Biggest Heartbreaks For Each Big Ten Team Since 1992
This week we journey into the historic Big Ten and see the historic squads that make them up. Much like the other programs around the nation, you have your top dogs (Michigan, Ohio State) endure many heartbreak to cost them national championships, or just something crazy to happen to the team that sometimes spiraled outward so it is a bit challenging of what to pinpoint as a heartbreak. And then you have your likes of Illinois and Purdues where the 25 years hasn't been incredibly kind in that span. Maybe it was that one year where they possibly could have netted a big year only to have some sort of epic fall. So let's take a look at the Big Ten teams and their heartbreaks.
ILLINOIS: SUGAR BOWL VS. LSU, 2002: Illinois has been one of the programs in the Big Ten that really has not gotten it going over the years on a consistent basis. That said, the Illini's best year was 2001 and many thought after years of futility under Ron Turner, they would have turned the page. They won the Big Ten (OUTRIGHT) and went to the Sugar Bowl given that the National Championship was at the Rose Bowl. Their opponent was LSU and Nick Saban, a team also that was up and coming. The game was a laugher by halftime (34-7) and while Illinois tried to mount a comeback, it was all for naught and they lost 47-34. On top of it, Illinois never regained that magic they had in 2001, being one of the conference's mediocre squads since that point.
Illinois had no answers for LSU
INDIANA: PINSTRIPE BOWL VS. DUKE, 2015: Indiana, like Illinois has not generated much success on the football field in a very long time. However, the last few years, the Hoosiers have had some decent years and aren't really considered the Big Ten's punching bag anymore. The Hoosiers found themselves back in the Bowl season in 2015 after a 7 year drought and 20 of 21 years of no bowls. They faced Duke, a team that is similar to Indiana of not having great football success in the Pinstripe Bowl. The game went into overtime where Indiana lost on a controversial field goal miss. Many believed it went through, but it was over the post and you cannot tell as well as it is not reviewable. So, the Hoosiers lost in a heartbreaking fashion after one of their best years in a very long time.
You be the judge
IOWA: 2015 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP VS. MICHIGAN STATE, 2015: When you think of the Big Ten programs that are faces of the conference, you think Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. One program that is often overlooked is Iowa. It is probably because they are never a flashy program. The offense is a stale, boring, etc. type of offense that many do not consider great at all and do not have the star athletes like Michigan, Ohio State, or Wisconsin. Defensively, they are physical, but again, nothing to really of note. So in 2015, Iowa surprised many with their play, going 12-0 and having a strong shot at the College Football Playoff. However, the Hawkeyes, considered underdogs to Michigan State, also avoided the Spartans, Wolverines, and Buckeyes in the season and faced teams with down years such as Wisconsin, Nebraska, and others. The game was a physical fight, though Iowa had numerous chances to win, including turning the ball over in the end zone. The Hawkeyes fought through it with a big play TD pass to give them a 13-9 lead early in the 4th quarter. But Michigan State put a 9 minute drive including converting a 4th and short late in the drive as well as a third and goal where it had to take a 2nd effort attempt by LJ Scott to win the game for the Spartans, ending Iowa's chances at the Playoff.
Scott's TD capped off a drive for the ages to end Iowa's chances at a Playoff.
MARYLAND: VS. GEORGIA TECH, 2003: Maryland's heartbreak dates to the ACC days as they have not been very good in the Big Ten since joining. The Terrapins in the early 2000's under Ralph Friedgen had some good teams and looked to turn the corner as being one of the ACC's elite alongside Florida State. However, the Terrapins never got it together and an early tilt in 2003 against Friedgen's former team where he was a coordinator at, Georgia Tech, pretty much nailed the Terps into an also-ran in the conference until they really left. Nothing really of note, but Maryland was never the same program after this game.
Well, Tech got a hold of the Terrapins in more than a few ways in 2003.
