Percentage of Bowl Teams That are Considered "G-5" vs "P-5"

[ucfjosh2000]

Out of 84 teams going bowling this year, 38 of them are G-5 teams. That's 45%. It was 46% last year and 49% in 2019. That got me thinking about what that ratio was going back to 1970 when there were just 24 bowl teams. Here's the breakdown:

Year P5/G5, % of G5 Teams
1970 16/6, 27%
1975 21/1, 5%
1980 30/6, 20%
1985 31/5, 14%
1990 30/8, 21%
1995 30/6, 17%
1998 BCS Era Begins
2000 38/12, 24%
2005 38/18, 32%
2010 45/25, 36%
2011 47/23, 33%
2012 44/26, 37%
2013 47/23, 33%
2014 49/27, 36% College Football Playoff Era Begins
2015 47/33, 41%
2016 45/35, 44%
2017 45/33, 42%
2018 46/32, 41%
2019 42/40, 49%
2020 30/26, 46%
2021 46/38, 45%

It seems to have definitely ramped up beginning with the BCS era and then again with the CFP era. However, the number of matchups between P5 and G5 teams doesn't seem like a lot. Another exercise I might try is figuring out the percentage of bowl games over the years that are P5 vs G5 matchups. Even though a lot more of the bowl teams these days include G5 teams, it's mostly just G5 teams playing other G5 teams.

 

[Wings0fred]

Interesting breakdown. I’ve always thought all of the bowl games we now have as excessive and watering down their value…but it does seem like it’s really just opening up G5 bowl exposure, especially if you look over the past ten years. probably a good thing as long as schools aren’t going bankrupt to attend these things.

Thanks for putting together the data!

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

There were a lot more Indepentents in 70s. I don’t think Big 12 existed. How does that skew numbers?

 

[UCFSig]

So evidence of the P5 breaking away, even if only unofficially at this point?

 

[Colonel Mortimer]

There were a lot more Indepentents in 70s. I don’t think Big 12 existed. How does that skew numbers?

Yeah OP needs to clarify what he considered P5 and G5 in the 70s and 80s, because those terms were not applicable.

 

[UCFhonors]

Out of 84 teams going bowling this year, 38 of them are G-5 teams. That's 45% and 46% and 49% in 2019. That got me thinking about what that ratio was going back to 1970 when there were just 24 bowl teams. Here's the breakdown:

Year P5/G5, % of G5 Teams
1970 16/6, 27%
1975 21/1, 5%
1980 30/6, 20%
1985 31/5, 14%
1990 30/8, 21%
1995 30/6, 17%
1998 BCS Era Begins
2000 38/12, 24%
2005 38/18, 32%
2010 45/70, 36%
2011 47/70, 33%
2012 44/70, 37%
2013 47/70, 33%
2014 49/76, 36% College Football Playoff Era Begins
2015 47/80, 41%
2016 45/80, 44%
2017 45/78, 42%
2018 46/78, 41%
2019 42/82, 49%
2020 30/56, 46%
2021 46/84, 45%

It seems to have definitely ramped up beginning with the BCS era and then again with the CFP era. However, the number of matchups between P5 and G5 teams doesn't seem like a lot. Another exercise I might try is figuring out the percentage of bowl games over the years that are P5 vs G5 matchups. Even though a lot more of the bowl teams these days include G5 teams, it's mostly just G5 teams playing other G5 teams.

The more that people talk about the G5/ESP5N divide myth the more people believe it.

UCFootball has been the Champions of equality. Our whole UCFocus needs to be a legit playoff with all 10 Conference Champions.

#UCFacts

 

[OtterKnight]

The more that people talk about the G5/ESP5N divide myth the more people believe it.

The difference is in US dollars, which while fiat currency, is still more reality than myth.

UCFootball has been the Champions of equality. Our whole UCFocus needs to be a legit playoff with all 10 Conference Champions.

You're aware that as soon as we're in the Big 12, 99% of the fanbase will cease to care about any of that, right?

 

[ucfjosh2000]

There were a lot more Indepentents in 70s. I don’t think Big 12 existed. How does that skew numbers?

If a team is currently a P-5, I pretty much counted them as a P-5 in the 70's and 80's. I did adjust for Louisville, who was in CUSA until 2005 and Utah and TCU. Even though the Big East was a power 6 conference, I still counted teams like UCONN, USF, Cincy as G-5s since that is what they are today. Not completely accurate, but close.

 

[ucfjosh2000]

Also, I noticed I reported the total bowl teams instead of G5 teams in the original post, so I fixed that. The percentages didn't change though. You can see that since 2010 the total G-5 teams stay about the same around 45, but the P-5 teams increase from 25 to around 40.

All they're doing with adding more bowl games is increasing the number of G-5 schools that get a bowl.

 

[UCFhonors]

The difference is in US dollars, which while fiat currency, is still more reality than myth.


You're aware that as soon as we're in the Big 12, 99% of the fanbase will cease to care about any of that, right?

If UCFans forget where we came from and what we UCFought for than accomplishments are all for nothing.

I will never forget. Never UCForget.

#UCFacts