One Goal Each Big Ten Team Needs to Accomplish During Bowl Practice
Ohio State's faltering pass attack, Michigan's sudden inability to close and Penn State's first-half sluggishness highlight the biggest concerns for the Big Ten this postseason.
The conference spent the better part of the regular season proving its supremacy in the college football hierarchy, placing four teams in the Top Eight of the final playoff rankings. All four of those teams—Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin—will either suit up for a playoff matchup or in one of the New Year's Six bowl games, putting the Big Ten in the national spotlight.
And to reinforce its reputation as college football's best league, it needs to prove itself in the postseason.
To do that, the 10 Big Ten teams invited to bowl games need to fix these issues before the opening kickoff.
Indiana: Bounce Back from Kevin Wilson's Departure
1 of 10
College football can be ugly sometimes.
Indiana learned that two weeks ago, when it accepted the resignation of former head coach Kevin Wilson amid allegations of player mistreatment. The news of Wilson's departure came as a shock, as he was directly responsible for two of the three bowl invites Indiana received over the last 15 seasons.
Some things are bigger than football, though, which is what prompted the university to make a move.
Now, after a successful season in which a defensive awakening took place, the Hoosiers have to rally under new head coach Tom Allen, who served as the team's defensive coordinator this season.
That defense will need to come up big against Utah in the Foster Farms Bowl, as the Utes have eclipsed 30 points six times this season.
Iowa: Get C.J. Beathard Going
2 of 10
Iowa's defense rediscovered itself down the stretch of the season, yielding just 7.6 points in its final three games (which included an upset over No. 3 Michigan) after the blowout loss to Penn State.
That defense won't be challenged much in the Outback Bowl against Florida, which ranks 110th in scoring offense and 115th in total offense. But the Hawkeyes face a stiff challenge against an overwhelming Gators defense that gave up an average of 17.9 points per game.
After throwing for more than 2,800 yards during Iowa's Rose Bowl run last season, Beathard took a step back this season and enters the postseason with just 1,874 passing yards and only three games where he threw for more than 200 yards.
If the Hawkeyes get Beathard to return to his 2015 form, it'll have a lot more success against the Florida defense.
Maryland: Keep Perry Hills Healthy
3 of 10
Maryland has had an incredibly tough time keeping quarterback Perry Hills on his feet this season.
The senior signal-caller has been solid when he's healthy, completing 66 percent of his passes with 10 touchdown passes against just three interceptions. But he missed two games this season against Minnesota and Nebraska and was unable to finish four others.
The Terrapins will need Hills at his best, because Boston College, who usually has a stingy defense, has been gashed by quarterbacks who can also run. Clemson's Deshaun Watson, Florida State's Deondre Francois and Louisville's Lamar Jackson combined for 14 touchdowns against the Eagles defense.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Michigan: Learn to Close Again
4 of 10
Michigan didn't look like it had a weakness during its impressive 9-0 start.
The quarterback questions that lingered throughout the offseason were answered emphatically by Wilton Speight, who completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 2,375 and 17 touchdowns in just 11 games. The issues in the running game ironed themselves out when De'Veon Smith and Chris Evans settled into a solid rotation. And the defense proved to be one of the best in the country, ranking second nationally in points and yards surrendered.
But in their lone losses of the season to Iowa and Ohio State, the Wolverines blew a lead on the game's final play.
Iowa drove 21 yards in the final minute to set up a game-winning 33-yard field goal for Keith Duncan. Two weeks later against Ohio State, Michigan spoiled a 10-point second-half lead, allowing the Buckeyes to score 17 unanswered points between the end of the third quarter and the first overtime. Of course, they ultimately fell in double overtime when Curtis Samuel raced 15 yards untouched for the go-ahead touchdown.
Playing against Florida State, who has a makeshift home-field advantage playing in the Orange Bowl, the Wolverines need to find an extra gear in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota: Tighten Up the Secondary
5 of 10
Minnesota won a majority of its games on a strength of a defense that surrendered 22.9 points per game during the regular season, but the secondary struggled a great deal.
The Gophers gave up an average of 228 yards per game this year, which ranked No. 62 nationally. But it's set to face one of the country's most prolific passing attacks when it meets Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.
