SEC record in bowl games: How has the conference fared in 2023?

Fans are quite accustomed to hearing the refrain that the SEC is the best conference in college football. Florida State also felt the keen sting of that sentiment on Selection Sunday when the one-loss Alabama Crimson Tide were put into the College Football Playoff field over the undefeated ACC champion Seminoles.

Having said all of that, with the SEC's vaunted reverence it receives throughout the college football world, most expect them to dominate when bowl season comes around. Opt-outs, the transfer portal and general shortcomings, however, don't always mean that's the case.

So how well has the SEC fared in college football bowl season for the 2023-24 postseason? Let's take a look at where things currently stand.

SEC record in bowl games for the 2023 postseason

After LSU's comeback win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl, then Tennessee dominating Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, and finally Alabama's loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl, the SEC as a whole holds a 5-4 record in bowl games for this postseason.

There have been a few notable heartbreaks and disappointments for the conference in bowl season to this point. Kentucky looked to have a huge Gator Bowl win over Clemson in the bag but a late score flipped that result. Meanwhile, Hugh Freeze and Auburn completely no-showed in the Music City Bowl as they were run off the field by Maryland. However, as mentioned, the New Year's Day bowl games still offer plenty of promise for the SEC.

SEC bowl game schedule and results

• TaxAct Texas Bowl (Dec. 27): Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23
• TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Dec. 29): Clemson 38, Kentucky 35
• Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (Dec. 29): Missouri 14, Ohio State 3
• Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Dec. 30): Ole Miss 38, Penn State 25
• TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Dec. 30): Maryland 31, Auburn 13
• Capital One Orange Bowl (Dec. 30): Georgia 63, Florida State 3
• ReliaQuest Bowl (Jan. 1): LSU 35, Wisconsin 31
• Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1): Tennessee 35, Iowa 0
• CFP Semifinal - Rose Bowl (Jan. 1): Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT)

The SEC joined the bowl season party late in the process with the conference's first game taking place with Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. Unfortunately, the depleted Aggies roster didn't start off with a win as they fell to Oklahoma State.

However, the conference has enjoyed some big wins after an 0-2 start with Missouri tackling Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, Ole Miss dominating Penn State in the Peach Bowl and then Georgia submitting the biggest blowout in bowl season history -- one year after winning the CFP National Championship Game with a 58-point win over TCU -- with a 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Unfortunately for the conference, though, Alabama's CFP semifinal loss to Michigan ended the SEC's bowl season with a sour loss.