When the human poll voters put Florida over Michigan and into the Bowl Championship Series title game opposite Ohio State, part of the rationale for elevating the Gators was that the SEC was a superior conference to the Big Ten.

Michigan entered the Rose Bowl against USC hoping to prove that they had suffered an injustice; instead, the Wolverines were outclassed by USC in a 32–18 rout in which the gap in athleticism between the teams — particularly in the battle between Michigan’s offensive line and USC’s front seven on defense — was evident throughout the contest.

Still, those looking for some insight into the title game based on Monday’s bowl results got a mixed bag. The Big Ten swept a pair of head-to-head matchups against the SEC, as Wisconsin beat Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando and Penn State downed Tennessee in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. But Big Ten runner-up Michigan, whose only previous loss had come at Ohio State in a 42–39 shootout, was manhandled by the Trojans in Pasadena, Calif.

Michigan, which closed its season with back-to-back losses for the third consecutive year, never got its vaunted running game going and could not protect quarterback Chad Henne from the stunting, twisting USC defensive front until it had fallen way behind in the second half.

USC coach Pete Carroll dialed up a variety of blitzes, confounding the Michigan lineman and leaving Henne with little time to throw. On the other side of the ball, Michigan’s front seven — thought to be the best in college football, failed to get to USC’s John David Booty with the same regularity.

When Michigan came to life for one brief stretch that spanned the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters, USC was quick to answer. Michigan pulled within one score on a touchdown and two-point conversion, but Booty snuffed out the brief rally with a beautiful 62-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Jarrett on 3rd-and-10 to restore the twotouchdown lead. Jarrett, a junior who will be a high NFL draft pick if he opts to turn pro, had his way with the Michigan secondary, catching 11 balls for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

When Michigan played Ohio State in November, the Buckeyes were clearly the better team but didn’t dominate the Wolverines athletically, as was the case against USC. Florida’s overall defensive speed is nearly as good as USC’s, so the Rose Bowl result could suggest the Buckeyes are in for a fight.

The performance by USC could lead to the Trojans being ranked no. 1 in the preseason polls next fall. This was, after all, a “rebuilding” year for Carroll’s program, which nonetheless finished 11–2 and would have made the BCS title game had it not been upset by UCLA to end the regular season.

Michigan will also be highly ranked, despite the drubbing in Pasadena. The Wolverines have most of their key players coming back. Still, this result is likely to lead to some grumbling from the Michigan faithful grown tired of losing to Ohio State (five times in six seasons) and in bowl games (four straight).

Despite the Rose Bowl result, the Big Ten’s performance in its first two matchups against the SEC had to be encouraging for Ohio State as it prepares for the third battle between the leagues in the title game next Monday.

Wisconsin proved it was more than a product of a soft schedule — and that it had more weapons than just freshman tailback P.J. Hill — in a 17–14 win over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl. Hill, who led the Big Ten in rushing with more than 1,500 yards, gained just 37 yards on 19 carries and his fumble gave Arkansas a chance to tie the score in the fourth quarter. But senior quarterback John Stocco threw a pair of scoring passes and Wisconsin managed to contain the explosive Arkansas offense on the scoreboard despite being gashed by big days from both Arkansas running backs, Felix Jones and Darren McFadden.

The Razorbacks’ Achilles’ heel was the same it has been all season — the passing game. Quarterbacks Casey Dick and Mitch Mustain combined to complete less than 50% of their throws, and each tossed an interception. Arkansas also committed 11 penalties for 110 yards.

The win capped a surprising 12–1 season for Wisconsin and first-year coach Bret Bielema. Despite its regular-season success, Wisconsin came into the bowl game against the SEC runner-up as a bit of a mystery, thanks mostly to a soft nonconference schedule and a loss in its only game against elite competition — to Michigan in September. But the Badgers were able to beat Arkansas — despite having their power rushing game completely shut down by the Razorbacks — because Stocco was opportunistic and the Badgers’ massive offensive line gave him time to throw.

Earlier, Penn State got an 88-yard fumble return from Tony Davis to break a fourth-quarter tie against Tennessee in an eventual 20–10 win over the Volunteers in the Outback Bowl. Quarterback Anthony Morelli was excellent against the Tennessee defense, avoiding the mistakes that have plagued him much of the season, while Tony Hunt ground out 160 yards on 31 carries.

Perhaps most noteworthy in the Capital One and Outback games was that the Big Ten defenses had more than enough speed to cope with the SEC offenses, and the offenses showed some big-play capability of their own.

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In other New Year’s Day games, Auburn salvaged a win for the SEC when it edged Nebraska, 17–14, in the Cotton Bowl on the strength of a pair of scoring runs by seldomused fullback Carl Stewart. The win capped an uneven year for the Tigers (11–2), who managed to beat BCS-bound LSU and Florida, but lost to Arkansas and Georgia.

The game’s most entertaining game was the Jacksonville, Fla., Gator Bowl, where West Virginia overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat Georgia Tech, 38–35. With tailback Steve Slaton injured, quarterback Pat White threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 145 yards and another score. Fullback Owen Schmitt, normally a lead blocker for Slaton and short-yardage specialists, also topped 100 yards and contributed a pair of scores.

The Gator Bowl likely marked the final collegiate game for Georgia Tech’s outstanding receiver, Calvin Johnson. If so, Johnson went out on a high note with 186 yards and two touchdowns. The junior is widely expected to declare for the NFL draft, where he could end up competing with USC’s Jarrett to be the first receiver selected.

Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.