Teams that have played in the most "Big Games"

Going all the way back to 1950, here are the number of occasions in which programs have participated in a "Top 10 Matchup".... being in the Top 10, and playing another Top 10 opponent:

1. Oklahoma- 87
2. Alabama- 76
3. Ohio State- 74
4. Notre Dame- 70
5. Nebraska- 68
6. Texas- 63
7. USC- 61
8. Florida- 58
9. Florida St.- 57
10. Michigan- 55
11. Tennessee- 51
12. Miami- 49
13. LSU- 44
14. Penn State- 41
15. Auburn- 40
16. Arkansas- 36
17. UCLA- 29
18. Georgia- 29
19. Colorado- 28
20. Michigan State- 27

Those were the only programs with at least 25 such games played since 1950. FYI, Ole Miss has played 17... Texas A&M 15... Missouri 8... South Carolina 8... all other SEC teams are less than 5 each.

So which programs (minimum 25 games) historically perform the best in "Big Games" ? Shockingly, the winner was Michigan State... granted they've played in the fewest number of these games.

Best "Big Game" Programs by winning percentage in "Top 10 Matchups":

1. Michigan State (75.9%)
2. USC (66.4%)
3. Miami (65.3%)
4. Alabama (65.1%)
5. Florida State (58.8%)
6. Oklahoma (58.6%)
7. Texas (56.4%)
8. Auburn (55.0%)
8. Notre Dame (55.0%)
10. Florida (54.3%)
11. Ohio State (52.0%0
12. Colorado (51.8%)
13. Penn State (51.2%)
14. LSU (51.1%)
15. Nebraska (49.3%)
16. Michigan (45.6%)
17. UCLA (43.1%)
18. Tennessee (42.2%)
19. Georgia (41.4%)
20. Arkansas (26.4%)

It's depressing to see on paper how bad my Dawgs have performed in "Big Games" over the years.... though its not all that surprising to be honest. That always seems to be Georgia's problem. We win all the games we are supposed to win, but struggle winning those big games that are often the difference between a good season and a great season.

Other thoughts:

*How horrible is Arkansas in big games? At the bottom and its not even close. The Hogs are 9-26-1 in Top 10 matchups going back to 1950. That's horrendous!

*College football is missing Colorado these days. They were a solid program for years, culminating in their 1990 National Title. It's amazing to me that they've played in 28 "Big Games" since 1950, all while not sniffing the Top 10 themselves since the preseason poll of 2002. They've essentially fallen off the deep end. As bad as its been for Tennessee since 2002, the Vols' situation looks amazing compared to Colorado. I wonder if they'll ever come back.

*Doesn't shock me at all to see USC and Miami at the very top (not counting Michigan State). When those programs are playing at the top of their game, there is just a swagger about them, and a feeling that they simply don't lose the big games... even more so than Alabama when they are at the top of their game. Though Bama right behind at #3 is also not surprising.