A Dozen Big Ten Football Teams Set for Bowl Games

12 of the conference's 18 football teams will be playing in bowls or playoff games.

Kaleb Henry | Dec 8, 2024

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola hands off to running back Emmett Johnson against Iowa on Nov. 29. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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The Big Ten Conference is set for bowl season.

A dozen programs will be represented in bowl games, with four of those teams taking part in the College Football Playoff. Three other teams missed the postseason by one game.

Indiana, Penn State and Ohio State will all play in the first round of the playoff. The Hoosiers are at Notre Dame on Dec. 20 while the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes host SMU and Tennessee, respectively, on Dec. 21.

Oregon Ducks linebacker Connor Soelle (22) watches confetti fall Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, after the Big Ten Championship game.

Oregon linebacker Connor Soelle (22) watches confetti fall after the Ducks defeated Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten championship game. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon will take on the winner of Ohio State and Tennessee in the quarterfinal round of the playoff at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

The other Big Ten teams to make the bowl season are Rutgers, USC, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Washington, Illinois and Minnesota.

You can see the full schedule of bowl games involving Big Ten Conference teams below.

Big Ten Bowl & Playoff Games

Asterisk indicates playoff game. All times Central.

• Friday, Dec. 20: Indiana* at Notre Dame at 7 p.m. on ABC/ESPN

• Saturday, Dec. 21: SMU at Penn State* at 11 a.m. on TNT; Tennessee at Ohio State* at 7 p.m. on ESPN

• Thursday, Dec. 26: Rutgers vs Kansas State in the Rate Bowl at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN

• Friday, Dec. 27: USC vs. Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN

• Saturday, Dec. 28: Boston College vs. Nebraska in the Pinstripe Bowl at 11 a.m. on ABC

• Monday, Dec. 30: Missouri vs. Iowa in the Music City Bowl at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN

• Tuesday, Dec. 31: Michigan vs. Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl at 11 a.m. on ESPN; Louisville vs. Washington in the Sun Bowl at 1 p.m. on CBS; South Carolina vs. Illinois in the Citrus Bowl at 2 p.m. on ABC

• Wednesday, Jan. 1: Oregon* vs. Ohio State/Tennessee in the Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. on ESPN

• Friday, Jan. 3: Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech in the Duke's Mayo Bowl at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN

MORE: Nebraska to Face Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl

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MORE: SMU Pushes Out Alabama; Four Big Ten Teams Featured in Inaugural 12-Team College Football Playoff

MORE: Nebraska Defensive Back Dwight Bootle II to Enter Transfer Portal

MORE: Georgia Moves to No. 2, Arizona State in Top 10 in Latest Associated Press Top 25

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Published Dec 8, 2024|Modified Dec 8, 2024

KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.