The Big Ten remains undefeated in its bowl games.
Not everybody is hoping it stays that way — and, yes, we’re looking at you, Sparty.
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Some Michigan State players took to Twitter this week to celebrate the Big Ten’s record — 7-0 after Penn State and Wisconsin wins Saturday night — but then made it clear they’re not rooting for Michigan when it plays South Carolina in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.
“Good luck to the rest of the B1G and South Carolina!” MSU senior linebacker Chris Frey wrote on Twitter.
“Big ten baby! But still #CmonSouthCarolina,” MSU sophomore linebacker Joe Bachie posted, also on Twitter.
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Michigan (8-4) is the heaviest favorite of all the Big Ten teams that made bowl games, at eight points over South Carolina (8-4). A win by the Wolverines would cap the Big Ten’s bowl-season record at 8-0. They play at noon in Tampa, Fla. The game will be televised on ESPN2, and carried locally on the radio at 950-AM.
The reason behind the Michigan State sentiment is obvious: Michigan is its biggest rival. There also are some hard feelings about Michigan’s slotting into the Outback Bowl, a more-prestigious bowl than the Holiday Bowl where Michigan State, with the better record and a head-to-head win, ended up.
Here are the Big Ten’s bowl results, so far:
Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa 27, Boston College 20
Foster Farms Bowl: Purdue 38, Arizona 35
Holiday Bowl: Michigan State 42, Washington State 17
Music City Bowl: Northwestern 24, Kentucky 23
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State 24, Southern Cal 7
Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 35, Washington 28
Orange Bowl: Wisconsin 34, Miami (Fla.) 24