Big Ten Roundup (Dec. 31): Ohio State, Michigan Both Lose Playoff Thrillers

It's been a great bowl season for the Big Ten, but the league's two premier programs — Ohio State and Michigan — both lost in dramatic fashion in the two College Football Playoff semifinals on Saturday. Here's the story on the two games, plus a great preview of Sunday's basketball games.

For the first time ever, the Big Ten got two teams into the four-team College Football Playoff, but Michigan and Ohio State both lost in dramatic fashion on Saturday in the greatest day ever of the CFP.

Michigan opened the day taking on TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., and the No. 2 seeded Wolverines lost 51-45 in a wild shootout that featured a Fiesta Bowl record 96 points and a 44-point third quarter, the first time that's ever happened during the CFP era. TCU is the first Big 12 team to reach the CPF final since the playoff started in 2014.

The Wolverines trailed 21-3 in the second quarter and 41-22 late in the third quarter but kept working their way back into the game, falling just short for the second straight year in the national semifinals. 

Michigan couldn't overcome two J.J. McCarthy interceptions returned for touchdowns, three first-and-goal situations that produced a total of three points and a rushing defense that came into the game ranked third nationally but allowed 263 yards on the ground to TCU.

• MICHIGAN COVERAGE: There is a lot of coverage of the game on our Sports Illustrated/FanNation site WolverineDigest.com. To see all of their coverage, CLICK HERE

TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Dee Winters (13) scores on a pick-six against Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) in the third quarter of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Ohio State's 42-41 loss to No. 1 seed Georgia in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta was a heartbreaker. The Buckeyes, who were 6-point underdogs against the unbeaten defending national champions, blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. They had a big lead thanks to four touchdown passes from C.J. Stroud.

Georgia went ahead on a touchdown from Stetson Bennett to Adonai Mitchell with 54 seconds to go, but Ohio State quickly marched down the field, setting up a 50-yard field goal attempt by the usually reliable Noah Ruggles, who had missed only one kick all year. This potential game-winner wasn't close though, missing badly to the left.

• OHIO STATE COVERAGE: There is a lot of coverage of the game on our Sports Illustrated/FanNation site BuckeyesNow.com. To see all of their coverage, CLICK HERE

Iowa also played on Sunday, and the Hawkeyes defense was brilliant yet again in a 21-0 shutout of Kentucky in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn. The Hawkeyes held Kentucky to just 185 yards of total offense and forced two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. 

Quarterback Joe Labas got his first win as a starter for the Hawkeyes. He threw for only 139 yards, but didn't make any mistakes. It was the first shutout ever in the Music City Bowl, and it was the 10th career bowl win for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, tying him for the most in league history with Joe Paterno. 

• IOWA COVERAGE: There is a lot of coverage of the game on our Sports Illustrated/FanNation site InsideTheHawkeyes.com. To see all of their coverage, CLICK HERE

Big Ten teams Illinois, Purdue and Penn State all play on Monday. For the complete bowl schedule, including summaries of all the games, CLICK HERE

Sunday's basketball schedule

• MARYLAND at MICHIGAN, 4:30 p.m. ET: Michigan (7-5, 1-0 in Big Ten) has struggled through the nonconference portion of the season, and hit a new low on Thursday when it lost at home to Central Michigan. They played just one league. game in December, beating Minnesota. The Wolverines host Maryland (10-3, 1-1 in Big Ten), a team that's been impressive so far. All three losses are to ranked teams, Wisconsin, Tennessee and UCLA. (TV: FOX Sports 1). Point spread: Michigan is a 1-point favorite according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website, and the over/under is 143.5. 
• IOWA at PENN STATE, 5:30 p.m. ET: Iowa (8-5, 0-2 in Big Ten) has struggled lately with ugly losses to Eastern Illinois and Nebraska in the past week and change. The Hawkeyes, who got Kris Murray (foot) and Connor McCafferey (hand) back in Thursday's loss at Nebraska, are hoping to turn it around against a Penn State (10-3, 1-1 in Big Ten) who's been playing well. They have a home loss against Michigan State in league play, but a road win at Illinois. Jalen Pickett is averaging 16.1 points pert game. (TV: Big Ten Network). Point spread: Penn State is a 3-point favorite, and the over/under is 147.5.
• OHIO STATE at NORTHWESTERN, 7:30 p.m. ET: Northwestern (10-2, 1-0 in Big Ten) has been the surprise team in the league early in the season. The Wildcats' only two losses are to Auburn and Pittsburgh, and they already have a Big Ten road win at Michigan State. Ohio State (9-3, 1-0 in Big Ten) has three losses, all against ranked teams (San Diego State, Duke, North Carolina.) The Buckeyes got a break in their Big Ten win vs. Rutgers because Tanner Holden's buzzer-beater three-pointer for the win should not have counted. He was out of bounds when he caught the pass, and the league admitted the referees blew the call. Point spread: Ohio State is a 2-point favorite, and the over/under is 136.5.

Related Big Ten stories

• BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS (Vol. 2): Purdue has been the one true constant this season, and everyone behind them has shown some warts so far. It's a jumbled mess, but we try to sort it all our in our second Big Ten Power Rankings through the games of Dec. 28. Here they are, from No. 1 to No. 14. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN ROUNDUP (Dec. 29): A struggling Iowa team had its second straight ugly loss despite the return of Kris Murray, falling at Nebraska. And Michigan continued to struggle as well, losing as a heavy favorite to Central Michigan at home. Here's our Big Ten roundup for Dec. 29. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN ROUNDTABLE PODCAST: The College Football Playoff kicks off on Saturday, and for the first time ever, the Big Ten has two teams in the postseason semifinals. Michigan takes on TCU, and Ohio State takes on No. 1 seed and defending national champion Georgia. This week we chat with BuckeyesNow.com publisher Brendan Gulick live from Atlanta to break down the Buckeyes. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA WOMEN FINALLY LOSE: No. 4-ranked Indiana lost its undefeated record on Thursday, falling to Michigan State 83-78 in East Lansing, Mich. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes scored a career-high 32 points for Indiana. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TRANSFER PORTAL REPORT: The college football transfer portal is more prominent than ever this offseason, already surpassing 1,000 entries. Here's a full breakdown of where each Big Ten team stands. CLICK HERE