Around The Big Ten Bowl Season

Nine of 14 Big Ten teams made it to bowls for the 2023-24 bowl season, the final year of the 14-team Big Ten. A successful season when you look at one team being in the College Football Playoff, two more teams being in the New Year’s Six and Northwestern making a bowl game after what promised to be a disastrous season.

With all that success however, only three of nine teams are favored in their games with Minnesota, Penn State and Michigan lining up as betting favorites.

Even Ohio State is currently a 2.5-point underdog despite the computer metrics feeling that the Buckeyes ‘should’ win this game at better than a 70-percent clip.

We will spend the next 10 days going over the upcoming Cotton Bowl with the Buckeyes and Tigers of Missouri, but with the Big Ten slate getting underway on Saturday with Northwestern, let’s take a quick look at the remainder of the Big Ten in action in bowl season.

December 23^rd

Utah vs. Northwestern

Las Vegas Bowl

Utah -6.5

This will mark the 4^th time that these two teams have played, the first time since 2018, a 31-20 Northwestern win.

There is no reason to go through all the issues that Northwestern started off the year with and it would have been very easy for this season to get away from the Cats.

But it didn’t and Northwestern not only became bowl eligible but won seven games en route to David Braun winning Big Ten coach of the year.

On the other side, Utah never really lived up to hopes after a tremendous couple of year run in the Pac 12 with quarterback Cam Rising never quite getting healthy enough to play this season.

In an interesting side note, Northwestern has won its last four bowl games while Utah has dropped its last four bowl games. I do love trends and I think that Northwestern is the more motivated team in this one, but Utah is the more talented team and talent matters. Utah 31, Northwestern 17

December 26^th

Bowling Green vs. Minnesota

Quick Lane Bowl

Minnesota -3.5

While this game feels familiar, it is only the 5^th meeting of these two teams with the series knotted up at 2-all.

BG won the most recent of the matchups and when the Falcons when, it is generally a close game and when the Gophers win, it is generally a lopsided score.

There will be some portal departures for Minnesota, including at quarterback, and truthfully, I am not even sure who is going to be playing for the Gophers.

I had to look this one up, but the Gophers were a 30-point favorite in the last meeting, back in 2021, when BG pulled off the upset.

BG finished the year on a 5-1 run, only dropping a game at Western Michigan as the Falcons appeared to have figured something out.

With the Big Ten just coming up flat in many bowl games and not knowing what Minnesota is bringing to the table, I really want to pick BG here, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Minnesota 28, Bowling Green 20

December 28^th

Rutgers vs. Miami

Pinstripe Bowl

Miami -1.0

Miami has owned this series, winning all 11 games over Rutgers, but these teams have not played in 20 years and Miami is not the same Miami and, on the flipside, Rutgers is not the same Rutgers.

What happened 20-plus years ago should have little impact on what is going to happen in this one, but as I said earlier, I do love trends.

Miami dropped three of its last four games and has seen plenty of movement in the transfer portal. Tyler Van Dyke is set to transfer to Wisconsin and the Canes are not exactly strong at the position. Jacurri Brown will play quarterback and has not attempted a pass this season.

Rutgers dropped its last four games of the season, but three of those four games were against ranked opponents and the final game was a “rivalry” game against Maryland.

It just seems overwhelmingly that everything points towards Miami in this game, but the line is almost a pick ‘em with the Canes being a one-point favorite.

I like quarterback play in bowl games and while Gavin Wimsatt has his limitations for Rutgers, he has at least played significant minutes this season where Brown has not. Give me the Scarlet Knights in an upset. Rutgers 24, Miami 23

December 30^th

Ole Miss vs. Penn State

Peach Bowl

Penn State -4

This is the only bowl game on the Big Ten slate where we are getting a first-ever meeting, but this will be the first time that Penn State and Ole Miss have faced off, so there is no history to look back upon.

I am not going to lie, of all the Big Ten games this season, this is the one I am looking most forward to watching. Yes, my wife went to Ole Miss, but I am going to be traveling in the Lone Star state and she will be in Ohio, so I don’t have to pretend to cheer for one team or another.

Penn State has two losses on the year, one to Ohio State and one to Michigan. Not a bad run. Ole Miss has losses to Alabama and UGA. So, neither team has a ‘bad loss’ to speak of.

But both teams did show vulnerabilities in their losses, so this game could really come down to the wire.

Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins is a tremendous running back and has results that outweigh what Penn State got out of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss was a more consistent performer than Drew Allar at quarterback as well.

But on the other side of things, Penn State is a consistent defensive team where Ole Miss plays defense on occasion.

Give me the Lane Train in this one. Ole Miss 31, Penn State 27

December 30^th

Auburn vs. Maryland

Music City Bowl

Auburn -2.5

It has been 40 years since these teams have played and Auburn holds a 2-1 edge with the Terps winning the first game in 1952.

Auburn was oh-so-close to beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl and let it get away and create no shortage of drama in bowl selection with Bama beating UGA in the SEC Championship Game.

For what it is worth, Auburn didn’t look great in games where it was an underdog, but then again, it didn’t look great in games where it was a favorite, just as New Mexico State. That Alabama result, loss and all, was quite a surprise for a team that looked bad in several games along the way.

Maryland had its mid-to-late season swoon as usual. The Terps were a borderline top-25 team when they played against Ohio State and would go on and lose their next three games beyond the Ohio State game.

This game would be all Maryland in my book if Taulia Tagovailoa was going to play in it. He is the type of quarterback that would cause fits for Auburn.

Well, he isn’t playing. And that’s an issue.

I still feel this game is winnable for the Terps, but the margin for error is much smaller without their main quarterback in the lineup. I don’t like picking Auburn here, but here we are. Auburn 24, Maryland 17

January 1^st

Wisconsin vs. LSU

ReliaQuest Bowl

LSU -7.5

Speaking of quarterbacks, this game would be very different if LSU’s Jayden Daniels were going to play for LSU. But he isn’t. He is going to the NFL draft and the reigning Heisman winner’s collegiate career is done.

These two teams have played four times and while Wisconsin has won the most recent meeting, the series is still 3-1 in favor of LSU.

Can someone still explain to me how Luke Fickell’s Badgers lost to Northwestern in mid-November? That is one of the more surprising outcomes from the 2023 season and gives me plenty of fear of even considering the Badgers in this one.

Wisconsin won enough games to get into a New Year’s Day game, but wasn’t exactly dominant in any of the wins, at least nothing since the Purdue game in September.

How motivated will LSU be without its Heisman winner? There are still plenty of issues with the Tigers if you look at the roster, those issues were swallowed up by just outscoring opponents.

With no Daniels, LSU is going to be drawn back to the pack. I just don’t think that Wisconsin has nearly enough firepower to put enough pressure on LSU in this one, however. I like LSU to win, but not to cover. LSU 31, Wisconsin 28

January 1^st

Iowa vs. Tennessee

Citrus Bowl

Tennessee -8.5

Well, pour one out for Brian Ferentz in his last game as offensive coordinator for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

I am not sure what to make of Tennessee. It did not look good in games against Missouri and UGA but did more than enough in most other games. I still see that bad game against Florida and wonder what really took place there.

I just am not sure how Iowa is going to score points, like any points. I don’t feel that the Tennessee defense is all that remarkable, but it is competent enough to stop the soft breeze that is the Iowa offense.

There must be some trick here, and I have not figured it out yet. 8.5 points doesn’t feel like enough, but it is a bowl game and Iowa may be more motivated after being the punch line for football all season while Tennessee was disappointing, even at 8-4 on the year.

I don’t know, I guess someone has to fall into the trap. Tennessee 31, Iowa 10

January 1^st

Rose Bowl

Bama vs. Michigan

Michigan -2.5

I may write more about this game closer to the game. Michigan being a favorite is just wild to me, and I may or may not have made a small wager on Alabama the second the line was released.

Ohio State took Michigan down to the final 30 seconds of the game and we don’t need to rehash what happened as Ohio State couldn’t get it done. Michigan won all its game under a revolving door of head coaches over the course of the season and the results of 2023 may or may not stand the test of time (I am going to say they will not, but that again is for another day and story).

Alabama finally figured out what to do with its quarterback, Jalen Milroe. And what Milroe does is the worst possible thing for Michigan. He can run around, and he can throw the deep ball.

I truly believe there is not a worse match-up out there for Michigan than Alabama and while Bama has had its own set of issues, I don’t see Blake Corum being able to do much in this one and we will really see where JJ McCarthy is as a passer.

Do I have scarlet blinders on for this one? Maybe. But give me Bama, big. Alabama 35, Michigan 24

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