There is a little over two months of meaningful college football to play before the College Football Playoff and bowl season arrive. That has not stopped prognosticators from placing schools in games and brackets, including programs out of the Big Ten.
Ahead of Week 5, Erick Smith of USA Today put out his latest bowl projections, and collaborated with USAT teammate Paul Myerberg on this week’s College Football Playoff bracket expectations.
We need to talk about this.
CFP bracket does two Big Ten teams dirty
Three Big Ten football teams made this week’s bracket, but two of them are pitted against each other in the CFP Quarterfinals – No. 7 Oregon Ducks and No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (seeding is CFP, not AP or Coaches Poll).
It’s the only of the four games that features an opponent from the same conference. Either this is a way stir the pot, or a poor choice. Flip No. 8 Tennessee with the Ducks, and no one would bat an eye.
Ohio State checks in at the Big Ten champs spot, as the second seed.
Michigan as a first four out after relative obscurity is a big leap, but the win over USC at least reaffirmed the Wolverines’ stance as a top unit on defense.
Big Ten teams littered throughout bowl games
The previous three teams help make up the College Football Playoff bowl season, but there’s an endless supply of other bowl games that need teams. Ten additional programs would be playing in a bowl game if the season ended today, according to Smith and Myerberg.
- Duke’s Mayo – Iowa Hawkeyes vs. NC State Wolfpack
- First Responder – Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Citrus – Michigan Wolverines vs. Ole Miss Rebels
- Sun – Washington Huskies (as Pac-12 rep) vs. Pitt Panthers
- ReliaQuest – Illinois Fightin’ Illini vs. Missouri Tigers
- Music City – Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Oklahoma Sooners
- Alamo – USC Trojans (Pac-12) vs. Kansas State Wildcats
- Pinstripe – Wisconsin Badgers vs. Syracuse Orange
- Guaranteed Rate – Michigan State Spartans vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
- Detroit – Indiana Hoosiers vs. Toledo Rockets
Two teams getting in based on conference representation is padding stats, but it was agreed upon through next season.
What did Smith and Myerberg get wrong? Do more teams deserve bowl bids?