East Division

1. Ohio State 12-1 (8-0)–Ohio State made a laughing stock out of the Wisconsin Badgers, demolishing them 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship game. Oh yeah, they also started their third string quarterback.

Coming Up: Jan. 1 vs. Alabama (Semi-Final)- The students wanted Bama, the students got Bame. OSU will face off against Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide in a National Semi-final. Can Urban and the Buckeyes shock the nation in New Orleans?

2. Michigan State 10-2 (7-1) –Michigan State finished the year strong and will play in one of the more interesting bowl games of the season in the Cotton Bowl.

Coming Up: Jan.1 vs. Baylor (Cotton Bowl)- This will be a great matchup between the Baylor offense and the MSU defense. January 1^st will be a great day to relax and watch football.

3. Rutgers 7-5 (3-5)–A popular pick to finish last in the East, the Knights shocked people going 7-5 in their first year in the Big Ten.

Coming Up: Dec. 26^th vs. North Carolina (Quick Lane Bowl)- This game could potentially feature a ton of points as both defenses struggle.

4. Maryland 7-5 (4-4)–Maryland should feel good about their first season in the Big Ten, but it was a disappointing end to see the Terps blow a big lead to Rutgers in the finale.  

Coming Up: Dec. 30^th– vs. Stanford (Foster Farms Bowl)- Two mediocre 7-5 teams will put on a good show, but can the Maryland offense score on the very good Stanford D.

5. Penn State 6-6 (2-6) – A year that started with so much promise when the bowl sanctions were lifted finished with only six wins. But hey, they are going bowling and should be proud.

Coming Up: Dec. 27^th vs. Boston College (Pinstripe Bowl)- It is an east coast match up at Yankee Stadium and James Franklin wants snow. It will be a rough and tough old school football game.

6. Michigan 5-7 (3-5)– They put up a fight in The Horseshoe, but it was not enough to save Hoke’s job.

Coming Up: No Bowl

7. Indiana 4-8 (1-7)– The Hoosiers finished the year on a high note beating rival Purdue, but fell short of their goal. 2015 will be critical for Kevin Wilson and Co.

Coming Up: No Bowl

West Division

1. Wisconsin 10-3 (7-1) –Things have gone awry for the Badgers since beating the Gophers. They got trampled by the Buckeyes 59-0 in the Championship game and then lost their head coach to Oregon State.

Coming Up: Jan 1^st– vs. Auburn (Outback Bowl)- A Big Ten/SEC matchup is always huge, but can the Badgers recovers from a huge loss and an interim coach?

2. Minnesota 8-4 (5-3)–The Gophers had a shot at beating Wisconsin and getting a rematch with the Buckeyes in Indianapolis, but they’ll settle for eight wins.

Coming Up: Jan 1^st vs. Missouri (Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl)-Mizzou won the SEC east and is 0-1 against the Big Ten this season. Can the Gophers make it 0-2? This would go a long way to fixing the conferences reputation.

3. Nebraska 9-3 (5-3)–Bo Pelini wins nine games consistently. Now Bo Pelini is fired for winning nine games. Good luck Mike Riley.

Coming Up: Dec 27^th vs. Southern Cal (Holiday Bowl)- On paper this is a great matchup, but Nebraska players didn’t take well to Pelini being fired. Will they be up for this one?

4. Iowa 7-5 (4-4)– Iowa had their eighth win snatched by Nebraska in the final game.

Coming Up: Jan. 2^nd vs. Tennessee (Tax Slayer Bowl)- Another shot for the Big Ten to take down a mediocre SEC team.

5. Illinois 6-6 (3-5)–Tim Beckman is staying. Who called that one correctly? Not this guy. A win over rival Northwestern sends the Illini to the Heart of Dallas Bowl

Coming Up: Dec. 26^th vs. Louisiana Tech (Heart of Dallas Bowl)- The Illini need the 15 bowl practices and it would be nice if they could knock off Louisiana Tech too.

6. Northwestern 5-7 (3-5)–The ‘Cats couldn’t finish off the miracle run to the post season when they lost at home to Illinois.

Coming Up: No Bowl

7. Purdue 3-9 (1-7)–Yes, Purdue was improved in 2014 but they fell back to the bottom of the conference after losing to the Hoosiers in consecutive years for the first time in two decades.

Coming Up: No Bowl

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