Here is the latest Big Ten Conference sports news from The Associated Press
By AP
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Boise State has taken that long-awaited next step, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time, 17 years after a program-shifting win. Awaiting the No. 8 Broncos in the desert is another team that made a breakthrough. No. 5 Penn State also is in its first CFP playoff, shaking its can’t-win-the-big-game reputation with a victory over SMU. The prize in Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl: a trip to the CFP semifinals. Boise got here behind Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty. The Nittany Lions earned their spot behind a stout defense and one of the nation’s best tight ends in Tyler Warren.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeremiah Smith isn’t just the next great Ohio State wide receiver. Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke believes Smith will be the best receiver in school history. Smith is certainly on that trajectory after smashing Cris Carter’s records for receptions, yardage and touchdown catches by an Ohio State freshman. The Miami Gardens, Florida, product should only add to his 63 grabs, 1,037 yards and 12 scores against No. 1 Oregon in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
UNDATED (AP) — The Rose Bowl between eighth-seeded Ohio State and top-seeded Oregon in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal has many subplots for Chip Kelly. The game in the venerable stadium is a homecoming for Kelly, who resigned from UCLA in February after six seasons to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. With Kelly calling the plays, Ohio State is 11th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 36 points per game, and 32nd in total offense at 427.3 yards per game. Kelly also was Oregon’s head coach for four seasons and had a 46-7 record before leaving for the NFL in 2013. Kelly is winless in six games against the Ducks, including a 32-31 loss in Eugene in prime time Oct. 12.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is in his sixth season with his third top program. Ohio State’s Will Howard is in his fifth year at his second school. Combined, they’ve thrown 3,192 collegiate passes for 230 touchdowns even before they meet in the Ducks-Buckeyes rematch that doubles as the most anticipated of the four College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Gabriel is among the biggest proponents of what has become the new normal. Quality players can make hefty NIL money while playing elite college football to their full eligibility instead of filling out an NFL depth chart.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blake Craig kicked two field goals in the fourth quarter, his second a 56-yarder with 4:36 left as No. 23 Missouri rallied to beat Iowa 27-24 in the Music City Bowl. Missouri trailed 24-14 when the Tigers started the comeback, scoring the final 13 points for the win. Brady Cook threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Joshua Manning also ran for a TD to key the comeback. Marquis Johnson added 122 yards receiving and a TD catch. Missouri (10-3) posted the program’s eighth 10-win season. Iowa lost its second straight bowl, denying coach Kirk Ferentz a chance to move up the Big Ten ranks.
UNDATED (AP) — Rutgers coach Coquese Washington has seen the Big Ten grow over the years, from her time leading Penn State to now being in charge of the Scarlet Knights. Her team is going through a rough part of the conference schedule with three straight games against top-10 opponents, including games this week at No. 8 Maryland and home against fourth-ranked USC. Rutgers lost to No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday. The Big Ten added No. 1 UCLA and USC this season, making a strong conference even better. There are currently four schools from the league ranked in the top 10. Having UCLA and USC as travel partners makes for a daunting week for everyone in the conference.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Reserve Connor Essegian matched his career-high with six 3-pointers and scored 20 points and Nebraska dominated the first half in a 77-43 win over Southern. Brice Williams added 11 points and surpassed 1,500 for his career. Jayce DePron scored 13 points for Southern. Nebraska held Southern to 22% shooting in the first half, including 0 for 11 from 3-point range, to take a 39-15 lead at the break. Williams opened the game with a 3-pointer and the Cornhuskers never trailed. Essegian had three 3-pointers, including consecutive 3s in an 11-0 burst that made it 30-8. Essegian’s 3-pointer gave Nebraska a 53-23 lead in the middle of the second half and Gavin Griffiths hit two 3-pointers and had eight points in the last three minutes when Nebraska closed on a 10-0 run.
UNDATED (AP) — The College Football Playoff quarterfinals are here and six of the eight teams are no strangers to the big stage. Boise State and Arizona State are out to show they belong. They’re top-four seeds as conference champions and both are double-digit underdogs. The Broncos arrived for Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl wearing T-shirts saying “Please Count Us Out” in capital letters. Penn State is an 11-point favorite. Texas is a 12 1/2-point favorite against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday. Other New Year’s playoff games are Ohio State-Oregon in the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame-Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
