5 Reasons Why the Big Ten Will Have a Better Bowl Record This Year

Bowl season has not been kind to the Big Ten over the last five seasons. Combined with weak non-conference performances, it is easy to understand why the image of the conference has been tarnished.

This perception is hard to fight, and the only way to change it is to win more bowl games. They’ll get 10 shots at proving the critics wrong, and they should do it.

Here are five reasons why the Big Ten’s bowl record will be much improved this year.

Scoring Defense

If defense wins championships, then it helps win bowl games too. This favors the Big Ten. 

By comparison, the Big Ten’s teams have the better scoring defense in seven out the 10 games.  

An argument can be made that the scoring defenses in the Big Ten look good because the offenses they are facing are not as powerful compared to some of the BCS conferences.

That’s debatable, but there is little doubt that the defensive play in the Big Ten is much stronger this season compared to the last few years. This should payoff in the bowl games. 

Rushing Efficiency

Pounding the ball down the opponent’s throat is what Big Ten coaches love to do, and they’ve done it as well as anyone this season. They enjoy lining up and punching you in the mouth. 

All of the Big Ten’s bowl teams all rushed for over 150 yards per game this year except Iowa and Michigan State.   

Seasonal trends tend to carry over into bowl games, so you can expect the powerful running games to continue. If it does, the Big Ten will have a great bowl season. 

Turnovers and Penalties

Few things make a coach scream louder than when his team has a costly turnover or a stupid penalty. The rants are priceless.

The Big Ten’s bowl teams are great at holding onto the ball. Purdue and Illinois turn the ball over more than their opponents, but the rest of the teams are a combined plus-42 in takeaways.  That’s impressive. 

They also avoid the foolish penalties that often kill offensive drives or keep defenses on the field too long. 

Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and Penn State are all among the least penalized teams in the FBS.

Coaches frequently say they need to win the turnover battle and keep the penalties to a minimum in order to win the game. Big Ten teams do this well, and that will translate into a better bowl record. 

Favorable Matchups

There is not a game on the slate that screams definite loss. 

The head-to-head games against the SEC will be challenging, but the Big Ten has fared reasonably well against the mighty SEC over the last five years. The SEC holds an 8-6 advantage, but that’s hardly domination. 

Even better is the games are against SEC East teams, so there’s a decent chance the Big Ten can go 2-1 maybe even sweep the games. If that happens, the collective groan out of the south will be incredible. 

The remaining games are all toss-ups. Texas AM, UCLA and Houston are in midst of coaching transitions, Oklahoma is playing well below its potential, Virginia Tech did not have a win all season that suggests they’re legitimate and Oregon tends to under-perform in big games when matched against equal talent. 

Experienced QB’s

The Big Ten will be measured primarily by how well Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan perform in their bowl games. Winning two of these games is necessary if the conference wants to earn back some respect from the naysayers. 

Their success in winning these games largely rests upon the leadership of Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins and Denard Robinson. All three are all prolific quarterbacks who are very efficient with the ball, making them extraordinarily difficult to defend.

Their abilities alone are good enough to win most games. To the chagrin of opponents, they are also lucky enough to play on teams with dominant defenses. 

The Badgers, Wolverines and Spartans are ranked No. 6, 7 and 9 in scoring defense respectively giving up just 17 points per game.

Considering all three of these teams suffered embarrassing bowl loses last year, you would expect them to come out with a chip on their shoulder. 

Conference pride is in their hands, and they’ll deliver.

Big Ten Bowl Game Record Prediction: 6-4

Wins:  Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan State

Losses:  Ohio State, Northwestern, Iowa and Illinois