Auburn's Michael Dyer (5) is tackled short of the goal line by Oregon's Eddie Pleasant (11) during the second half of the BCS National Championship NCAA college football game Monday in Glendale, Ariz. Auburn won 22-19. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)The Southeastern Conference did not overwhelm the college football world in bowl games the past few weeks, going 5-5, but the league has reason to boast yet another year. Auburn's 22-19 win over Oregon in Monday night's BCS championship game extended the SEC's record to five consecutive national titles, and the league went 3-0 on New Year's Day, long a standard for couch-potato judges.
Three of the league's bowl losses occurred at the bottom of the SEC tie-in ladder -- in the Music City, Liberty and BBVA Compass bowls.
The SEC is 41-24 in bowl games since 2003 and has not suffered a losing postseason mark in any of those years. The Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten and Big 12 compiled losing bowl records within the past month, while the Pac-10 had a losing mark in 2009.
Now that the 35 bowls have come and gone, here is one view of the best and worst that they offered:
WORST START -- Six of the seven bowls before Christmas were decided by three touchdowns or more, not that we can name any of them. The only one with relative appeal was the Las Vegas Bowl, which didn't take long to dull as Boise State triumphed 26-3 over a Utah team that had more penalties (10) than first downs (eight).
MOST COMMON ASSUMPTION -- Auburn will plummet from the national elite following heavy personnel losses that should include junior quarterback Cam Newton and junior defensive tackle Nick Fairley.
"We have got a foundation that we have to continue building on," Tigers coach Gene Chizik said Tuesday. "We've got a great group of coaches that are all in, and we've got a great group of returning young kids, very young, that are all in. I think we are all moving in the right direction."
BEST BANISHMENT -- Ohio State no longer has to worry about that winless record in bowls against SEC teams after downing Arkansas 31-26 in the Sugar Bowl to improve to 1-9. Of course, the Razorbacks were not much better against SEC teams in bowls before joining the league in 1992, having posted a 4-11-1 mark.
MOST IMPRESSIVE -- Alabama keelhauled Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, winning 49-7 after multiple attempts by coach Nick Saban to let the air out. The Crimson Tide scored on their first five possessions, held MSU to minus-48 rushing yards and pummeled three Spartans quarterbacks.
BEST REVENGE -- After losing at home to Nebraska 56-21 in September, the Washington Huskies won the rematch 19-7 in the Holiday Bowl. Cornhuskers quarterback Taylor Martinez rushed for 137 yards, threw for 150 and accounted for four touchdowns during the regular-season meeting, but he was held to 23 rushing yards, 53 passing yards and one score in the bowl.
MOST OVERLOOKED -- Auburn had the nation's best offensive player (Newton), offensive play-caller (Gus Malzahn) and defensive player (Fairley) this season, but not enough was made of its offensive line. The Tigers won Monday's BCS title with help from a front that amassed 166 combined career starts, highlighted by 52 by tackle Lee Ziemba and 42 by center Ryan Pugh.
BEST SENDOFF -- Maryland routed East Carolina 51-20 in the Military Bowl to send Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen out in style. Friedgen was fired after an 8-4 regular season that yielded ACC coach of the year honors, and his 10-year ledger was 75-50 with a 5-2 bowl record.
BIGGEST DISAPPEARANCE -- Georgia's offense, after scoring 30 or more points a program-record seven consecutive times this season, managed two field goals in a 10-6 Liberty Bowl loss to Conference USA champion Central Florida.
MOST ERRATIC -- Arkansas junior receiver Joe Adams had nine catches for 120 yards and a touchdown in the Sugar Bowl but dropped two potential scores, including one on the first play from scrimmage.
BEST DIVISION -- The SEC West became the first division to produce five teams in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll -- Auburn (No. 1), LSU (No. 8), Alabama (No. 10), Arkansas (No. 12) and Mississippi State (No. 15).
WORST COMPANY -- There are four programs within four hours of Chattanooga that lost bowls to wind up 6-7 -- Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
MOST OVERDUE -- Oft-maligned LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson went seven consecutive games during the regular season without a touchdown pass and had four all year before torching Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl for three scores to Terrence Toliver. Jefferson also rushed for a touchdown in the 41-24 win and did not have to share snaps with Jarrett Lee.
BIGGEST MISS -- Daniel Lincoln's missed extra point for Tennessee following Tyler Bray's 8-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hunter with 5:16 remaining in the Music City Bowl was big at the time and got bigger as the clock wound down. Yes, the Volunteers came out on the short end of a controversial finish to regulation against North Carolina, but they certainly had their share of chances to avoid late drama.
MOST WICKED HIT -- If you haven't seen Florida State cornerback Greg Reid leveling South Carolina tailback Marcus Lattimore in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, it's there for the viewing on YouTube. If you watch it over and over, you may have issues.
BEST CLOSE -- Mississippi State closed its 52-14 Gator Bowl whipping of Michigan on a 42-0 run.
WORST LEAGUE -- The ACC did knock off a couple of SEC teams when Florida State defeated South Carolina and North Carolina slipped past Tennessee, but this league is 1-10 in BCS bowls since 2000 after Virginia Tech's 40-12 succumbing to Stanford in the Orange Bowl. Miami didn't do the ACC any favors by rolling over for Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl.
BIGGEST COMPLAINT -- Starting BCS bowls, which contain lengthy halftime shows, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on weeknights could have a troubling long-term effect similar to baseball's dwindling playoff ratings. I was quite intrigued by the Sugar Bowl matchup but fell asleep at 11:30, when the fourth quarter was about to begin.
BEST STAT -- Auburn began its undefeated run in 2004 as the No. 17 team in the AP poll but never cracked the top two in the BCS standings. The Tigers won this season's BCS crown despite starting out at No. 22, the first AP national champion to begin a season outside the top 20 since BYU in 1984.