Big Ten looks like a big flop in bowl games

Each year the bowl season gives each team participating and the conference they represent an opportunity to make a statement to the college football world. By playing a non-conference opponent on national TV teams can either help, or hurt, their program’s reputation. January 1st, 2011 is a day that the Big Ten Conference will not remember fondly. Just weeks after unveiling their new Legends and Leaders Conferences and new logos that have been referred to as “laughable,” the Big Ten has fallen flat on it’s own face in their bowl games. The 2011 bowl schedule showed 5 Big Ten teams with New Year’s Day games, 3 against SEC teams. Unfortunately the Big Ten schools did not just lose all 5 of those games, but 4 of the games saw their opponents allow 37 or more points with the state of Michigan holding their heads in embarrassment as MSU lost to Alabama 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl while Michigan lost 52-14 to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. Looking at th...