Big Ten Football & Basketball Blog

The conference opens their bowl season with the Wisconsin Badgers facing a tough test against the Miami Hurricanes on December 29th in the Champs Sports Bowl. The Golden Gophers of Minnesota will face Iowa State on New Years Eve with the game being broadcast on the NFL Network. On New Years Day Northwestern will face good Auburn squad while Penn State will battle LSU. In “The Granddaddy of them All” the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day at 4:30. Sparty will face Texas Tech on January 2nd. In the Big Ten’s other BCS game Iowa will face Georgia Tech on January 5th.

The Big Ten season is over for all teams ranked in the conference. However it is a big week for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Oregon and Oregon State will battle on Thursday, December 3rd for the Pac 10 title with the winner will play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. With Big Ten football action halted until bowl games, fans can find great sports gifts including Fathead posters online at DFN Sports sites.

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Michigan once again in the best rivalry in all of sports. The #10 Buckeyes cruised to a 21-10 victory. Next up for Ohio State is the 2010 Rose Bowl on New Years Day. Iowa moved up two slots to #11 following a 12-0 victory over Iowa. At 10-2, the Hawkeyes still have hopes for a BCS bowl bid and in the latest bowl projections Iowa is picked to play Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Penn State moved up one slot to 13 with an impressive 42-14 victory at Michigan State.

The battle for the Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl lived up the billing as Ohio State defeated Iowa 27-24 in overtime in front of over 100,000 fans in the Horse Shoe. With the victory Ohio State moved up to #10 in this week’s BCS Top 25 standings while Iowa fell to #13. Ohio State will face Michigan in the one game season in Ann Arbor where it is expected that several fans will be wearing Ohio State Snuggies, while Iowa hosts Minnesota. Penn State moved up 4 slots to #14 following their 31-20 victory over Indiana. Penn State will face a difficult task when they travel to Michigan State this week. Wisconsin moved up 4 slots to #16 following a big victory over Michigan. The Badgers travel to Northwestern this week.

The Iowa Hawkeyes’ luck finally ran out as the Hawkeyes lost on their home turf to Northwestern 17-10. QB Ricky Stanzi sustained a knee injury in the contest, and his availability is unknown. Iowa lost all hope at a National Championship but still can win the Big Ten in Columbus when they face Ohio State. Ohio State moved up in the Top 25 rankings to #11 after an impressive victory at Penn State. The victory sets up what is essentially a Big Ten title game between the Buckeyes and Iowa this weekend. The winner will win the conference and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. The loss sent Penn State down the rankings to #18 as the Nittany Lions will host Indiana this week. The Badgers of Wisconsin moved up one slot to #20 with their victory over Indiana. Wisconsin hosts Michigan on Saturday.

The Iowa Hawkeyes pulled out another miracle with an amazing comeback over Indiana. Iowa trailed 21-7 at halftime before out scoring the Hoosiers 35-3 in the 2nd half. QB Ricky Stanzi threw 5 interceptions on the day but finally settled down to guide Iowa to the victory. The Hawkeyes host Northwestern on November 7th. The Nittany Lions moved up from #12 to #11 in the Top 25 rankings after a big 34-13 victory over Northwestern. Penn State will face #16 Ohio State on November 7th in what could go a long way in deciding the Big Ten Championship. The Buckeyes moved up one slot after stepping out of conference to face New Mexico State. Terrelle Pryor lit up the Aggie defense in the 45-0 victory. The Buckeyes will face a white out when they travel to Happy Valley to face the Nittany Lions. The 6-2 Badgers of Wisconsin jumped in

The #4 Iowa Hawkeyes pulled out another big road victory, this time in dramatic fashion. Iowa scored on the last play of the game to pull out a stunning 15-13 victory at Michigan State as the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes closely resemble the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes who received little recognition but won the BCS Championship Bowl game. Iowa’s defense is playing at a championship level and QB Ricky Stanzi continues to make big plays. Iowa hosts Indiana on October 31st. Penn State moved up one slot from #13 to #12 with an impressive 35-10 thrashing of Michigan. Penn State travels to Northwestern on October 31st. Ohio State moved up two slots to #17 in the Top 25 rankings with 38-7 drubbing of Minnesota. QB Terrelle Pryor was extremely impressive in the victory, but the Buckeyes step out of conference to host New Mexico State on October 31st.
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The Big Ten Conference continues it’s lackluster play and now has its hopes placed on undefeated Iowa. The Big Ten has only one team in the top 10 as the Hawkeyes enter the BCS at #6. Their 7-0 record includes big road victories at Penn State and Wisconsin, and Iowa will face another stiff road test at Michigan State on October 24th. The Nittany Lions debut at #13. Penn State, 6-1, will have their hands full at Michigan on October 24th. Ohio State debuts with an inauspicious #19 ranking after the Buckeyes were horrible in a loss at Purdue. The Boilermakers were on a 5 game losing streak coming into the game, nowhere near a sniff of college football’s Top 25. The Buckeyes host Minnesota on October 24th. The 5-2 Badgers of Wisconsin are on a 2 game losing streak with losses to Ohio State and Iowa. Wisconsin will have a bye week before hosting Purdue on October 31st. Nine Big Ten teams seem poised for postseason bowl games in the latest bowl projections at Football-Bowl.com as the key will be keeping the four 4-3 Big Ten teams bowl eligible.

The Buckeyes maintained their #9 ranking with their thrashing of Indiana on Saturday night. Ohio State dominated the game on the ground and on the defensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes will host undefeated Wisconsin on October 10th. Iowa escaped with a 24-21 victory over lowly Arkansas State, but the #12 Hawkeyes will host a dangerous Michigan team led by freshmen QB sensation Tate Forcier. Penn State moved up three spots to #14 with their 35-17 victory at Illinois. The Nittany Lions will step out of the conference when they host Eastern Illinois on October 10th. The Michigan Wolverines dropped out of the top 25 with their overtime loss to Michigan State in East Lansing, but a win over Iowa will catapult the Wolverines back into the top 25. Wisconsin is on the cusp of the top 25 at #26 in the voting, but a victory in Columbus would definitely move the Badgers into the poll. In all, 7 Big Ten teams are listed in the latest of the 2009 bowl projections.

The game of the week featured Iowa traveling to Penn State. The Nittany Lions were heavy favorites and looked for vengeance against the Hawkeyes. In 2008 Iowa upset Penn State dashing their National Championship dreams. In 09, in front of well over 100,000 fans clad in white, the Hawkeyes did it again with a physical 21-10 victory. The win moved Iowa from 31st to 13th and dropped Penn State from 5th to 15th. The Hawkeyes will thump Arkansas State on October 3rd while Penn State will look to bounce back at Illinois. The Buckeyes of Ohio State pitched their 2nd consecutive shutout demoralizing Illinois 30-0. With the win, OSU moved from 13th to 9th. Ohio State will travel to surprisingly tough Indiana. The Michigan Wolverines moved up from 23rd to 22nd with a narrow escape over Indiana, 36-33. Next up for UM is a trip to East Lansing to face in-state and bitter rival, Michigan State. Wisconsin also received votes in this week’s Top 25 rankings.