SEC vs Big East Football

The SEC vs Big East football rivalry has been an unexpected development in the world of college football over the past couple years.

The Big East is a basketball-centric conference. It has 16 teams that play basketball and they have the best all-time ncaa basketball record. But, the Big East only has 8 colleges that participate in football.

Stimulating the SEC vs Big East football rivalry is the fact that many Big East football fans have chips on their shoulders. And, frankly, they may have good reason. Big East football probably doesn't get the respect it deserves. Exhibit A is the 2006 Bowl Season when Big East teams went 5-0 in bowl games.

After the 2006-2007 season, I wrote an article about the Florida Gators and their college football National Championship. The article went on to detail why the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is the best college football conference in America. In the first version of the article I said the SEC had the best bowl record of any conference. In reality, the SEC had the most bowl wins, but the Big East actually had a better winning percentage [the SEC went 6-3; Big East went 5-0].

Of course there were reasons for the success of the Big East relating to the quality of the bowls and opponents the Big East teams faced. But, my point is that when that article went out, I was surprised by the torrent of e-mails I received from Big East fans correcting me.

The fact of the matter is that the Big East is the only (of 13) Division I college football conferences with a winning record against the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The explanation for the Big East record versus the SEC is difficult to ascertain. However, it is clear that Big East and SEC teams don't play each other often. Historically, when they did play it was likely to be in a bowl game. And, the Big East for years had strong bowl teams in the University of Miami and Virginia Tech.

In any event, while we favor the "historical conference affiliation" calculation; we also consider the "current conference affiliation" statistic as well. And, as you'll see below, the SEC leads on that basis.

I used to say the Big East was not a serious football conference. My Big East friends have finally set me straight. Well, not so much them, as their team's performances on the field -- especially the wins by South Florida over Auburn and West Virginia over Miss. State in 2007.

Maybe you could say the Big East was lucky in 2006 (5-0 in bowl games). I don't think you can say that any more. They have arrived. Now, they are not at the level of the SEC yet -- but they are certainly a serious football conference. If you don't believe that -- you will probably be surprised soon.

For now, the current all-time, head-to-head, SEC vs Big East football record (SEC went 3-2 vs the Big East in 2011 - 2012) shows the SEC now with a 25-23 (.521) advantage.

All of these games occurred after 1990.

If looking for SEC vs Big East football head to head record based on "current conference affiliation" -- here you go: The SEC leads 127-88-10 (.587) as documented at the end of SEC vs Everyone.

If you'd like to see how the SEC and Big East compare in all-time bowl wins, go to Top College Football Bowl Conference.

For details of how we arrived at the above numbers, go to Big Ten vs SEC.

Big East team Fan Apparel and Merchandise:

• Cincinnati Bearcats Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Connecticut Huskies Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• DePaul Blue Demons Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Georgetown Hoyas Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Louisville Cardinals Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Marquette Golden Eagles Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Pittsburg State Gorillas Fan Apparel, Jerseys
• Providence Friars Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• St. Johns Red Storm Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Seton Hall Pirates Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• South Florida Bulls Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Syracuse Orange Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• Villanova Wildcats Fan Apparel and Merchandise
• West Virginia Mountaineers Fan Apparel and Merchandise

Check out our 2010 Preseason College Football Conference Comparison.

SEC vs Big East Football
SEC vs Big East Football
SEC vs Big East Football

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