Big Ten Conference Record in Bowl Games This Year: An Expanded League Thrives

The league has roared to its best postseason start since 2017.

Drew Allar scrambles during No. 5 Penn State's 31–14 win over No. 8 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the Big Ten added four teams this year—Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington—many wondered how the bloated league would look. Would the addition of four historic programs lift all boats? Or would the inherent imbalance in the conference's schedule water it down?

The answer has been yes and no. Lucking into a favorable draw, Indiana—a good team—looked great for much of the year and made the College Football Playoff. However, the Hoosiers were called overrated often enough to become underrated, and the conference has flexed its muscles with a largely dynamite performance this postseason.

Here's an overview of how the Big Ten has performed in bowl games this year, and what it means for a financial juggernaut of a league.

What is the Big Ten's record in bowl games this year?

The Big Ten is 9–5 in bowl games in 2024. The league has at least two bowl games yet to play with Penn State scheduled to meet Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, and Ohio State scheduled to battle Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

What are the results of the Big Ten's bowl games this year?

Glad you asked! Here are the Big Ten's postseason games in table form.

DATE	BOWL	LOCATION	RESULT
Dec. 20	CFP first round	South Bend, Ind.	No. 3 Notre Dame 27, No. 9 Indiana 17
Dec. 21	CFP first round	University Park, Pa.	No. 5 Penn State 38, No. 12 SMU 10
Dec. 21	CFP first round	Columbus, Ohio	No. 6 Ohio State 42, No. 7 Tennessee 17
Dec. 26	Rate	Phoenix	Kansas State 44, Rutgers 41
Dec. 27	Las Vegas	Paradise, Nev.	USC 35, Texas A&M 31
Dec. 28	Pinstripe	New York	Nebraska 20, Boston College 15
Dec. 30	Music City	Nashville	No. 23 Missouri 27, Iowa 24
Dec. 31	ReliaQuest	Tampa	Michigan 19, No. 11 Alabama 13
Dec. 31	Sun	El Paso, Texas	Louisville 35, Washington 34
Dec. 31	Citrus	Orlando	No. 21 Illinois 21, No. 14 South Carolina 17
Dec. 31	Fiesta	Glendale, Ariz.	No. 5 Penn State 31, No. 8 Boise State 14
Jan. 1	Rose	Pasadena, Calif.	No. 6 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Jan. 3	Duke's Mayo	Charlotte	Minnesota 24, Virginia Tech 10
Jan. 9	Orange	Miami Gardens, Fla.	No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Jan. 10	Cotton	Arlington, Texas	No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas

How has the Big Ten fared in bowl games over the past 10 years?

Here's a look at the conference's postseason records in the last decade, year by year.

YEAR	RECORD	WINNING PERCENTAGE
2015	5-5	.500
2016	3-7	.300
2017	7-1	.875
2018	5-4	.556
2019	4-5	.444
2020	3-2	.600
2021	6-4	.600
2022	5-4	.556
2023	6-4	.600
2024	8-5	.615

Where does 2024 rank among the winningest postseasons in Big Ten history?

If you suspected the conference was having a historic season in bowl games by its standards, you'd be correct. Here is a look at the 10 highest single-season winning percentages for the Big Ten in bowl play in descending order, with a minimum of two games played to factor out the years in which the league only sent a team to the Rose Bowl.

YEAR	RECORD	WINNING PERCENTAGE
1998	5-0	1.000
2017	7-1	.875
1994	4-1	.800
1987	3-1	.750
1999	5-2	.714
2002	5-2	.714
1980	2-1	.667
2024	8-5	.615
1982	3-2	.600
2020	3-2	.600
2021	6-4	.600
2023	6-4	.600

What does the Big Ten's 2024 bowl performance mean?

Even before the age of the pre-bowl game player departure came to college football, there was a certain folly in drawing too many conclusions about conferences writ large from the postseason.

And yet... the Big Ten's performance this year has hinted at a paradigm shift in college football's oldest league. Up to three clashes between Big Ten and SEC foes remain, but evidence exists that the midwestern league is gaining at least a little ground on its southern counterpart. Particularly shocking was an undermanned Michigan team's 19–13 upset of a No. 11 Alabama team many suggested belonged in the College Football Playoff.

Why is this happening? There's an easy explanation, a somewhat complex explanation, and an extremely complex explanation.

On the simplest possible level, college football conferences—like any business-like entities—are prone to up and down cycles. The SEC may have good years and bad years; so too may the Big Ten, the MAC or any other league.

A more specific reason is that the Big Ten has significantly beefed up its recruiting efforts over the last decade. Take a look at 247Sports's 2025 recruiting rankings: five Big Ten teams are in the top 20. Now take a look at those same rankings from 15 years ago in 2010. The highest-ranked Big Ten team is the Nittany Lions at No. 13, and only four Big Ten teams are in the top 25.

The Big Ten's depth goes beyond the realm of recruiting, however. In an increasingly commercial college-sports world, the fact remains that the Midwest simply has more financial might to marshal than the South. Eight of the SEC's 16 schools are in the 10 poorest states in the union on a GDP per capita basis. Nine of the Big Ten's 18 schools are in the 20 richest.

It's hard to argue against the SEC's most-favored-nation status in college football for the time being, but if this year has shown fans anything, it's the limits of putting too much stock in conference labels—especially in a world where they can change in an instant.

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