost to Oregon State 0-3
12/26/09 Meineke Car Care Bowl beat North Carolina 19-17
1/8/11 BBVA Compass Bowl beat Kentucky 28-10
1/7/12 BBVA Compass Bowl lost to SMU 6-28
1/5/12 BBVA Compass Bowl lost to Mississippi 17-38
4 wins 7 losses, 0-1 in BCS games

RUTGERS (1991-2012)
12/27/05 Insight Bowl lost to Arizona State 40-45
12/28/06 Texas Bowl beat Kansas State 37-10
1/5/08 International Bowl beat Ball State 52-30
12/29/08 Papajohns.com Bowl beat North Carolina State 29-23
12/19/09 St. Petersburg Bowl beat Central Florida 45-24
12/30/11 Pinstripe Bowl beat Iowa State 27-13
12/28/12 Russell Athletic Bowl lost to Virginia Tech 10-13
5 wins 2 losses, no BCS games

SOUTH FLORIDA (2005-2012)
12/31/05 Meineke Car Care Bowl lost to North Carolina State 0-14
12/23/06 Papjohns.com Bowl beat East Carolina 24-7
12/31/07 Sun Bowl lost to Oregon 21-56
12/20/08 St. Petersburg Bowl beat Memphis 41-14
1/02/10 International Bowl beat Northern Illinois 27-3
12/31/10 Meineke Car Care Bowl beat Clemson 31-26
4 wins 2 losses, no BCS games

SYRACUSE (1991-2012)
1/1/92 Hall of Fame Bowl beat Ohio State 24-17
1/1/93 Fiesta Bowl beat Colorado 26-22
1/1/96 Gator Bowl beat Clemson 41-0
12/27/96 Liberty Bowl beat Houston 30-17
12/31/97 Fiesta Bowl lost to Kansas State 18-35
1/02/99 Orange Bowl lost to Florida 10-31
12/29/99 Music City Bowl beat Kentucky 20-13
12/29/01 Insight.com Bowl beat Kansas State 26-3
12/21/04 Champs Sports Bowl lost to Georgia Tech 14-51
12/30/10 Pinstripe Bowl beat Kansas State 36-34
12/29/12 Pinstripe Bowl beat West Virginia 38-14
8 wins 3 losses, 1-2 in BCS games

TEMPLE (1991-2004, 2012)
No bowl games as a Big East team.

VIRGINIA TECH (1991-2003)
12/31/93 Independence Bowl beat Indiana 45-20
12/30/94 Gator Bowl lost to Tennessee 23-45
12/31/95 Sugar Bowl beat Texas 28-10
12/31/96 Orange Bowl lost to Nebraska 21-41
1/1/98 Gator Bowl lost to North Carolina 3-42
12/28/98 Music City Bowl beat Alabama 38-7
1/04/00 Sugar Bowl lost to Florida State 29-46
1/1/01 Gator Bowl beat Clemson 41-20
1/1/02 Gator Bowl lost to Florida State 17-30
12/31/02 San Francisco Bowl beat Air Force 20-13
12/26/03 Insight Bowl lost to California 49-52
5 wins 6 losses, 1-2 in BCS games

WEST VIRGINIA (1991-2011)
1/1/94 Sugar Bowl lost to Florida 7-41
1/02/95 Carquest Bowl lost to South Carolina 21-24
1/1/97 Gator Bowl lost to North Carolina 13-20
12/29/97 Carquest Bowl lost to Georgia Tech 30-35
12/26/98 Insight.com Bowl lost to Missouri 31-34
12/28/00 Music City Bowl beat Mississippi 49-38
12/28/02 Continental Tire Bowl lost to Virginia 22-48
1/1/04 Gator Bowl lost to Maryland 7-41
1/1/05 Gator Bowl lost to Florida State 18-30
1/02/06 Sugar Bowl beat Georgia 38-35
1/1/07 Gator Bowl beat Georgia Tech 38-35
1/02/08 Fiesta Bowl beat Oklahoma 48-28
12/27/08 Meineke Car Care Bowl beat North Carolina 31-30
1/1/10 Gator Bowl lost to Florida State 21-33
12/28/10 Champs Sports Bowl lost to North Carolina State 7-23
1/04/12 Orange Bowl beat Clemson 70-33
6 wins 10 losses, 3-1 in BCS games.

All told the conference was:
56-42 in all bowl games
10-14 in BCS games
17-18 vs. the ACC (is it really so different?)
9-9 vs. the SEC (yup, we broke even)
1-2 vs. the Big Ten, (bowls games rarely feature two northern teams)
11-7 vs. the Big 12 (o-v-e-r-r-a-t-e-d)
2-4 vs. the PAC12
2-1 vs. the Mountain West
1-0 vs. the WAC (and it was Boise State!)
6-2 vs. Conference USA
5-0 vs. the MAC

The Big East was doubted and criticized through it’s football existence but it was legitimate BCS conference.

Problem is when VT, BC and Miami left they took with them 11 of 25 BCS appearances and half the BCS wins ... that is what made it so hard ... plus some of those BCS wins ... like SU's in the Fiesta Bowl wasn't really a true BCS game in 92, the arrangements were different then.

 

[SWC75]

Problem is when VT, BC and Miami left they took with them 11 of 25 BCS appearances and half the BCS wins ... that is what made it so hard ... plus some of those BCS wins ... like SU's in the Fiesta Bowl wasn't really a true BCS game in 92, the arrangements were different then.

