Big Ten looks to break .500 in the Quick Lane Bowl, as Minnesota faces Central Michigan

The Big Ten Conference opened the 2015-16 bowl season with an OT loss in the Pinstripe Bowl (Duke over Indiana) and a eight point win (Nebraska over UCLA) in the Foster Farms Bowl over the Christmas weekend. Next up: MAC vs. Big Ten, as the Big Ten faces its lone non-Power 5 match up of the bowl season.

The Huskers have appeared in a bowl game in 45 of the last 47 seasons

FOSTER FARMS BOWL: Nebraska 37, UCLA 29 - The Cornhuskers rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 37-29 victory over UCLA Saturday night in the Foster Farms Bowl. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for 174 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 10 times for 76 yards and another score on the ground in the contest. Recap

Indiana came up short against Duke at Yankee Stadium. IU was playing in only
second bowl, since 1994, with game in Pinstripe Bowl.

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL: Duke 44, Indiana 41 (OT) - Duke earned a 44-41 overtime victory in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, as Indiana closed out its first bowl game since 2007 and 10th in program history. The back-and-forth game featured nine lead changes and three ties. It also saw numerous offensive records set and six turnovers combined in a game where momentum seemed to be hanging in the balance throughout. Recap

Minnesota looks to get to 6-7, as Nebraska did as one of two Big Ten teams,
with losing records playing in 2015-16 bowls.

• QUICK LANE BOWL: Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Minnesota (5-7) - kickoff at 4:00 pm on ESPN2 * Big Ten preview

Five things the Golden Gophers would like you to know about the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl from Detroit ...

1. Minnesota will play Central Michigan in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. Minnesota is 1-0 all-time against Central Michigan, as the Gophers won 30-10 at the Metrodome on Sept. 16, 1987. In that game, Rickie Foggie, Darrell Thompson and Gary Couch rushed for touchdowns and Chip Lohmiller kicked three field goals in the win. The Quick Lane Bowl marks Minnesota's first bowl game appearance in Michigan and is the Gophers first trip to the Great Lake State since it won 30-14 at Michigan on Sept. 27, 2014. 

The Golden Gophers are under first-year coach Tracy Claeys, who replaced Jerry
Kill mid-season, after Kill retired, due to ongoing health concerns.

2. Minnesota, which owns a 5-7 record, earned a bid into the Quick Lane Bowl this year based on the team's high APR mark of 975. The Quick Lane Bowl is the 18th bowl game that Minnesota will play in and is the fourth-straight bowl game for the Gophers. The four straight bowl games is the second longest stretch in team history, as Minnesota played in five straight bowl games spanning the 2002-06 seasons. Minnesota is 6-11 all-time in bowl games but has lost its last seven bowl games (five by four points or less). Minnesota's last win in a bowl game was a 20-16 victory against Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl where both Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney rushed for more than 100 yards.

3. Minnesota has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation this year. The Gophers have faced (AP rankings at time of the game) No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 TCU, No. 8 Iowa, No. 15 Michigan and No. 16 Northwestern. Minnesota also played Wisconsin, who ended the season ranked No. 23. The Gophers faced three top-15 teams in Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa in three straight weeks. The last time Minnesota played three straight games against top 15 teams was 2002 when it played No. 6 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan and No. 6 Iowa. Baylor was the only other team in the regular season to play three straight top-15 opponents, as it played No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 15 TCU.

4. Minnesota was the only Big Ten team to play (rankings at time of game) No. 1 Ohio State, No. 8 Iowa, No. 15 Michigan, No. 16 Northwestern and Wisconsin this year. Those teams have a combined 51-10 record and Minnesota's seven defeats have come to teams (Iowa, Ohio State, Northwestern, TCU, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska) with a combined 66-19 record (Nebraska has 7 of 19 losses). If Michigan and Wisconsin win their bowl games then the Gophers would have faced six teams (in addition to Iowa, Ohio State, Northwestern and TCU) who won at least 10 games this season.

5. Nine of Minnesota's 12 regular season opponents will play in a bowl game this year. Those nine opponents have a combined record of 81-28 and all won at least seven games. Minnesota posted a home win against Ohio (Bobcats ended season at 8-4) and ended Colorado State's school record nine-game home winning streak (Rams finished the season at 7-5). Minnesota's regular season opponents will play in the Rose Bowl (Iowa), Fiesta Bowl (Ohio State), Outback Bowl (Northwestern), Citrus Bowl (Michigan), Alamo Bowl (TCU), Holiday Bowl (Wisconsin), Foster Farms Bowl (Nebraska), Camellia Bowl (Ohio) and Arizona Bowl (Colorado State).

