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The Pac-12 has edged their way to the top of the Power 5 mantle, and they had a decisive 2014-15 bowl campaign that gave them added prestige over the rest of college football. In December and January, it was the Pac-12 that proved to be the best.
Pac-12: 6-2. Regardless of whether Oregon wins or loses the national championship game, the conference will finish with the best overall record among bowl teams. The Ducks were majestic. UCLA came out big and had a dominant half of football and then hung on. USC did their rope-a-dope against Nebraska. Arizona State had their way with Duke. Stanford and Utah issued beatings. The conference went 2-0 against ACC teams, 2-0 against B1G teams (although one matchup still remains), 1-1 against the Big 12 and 1-1 against the MWC. This is a huge year for the conference of the champions, as their best teams did their best.
SEC 6-5: The SEC will at best finish with a 7-5 record, with none of the losses coming from the supposedly far inferior SEC East. SEC West teams went 2-5, including losses to Notre Dame on a 4 game losing streak, a team without a head coach, an offense from 1914, and a 3rd string B1G QB. Good times for the best division that ever was.
Big Ten 5-5: The B1G didn't have a great regular season, but they're making a nice rebound in the second season. Their New Year's Day couldn't have gone better, with Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State landing huge marquee victories. After supposedly being counted out for a national championship, the Buckeyes are right in the mix of finishing out this season on top.
ACC 4-7: The conference just had a bad time outside of Georgia Tech and Clemson. Florida State got curbstomped. Miami hung around but lost another close game. Louisville got flattened. North Carolina was whipped. Boston College couldn't hang on. It wasn't a disaster thanks to the BEES, but otherwise this was a forgettable year for a conference that got marginalized.
Big 12 2-5: It was a difficult year. Outside of TCU proving they probably deserved their shot, there is very little to be excited about. Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State and West Virginia all found creative ways to lose in tough fashion. Oklahoma State managed to take one from Washington in a game that was closer than the score.