2013-2014 Big Ten bowl games: Conference TV schedule and things to know

Well, how about that? Both of the new teams in the ACC this season made a bowl game. The Orange are another 6-6 ACC bowl team, with wins over bowl teams Tulane, Maryland and Boston College. Syracuse has a workhorse back in Jerome Smith and a dual-threat quarterback in Terrel Hunt. The Orange also sport a strong defense capable of breaking into the opposing backfield, and will look to make some noise against a solid Gopher team.

Minnesota was one of the surprise success stories of the Big Ten this season, going 8-4 with wins over Nebraska, Penn State and Northwestern (back when the Wildcats were 4-2). The Gophers sport a 1,000-yard rusher in David Cobb, but are led by SB Nation First-Team All-America defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman, an absolute monster in the middle who will be playing on Sundays next season.

After miraculously winning the Big 12 last year, Kansas State struggled this season without quarterback Collin Klein, losing their opener to FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. Their first three games in conference play were losses, to Texas, Oklahoma State and Baylor, before four straight wins (including one over Texas Tech) brought them bowl eligibility.

Nebraska had a wild season, with head coach Bo Pelini essentially daring the team to fire him after their season-ending loss to Iowa -- the Cornhuskers' fourth defeat of the year. The other losses came to UCLA, Minnesota and Michigan State -- all bowling teams, to Nebraska's credit, but all teams the Husker faithful feel like they should beat. With Taylor Martinez out due to injury, the offensive burden has fallen upon running back Ameer Abdullah, who ran for over 1,500 yards on the season. Georgia would be the best win of the year for Pelini's squad, which can currently point to victories over Michigan and Penn State.

Georgia suffered a litany of injuries throughout the season, but managed to make it through their tough SEC schedule with a winning record and victories over LSU and South Carolina. Star quarterback Aaron Murray joined the group of injured Bulldogs towards the end of the year, and Georgia will have to rely on star sophomore running back Todd Gurley, who scored 15 total touchdowns this season.

Wisconsin was probably the best two-loss team in the country for the first half of the season, when questionable officiating may have cost the Badgers the game against Arizona State and a comeback effort fell just short against Ohio State. Wisconsin did not beat a bowl-eligible team until November 2, when they defeated Iowa, but then they beat BYU and Minnesota to add to their quality wins. The Badgers have two of the best running backs in the nation in Melvin Gordon (12 touchdowns, more than eight yards per carry) and James White (13 touchdowns).

South Carolina was very close to an SEC Championship game berth, with their only losses coming against a healthy Georgia team and a resilient Tennessee one. The Gamecocks beat Missouri and Clemson (as well as everyone else on their schedule) and have perhaps the most talented player in the country in defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Iowa may have the best four losses of any team this side of Texas A&M, falling to Northern Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes defeated Minnesota, Michigan and Nebraska on their way to a second-place finish in the Legends Division and had one of the best defenses in the country. On offense, workhorse back Mark Weisman carried the ball more than 200 times this season, and Jake Rudock will need to hold on to the ball at quarterback.

LSU will be without star quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who threw for 22 touchdowns before suffering an injury, but sport a top offense and will look to pressure the Hawkeyes. Their three losses came to Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama, with wins over Auburn and Texas A&M standing as by far their best victories. The Tigers have two excellent receivers in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, plus one of the better running backs in the conference in Jeremy Hill.

The Cardinal are led by quarterback Kevin Hogan (20 passing touchdowns), running back Tyler Gaffney (20 rushing touchdowns) and wide receiver Ty Montgomery (10 receiving touchdowns), and beat all seven ranked opponents that they faced. Their only two losses came to unranked teams -- Utah and USC.

Mark Dantonio's team answered those questions and then some, defeating the Buckeyes 34-24 off a career game from quarterback Connor Cook and shut-down play from perhaps the best defense in the nation.

Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins are fantastic weapons, and the defense showed improvement as the season progressed.

Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde -- both 1,000 yard rushers (and Miller, it's safe to say, can pass the ball a little) -- make up one of the most dynamic offensive pairs in the nation.

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