MICHIGAN: VS. MICHIGAN STATE, 2015: You can flip a coin between this and the Appalachian State game in 2007 where the then-FCS Mountaineers stunned the #5 Wolverines on a FG block to win it, thus sending Michigan down the tubes for the next 7 seasons in Ann Arbor. But it was the "Blunder in Ann Arbor" (as Michigan fans call it) that takes this honor. Michigan, who finally seemed to have been rolling in Jim Harbaugh's first year, faced off against their hated in-state rival Michigan State, who was undefeated at the time, but had scuffled tremendously in doing so. Many thought this was the game to set things straight in Michigan as "Big Brother" would reclaim football supremacy. The game was close all throughout, and Michigan had a 23-20 lead late with Michigan State turning the ball over on downs. Michigan, failing to get a first down on the next series, had to punt with 10 seconds left and Michigan State was going to blitz like crazy so the goal for the Wolverines was simple: punt it, down it, game over. Well...a botched snap, punter tries to kick it anyway, gets tackled and Michigan State runs it in for a touchdown, giving a Michigan fan the iconic pose that fans in East Lansing and even Columbus has blown up as the symbol of Michigan football. Michigan State gets the W and goes to the playoff while Michigan somewhat was not the same after that game, including a blowout loss to rival Ohio State that would have netted them a New Year's Six Bowl.
Needs no caption for explanation
A look that will go down in infamy.
MICHIGAN STATE: BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP VS. WISCONSIN, 2011: While Michigan State is becoming somewhat the team that everybody in the Big Ten avoids playing when they are having a dream season, the Spartans are no strangers to heartbreaking losses either. The biggest heartbreak probably has to be in 2011 as Michigan State was starting to flex its muscle in the Big Ten, winning the division with ease and going to face a Wisconsin team they beat on a Hail Mary a little over a month before. The game was back-and-forth but Michigan State had a lead in the 4th until Wisconsin's Russell Wilson made some iconic plays (well he did all game, as many took notice of him for this game), including a huge bomb play on third down to get the Badgers into scoring territory, and later on a touchdown to give the Badgers the go-ahead lead for good. It would have netted Michigan State a Rose Bowl berth in 2011, their first in 24 years.
Wisconsin exacted revenge on Michigan State in a heartbreaking manner as a return of what Sparty did to them earlier.
MINNESOTA: VS. MICHIGAN, OCTOBER, 2003: Minnesota hasn't really been horrid over the years, but not really great as they haven't been a powerhouse like they were in the 40's, 50's or early 60's. However, their best chance in the past 25 years was 2003, when the Gophers had Marion Barber III leading the way and stomping everybody they saw. They also had probably their biggest game in a very long time in 2003 against rival Michigan for the Little Brown Jug. Holding a 28-7 lead going into the 4th and then having a 35-14 lead early in the quarter, Michigan put up 24 unanswered points, including the game-winning FG with 50 seconds left in a stunning 38-35 win. Minnesota, stunned from that, lost another heartbreaker to Michigan State where a time issue may have kept the Gophers from having a chance to win that game. But it was Minnesota's best chance to make an impact on a national level in the past 40 years.
Michigan sparked an epic comeback on the Golden Gophers in 2003.
NEBRASKA: ORANGE BOWL VS. FLORIDA STATE, 1994: You can make a VERY strong argument that the Huskers were the team of the 90's in college football while residing in the Big 12. Nebraska's option offense gave teams fits across the board but it always seemed like when it got to the bowl games against the likes of Miami or Florida State, the Huskers fell short. The Orange Bowl that year pitted the #1 vs. #2 teams in Florida State and Nebraska. The game was a classic tilt. But the Seminoles scored late to get the lead. And trying to kick an insane field goal at the end, Nebraska once again came up short. It made a lot of people wonder if the Huskers would ever get over that hump. Of course, that would go away the next season as they beat Miami in the Orange Bowl and got first of three national championships in the decade.
Heisman Trophy Winner Charlie Ward and Florida State edged out Nebraska for the national championship.
NORTHWESTERN: ROSE BOWL VS. USC, 1996: Northwestern came out of nowhere in 1995 to win the Big Ten. Led by running back Darnell Autry they went to the Rose Bowl for the second time in their history (first since 1948) and had a #3 ranking when bowl season arrived. They got off to a sluggish start against USC, but took the lead in the 4th quarter, only to squander it and lose 42-31. It was pretty much the closest time the Wildcats got near the top of the college football mountain.
