Apr 1, 2023; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines helmet on the sideline during the Spring Game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Big Ten has a total of nine bowl-eligible teams this season, and we’re keeping track of where all nine of the schools will end up in the final games of the 2023 college football season.
Here is how things are stacking up so far, and we will update the list as information becomes available.
Michigan earned the No. 1 seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings, and will place in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 against the Alabama Crimson Tide, who beat Georgia in the SEC Championship game on Saturday.
The Wolverines clobbered Iowa 26-0 to earn their third consecutive Big Ten championship, and rolled to a 13-0 record on the regular season.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on Jan. 1, and the game will air on ESPN.
The Northwestern Wildcats are heading back to a bowl game after a 7-5 season, and they’ll take on Utah at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Central, and the game will air on ESPN.
After winning one game in 2022 and firing head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Wildcats had a 7-5 season under David Braun, naming him the full-time coach later in the season.
The Wildcats picked up wins over Minnesota and Maryland, while scoring road wins over Wisconsin and Illinois late in the season.
In their final season of Pac-12 play, Utah got off to a 6-1 start, including wins over Florida and Baylor, but faltered down the stretch, losing three of their final five games. They did beat Colorado in their season finale.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers will get a chance for a sixth win on the season when they take on Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Central, and the game will air on ESPN.
The Gophers failed to win their final four games, thus denying them a sixth win that would have made them automatically bowl-eligible, but since there were not enough six-win teams to fill out the bowl schedule, Minnesota earned a berth thanks to their academic performance this season.
Minnesota has the distinction of being the only team to defeat Iowa at Kinnick Stadium this season, and also earned wins over Michigan State and Nebraska in conference play.
Bowling Green got off to a rough start, posting a 2-4 record through six games, but they won five of their final six games to become bowl-eligible at 7-5 on the year.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-6) are heading to New York’s Yankee Stadium to play in the Pinstripe Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes (7-5). This will be the Scarlet Knights’ third appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl and the Hurricanes’ second.
Kickoff is set for 1:15 p.m. Central and the game will air on ESPN.
Miami has an 11-0 record against Rutgers, but this is the first time these two teams will face off since 2003.
The coaching matchup for this game is an interesting one. Current Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes before becoming the captain of the Knights. Miami’s head coach, Mario Cristobal, was mentored by Schiano for three seasons when he was the offensive line coach for the Knights.
This marks the Scarlet Knights’ 12th bowl game appearance, eight under head coach Greg Schiano. They hold a 6-6 record since their first appearance in 1978.
The Hurricanes have made 42 bowl game appearances but have lost their last four bowl games. They hold a 1-10 record since 2008.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will be headed to Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, where they will take on the Missouri Tigers in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Buckeyes went 11-1 on the season, losing their finale against Michigan in Ann Arbor. They also boasted wins over Notre Dame and Penn State this season.
The Tigers earned wins over several ranked teams, including Kentucky and Kansas State. Their lone losses came to LSU and Georgia.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are heading to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they will take on Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The Nittany Lions went 10-2 in the regular season, with their lone losses coming to Ohio State and Michigan. They shut out Big Ten West champion Iowa, and also defeated West Virginia in Happy Valley.
Ole Miss had two wins over ranked teams, beating No. 24 Tulane in New Orleans and No. 13 LSU at home. Their only two losses came to the participants in this year’s SEC title game, losing to Alabama and Georgia.
The Maryland Terrapins will head to Nashville’s Nissan Stadium for the Music City Bowl against Auburn. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Central, with the game airing on ABC.
The Terrapins started the season with a 5-0 record, but after a loss to Ohio State they dropped four consecutive contests. They did rebound to win two of their final three games and very nearly beat Michigan in College Park.
Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is expected to play in the game, according to reports.
Auburn was 3-4 after a loss to Ole Miss, but reeled off three straight wins to become bowl-eligible. They did drop their last two games at home to New Mexico State and then to Alabama, losing the Iron Bowl in heartbreaking fashion.
The Iowa Hawkeyes, who won the Big Ten West but fell to Michigan in the conference championship game, will head to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers on New Year’s Day.
Kickoff is set for noon, and the game will air on ABC.
Iowa was completely decimated by injuries all season long, and also had one of the worst offenses in America, but their stellar defense still helped them to a division title and another 10-win season under Kirk Ferentz’s leadership.
Tennessee had an interesting season of its own, with four losses and some blowout victories in nonconference games, including a 45-14 win over the University of Texas at San Antonio. They also won at Kentucky in late October before late-season defeats against Missouri and Georgia.
The Wisconsin Badgers are heading to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium for an 11 a.m. kickoff on New Year’s Day against LSU.
The game will air on ESPN.
Under first-year head coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers earned road wins over Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue. They struggled at Camp Randall at times, but they did earn wins over Nebraska and Rutgers on their home field.
LSU had some impressive wins this season, taking down Missouri in Columbia and beating Florida handily, but their three losses against Florida State, Ole Miss and Alabama landed them in this bowl instead.
It is not known if Heisman Trophy frontrunner Jayden Daniels will play in the game.
