A chaotic Sunday across college football saw 12 Big Ten teams accept invites to play in a bowl game this postseason or the College Football Playoff, which will be represented by the conference champion Indiana Hoosiers, runners-up Ohio State Buckeyes and one-loss Oregon Ducks.
As for the other nine schools, each accepted bids to play in various bowl games around the country. Here is where everyone ended up.
Indiana Hoosiers: Big Ten champion, No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff
Thanks to a 13-10 upset over the previously ranked No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, the nation's new No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff can enjoy extra rest as they prepare to play in the Rose Bowl against the winner the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Alabama Crimson Tide. The Hoosiers' playoff journey will begin on New Year's Day, unlike last year when they were bounced from the opening round against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
According to the Big Ten Conference, the Hoosiers' Rose Bowl appearance is their first since 1967.
Ohio State Buckeyes: No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff, defending national champion
The Buckeyes were denied a trip to the Rose Bowl and instead find themselves returning to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic for the second-straight season. There, there will face the winner of an SEC-ACC matchup pitting two elite teams against one another. It will feature the Buckeyes playing either the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies or the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the quarterfinal round rather than playing another conference champion immediately.
The game will take place New Year's Eve at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Oregon Ducks: No. 5 overall seed, will host first-round game
The Ducks were left out of a conference title opportunity by virtue of the Hoosiers and Buckeyes having won their respective Week 14 games to clinch their respective spots. Because of this, the Ducks were denied an opportunity to earn a bye and instead will host an opening-round playoff game against James Madison. Should the Ducks come away victorious, they would face the Big 12 champion Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl. The Red Raiders enter the postseason as a No. 4 seed.
Which teams became bowl-eligible?
As stated previously, the Big Ten saw nine teams say yes to playing in a bowl game. Here are those matchups below.
| Game | Date | Time | TV Network |
| L.A. Bowl: Boise State vs, Washington | Dec. 13, 2025 (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calf.) | 8 p.m. ET | ABC |
| GameAbove Sports Bowl: Northwestern vs. Central Michigan | Dec. 26, 2025 (Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.) | 1 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. New Mexico | Dec. 26, 2025 (Chase Field, Phoenix, Ariz.) | 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson | Dec. 27, 2025 (Yankee Stadiu, Bronx, New York) | Noon ET | ABC |
| Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl: Illinois vs. Tennessee | Dec. 30, 2025 (Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.) | 5:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Valero Alamo Bowl: No. 18 USC vs. TCU | Dec. 30, 2025 (Alamodome Dome, San Antonio, Tex.) | Noon ET | ESPN |
| ReliaQuest Bowl: No. 23 Iowa vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt | Dec. 31, 2025 (Camping World Stadium, Tampa, Fla.) | Noon ET | ESPN |
| Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: No. 18 Michigan vs. No. 13 Texas | Dec. 31, 2025 (Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.) | 3 p.m. ET | ABC |
| SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah | Dec. 31, 2025 (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.) | 3:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
All in all, the conference will be well represented this postseason. Now, the games are only six days away.