A season ago, the Big Ten saw ten teams go on to compete in bowl games. The conference finished with a respectable 5-5 record that included wins over Notre Dame, USC, Florida, UCLA, and Central Michigan.
For the 2016 campaign, the conference has been recognized as the nation's strongest and again five teams have earned bowl invites. This year's slate is headlined the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal game and three other premier contests for some of the Big Ten's best.
Here's a breakdown of the conference's bowl matchups, starting with the ones you should be most excited for. The Fiesta Bowl has been excluded from the list, but one doesn't have to travel far for a myriad of coverage.
- Tale of the Tape: Clemson
- Ohio State History vs. Clemson
- Dabo Swinney on Buckeyes
- Urban Meyer on Tigers
- Deshaun Watson's Recruitment
- Buckeyes Facing Yet Another Heisman Finalist
Capital One Orange Bowl • No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Florida State • Dec. 30 @ 8PM
After getting destroyed by Louisville, I kind of forgot about Florida State's existence. That being said, Dalvin Cook has been on a bit of a tear lately, rushing for 486 yards and six touchdowns in the Noles' past three games. Cook rushed for 1,620 yards and 18 scores on the season and managed to hit the century mark in eight of FSU's final nine games.
Cook and the Seminole offense will be facing a stingy rush defense that checks in at No. 13 in the nation. FSU is averaging 35 points per game, but the Wolverine defense will present a stiffer challenge than they've faced thus far.
The Florida State pass defense has been problematic this year, and Wilton Speight should have a chance to pick the defense apart. Speight will have some needed time to allow his injured non-throwing shoulder to heal.
Jabrill Peppers' 66 tackles and one interception weren't quite enough to bring home the Heisman Trophy last night. After being snubbed by the voters, he'll look to leave his mark in what is expected to be his final collegiate game.
- Line: Michigan -6.5
Rose Bowl • No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 9 USC • Jan. 2 @ 5PM
"The Grandaddy of them All" will feature two of the hottest teams in the country. Penn State has won nine in a row and the Trojans may have been in the playoff discussion had they let Sam Darnold take over the reins a bit sooner. Clay Helton has Southern Cal on an eight-game winning streak heading into Pasadena.
Looks like we're going to have to update this! @AdoreeKnows just keeps getting better!!! #FightOn pic.twitter.com/6NZi91qitN
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) November 26, 2016
Thorpe Award winner Adoree Jackson may be the most exciting player in the country and he's coming off a three-touchdown performance against Notre Dame. The speedster certainly will present a challenge for a tough Nittany Lion defense as will an offensive line that allowed just 11 sacks in 12 games. Tailback Ronald Jones II has emerged as a 1000-yard rusher and found the end zone 11 times on the season.
Penn State got some good news this week when it was announced that new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead would remain on the staff for the 2017 season. Behind new starting quarterback Trace McSorley and the Saquon Barkley-led ground game, Moorhead has spearheaded the offensive turnaround in Happy Valley
- Line: USC -7
Goodyear Cotton Bowl • No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 Western Michigan • Jan. 2 @ 1PM
This is one of those matchups that is a bit unfortunate for Wisconsin because they really can't win. If they beat Western Michigan, they will hear "Whoopdie doo. Congrats on beating a MAC school." If they fall to Western Michigan? "LOL @ LOSING TO A MAC TEAM!"
I don't know a whole lot about WMU. All I know is that P.J. Fleck is a hell of a coach and his team is undefeated. They also constantly talk about rowing boats which is a little bit weird but to each his own, I suppose. This one is exciting because we get to see the top team in the MAC battle one of the best teams from the nation's top conference. It almost has a Boise State/Oklahoma feel to it, which could be a little ominous for the Badgers.
The Badgers have lost three games this season and each one of them was by exactly seven points. They will surely rely on their running game which is led by senior Corey Clement and defense that is ranked No. 7 in America.
The Broncos' offense averages over 43 points per game behind quarterback Zach Terrell. The senior has been ridiculously efficient this season, throwing 32 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. Their defense checks in at No. 2 in the nation with a +19 turnover margin. As a point of reference, the Buckeyes are ranked third in the country at +16.
- Line: Wisconsin -8
Music City Bowl • Nebraska vs. No. 21 Tennessee • Dec. 30 @ 3:30PM
Tennessee entered the season labeled by many as a contender for the College Football Playoff. They eventually would go full Tennessee just like the majority of America expected them to. This is a matchup that features a pair of formerly elite programs looking to get back into the national spotlight.
Tennessee's defense has not been good this season, checking in at No. 109 in the nation. They may be helped out a bit if Tommy Armstrong is unable to play. The senior hasn't been able to practice thus far due to a hamstring injury. Backup Ryker Fyfe would again get the nod if Armstrong is unable to go.
