Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Leads Strong Big Ten Into Bowl Season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A view of the Big Ten Championship trophy held by members of the Penn State Nittany Lions after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Penn State won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Strong group of Big Ten teams in the New Year’s Six Bowls.

The Big Ten won the mythical regular-season best conference trophy. Now it is time to find out if that distinction is legitimate.

Wins over Oklahoma, Colorado, LSU, Oregon and Notre Dame propelled the Big Ten to the top, but two of those wins turned out to be insignificant.

Regardless, the College Football Playoff Committee strongly backed the Big Ten and now the conference has four teams playing in the New Year’s Six bowls, doubling the amount from the mighty SEC, Pac-12 and ACC. The Big 12 and the MAC each have one.

Bowl season presents the opportunity to boost the image and brand of the Big Ten, most notably the top teams. Performing well will go a long way in restoring the balance of power in college football.

Will Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin deliver or is the current hype without merit?

Recent history should have folks in the Midwest filled with optimism. These four teams are a combined 7-1 over the last two seasons.

Here’s an early preview of the four games:

Ohio State

The Buckeyes once again are carrying the torch for the conference as they try to win their second title in three years. They are also trying to repair the damage done from the beat down that Alabama put on Michigan State last year.

I would include Stanford’s shellacking of Iowa, but everyone knew the Hawkeyes were a paper tiger.

Like 2014, the narrative is Ohio State got lucky and did not earn the right to play in the playoff. All of that is nonsense, but it does add pressure for them to perform well and beat Clemson and whoever wins the Peach Bowl.

If they don’t, the story will be the Buckeyes did not deserve the opportunity and the Big Ten was over-rated again.

They are favored against the Tigers which seems a bit odd considering Clemson is No. 2, won the ACC, back in the playoff for the second-straight season and led by Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson.

Maybe it is the desert factor. The Buckeyes tend to play well in Arizona holding a 5-3 overall record in the Fiesta Bowl.

If it is not the desert factor, perhaps the Buckeyes are favored because the Tigers had a similar season this year as the 2015 Buckeyes team.

Clemson played up and down all year, flirted with a few close calls and regained their focus after an upset loss to Pitt on a last-second field goal. Sound familiar?

Regardless, these are two evenly matched teams ready to square off for the second time in four years.

Both teams have glaring weaknesses. For Ohio State, coach Urban Meyer needs to correct the blocking on the right side of the line. Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables will send his boys after J.T. Barrett every down if he senses the Slobs cannot protect him.

As good as Watson has been this year, he was charitable throwing 17 interceptions. That’s good news for the Silver Bullets who are No. 10 in interceptions with 19 on the year. They are No. 2 in interceptions returned for touchdowns with seven.

The key to the game will be which team is better on third down. Both are Top 10 in offensive and defensive third-down efficiency.

With a month to prepare, Meyer is tough to beat, but Dabo Swinney beat him three years ago. Of course, that Buckeyes’ defense could not defend John Carroll let alone Sammy Watkins.

No doubt Barrett has been erratic this season, but there is no denying that he has been clutch too. It will be fun to see him go against Watson. In the end, I think Barrett has a final drive to put his team over the top. Buckeyes win 30-27.

Nov 28, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) leaps over Michigan State Spartans defensive end Demetrius Cooper (98) during the second half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State

The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten Championship and are headed to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 2008 season.

They are facing a USC team that won its last eight games after starting 1-3. Both teams were playing as well as any in November.

Which team will sustain the end of the year momentum and win the “Granddaddy of Them All?”

Expect a shootout in the second half once the offenses settle into the game. Trace McSorley and Sam Darnold are both in the Top 15 in passing efficiency. They will find ways to make plays down the field.

History won’t decide this game, but the home-city advantage definitely gives the Trojans an edge. USC is 24-9 in the Rose Bowl.

In the end, this game will be decided by McSorley’s ability to deliver in the fourth quarter like he has over the Nittany Lions’ nine-game winning streak. If he does, Penn State will win its first major bowl since it defeated Florida State 16-13 in the 2006 Orange Bowl.

Unfortunately, I don’t expect him to do it, but the game will be close. USC wins 42-31.

Nov 5, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Wilton Speight (3) passes in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Michigan Stadium. Michigan 59-3. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan

Michigan came into the season as the favorite to win the Big Ten and everything looked great until the Wolverines had to go on the road in late November. Losing to Iowa and Ohio State derailed a promising season.

The Wolverines are much better than Florida State. They should comfortably win this game, but the question is will the seniors show up for the Orange Bowl or mail it with eyes set on the NFL?

It really comes down to coach Jim Harbaugh’s ability to get this team focused and ready to play a meaningless game beyond playing for pride.

Like Michigan, Florida State’s season did not go as planned. Favored to win the ACC, the Seminoles were throttled 63-20 by Louisville and never fully recovered finishing 9-3.

Will they play motivated for Dalvin Cook’s last game? Probably, but I expect the Wolverines’ defense to harass Deondre Francois all game forcing him into mistakes.

This is a stepping stone game for Michigan. It is imperative that the Wolverines regroup after a devastating loss to their rival because if they don’t, the entire off-season will be filled with questions of whether or not Harbaugh has significantly improved the program yet.

I expect them to rebound. Wolverines win 45-21.

Oct 1, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Ty Isaac (32) rushes in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin

Wisconsin came into the season with a lot of concerns. Chief among them was how it would manage navigating a brutal schedule in the first eight games.

Beating LSU in week one set the tone for the year. The Badgers would win with defense and do just enough on offense to win.

For the most part, this formula worked. The Badgers won the weaker West Division. Unfortunately, the lack of a prolific offense proved costly in losses to Michigan and Ohio State.

They had Penn State on the ropes in the Championship game until a second-half defensive meltdown.

I am wondering if the Badgers were really strong or did the win over the Tigers artificially boost them up too high?

I think it was a little of both. The defense played well all year except for the loss to Penn State. The lack of a passing game made the offense too one-dimensional and vulnerable in big games.

Despite three losses, the Badgers are headed to the Cotton Bowl to face undefeated Western Michigan who happens to be 2-0 against the Big Ten this season.

The Broncos are a good team that cruised through the MAC, but they have not faced a defense as good as Wisconsin’s all season. The Badgers will win this game comfortably 45-17.