Big Ten Bowl Review: Outback, Capital One, Rose

Say what you want about how ugly some of the games were (Capital One, Outback), but there's no denying that with Ohio State's dominating Rose Bowl victory, the once-maligned conference played its collective hearts out this bowl season. New Year's Day was the highlight; let's take a look at what "they" are saying.

Outback Bowl: Auburn 38, Northwestern 35 (OT)

• This loss must have been particularly tough on NU alum Adam Rittenberg, who points out in his typical level-headedness that the Cats had plenty of chances to win the game prior to the final fake field goal.

• I hate linking to just a wire story, but you gotta love the CBSSports.com fan comments on any of the Big Ten-SEC game stories. Here we'll start with the Outback recap.

Capital One Bowl: Penn State 19, Louisiana State 17

• Penn State did it the usual way, with defense and ball control, writes Rittenberg.

• Evan Royster spoke with SportingNews.com's Brian McLaughlin about the field conditions, among other things.

• For more really funny SEC fan comments, let's see some of them for CBS's Capital One recap.

Rose Bowl: Ohio State 26, Oregon 17

• Over at TWWL, Ivan Maisel and Adam Rittenberg offer thoughts on Ohio State's victory.

• The Big Ten turned out to be New Year's Day's big winner, according to Matt Hayes at SportingNews.com.

• SI.com's Stewart Mandel also throws some praise the Buckeyes' way.

I know this was a crappy post. My apologies. But I have some big news coming your way this week that I just know will make up for it.

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ZN’s CFB Top 25 :: Week 1 2008

There was some big movement in the ZN Top 25 since we last ranked teams on June 13, 2008. The biggest reasons for some of these changes included more consideration of the strength of schedule, major injuries and player losses. So here you go, the Week 1 top 25 for 2008.

*Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result] - Comment on the team.
1. Ohio State (6), [0-0, DNP] - I know I’m inviting criticism for sounding like a total homer, but I realized that OSU has been suffering from prejudice. Because they lost the last two BCS title games, the media has been scared to peg the Bucks No. 1. I’m not scared anymore.
2. Georgia (1), [0-0, DNP] - It’s not a huge drop, but something just doesn’t seem right in Athens, Ga. It’s almost like this team is too good.
3. USC (7), [0-0, DNP] - Even with the Sanchez injury, the Trojans are the only team with talent like this. Now, it all depends how Pete Carroll puts it all together.
4. Missouri (5), [0-0, DNP] - This is a team not many are talking about on a national scale. I am. The Tigers will only meet Oklahoma in the Big XII title game, and in a battle of quarterbacks, I’ll give the (extremely) slight edge to Chase Daniel.
5. Auburn (8), [0-0, DNP] - I get this creepy feeling about what Tommy Tuberville is cooking down south. If the Peach Bowl was a true preview of the 2008 Tigers, look out SEC title game.
6. Oklahoma (2), [0-0, DNP] - The more I look at the Sooners, the more fragile they look. The offense will be fine by all measures, but the defense not so much, especially in the secondary.
7. Florida (4), [0-0, DNP] - The injuries are really killing the Gators’ mojo right now. Between TE Ingram’s ACL (not to mention FOUR other players lost to ACL injuries), and the fact that Percy Harvin hasn’t done squat this summer, don’t expect a fast start this year.
8. West Virginia (9), [0-0, DNP] - WVU has something to prove this season: that it can win without Rich Rodriguez. All the pieces are there to get to a BCS bowl.
9. Clemson (18), [0-0, DNP] - I haven’t seen another ACC team that could contend with Clemson’s potential. But how often have we heard that before?
10. BYU (11), [0-0, DNP] - The Cougars should coast to a 10-win record. But if they play up to their billing, BYU will win a lot more than the conference.
11. Penn State (10), [0-0, DNP] - Between the injuries and the dismissal of a few players, there are some growing doubts about how high this team can reach. The Lions are still the second best in the Big Ten, though.
12. LSU (12), [0-0, DNP] - Call it a rebuilding year in the bayou, but a nice Cotton Bowl bid is possible for the Tigers.
13. Arizona State (13), [0-0, DNP] - Maturity was this team’s biggest problem last year. It shouldn’t be so in 2008, but don’t exactly count on a magical BCS run.
14. Wisconsin (15), [0-0, DNP] - You won’t find a better running back/offensive line situation outside of Madison. Yes, that even includes USC.
15. Texas Tech (14), [0-0, DNP] - You can only outscore so many teams. Luckily, TT can do just that. Keep in mind, however, that TT plays in one of the toughest divisions in college football.
16. Virginia Tech (16), [0-0, DNP] - Count on the Hokies vs. Clemson in the ACC title game. Don’t count on the Hokies in that one.
17. Texas (17), [0-0, DNP] - I don’t see the Longhorns of old coming back in 2008. Hey, the Holiday Bowl isn’t all that bad... again.
18. Michigan State (25), [0-0, DNP] - These days, eight wins will get a team ranked, provided it played a good schedule. MSU has all that, and some, going for it in 2008.
19. Oregon (NR), [0-0, DNP] - With one of the best secondaries in the nation, UO is setting itself up nicely for a strong Pac-10 run.
20. Oregon State (19), [0-0, DNP] - Be sure to tune in for the Civil War this year, which could end up being a low-scoring defensive football game.
21. Pittsburgh (20), [0-0, DNP] - If the passing game does anything this year, Pitt will easily go bowling. The question is from there, how high will the Panthers climb?
22. Utah (NR), [0-0, DNP] - This team is finally out from under the 2004 Utes’ shadow. Now it’s their time to shine, and should do just that in 2008.
23. South Florida (NR), [0-0, DNP] - The problem is that the Big East isn’t as soft as everyone’s made it out to be.
24. Illinois (NR), [0-0, DNP] - Rose Bowl or not, the Illini weren’t good enough for the BCS last year, and sure aren’t good enough for it this year’s tough schedule. Harsh, but true.
25. Rutgers (NR), [0-0, DNP] - I’m going out on a limb here, but the loss of Ray Rice isn’t all that bad. Enough key players return to propel the Knights into the rankings again.

