My Top 15 Non Conference Games of Big Ten 2012
The Big Ten has taken it on the chin for a couple of years now. They haven't won a national title in college football since 2002 when Ohio State stopped Miami from winning back to back titles. The Buckeyes did make it to back to back trips to the national title game in 2006 & 2007 only to lose to Florida in '06 and LSU in '07. Although Ohio State finally beat a SEC team in a bowl game when they defeated Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl 31-26, the Big Ten haven't done so good in marquee non conference games and bowl games over the years. Ohio State lost to USC in 2008 and 2009 season. Penn State also lost to USC in the 2009 Rose Bowl 38-24. The Big Ten did win a game over the SEC last year as Michigan State beat Georgia in triple overtime in the Outback Bowl after getting absolutely destroyed by Alabama in the Capital One Bowl in 2010 49-7.
Last year the Big Ten finished with a 39-19 record in their non conference games as a conference including the bowl games as well. That was the third best record last year among all conferences in fbs college football. There best non conference win in my opinion was when Michigan beat Notre Dame last season in the final seconds when quarterback Denard Robinson hit Roy Roundtree in the end zone for a touchdown with :08 seconds left in the game to go up 35-31. Another non conference game that the Big Ten did win last year was Illinois over Arizona State early in the season 17-14. But they also did take there losses in marquee non conference game as well as bowl games as Wisconsin fell to Oregon in the Rose Bowl last year 45-38. Ohio State lost to Miami,Fl 24-6 while Penn State lost to Alabama last year for the second year in a row 27-11 are among some losses that Big Ten took that comes to mind. This season the Big Ten yet again will get to prove itself as a power conference of the bcs conference's of college football. I have chosen there top 15 non conference games of the 2012 season and here they are.
9/1/12 - Michigan vs Alabama (Cowboys Stadium)
9/22/12 - Michigan at Notre Dame
9/15/12 - Notre Dame at Michigan State
9/15/12 - California at Ohio State
9/8/12 - Illinois at Arizona State
9/8/12 - Nebraska at UCLA
9/8/12 - Penn State at Virginia
9/8/12 - Purdue at Notre Dame
9/8/12 - Wisconsin at Oregon State
9/1/12 - Northwestern at Syracuse
9/8/12 - Vanderbilt at Northwestern
9/8/12 - Iowa State at Iowa
9/22/12 - Syracuse at Minnesota
9/15/12 - Boston College at Northwestern
9/1/12 - Iowa vs Northern Illinois (Chicago)
