Tag: Big Ten bowl games

Way-too-early bowl game projections for every Big Ten team in 2024

An early prediction for where every bowl-eligible team will end up in the postseason after the 2024 college football season.

As we continue to wade through down parts of the offseason in the world of college football and bide our time until the spring season rolls around, it’s been fun to take the information we have about current roster dynamics and try to project it into the future.

Earlier this year, we gave our way-too-early Big Ten power rankings, this time expanded to include the new additions from the West Coast. We also gave our early record predictions for each team in the conference, trying to project who will be among the top teams in the Big Ten next year.

Now it’s time to see if we can accurately predict where each team will end up when it comes to bowl season.

Of course, things are going to look a lot different in 2024 when it comes to the postseason because of the expansion of the College Football Playoff. While the first-round games will take place at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program, the quarterfinals and semifinal games will be played at traditional bowl sites. In 2024-25, those games will look as follows:

2024 quarterfinals: Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl
2024 semifinals: Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl

For the non-CFP teams, though, bowl season will commence as normal, with each conference. Here’s where we project all bowl-eligible Big Ten teams will end up in the 2024-25 postseason:

Where Wisconsin and the Big Ten land in 247Sports’ way-too-early 2023 bowl projections

Where Wisconsin and the Big Ten land in 247Sports’ way-too-early 2023 bowl projections

It’s never too early to look ahead to 2023 bowl season, especially with the offseason Wisconsin football has had.

A return to a more prestigious bowl game feels likely as the Badgers have put together an offseason full of changes.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently released a batch of way-too-early bowl projections for the 2023 season, and he has Wisconsin matching up with an ACC squad in a historic New Years Day bowl in 2023.

Can Wisconsin return to a big-time bowl game in Luke Fickell’s first year at the helm? Here is a look at where the Badgers and the rest of the Big Ten land in 247Sports’ early projections:

Bowl matchups for each Big Ten team this year

See where each Big Ten team will be spending the holiday season this year

urdueBowl season is officially upon us.

Nine teams from the Big Ten will be heading to a bowl game this year, with Michigan State unfortunately not cracking the cut. The Spartans finished the season 5-7 and due to Academic Progress Report (APR) tiebreakers fell just short of receiving a bowl bid.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look at the other Big Ten related bowl games. Here’s a look at where every Big Ten team will be spending the holiday season:

What Big Ten teams made bowl games?

Nine Big Ten programs made bowl games this year.

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Nine Big Ten programs made a bowl game this year, underscoring the strength of the conference from top-to-bottom.

The bowl season for the conference, of course, is highlighted by the Capital One Orange Bowl featuring No. 2 Michigan against No. 3 Georgia. That is one of two College Football Playoff games on Dec. 31, the other featuring No. 1 Alabama against No. 4 Cincinnati.

Four Big Ten teams finished in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Big Ten had the most teams (four) in the top 15 of the rankings of any conference. The SEC had five teams ranked in the College Football Playoff, led by No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia.

Bowl Projections, College Football Playoff Predictions: Week 3 With The Big Ten

The College Football News bowl projections, and the predictions for the College Football Playoff after Week 3, including the Big Ten.

The College Football News bowl projections, and the predictions for the College Football Playoff after Week 3, including the Big Ten.

And now the Big Ten should be a part of this thing.

Add the 14 extra teams in the mix, and now there are enough to fill out all of the bowl slots – even if there are a whole lot of losing records among the bowl teams.

Modifications continue to be made.

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The RedBox (Big Ten vs. Pac-12) has already decided not to play, and we’re going to assume that two – Famous Idaho Potato (MAC vs. Mountain West) and the NOVA Home Loans Arizona (MAC vs. Mountain West) – won’t be able to go.

Here’s how this continues to be broken down with the belief that contracted bowl tie-ins will be filled no matter what.

Who gets a bowl game, regardless of record?
Which bowl games are almost certain to go, no matter what?
New Year’s Six Bowls, and College Football Playoff.