Indiana and Nebraska kickoff B1G 2015-16 bowl lineup in Pinstripe & Foster Farms bowls on Saturday

The Iowa Hawkeyes will face the Stanford Cardinal on New Year's Day in the
2016 Rose Bowl Game. The Hawkeyes arrived in California on Christmas Eve.
Kirk Ferentz is the Dean of Big Ten coaches, in his 17th season in Iowa City
as head coach and 26th overall. He has coached in two Rose Bowls, as an assistant.

Cedar Rapids, IA -- The Iowa Hawkeyes have landed in California on Christmas Eve, in preparation for the 2016 Rose Bowl Game with Stanford on Friday. In New York City and San Francisco, respectively, the Big Ten kicks off the 2015-16 bowl season, as the Indiana Hoosiers hit Yankee Stadium to square off with Duke Blue Devils in the Pinstripe Bowl, while the Nebraska Cornhuskers face the UCLA Bruins in the Foster Farms Bowl.

The 2015-16 B1G bowl slate kicks off today, with games played by Indiana
and Nebraska, respectively.

Indiana faces Duke in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium

Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson and Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, though not usual opponents, revealed that they've long admired one another from afar. Indiana finished 6-6 (2-6 B1G East) on the regular season, while Duke finished 7-5 (4-4 ACC Coastal), as the two programs will square off in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium.

The Indiana Hoosiers (6-6) playing in first bowl game, since the 2007 season.

Their coaching trajectory at their current schools are actually quite similar.

Pinstripe Bowl trophy
on the line in Yankee
Stadium today.

After being hired in 2008, Cutcliffe won 15 games over his four seasons in Durham. By comparison, Wilson won 14 in his first four years in Bloomington.

But in their fifth seasons, each broke through.

Duke won six games in Cutcliffe's fifth year in 2012, sparking a streak of four consecutive bowl appearances. Indiana won six games this season, Wilson's fifth, and is looking to follow Duke's path.

"Coach Cutcliffe doesn't know this, but we've looked at Duke for a long time," Wilson said. "We actually appreciated his spring game being on ESPN3 because we watched it with our team, and watched the practice organization and the way the managers are working—the whole organization."

But while Wilson's program was studying Duke's trajectory, the Blue Devils were keeping an eye on Indiana themselves. Wilson's offenses have long been regarded as some of the best in the nation, and Cutcliffe has taken notice.

Duke coach David Cutcliff and IU coach Kevin Wilson ahead of 2015 Pinstripe
Bowl in Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

Cutcliffe called Wilson an example for offensive-minded coaches around the nation to study. Under Wilson's guidance, the Hoosiers have seen steady growth and set nearly 50 school records along the way.

"I have watched Kevin coach for a long time. Offensively, I don't know anybody better," Cutcliffe said, turning to Wilson. "I have tried to steal a lot of what you do."

Cutcliffe will likely have a hard time pulling any of Wilson's own tricks against him when they meet on the field at Yankee Stadium. The two have become very familiar with one another over the years.

Today's Pinstripe Bowl will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

"We've got one of the outstanding leaders in college athletics and one of the tremendous coaches in Kevin Wilson here," Duke Athletic Director Kevin White said. "The job he's done at
Indiana is being widely talked about in college athletics. It's just amazing what he's accomplished."

The respect goes both ways. 

By the way, White was Maine's AD, when he hired then Iowa offensive line coach Kirk Ferentz to his first head coaching position, back after the 1989 season. White began his career in coaching administration at Loras College in Dubuque, IA.

Indiana senior QB #7 Nate Sudfeld was named a third team all-Big Ten QB,
behind MSU senior Connor Cook and Iowa junior C.J. Beathard.

"In previous years, Coach Wilson would show us a lot of articles or write-ups about the Duke program," Indiana senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for them and how Coach Cutcliffe has really stuck with his process…We've drawn a lot from that program."

Duke (7-5) vs. Indiana (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl on ABC.

Both teams played one common opponent in 2015. Indiana beat Wake Forest 31-24 on the road ahead of the Big Ten season, while Duke closed out ACC play with a 27-21 win @ Wake. Duke was 0-1 vs. Big Ten opponents, after losing 19-10 against Northwestern at home in Week 3.

Indiana is playing in its tenth bowl game and brings in a 3-6 record. The Hoosiers are 0-2 against current ACC programs in bowl games. Duke is 3-8 in bowl games. The Blue Devils lost in 1995 to Wisconsin 34-20 in the Hall of Fame Bowl. The Blue Devils beat Nebraska 34-7 during the 1954 season, when the Cornhuskers were in the Big 8.

OUR PICK: Duke over IU in the Pinstripe Bowl ...

Nebraska faces UCLA for third game in four seasons in Foster Farms Bowl

The Nebraska football team held its first of four bowl practices in the Bay Area on Tuesday morning, working out for nearly two hours in half pads at Laney College in Oakland.

