Big 10 Makes Good Showing in Bowl Games...

For the first time in quite a while, maybe the Big 10 won't be the laughing stock of the "BCS Conference" world.

After a few years of lackluster bowl seasons, this year was a bit different.

Minnesota lost to Iowa State 14-13
Michigan State lost to Texas Tech 41-31
Northwestern lost to Auburn 38-35 in overtime.

Wisconsin beat Miami 20-14
Penn State beat LSU 19-17
Ohio State beat Oregon 26-17
Iowa beat Georgia Tech 24-14

So that makes the league 4-3 in bowl games this postseason. However...out of those four wins, two of them came in BCS games.

Ohio State ran out of their funk with a pretty thorough whipping of Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Iowa handled a high powered Georgia Tech offense in the Orange Bowl.

Those other two wins aren't anything to scoff at, either. Penn State beat an LSU team that was ranked in the Top 5 at one point this season, and Wisconsin beat a Miami team that after the first four weeks of the season many people were saying was the best in the country.

In fact, even the three losses are all pretty "good" losses...if there is such a thing. Northwestern took an SEC perennial power to the brink and lost by three. Michigan State lost by 10 to Texas Tech after leading late in the third in a game where the Spartans were down 14 players due to suspension. Minnesota lost to Iowa State by one point.

All in all it was a pretty successful bowl season for the Big 10. I hope they can build on the success and get even better next year.