– Bowls That Will Likely Be Played, Part 1
– Bowls That Will Likely Be Played, Part 2
– New Year’s Six Bowl Projections
– College Football Playoff Predictions

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews

2020-2021 Bowl Projections, College Football Playoff Predictions: Week 3

BOWL PROJECTIONS
If every college team is allowed to go bowling regardless of record

Call these the bowl games on the bubble. The only way they’ll be played will be if all the teams are allowed to go bowling. Don’t assume any of them will go off – few of these teams will be bowl eligible, if any – but …

Bahamas Bowl

ESPN, Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: FIU vs. Georgia State

Cactus Bowl

ESPN, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Bowl Projection: West Virginia vs. Indiana

Camellia Bowl

ESPN, Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: UAB vs. Troy

Gasparillia Bowl

ESPN, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or SEC
Bowl Projection: Florida State vs. Ole Miss

LA Bowl

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: Pac-12 vs. MWC
Bowl Projection: Duke vs. Purdue

Mistubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl

ESPN, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: Pac-12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Wake Forest vs. Missouri

Myrtle Beach Bowl

ESPN, Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or MAC or Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: USF vs. Coastal Carolina

New Mexico Bowl

ESPN, Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or C-USA or MAC
Bowl Projection: East Carolina vs. Charlotte

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

ESPN, Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Big 12
Bowl Projection: Georgia Tech vs. Kansas

SoFi Hawaii Bowl

ESPN, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: MWC vs. AAC or C-USA
Bowl Projection: Tulsa vs. WKU

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

ESPN, Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or C-USA or MAC or MWC
Bowl Projection: North Texas vs. Liberty

Those bowls are all long shots – again, most of those teams won’t be close to bowl eligible – and then there are the …

– Bowls That Will Likely Be Played, Part 1
– Bowls That Will Likely Be Played, Part 2
– New Year’s Six Bowl Projections
– College Football Playoff Predictions

NEXT: Bowls that will likely be played

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Making sense of the Big Ten bowl lineup

We will find out what bowls Big Ten teams are going to on Sunday. Let’s look at the potential destinations so we can be prepared for them.

Nine Big Ten teams will find out their bowl destinations on Sunday. Where will they be headed? And who are the likely opponents? Let’s look up and down the lineup and see what we can find. There are a few things that we know, though a ton is still up in the air. What happens this weekend–especially in the College Football Playoff race–will have trickle effects on all of the Big Ten’s biggest bowls.

First, we have to explain the Big Ten’s bowl process. After the Citrus Bowl, every bowl sends its preferred team(s) to the Big Ten. The conference then decide which teams go where, though there are some requirements. For example, most bowls have some sort of deal for “five teams in six years,” while the Pinstripe Bowl says its “goal is to have eight different Big Ten schools participate in eight years, with a minimum of six different” teams playing. As this year is the end of the six-year cycle for most of the bowls in the lineup, this leaves some bowls–most notably the Outback Bowl–in an awkward situation.

The easiest way to make sense of the lineup is to go through, bowl by bowl, what teams will be the likely option. Let’s start at the very top, where the answers are very obvious.

College Football Playoff

Restrictions: None

Likely teams: Ohio State

Barring an incredible collapse on Saturday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes will be going to the College Football Playoff. Either the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl is possible for the Buckeyes, though the Fiesta Bowl seems more likely. There is also a very slight chance that Wisconsin could find its way into the tournament. If the Badgers do make it, that will have shakeups down the bowl lineup, as I will explain.

Rose Bowl Game

Restrictions: None

Likely teams: Wisconsin, Penn State

Potential Opponents: Utah, Oregon

Based on the selection committee’s rankings this week, it seems very likely that Wisconsin will be going to the Rose Bowl. If, however, the Badgers get bumped down below Penn State after losing to Ohio State again, we could see the Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl.

Remember, though, the Rose Bowl gets to select its Big Ten team. It will very likely follow the selection committee’s rankings, but it is not bound by them. So if Wisconsin loses badly but doesn’t drop in the rankings, it could still be passed over by the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl could even select Minnesota after the Gophers had their best season in over 50 years, though that no longer seems likely now that Minnesota is the Big Ten’s sixth-highest ranked team.

The opponent in this game will be either Utah or Oregon. If Utah wins the Pac 12 Championship Game but does not make it to the Playoff, then Utah will be the opponent. If Utah reaches the CFP or Utah loses the Pac 12 Championship Game, then Oregon will be the opponent.

Next… Other NY6 Bowls and New Years’ Day Bowls

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Big Ten Football Week 14 Rooting Interests

With one week left in the college football season, bowl pictures are beginning to shape up. Here is what every Big Ten team should root fo.

