It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Sure, Christmas and the rest of the holidays are right around the corner but it’s truly the magical season of bowl season! Each year, the Big Ten boasts one of the country’s largest pools of postseason participants, and this year is no different. The Big Ten’s 12 bowl-eligible teams are just behind the ACC’s and SEC’s 13. However, the Big Ten outnumbers the other conferences where it matters: in the College Football Playoff.
This year, the CFP expanded to 12, and 33.3% of the participants hail from the Big Ten, the most of any conference. With NFL Draft opt-outs and transfer portal defections, bowl season is a great way to see what a team has moving forward.
Big Ten Postseason Slate Boasts a Dozen Selections
CFP Top Seed and First-Round Bye: Oregon
The champions of the Big Ten, 13-0 Oregon joined the conference and promptly took over. Dan Lanning’s squad is the top team in the country and is the favorite to win the national championship for the program’s first. Oregon gets to sit at home for the first round as the top seed and scout out both potential foes. The Ducks will face the winner of Tennessee and Ohio State. The last time Oregon and Ohio State faced off was decided by one point. Could we see round two?
CFP First Round: SMU at Penn State
The Big Ten runner-up gets to host the ACC runner-up in the first round of the CFP. This matchup marks just the third time Penn State and SMU have ever faced off. In the first matchup, on New Year’s Day in 1948, the two battled to a 13-13 tie. Fun fact, it was the first interracial bowl in the Southern United States and both teams finished the year undefeated. They did not suit up again until 1978 when Penn State won at home, 26-21.
The Nittany Lions have a cloud of “James Franklin can’t win big games” hanging over its head. This is a prime opportunity to get over those issues.
CFP First Round: Tennessee at Ohio State
If you had a nickel for every time a national title-hopeful Ohio State got beat by Michigan in the regular season and then drew Tennessee in the postseason, you’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but interesting that it’s happened twice.
The Buckeyes were a game away from getting that rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten Title Game. Then, Michigan happened. Scientific polls distributed on Twitter and Reddit would show Ohio State fans, no matter the outcome in the CFP, would mark this season as a failure. Regardless, the games must be played and Tennessee is next.
Ohio State and Tennessee have faced off just once before in the 1996 Citrus Bowl. The Volunteers officially ended the promising 1995 season with a 20-14 win.
CFP First Round: Indiana at Notre Dame
Perhaps the most intriguing matchup on the Big Ten postseason slate is the battle for Indiana. Coach of the Year finalist Curt Cignetti took over after leading James Madison and found immediate success. Win or lose in this one, this season has been the most successful in program history as it is the first with more than nine wins.
This matchup marks the 30th time these in-state programs have faced off. After the Hoosiers took four of the first seven from 1898-1906, the series has been dominated by Notre Dame. The Irish own a commanding 23-5-1 record. The Hoosiers have only played Notre Dame once since 1958 and it was a 49-27 Notre Dame win in 1991. What better way for Cignetti to further cement his place in big-time football than to take down THE college football program in the state?
Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs South Carolina
The Citrus Bowl marks the first time Illinois and South Carolina will face off. The Fighting Illini are 10-26 all-time against SEC foes.
Music City Bowl: Iowa vs Missouri
The Music City Bowl marks the 14th time Iowa will face Missouri. 12 of those matchups came before World War I. Since that 1910 matchup, the two have faced off just once in 2010 as Iowa took the Insight Bowl, 27-24, cutting into Missouri’s 7-6 lead in the series.
ReliaQuest Bowl: Michigan vs Alabama
It’s deja vú all over again as Michigan and Alabama face off in the prestigious ReliaQuest Bowl. The National Title defense did not go as planned by the Wolverines but it was all worth it with a flag-planting, 13-10 win at Ohio State to set the state of Ohio on fire. Year one of the Sherrone Moore era was marred by a lack of offense but carried by another solid defense. Year two will be something to watch.
Michigan and Alabama have split the six previous matchups with all but one coming in the postseason. Last year, Michigan took down the Tide in the Rose Bowl in the CFP Semifinals, 27-20.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Minnesota vs Virginia Tech
Another first-time matchup graces the Big Ten postseason slate as Minnesota and Virginia Tech battle it out to see who gets to pour Duke’s Mayo on its coach. The Golden Gophers are 20-14-1 all-time against the ACC.
Rate Bowl: Rutgers vs Kansas State
It may have been a disappointing season for the Scarlet Knights but at least they can end the year with a win over a solid Kansas State team. This will be just the second time these two programs will meet on the gridiron. Rutgers dispatched Kansas State in the 2006 Texas Bowl, 37-10.
Sun Bowl: Washington vs Louisville
Getting back to the CFP after losing its head coach was a goal for Washington. Unfortunately, in Jedd Fisch’s first year at the helm, the Huskies went 6-6. Their season will conclude with a Sun Bowl appearance against Louisville. The two have never faced off before and Washington is 111-92-8 against the ACC as a whole (8-7 if you remove former Pac-12 rivals California and Stanford).
Las Vegas Bowl: USC vs Texas A&M
The Trojans and Aggies are set to face off for just the fourth time in history in this year’s Las Vegas Bowl. USC has never lost to Texas A&M and the most recent matchup was in the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl. USC won that won by a score of 47-28.
Pinstripe Bowl: Nebraska vs Boston College
Finally, Dylan Raiola and Nebraska travel to Yankee Stadium for this year’s Pinstripe Bowl. The Cornhuskers have been playing football since 1890 and have never faced the Boston College Eagles. All time, Nebraska is 31-40-4 against ACC foes.
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