USC upended Northwestern's chances of a dream season in the Rose Bowl
OHIO STATE: VS. MICHIGAN STATE, 1998: We know Michigan and Ohio State have a deep-seeded hatred for one another, and we know Michigan and Michigan State have a deep-seeded hatred for one another too. Most of the times we think "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" but in this case, "the enemy of my enemy is my enemy" (thank you Dick Tracy). Ohio State and Michigan State have built up a very strong, not-so-friendly rivalry over the years as it has been "Little Brother" bringing down the Buckeyes chances at national championships. You can make arguments for heartbreaks in 2013 and 2015 for Ohio State with Michigan State. But it was 1998 where it started it all. The Spartans, who had lost the week before to lowly Minnesota and was a mediocre football team, went into Columbus to face off against #1 Ohio State. The Buckeyes held a 24-9 lead at one point, before Michigan State scored 19 unanswered points on the Buckeyes plus a late 4th and goal stop to end Ohio State's chances at a national championship, which would be the first of three times Michigan State ended Ohio State's chances.
Michigan State's run of ending Ohio State's national title chances start in 1998.
PENN STATE: JERRY SANDUSKY SCANDAL: I am not going to get into this one in part because I don't want to talk about the sick things of it. I know a few Penn State fans who were sick to their stomachs about it and while many thought Joe Paterno needed to retire, this was not the way they wanted him to retire. It nearly doomed the program.
Many believe the scandal marked the beginning of the end for Joe Paterno's time on earth.
PURDUE: CAPITAL ONE BOWL VS. GEORGIA, 2004: Even with Drew Brees, Purdue has never been at the front of the Big Ten. But the Boilermakers had been respectable under Joe Tiller in the late 90's/early 2000's. In 2003, Purdue had a good year and headed to a decent bowl game in the Capital One Bowl (probably at that time the best of the non-BCS Bowls) against SEC foe Georgia. The Bulldogs had a 14 point lead going into the 4th and blew it thanks to Purdue and Kyle Orton. The game went to overtime where Georgia scored first off really a pass interference and then the Bulldogs stopped the Boilermakers on an interception in the end zone. Georgia celebrated like only they can after having a year of a letdown like they won a national championship, but that's not why this a heartbreak. It also planted the seeds of the SEC ruling over the Big Ten in January, and Georgia while they are near the top of the conference, isn't/wasn't Alabama/LSU/Auburn/Florida ever. So really Purdue's heartbreak would be a foreshadow of the Big Ten's issues with the SEC.
Purdue's loss to Georgia laid the groundwork for the SEC's dominance over the Big Ten.
RUTGERS: VS. MARYLAND, 2007: Again, Rutgers since joining the Big Ten haven't been any good and this past year really was HORRIBLE. But 10 years ago, Rutgers was a respectable team in the Big East. The Scarlet Knights were ranked #10 and ran up against unranked Maryland in Piscataway in an ACC vs. Big East tilt. Rutgers loses the game by 10 and really never got back to that level of high quality of football, even under Greg Schiano. They would always be looked upon as a program who couldn't bring down the top dogs (despite taking down South Florida a few weeks later when the Bulls were ranked #2 in the nation).
In a matchup between future conference rivals, Maryland brought down #10 Rutgers in 2007.
WISCONSIN: VS. MICHIGAN STATE, 2011: I mentioned Ohio State's dragon in the Big Ten has been Michigan State, but Wisconsin has had their share of problems with the Spartans as well in this time, including 2004 and 2012 where the Spartans ended any chance of Wisconsin being a national championship contender or a conference champion. But the big stinger was 2011. Wisconsin, ranked #4 at the time and undefeated, went to East Lansing and had a back and forth tilt with Michigan State, tying it late in the game at 31. Michigan State, having the ball to end the game, threw a Hail Mary by Kirk Cousins. The Badgers did everything right, batting the ball down, but it landed in the hands of Michigan State WR Keith Nichol. Originally, the refs marked him short of the TD, but given how Nichol's entire body crossed the plane before he got tackled down, the replay was overturned and Michigan State won the game. A loss the game after to Ohio State ended Wisconsin's chances for good, but the loss the week before had to leave a stinging blow to the Badgers, led by Russell Wilson. Of course, Wisconsin returned the favor to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship later on, but the damage was really done.
Wisconsin fans say you can't see the ball as he crossed, but evidence says otherwise.
