Pac-12 finishes bowl season an abysmal 1-8; Big Ten, meanwhile, is unbeaten

USA TODAY Sports

Bowl season is in the final stretch — five games on Monday, including the semifinals (Orange and Rose) — but the verdict is in:

The Pac-12 is the worst.

At least in terms of conference performance.

The Pac-12 turned a dismal 1-8 performance, the worst record of all time for a Power Five League in a bowl season (minimum of five games), according to ESPN.

Pop those bottles, 2008 Big Ten. The Pac-12 (1-8) just completed the worst bowl season in history for a Power 5 conference. Utah, which went 3-6 in conference play and was in a non-affiliated bowl, was the only school to win.
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) December 31, 2017

The Big Ten, meanwhile, is a sparkling 7-0 with one game to go: It's up to Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines (against South Carolina) to keep the record perfect.

The SEC hasn't lit up the night, either, at only 1-3. But the league whose motto is "It Just Means More" does have a chance to turn that around with five teams still to play.

Of course, bowl records aren't necessarily all that telling, and bragging rights in the end likely will come down to who wins the championship in the College Football Playoff. In that race, the Big Ten — and the Pac-12, for that matter — are out of the running. The SEC, ACC and Big 12 will have a say there.

The conference records, courtesy of the NCAA:

American Athletic

Record: 3-3

Wins: Temple, South Florida, Navy

Losses: SMU, Houston, Memphis

Upcoming games: Auburn vs. UCF

ACC

Record: 4-5

Wins: Duke, Florida State, Wake Forest, N.C. State

Losses: Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Miami (Fla.)

Upcoming games: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Alabama

Big Ten

Record: 7-0

Wins: Iowa, Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin

Upcoming games: Michigan vs. South Carolina

Big 12

Record: 5-2

Wins: Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas, Oklahoma State, TCU

Losses: Texas Tech, West Virginia

Upcoming games: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia

Conference USA

Record: 4-5

Wins: Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee

Losses: North Texas, Temple, Western Kentucky, UAB, Southern Miss

MAC

Record: 1-4

Wins: Ohio

Losses: Akron, Central Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois

Mountain West

Record: 3-3

Wins: Boise State, Wyoming, Fresno State

Losses: Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State

Pac-12

Record: 1-8

Wins: Utah

Losses: Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, Stanford, Washington State, Arizona State, USC, Washington

SEC

Record: 1-3

Wins: Mississippi State

Losses: Missouri, Texas A&M, Kentucky

Upcoming games: Michigan vs. South Carolina, Auburn vs. UCF, Notre Dame vs. LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia, No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Alabama

Sun Belt

Record: 4-1

Wins: Georgia State, Troy, Appalachian State, New Mexico State

Losses: Arkansas State

Independents

Record: 1-0

Wins: Army

Upcoming games: Notre Dame vs. LSU