Breaking Down the Big Ten's Bowl Games Outside of Ohio State-Notre Dame

By Tim Shoemaker on December 10, 2015 at 8:35 am
Big Ten coaches pose for a photo at the league's media day in August.
79 Comments

"The Big Ten has been the best conference in college football this season."

That was ESPN analyst and noted SEC advocate Paul Finebaum on Sunday, stating his thoughts on the year in college football. It's just one person's opinion, of course, but it's something Finebaum has never said before so it certainly captured the attention of many, especially here at Eleven Warriors.

Now, it's time for the Big Ten to show it.

Ten of the 14 Big Ten teams will be playing in bowl games this season — Nebraska and Minnesota both earned bids despite their 5-7 records. The league slate is highlighted by three big-time matchups: the College Football Playoff national semifinal between third-ranked Michigan State and No. 2 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl featuring No. 7 Ohio State and eighth-ranked Notre Dame, and the Rose Bowl which pits No. 5 Iowa against sixth-ranked Stanford.

We're going to cover the matchup between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish at length here at Eleven Warriors over the next three weeks leading up to the game Jan. 1, so for the purposes of this story, that game will not be discussed. But let's break down the remaining nine Big Ten bowl games just for fun.

No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Alabama (CFP national semifinal — Cotton Bowl):

Spread: Alabama -9.5

Quick breakdown: The College Football Playoff paired SEC champion Alabama against the Big Ten winner again in a national semifinal, this time it's Michigan State. The Crimson Tide and Spartans feature very similar styles of play — dominant front-sevens on defense with a potent running attack.

The big advantage for Michigan State? At quarterback where Connor Cook is quite superior to Alabama's Jacob Coker. To beat the Spartans, you must be able to throw the ball so if Coker and the Tide are able to do that, they should be able to control the game. Cook's health is also a key to this game — his injured shoulder hindered Michigan State's ability to throw the ball in the Big Ten championship game. This one should be fun to watch even if it winds up being low scoring.

No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 6 Stanford (Rose Bowl):

Spread: Stanford -6.5

Quick breakdown: Like the Cotton Bowl, the Rose Bowl matchup between the Hawkeyes and Cardinal features two teams with similar styles. Iowa and Stanford will be a hard-hitting, smash-mouth football game much like the one the Hawkeyes played against Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game.

The big key in this one, obviously, will be Iowa's ability to contain Stanford's Christian McCaffrey. The Cardinal's Heisman Trophy finalist is the most versatile player in the country and can hurt a team in so many different ways.

No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 19 Florida (Citrus Bowl):

Spread: Michigan -4

Quick breakdown: The Wolverines and Gators have two of college football's top defenses, so don't expect a ton of points scored in this one. Michigan, though, has the edge on the offensive side of the ball as Florida has just been awful in that department since it lost quarterback Will Grier for the season due to a suspension. 

No. 13 Northwestern vs. No. 23 Tennessee (Outback Bowl):

Spread: Tennessee -9

Quick breakdown: Perhaps the most surprising line of the Big Ten slate is the four-loss Volunteers as a nine-point favorite over two-loss Northwestern. The Wildcats have a good defense, but have had trouble scoring at times this year. Northwestern also has a pair of losses on its resume by at least 30 points to two formidable opponents. This game could be a make-or-break one for the Big Ten in bowl season.

Wisconsin vs. No. 25 USC (Holiday Bowl): 

Spread: USC -3

Quick breakdown: The Pac-12 runner-up taking on a Wisconsin team which is arguably the sixth-best in the Big Ten features to be a slight mismatch, despite the fact the Trojans have five losses on the year. Wisconsin doesn't have the same type of athletes as USC so this one might be difficult for the Badgers to win.

Penn State vs. Georgia (TaxSlayer Bowl):

Spread: Georgia -6.5

Quick breakdown: The Nittany Lions haven't won a big game yet under James Franklin — last year's win in the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College hardly counts. This is the perfect opportunity for Penn State to get a statement win, but it will be difficult. Even though Georgia is going through a coaching change, the Bulldogs are clearly the better team in this one.

Indiana vs. Duke (Pinstripe Bowl):

Spread: Indiana -2

Quick breakdown: The Hoosiers lost their first six games of Big Ten play after starting the year 4-0. Indiana then won its final two games of the season to finish 6-6 and qualify for a bowl game. Four of those six losses, though, were one-possession games. The Hoosiers had trouble finishing in the fourth quarter in 2015, but their offense is capable of scoring on anyone. The combination of quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Jordan Howard is really difficult to deal with for any defense and Duke is going to have its hands full slowing down Indiana.

Nebraska vs. UCLA (Foster Farms Bowl): 

Spread: UCLA -6.5

Quick breakdown: The Huskers are one of three 5-7 teams in the country who earned a bowl berth. Nebraska must have drawn the short straw, however, getting matched up with a UCLA team that's got quite a bit of NFL talent on it. I think I'd give the points here; this one could be ugly for the Huskers.

Minnesota vs. Central Michigan (Quick Lane Bowl):

Spread: Minnesota -5.5

Quick breakdown: The Gophers, also 5-7, matched up with a MAC team in their bowl game, but this one might not be as easy for Minnesota as some might think. The Chippewas were somewhat competitive with both Oklahoma State and Michigan State this year and only lost in the MAC to Toledo and Western Michigan — two of the league's top teams.

79 Comments
View 79 Comments