Bowl season means conference pride is running rampant online. Especially since the SEC is not off to the hottest start in the postseason. Thus far, Greg Sankey's league only has two wins, one of which was Alabama's College Football Playoff victory vs. Oklahoma. Ole Miss is the lone other positive, as there are also five losses in the record.
On3's Brett McMurphy pointed that out on Tuesday after Tennessee lost to Illinois in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. At the same time, the Big Ten is enjoying a great 6-0 start in bowl games. Which, of course, has brought on plenty of jokes.
One of them came from former USC quarterback and current FOX analyst Matt Leinart. He quote tweeted McMruphy's stats, using a classic punchline usually coming from SEC territory.
The Big Ten can make it 7-0 before the night's end. Leinart's Trojans are currently playing TCU in the Alamo Bowl for a Big Ten vs. Big 12 showdown. Bowl records are usually a metric used to determine the strength of conferences throughout a season, as are nonconference games early in the year.
So when given the opportunity to troll the SEC, Leinart was right there to make the joke. One Big Ten fans will laugh upon reading, while some inside the SEC will come away a little annoyed with him.
At least five more games involving SEC teams are set to take place in the coming days. Three of those are not involved with the College Football Playoff. Texas and Vanderbilt face off vs. Big Ten programs on Wednesday, facing Michigan and Iowa, respectively.
Just about 24 hours later will bring arguably the biggest matchup of the entire New Year's holiday, the Rose Bowl. Alabama and Indiana head out West for the Grandaddy of Them All, setting up what should be another classic in Pasadena. Winner gets a spot in the CFP semifinal exactly one week down the road.
Following the Rose Bowl is the Sugar Bowl, where the SEC is guaranteed a winner and a loser. Georgia and Ole Miss face off for the second time this season. Kirby Smart's club came out on top in Athens and is hoping for the same result in New Orleans. A new-look Ole Miss has revenge on its mind, looking for the second win of the Pete Golding era.