The Fiesta had been a major bowl game since Penn State played Miami for the anitonal title in 1986, (yes, there was no BCS until 1998: I was just using the term to define "major bowl game"). And West Virginia and Lousiville have won 5 BCS games since 2005.

 

[Briggsky]

UL is actually 2-0 in BCS games. We beat Wake and Florida in our only games. We did win the Fiesta Bowl in the 90's and beat Alabama fairly convincingly. There is a whole story behind that game because some teams refused to play in it because they had voted to pass MLK's national holiday in Arizona.

 

[wfschrec]

UL is actually 2-0 in BCS games. We beat Wake and Florida in our only games. We did win the Fiesta Bowl in the 90's and beat Alabama fairly convincingly. There is a whole story behind that game because some teams refused to play in it because they had voted to pass MLK's national holiday in Arizona.

But in the 90s you were not a member of the BE hence the scoping of his analysis.

 

[wfschrec]

The Fiesta had been a major bowl game since Penn State played Miami for the anitonal title in 1986, (yes, there was no BCS until 1998: I was just using the term to define "major bowl game"). And West Virginia and Lousiville have won 5 BCS games since 2005.

Which is fine but the perception of the conference took a dive after those 3 I mentioned earlier left for all intents and purposes and the BCS bowl count they held at that point was the reason why ... Miami and Va Tech held 11 appearances from 91-03 when they left ... i.e. most of the conference at that point.

 

[omniorange]

The Bowl Coalition that would become the BCS started back in 1992 but without the Rose and the champs from the Big Ten and teh Pac 10. The conferences participating were the SEC, ACC, Big 8, SWC, and Big East. Only non-champs from the Big Ten and Pac 10 could be asked to participate in a Coalition Bowl.

The Bowls were the Sugar, the Orange, the Fiesta, the Cotton, the Gator, and the Hancock (now Sun Bowl).

The Coalition became the Alliance when the Rose agreed to be part of it, but initially they only wanted the Big 10/Pac 10 match-up. The merger of the Big 8 and SWC happened about this time as well. When the Coalition became the Alliance they dumped the latter three bowls, leaving the 4 we know today as the BCS Bowls.

The Alliance became the BCS when the Rose finally agreed to host the NC game even though this meant it wasn't likely to be a Big 10/Pac 10 match-up.

So basically, SU's Fiesta Bowl win against Colorado is the equivalent of a current BCS Bowl win. At the time of the pairing we were #6 and the Buffs were #10. After bowl season we remained at #6 while Colorado dropped to #13. Michigan which was ranked behind us, jumped us in the final polls with their win over Washington.

It's great that Louisville beat Alabama in the Fiesta, but had the Bowl Coalition started two years earlier, if they did make as an independent, they wouldn't have played Alabama.

But the OP should be edited to credit Louisville with their actual 2-0 BCS Bowl record over Wake Forest and now Florida. Until the win over the Gators this year, I still think the best Louisville Bowl victory was the Cards victory over Boise State in the Liberty Bowl. Now that was a BCS type Bowl game not played at a BCS Bowl.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Moontan]

For related information, see my Big East Football Historical Overview page.

It includes information about all Big East bowl participation as well as an overview of the Big East's BCS participation, going back to the pre-Bowl Agreement Era. It compares bowl performance versus the other AQ conferences and the MWC (seen as the Big East's competitor in the eyes of non-BE oberservers).

Interestingly, since the formation of the NBE, the conference has a 62% bowl winning percentage. This is topped only by the SEC at 63%. The MWC's lousy record in this year's bowls dropped it just below the NBE at 61%.

 

[SWC75]

But the OP should be edited to credit Louisville with their actual 2-0 BCS Bowl record over Wake Forest and now Florida. Until the win over the Gators this year, I still think the best Louisville Bowl victory was the Cards victory over Boise State in the Liberty Bowl. Now that was a BCS type Bowl game not played at a BCS Bowl.

Cheers,
Neil

Done. Thanks.

The main point was that the Big East's bowl record suggests that we were a better conference than the rest of the coutnry gave us credit for, which was also true of eastern football for decades before that.

 

[omniorange]

Done. Thanks.

The main point was that the Big East's bowl record suggests that we were a better conference than the rest of the coutnry gave us credit for, which was also true of eastern football for decades before that.

True, but in reality the undercard record is immaterial since our second and third best tended to over the years face the fifth, sixth, and seventh best from other conferences.

Ultimately, it's the BCS type Bowls that mattered since the competition was basically on the same level. So I wanted to get that closer to .500.

And I don't say it enough SWC, but I look forward to all of your posts, especially the statistical analyses ones.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Moontan]

it's the BCS type Bowls that mattered since the competition was basically on the same level. So I wanted to get that closer to .500.

If you count the pre-Bowl Agreement Era games you get closer too.
In 1991 you had Miami in the Orange Bowl over Nebraska to win the national championship, and Syracuse in the Hall of Fame Bowl over tOSU. That gets the BE to 12-14.

 

[SWC75]

True, but in reality the undercard record is immaterial since our second and third best tended to over the years face the fifth, sixth, and seventh best from other conferences.

Ultimately, it's the BCS type Bowls that mattered since the competition was basically on the same level. So I wanted to get that closer to .500.

And I don't say it enough SWC, but I look forward to all of your posts, especially the statistical analyses ones.

Cheers,
Neil

The Lousiville correction made it 11-13 instead of 10-14, so that got it a little closer. And they and the Mountaineers actually did a good job for the conference in BCS bowls. The complaints were that the Big East was easily the weakest BCS conference and didn't belong there. It wasn't true.