Big Ten's 10 bowl game underdogs could rewrite script

Ten of the Big Ten's 14 football teams received bowl game invitations, tying the conference record.

None of them is favored to win.

Not one.

A bowl-game 0-fer for these underdogs seems unlikely — the league has to win some of these games, right? — but the betting lines reflect a general feeling of "meh" that has become attached to the Big Ten like a barnacle.

"I'm not going to put categorizations on particular games," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany told ESPN.com after the bowl announcements. "If you win, there's no issue; if you lose, there's an issue. We have 10 bowl games. Earlier in the year, I said these are big stages and big opportunities, and they are."

The Big Ten certainly could use some positive results to stem the expanding perception that the league just isn't that good. At a minimum, the conference is viewed as a notch below the SEC and Pac-12.

One successful postseason probably wouldn't change a negative opinion entirely, but the Big Ten has a chance to put a nice bow on a season that looked bleak in the early stages. That also would help reverse an ugly trend.

The conference went 2-5 in bowl games last season, and 6-16 in January bowl games the past three seasons.

Ohio State carries the torch for the conference this season as one of four teams picked for the inaugural College Football Playoff. Left for dead after losing star quarterback Braxton Miller to injury before the season, the Buckeyes made an 11th-hour push to secure a playoff berth and will face top-seeded Alabama in the Sugar Bowl semifinal.

The Buckeyes got the nod from the selection committee ahead of Baylor and Texas Christian after throttling Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. They followed an unlikely path to the playoff.

Ohio State overcame the loss of Miller, a loss to Virginia Tech in Week 2 and the loss of backup quarterback-turned-Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett in the regular-season finale.

A Buckeyes upset of Alabama would give the Big Ten, as a whole, a jolt of good vibes and positivity. If they Buckeyes lose convincingly, critics will argue that TCU and/or Baylor was/were more deserving, and the Big Ten will return to being a punching bag.

The Big Ten hopes this bowl season will give the entire conference momentum moving forward. In addition to Ohio State's inclusion in the playoff, the selection committee placed Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl in a marquee matchup against Baylor.

The Spartans' only two losses came at Oregon and against Ohio State. The fact that a 10-2 record was viewed by some Michigan State fans as disappointing irks coach Mark Dantonio.

"I don't understand why people keep saying [the season is a disappointment]," Dantonio said. "I mean, we're 10-2. … I'm very proud of our football team and our players and what they've been able to accomplish."