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          Big Ten Blog

          Poll: Big Ten's best game in 2012

          Christmas is behind us, and as we wait for the new year we're seeing a lot of year-end, best-of lists.

          So we thought we'd get in the spirit by trying to figure out the best conference game from the Big Ten's 2012 regular season. It wasn't a year filled with classics, and certainly there was nothing on the scale of last season's two epic Wisconsin-Michigan State clashes. But there were still a lot of exciting contests. The question is: Which one was best? Here are five candidates:

          • Michigan 38, Northwestern 31 (OT), Nov. 10: Also known as the Roundtree Catch game. Devin Gardner's 53-yard heave to Roy Roundtree set up a game-tying field goal with two seconds left, and Michigan went on to win in overtime of a wild game.

          • Nebraska 29, Northwestern 28, Oct. 20: The Huskers trailed 28-16 with under six minutes to go but staged a frantic comeback. The Wildcats missed out on some golden opportunities to get themselves in the thick of the Legends Division hunt.

          • Ohio State 29, Purdue 22 (OT), Oct. 20: No matter what else he does in his career, Kenny Guiton has earned a place in Buckeyes lore. The backup quarterback led the Buckeyes to a touchdown and two-point conversion with three seconds left in regulation to tie the game, which Ohio State went on to win in overtime to keep its undefeated season alive.

          • Nebraska 28, Michigan State 24, Nov. 3: This one might be remembered more for the controversial calls than the actual game. But it was another incredible Huskers comeback, as they trailed 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Taylor Martinez's touchdown pass to Jamal Turner with six seconds to go won the game.

          • Penn State 24, Wisconsin 21 (OT), Nov. 24: There may not have been a whole lot on the line in this one, but both teams played like it was a championship week. The Badgers tied the score on a Curt Phillips touchdown pass with 18 seconds left, only to lose in overtime for the third time in four weeks. Penn State's Sam Ficken got to play hero after his early season struggles, and the program's vaunted senior class went out on a high note.

          Which game do you think was the best in the league in 2012? Vote now in our poll.