With Ohio State and Penn State out of the mix with bowl bans, the Big Ten struggles in New Year’s Day Bowl Games. The conference ends up 1-4 on January 1st despite some thrilling finishes.
In the Capital One Bowl, Georgia and Nebraska trade blows before the Bulldogs open up a late lead and run away for the 45-31 victory. The Outback Bowl is decided in the final seconds when South Carolina scores the game-winning TD with only 11 ticks left on the clock. The Wolverines fall 33-28 in Tampa. Northwestern is the only Big Ten team to come away with a victory, their first bowl win since 1949. The Wildcats take care of Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl 34-20. Wisconsin makes their third straight trip to the Rose Bowl but will fly home coming up on the short end of a 20-14 decision to Stanford. Finally, Purdue barely shows up and puts up a fight versus Oklahoma State in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Boilermakers are blown out by the Cowboys 58-14.