Cougars quarterback Luke Falk has been sensational running Mike Leach's air-raid offense, averaging a hair over 350 passing yards per game. And he'll be attacking a Minnesota secondary that will likely be missing key defensive backs amid an ugly, ongoing investigation that started all the way back in September.
Nebraska: Get Tommy Armstrong Healthy
6 of 10
Outside of Michigan State's complete and utter collapse in 2016, Nebraska's hot start was the biggest surprise of the early season. The Cornhuskers ripped off seven straight victories and cracked the Top 10 of the AP poll before back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State derailed their championship hopes.
The latter defeat started a troubling trend for quarterback Tommy Armstrong. After taking a scary hit that left him motionless on the field for several minutes, the signal-caller was carted off with a concussion. He was able to bounce back and play against Minnesota a week later, when he suffered a hamstring injury that he still hasn't completely recovered from.
Armstrong has missed several of Nebraska's opening bowl practices as he works to recover rom that injury. That leaves him about two weeks to get ready for the Music City Bowl and a Tennessee team that can get after the quarterback.
Northwestern: Learn from Last Year
7 of 10
Northwestern had a breakout season in 2015, winning 10 games during the regular season and entering the bowl season with as much momentum as any team in the country.
The favored Wildcats got walloped by Tennessee in the Outback Bowl, though, giving up 420 total yards while committing a brutal four turnovers in a 45-6 blowout loss.
Pat Fitzgerald's squad enters this year's postseason as the underdog, though, as the six-win Wildcats netted a tough draw with a Pinstripe Bowl matchup against No. 23 Pitt.
The Panthers own two of the more impressive wins of the season, a 42-39 victory over Penn State and a 43-42 upset over Clemson. They averaged 42.3 points per game, which ranked 10th nationally, so the Wildcats need to come out and set the tone.
Ohio State: Fix the Passing Attack
8 of 10
Ohio State is in the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years, but it didn't get there on the strength of its passing attack.
The Buckeyes have one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country in J.T. Barrett, a fourth-year junior who's started 29 games over the last three seasons. But the pieces in front of and around him have had an up-and-down season, which has contributed greatly to Ohio State's aerial struggles.
The offensive line, which lost three starters from last year's unit, surrendered an incredible 15 sacks in the two toughest games of the season against Penn State and Michigan. With no deep threat, the wide receiver unit has struggled, as only one wideout (Curtis Samuel) hauled in more than 30 passes during the regular season.
The passing attack limped to the finish line, as Barrett completed just 46.3 percent of his passes and averaged 105 passing yards in Ohio State's final two games against Michigan State and Michigan.
Clemson's defense, meanwhile, has been one of the stingiest in the nation, allowing just 188.2 passing yards and 18.4 points per game.
Penn State: Get Off to a Fast Start
9 of 10
Penn State's season got off to a slow start as it lost two of its first four games—one in blowout fashion to Michigan—but it closed strong with nine consecutive victories, including a win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship.
But an unsettling trend developed, even during that win streak, that the Nittany Lions consistently buried themselves in a first-half hole before coming alive in the second half.
It happened against Ohio State, which had a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. It even happened against overmatched squads like Indiana and Michigan State, and it nearly cost them the Big Ten title when the Nittany Lions fell in a 28-7 hole to the Badgers.
They came back to win all of those matchups, but they'll be playing a USC team that's coming into the Rose Bowl just as hot as the Nittany Lions. The Trojans won their final eight games after a 1-3 start.
Wisconsin: Stop the Big Plays
10 of 10
Wisconsin's defense proved itself as one of the most imposing units in the country during the regular season, but it collapsed when it mattered most in the Big Ten title game.
The Badgers undersized secondary got exposed by Penn State, which consistently challenged their defensive backs down the field. That resulted in touchdowns of 33, 40, 70 and 18 yards for the Nittany Lions.
That game film will certainly be on replay at Western Michigan, which has one of the most dynamic quarterback-wide receiver combinations in the country. Zach Terrell threw for 3,376 yards and 37 touchdowns against just three interceptions this season, and his top target, Corey Davis, hauled in 91 receptions for 1,427 yards and a nation-leading 18 receiving touchdowns.
If the Badgers don't fix what went wrong in the Big Ten title game, the 6'3" wideout could have another big day for Western Michigan.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
