The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/231762
around the big ten By Kevin Minor Iowa (8-4, 5-3) The Hawkeyes strive for their first win against a ranked team this season when they clash with No. 14 LSU in the Outback Bowl … UI's four losses are to teams that have a combined record of 45-6 … The Hawkeyes are 4-2 against SEC opponents in bowl competition, and they captured the only previous meeting versus the Tigers with a 30-25 win in the 2005 Capitol One Bowl … Iowa has now been bowl eligible in 12 of the last 13 seasons. Minnesota (8-4, 4-4) The Golden Gophers look for their first postseason victory since 2004 when they meet Syracuse in the Texas Bowl … Senior defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman was named an Associated Press third-team All-American, becoming the first Gopher to receive AP All-America honors since 2006 … UM ranks last in the Big Ten with just 141.8 passing yards a game and has thrown a conference-low 10 touchdown passes … A win would give Minnesota nine victories in a season for just the second time in the last 108 years, but UM has dropped its last five bowl matchups. Big Ten Standings (through all games of Saturday, Nov. 30) LEGENDS DIVISION Conference Division Overall Record % Record % Record % Michigan State 8-0 1.000 5-0 1.000 11-1 .917 Iowa 5-3 .625 4-1.800 8-4 .667 Nebraska 5-3 .625 2-3.400 8-4 .667 Minnesota 4-4 .500 2-3.400 8-4 .667 Michigan 3-5 .375 2-3.400 7-5 .583 Northwestern 1-7 .125 0-5.000 5-7 .417 LEADERS DIVISION Conference Division Overall Record % Record % Record % Ohio State 8-0 1.000 5-0 1.000 12-0 1.000 Wisconsin 6-2 .750 3-2.600 9-3 .750 Penn State* 4-4 .500 3-2 .600 7-5 .583 Indiana 3-5 .375 3-2.600 5-7 .417 Illinois 1-7 .125 1-4.200 4-8 .333 Purdue 0-8 .000 0-5.000 1-11.083 *Penn State is ineligible for postseason competition in 2013. Michigan State (12-1, 8-0) The No. 4 Spartans make their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1987 when they battle No. 5 Stanford … Senior cornerback Darqueze Dennard claimed the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back, after intercepting four passes, forcing two fumbles and making 59 tackles, including 2.5 in the backfield … Junior redshirt running back Jeremy Langford set a school record with at least 100 rushing yards in each of his last eight games … The Spartans rank atop the Big Ten in scoring defense (12.7 points allowed per game), total defense (248.2 yards allowed per game) and rush defense (80.8 yards allowed per game). Nebraska (8-4, 5-3) The Cornhuskers take on No. 23 Georgia in postseason play for a second consecutive year when they journey to the Gator Bowl … Junior I-back Ameer Abdullah garnered third-team Associated Press All-America honors after gaining 1,568 yards on the ground in 2013 … … NU is dead last in the Big Ten in turnover margin (minus-12), and will be without senior quarterback Taylor Martinez, who appeared just once in conference play due to a foot injury … The Bulldogs upended the Huskers 45-31 in the 2013 Capitol One Bowl last Jan. 1. Ohio State (12-1, 8-0) The No. 7 Buckeyes tangle with No. 12 Clemson for the first time since 1978 in the Orange Bowl … Junior quarterback Braxton Miller and senior running back Carlos Hyde — a third-team Associated Press All-American — have combined for 1,330 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns over the past four games … Junior linebacker Ryan Shazier was deemed a first-team AP All-American … The Buckeyes set school records with 602 total points, 46.3 points per game, 82 total touchdowns and 36 passing scores … OSU is now tied with Oklahoma for most BCS bowl appearances (nine) and is 5-3 in BCS bowl games. Wisconsin (9-3, 6-2) The No. 19 Badgers play in a non-BCS bowl game for the first time in three seasons when it collides with No. 8 South THE WOLVERINE • Page 22 photo by Lon Horwedel Carolina in the Capital One Bowl … Senior linebacker Chris Borland earned second-team Associated Press All-America accolades … Redshirt sophomore running back Melvin Gordon (1,466 yards, 8.1 yards per carry) and senior running back James White (1,337, 6.4 yards per carry) rank third and fourth in the conference in rushing yards … A win would give the Badgers double-digit victories for the third time in four years, but UW has faltered in its last three postseason appearances. Schedule For Dec. 27-Jan. 3 Dec. 27 Texas Bowl: Minnesota vs. Syracuse, 6 p.m., ESPN Dec. 28 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Michigan vs. Kansas State, 10:15 p.m., ESPN Jan. 1 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs. Georgia, 12 p.m., ESPN2 Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU, 1 p.m., ESPN Capitol One Bowl: Wisconsin vs. South Carolina, 1 p.m., ABC Rose Bowl: Michigan State vs. Stanford, 5 p.m., ESPN Jan. 3 Orange Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson, 8 p.m., ESPN