The Nebraska defense will look to contain quarterback Josh Dobbs. The senior led the SEC in touchdown passes with 26.
- Line: Tennessee -3
New Era Pinstripe Bowl • Northwestern vs. No. 23 Pittsburgh • Dec. 28 @ 2PM
The Panthers ended the season with two of the more impressive wins in the country having defeated both Penn State and Clemson. Most of the struggles for the Panther defense have come against the pass, so it may be a challenge for Justin Jackson and the Wildcat ground game to get going.
Northwestern's offense has been unpredictable this season. They put up just nine points in the September loss to Illinois State but managed to top 40 three times on the season, including a 54-point performance in East Lansing.
The over/under off 66.5 is one of the higher totals for all of the bowl season, so if nothing else we should at least expect to see some scoring.
- Line: Pittsburgh -5.5
Foster Farms Bowl • Indiana vs. No. 19 Utah • Dec. 28 @ 8:30PM
Kevin Wilson was mysteriously fired less than two weeks ago and the Hoosiers are set to take the field without him for the first time since 2010. The Utes are looking to bounce back after falling in three of their final four games.
Indiana's quarterback play has been erratic on the season as Richard Lagow has tossed 18 touchdowns but also been picked off 16 times – five of those coming against Wake Forest. Devine Redding topped 100 yards on the season and found the end zone six times.
The Utes were the only team to beat the Trojans during the Sam Darnold Era but suffered a bad home loss to Oregon in mid-November.
- Line: Utah -7.5
Outback Bowl • Iowa vs. No. 17 Florida • Jan. 2 @ 1PM
This game absolutely features two bigger names than the two previous matchups, but I just wonder if this one could be a bit of a snoozer for those of us watching from home.
Iowa/Florida O/U: 40.5. Let's see how long that lasts before dropping into the 30s. #Hawkeyes #Gators
— Brendan Stiles (@thebstiles) December 8, 2016
Florida's defense checks in at No. 6 in the country while Iowa is a respectable No. 24. The Gators are coming off two of their worst performances of the season having given up 31 points to the Seminoles and then 54 to Bama in the SEC Championship Game. It hasn't always been the defense's fault, though. Jim McElwain's offense is the 115th-best unit in America and has frequently put the defense in tough positions.
Florida's pass defense is especially strong (No. 3 nationally) but throwing the football isn't exactly something the Hawkeyes do a lot of. Iowa will likely rely heavily on LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley, both of whom rushed for ten touchdowns on the season.
Florida quarterback Austin Appleby faced Iowa last November when he was running the Purdue offense. He completed 23 of 40 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort.
- Line: Florida -2.5
National Funding Holiday Bowl • Minnesota vs. Washington State • Dec. 27 @ 7PM
For me, the most exciting thing about this game might be Mike Leach. He may be my favorite coach in America outside of the one we got in Columbus. He's also pretty confident in the Pac-12 as a conference, which I can't say I totally agree with.
Mike Leach on fans/pundits scoffing at the PAC-12 this year:@KREM2Sports #Cougs pic.twitter.com/i861fPHoSS
— Evan Closky (@KREMEvan) December 8, 2016
Wazzu enters the game No. 15 in total offense but their passing game is second only to Texas Tech. The Cougars put up about 370 yards per game through the air. Junior quarterback Luke Falk has seen his name shoot up NFL Draft boards this season He's completed over 70% of his passes while throwing for 4,200 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Mitch Leidner's stock has gone a bit in the opposite direction after entering the season as one of the more talked about senior quarterbacks. He's thrown just seven touchdowns to go along with 12 interceptions while missing some time with concussion. The Minnesota ground game has been solid, however. The rushing attack is led by Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks with Leidner chipping in as well.
It will be nearly impossible for the Minnesota defense to contain Falk and the Cougar passing attack, so their best bet may be slowing things down a bit with their running game.
- Line: Washington State -7
Quick Lane Bowl • Maryland vs. Boston College • Dec. 26 @ 2:30PM
Two Urban Meyer proteges will square of in Detroit when D.J. Durkin meets up with Steve Addazio. Durkin worked with the linebackers while Addazio coached the offensive line during Meyer's tenure in Gainesville. The reunion is a nice storyline to an otherwise underwhelming matchup.
Both teams enter with 6-6 records but they took vastly different paths to get there. The Terps started off 4-0 before losing six of their next eight contests while the Eagles had an up-and-down season that included being outscored by a total of 97-14 in back-to-back losses to Louisville and Florida State.
If you're looking for offense, you'll need to look somewhere other than Boston College's direction. They finished No. 127 in the country in total offense. Rutgers was dead last at No. 128.
The Terps have also seen their struggles on offense. Durkin's squad has been plagued by injuries at quarterback as Perry Hills has missed significant time throughout the year.
- Line: Maryland -1.5
