The Big Ten Conference is having another miserable showing during the 2010-11 college football bowl season, already assured of the conference’s fifth losing bowl record in the past six years.
After beginning the bowl season with two wins by Iowa and Illinois, the Big Ten laid an egg on New Year’s Day with all five of the conference’s teams going down in their bowl games.
Big Ten teams lost all three of their New Year’s Day bowl games against SEC foes and the Rose Bowl game.
It began with Alabama humiliating Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl in a game that was over at halftime. The Crimson Tide dominated a Spartans’ team that some believed was the Big Ten’s best.
Alabama allowed Michigan State to gain only 171 yards in total offense and had Spartans quarterback Kirk Cousins running for his life throughout the game. Alabama improved to 10-3 on the season while Michigan State fell to 11-2.
Mississippi State crushed Michigan 52-14 in the Progressive Gator Bowl, causing a lot of damage to the tenuous job security of Wolverines’ coach Rich Rodriguez.
The Bulldogs gave up two first quarter touchdowns but didn’t allow the Wolverines to score again. Mississippi State finished their season at 9-4 while Michigan dropped to 7-6.
In Orlando, the Florida Gators sent Urban Meyer out a winner in his final game with a 37-24 win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
The Gators sealed the win late in the fourth quarter when Ahmad Black picked off the Nittany Lions Matthew McGloin and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. Florida closed out their season at 8-5 while Penn State finished with a 7-6 record.
Texas Tech won a shootout against Northwestern in the TicketCity Bowl, defeating the Wildcats 45-38 to give Tommy Tuberville an 8-5 record in his first season as the Red Raiders head coach.
Finally, Wisconsin fell to TCU in the Rose Bowl 21-19 despite the Badgers out-gaining the Horned Frogs 385-301 and a time of possession advantage of more than 13 minutes.
Wisconsin’s Phillip Welch missed a 39-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter that turned out to be the three points the Badgers needed for the win.
TCU is poised to finish second in all of the polls after the BCS national championship game is played, completing an undefeated season with a 13-0 mark. Wisconsin fell to 11-2 on the year.
Ohio State is the lone team remaining from the Big Ten with an opportunity to ease some of the pain experienced on New Year’s Day.
But considering the Buckeyes are facing Arkansas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, history has proven that Ohio State doesn’t fare well against SEC teams.
The Buckeyes are 1-10-1 against SEC teams since 1970, with their lone victory coming against LSU in 1988. Since 2000, Ohio State has lost all four games against SEC teams by a combined score of 134-73.
Even if Ohio State defeats the Razorbacks, the Big Ten will finish the 2010-11 college football bowl season with a 3-5 record. If The Buckeyes fall to the Hogs, the Big Ten will match their record of six losses in bowl games set two years ago.
Here’s a look at the Big Ten’s bowl record since 2003.
2010: ?
2009: 4-3
2008: 1-6
2007: 3-5
2006: 2-5
2005: 3-4
2004: 3-3
2003: 3-5