Big Ten vs. Pac 12: Nebraska vs. UCLA in Fosters Farm Bowl from Stanford Stadium/

The Huskers arrived in San Francisco on Monday evening and were eager to begin game-week preparations for Saturday’s Foster Farms Bowl matchup with UCLA. Nebraska defensive Coordinator Mark Banker met with the media following practice and said the Bruins’ ability to survey the field pre-snap and identify match-ups will pose the biggest challenge for his defense.

“That’s the offense,” Banker said regarding UCLA’s penchant for finding favorable matchups. “The quarterback has that responsibility from a run or a pass standpoint at the line of scrimmage. As the game progresses, what they’ll do is you’ll see them stop the cadence and look to the sideline so that somebody up above that’s seeing the configuration can then get them in the right call.”

Banker was asked if the Huskers have seen a similar offense to UCLA this season, and said the Bruins’ offensive attack is similar to that of Northwestern, with one big difference.

“In our conference, Northwestern,” Banker said, referring to the Wildcats’ strategy of calling plays at the line based on the defensive alignment. “The difference between Northwestern and UCLA, UCLA’s speed is by far much, much better.”

Nebraska true freshman DB #24 Aaron Williams ahead of the 2015 season.

To stop the Bruins’ high-powered offensive attack, Banker said his defense will need to make the right calls at all times and will need to make plays. One Husker defender that could play a key role on Saturday is freshman Aaron Williams, who the coaches have chosen to be Nebraska’s nickel back against the Bruins.

When asked how Williams was adjusting to his new role, Banker said “I hope it’s real well. He’s a football player. He’s done well for us this year as a true freshman.”

Following the Huskers’ practice on Monday morning, Nebraska head coach Mike Riley, UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. and selected players from both teams took part in a Foster Farms Bowl press conference. The Huskers practiced again on Wednesday morning before practicing for a third time on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, Nebraska did a walk-through practice at Stanford.

Mora is in his fourth season at the helm for UCLA, as the seniors seek to go out with a bowl win. Mora lost to Riley's Oregon State team, during his debut Pac 12 game in 2012.

The 2015 Foster Farms Bowl is set for an 8:15 p.m. CST kickoff on Saturday on ESPN. The Huskers are 5-7 in Riley's debut season, while the Bruins head into the match-up with an 8-4 record on the regular season.

Nebraska is 0-2 against UCLA, during a head to head meetings
during the regular season in 2012 and 2013.

OUR PICK: UCLA over UNL ... in the Foster Farms Bowl ...

Iowa opens B1G Basketball at Ohio State; while Maryland vs. Stanford in Foster Farms Bowl tonight

Columbus, OH - - Iowa (9-4, 0-0) opens conference basketball play at No. 18/21 Ohio State (11-2, 0-0) with a Tuesday Noon tipoff on ESPN2 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Iowa won last year's contest in Columbus.

Tuesday will mark the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Hawkeyes will open league play on the road.  Coincidentally, Iowa opened Big Ten play that season also at Ohio State. The Buckeyes edged the Hawkeyes, 68-65, on Dec. 31, 2008. 

Ohio State is 28-3 at home since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Hawkeyes were one of the three teams to beat the Buckeyes during that span at Value City Arena. Iowa won 84-74 on Jan. 12, 2014. 

Big Ten basketball tips off conference play with four games today, and three more games on Wednesday opposite the Big East Conference, who open with five games on FS1, also on Wednesday.

On the B1G Football side, the conference takes a 2-2 record into the conference's fifth bowl game, as Maryland (7-5) faces Stanford (7-5) at Levi Field in San Francisco with a 9 p.m. kickoff on ESPN in the Foster Farms Bowl.

"This has been a great week that we've been out here,” said Maryland head coach Randy Edsall. “Our guys got a chance to go to Alcatraz and go to St. Anthony's. It is very rewarding to do those things and it's great that the bowl is able to provide this. I don't know how many of our guys would be able to get there and do these types of things if it wasn't for what has taken place this week. They have worked hard this week and I am sure they've played hard when they have had the free time to do that. We are very, very grateful for the opportunity."

Maryland vs. Stanford Bowl Game Preview

Back to basketball, Ohio State has played 11 of its first 13 games at home in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0 at home, winning their last game, 100-55, over Wright State on Dec. 27. 

Both Iowa and Ohio State have played North Carolina. The Tar Heels beat the Buckeyes (82-74) on Dec. 20 in Chicago, while the Hawkeyes won in Chapel Hill (60-55) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 3. 

Three Buckeyes average double figures in scoring: D'Angelo Russell (17.7 ppg), Marc Loving (12.4 ppg), and Sam Thompson (10.2 ppg). 

Iowa will have five days to prepare for its next conference opponent when it hosts Nebraska on Monday, Jan. 5, in the Hawkeyes' conference home opener. Iowa will play Michigan State at home next week on Thursday, Jan. 8.