First of all, I don't get why this Big10 vs SEC thing is even a discussion... at least not this year. Big12 vs SEC, maybe... lets watch Missouri and Texas A&M as they progress through their SEC schedule. Any team can have a good showing against 1 SEC opponent... it is quite a different thing to have to play that sort of opposition week after week. But the Big10??? Really? Ohio State and Penn State are banned from bowl games, so their games really don't matter, do they? Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin -- clearly not as good as the Big10 had hoped. Iowa and Illinois were always rebuilding. Michigan State is the one team that might be able to carry the banner and be a top 10 team this year, and their prospects might change drastically after the Notre Dame game this weekend. Enough about the Big 10.
Secondly, those bowl games (any bowl game) is a celebration, holiday, party atmosphere. To SEC teams, unless its a national championship game, its the one game all year that doesn't matter whether they win or lose. Some teams (not just from the SEC) take their bowl game seriously, others don't really. Utah wasn't more talented than Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl but they did take it more seriously. TCU wasn't better than Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl but, again, they took it more seriously and got the better result. Use the eye test, my friend, not bowl records. Reliance on those numbers will lead you astray.