South Carolina Owns the Big Ten
I was recently reminiscing on the win against Michigan a few months back and that got me thinking about South Carolina's success in bowl season against Big Ten teams so far this century. I pulled up every game the SEC has played against the conference up north during this period using mcubed.net. What I found was exactly what I expected, namely that South Carolina has the most wins and best winning percentage against the Big Ten of any SEC team over the past 18 years. See the data below:
At 6-1, the Gamecocks tie Alabama for the the most wins against Big Ten teams, but have one less loss. Furthermore, the Gamecocks' 6 wins have come against what should be considered that conference's historic powerhouses: Ohio State (twice), Michigan (twice), Nebraska, and Wisconsin. SC's lone loss in this period was against Iowa in the 2009 Outback Bowl. Alabama's 6 wins have come against Michigan State (twice), Penn State (twice), Michigan, and Wisconsin, while their 2 losses were to Ohio State and Minnesota. The third best team in the SEC against the Big Ten, Georgia, has wins against Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Purdue, with their 2 losses coming against Nebraska and Michigan State. Overall the SEC is 39-28 against the Big Ten this century, with South Carolina responsible for 15% of those wins.