Dropped Out:
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Boston College

On the Cusp:
South Carolina (NR), [0-0, DNP]
Tennessee (22), [0-0, DNP]
California (NR), [0-0, DNP]
Mississippi State (23), [0-0, DNP]
Wake Forest (NR), [0-0, DNP]

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CFN predicts PSU vs. Auburn in Capital One

How great would it be to get revenge for 2003? The boys over at CFN think it's possible. Penn State in a rematch of the 2003 Captial One Bowl with Auburn would draw huge ratings, a packed house and, depending on whether or not these two teams play up to their potential, one of the best games of the bowl season. In fact, these two programs are the Big Ten-SEC standard for good teams that just can't catch a break.

From CFN:

Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1 / 1 p.m. Orlando, Fla. ABC
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
Way Too Early Projection: Penn State vs. Auburn
Top 5 Others Considered: 1) Wisconsin, 2) Tennessee, 3) LSU, 4) Georgia, 5) Florida

I could live with this. A New Years Day game would do Penn State well. A game against an SEC foe would allow the Lions to carry the Big Ten torch on their way to a fourth straight bowl victory. But if Penn State can't hack it in the horrid 2008 mid-season conference run of @ Purdue, @ Wisconsin, Michigan, @ Ohio State and @ Iowa, there's still a chance at a January bowl.

Outback Bowl
Jan. 1 / 11 a.m. ET Tampa, Fla. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC
Way Too Early Projection: Michigan vs. LSU
Top 5 Others Considered: 1) Penn State, 2) Georgia, 3) Tennessee, 4) Auburn, 5) Florida

Some Penn State fans would be grossly disappointed with these two bowls. I too believe that Penn State has the talent to make an at-large BCS spot this season. However, San Antonio was not a place the Nittany Lions were aiming for, so any bowl after December 31 would be satisfactory for 2008.

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