Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. This is the only Big Ten Podcast that’ll cover all 18 teams. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.

Happy New Year! 2025 is officially here as the college football season comes to an end. The Big Ten is having a strong showing in bowl season going 8-5 with a 4-1 record against SEC teams including Michigan upsetting Alabama and USC beating Texas A&M in a 35-31 shootout. The good vibes continue for the conference as they are guaranteed to have at least one team in the national championship game as Ohio State and Penn State have secured their bids to the college football playoff semi-finals. 

Penn State continues to click at the end of the season while capitalizing on their easier path in the playoffs rolling Ashton Jeanty and Boise State. Jeanty entered the game needing a little over 130 yards to pass Barry Sanders's single-season rushing record but left the game in second place as the Nittany Lion's defense made it impossible for him to get going in the running game. When the 12-team playoff format was announced Penn State was identified as the biggest beneficiary of the expanded playoff and they are proving that sentiment true by reaching the semi-finals in their first appearance. 

Ohio State can’t go back in time and fix their loss to Michigan. They also can’t erase the fact that they haven’t beaten Michigan or won the Big Ten in four seasons but they can win a national championship after dominating Oregon. The Buckeyes opened the game with 34 unanswered points leading 34-0 before Oregon scored going into the half. Ohio State’s defense dominated all but the middle eight minutes of the game finishing with eight sacks, double-digit tackles for loss, and nine pass breakups. Jeremiah Smith continues his impressive freshman season with seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes look like the hottest team in the playoffs.

In their weekly pitstops, Jordan calls for the Indianapolis Colts to fire their general manager and defensive staff. It’s time for major changes in that franchise. Dante believes that Eli Manning is an eventual Hall of Famer but doesn’t think he should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

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