Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, January 13, 2016

One year after Ohio State claimed the inaugural College Football Playoff national crown, the Big Ten compiled another successful season that saw Michigan State make the national semifinals.

[ MORE: 2015-16 bowl results | View final 2015 polls | Way-too-early 2016 polls ]

A total of six Big Ten teams finished in the final AP poll, released Monday, including four in the top 12: No. 4 Ohio State; No. 6 Michigan State; No. 9 Iowa; No. 12 Michigan. No. 21 Wisconsin and No. 23 Northwestern round out the Big Ten contingent.

Here are a couple more 2015 factoids:

  • This is the fourth time since the AP poll began in 1927 that four Big Ten teams finished in the top 12 of the final poll, also doing so in 1956, 1961 and 1999.
  • This is the second time that at least six Big Ten teams appeared in the top 25, second only to 1999, when the conference placed seven.

And then there's this: The Big Ten's 11 bowl wins the last two seasons are the most over a two-year stretch in Big Ten history.

Anyone else ready for the 2016 season?