We have already looked at what Ohio State should root for this week. As the Buckeyes have gone undefeated until now and the Playoff picture is clearer, Ohio State’s interests are becoming simpler. There is plenty for the rest of the Big Ten to root for, though, especially as the bowl picture becomes clearer. There isn’t much for the lower Big Ten teams to root for, so I’m only going to deal with those teams that are (potentially) bowl-eligible. I will go more or less in reverse order of the current Big Ten standings, but Indiana is by far the most interesting, so I’ll deal with them before Illinois.

Michigan State Spartans

This is simple for the Spartans. Win this week and go bowling. Depending on what fans want in a bowl game, other rooting interests can be different. Do you want to face another 6-6 P5 team? Root for North Carolina and Boston College to win this week. (And I guess for Clemson to lose to South Carolina to potentially free up another ACC bowl spot.) If you’d rather see Michigan State play a more winnable game against a replacement team, then root against North Carolina and Boston College instead.

Indiana Hoosiers

The last time Indiana was in anything approximating a major bowl game was the 1990 Peach Bowl. Well, due to a weird confluence of circumstances, the Hoosiers are looking at an Outback Bowl bid this year. How and why could the Big Ten’s seventh-best team end up in a New Years’ Day (and the conference’s third/fourth-best) bowl game? Let’s break it down.

The Big Ten’s current six-year bowl contract states that each bowl must have at least five different teams over the six year. The only Big Ten bowl partner that has to worry about meeting this criteria is the Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl took Iowa both last year and after the 2016 season, and therefore has only had four Big Ten teams in the last five year. The other three teams were Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northwestern. Northwestern won’t be in any bowl game this year, obviously. However, this means that Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa cannot be selected for this year’s Outback Bowl.

So, what other teams would be selected in front of Indiana? The other top-level options are Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota. It seems nearly impossible for Ohio State to not make an NY6 Bowl. So all Indiana needs is for Penn State and Minnesota to be selected for NY6 bowls or the Citrus Bowl, and Indiana is the only real choice left for the Outback Bowl.

What should Indiana fans look for to get this outcome?

First of all, Ohio State should beat Michigan to keep the Wolverines out of the NY6 and Citrus Bowl pool. Then Minnesota should beat Wisconsin. If those two happen, Indiana is a near-lock for the Outback Bowl. The Ohio State-Minnesota winner will make the Playoff and the loser heads to the Rose Bowl; Penn State will either be in the Orange Bowl or Citrus Bowl. And even if Big Ten bowls slide up a slot or two (say, if both Ohio State and Minnesota make the Playoff and/or if Penn State gets the Cotton Bowl), Indiana will still get the Outback Bowl. Michigan and/or Wisconsin would move up into the next NY6 bowl or Citrus Bowl, which still leaves Indiana as the best option for the Outback Bowl.

In fact, even if Indiana loses to Purdue, the Hoosiers are possibly headed to the Outback Bowl. Illinois would be competition for the spot, though, so Northwestern taking out Illinois would be important. Of course, there is a chance the Outback Bowl would request a 6-6 Michigan State team (or Nebraska) over Indiana, so Indiana should just take care of business and beat Purdue.

If, however, Wisconsin beats Minnesota or Michigan beats Ohio State, then things get complicated. As long as Penn State or Minnesota doesn’t get pushed out of the NY6 and Citrus Bowls, Indiana will get the Outback. If, however, one of those two falls far enough, that team will almost certainly get priority for the Outback Bowl over Indiana.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois is very likely locked into the Pinstripe Bowl (very slight change at the Redbox Bowl). While the Big Ten bowl pool doesn’t officially have any real hierarchy, in reality those are the two lowest. And it makes sense–those will also have the weaker opponents, which will provide better games. The Pinstripe Bowl will have a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, while the Redbox Bowl will feature a middle-of-the-pack Pac 12 team. Either should be a good opponent for this Illinois team.

If Illinois fans want a more prestigious bowl, though, just look at everything in the last section about Indiana. Root for all of that, plus an Indiana loss to Purdue. If that happens, 7-5 Illinois might just be the Outback Bowl’s (and the Big Ten’s) preferred choice.

Next… Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan

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