Tag: Bowl

Wisconsin stands in the way of Nebraska extending a record losing streak

Wisconsin stands in the way of Nebraska extending a record losing streak

The stakes are high for the Wisconsin Badgers (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) road matchup against rival Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten) on Saturday.

Both teams enter the game at 5-5, needing just one more win to clinch bowl eligibility.

Related: Everything Luke Fickell said about the Phil Longo firing, Badgers’ offensive plan moving forward

Normally, that would be enough stakes alone. But how each team has reached this point is significant to note.

Wisconsin was 5-2 through seven games after a win over Northwestern capped an impressive three-game winning streak. The season has somewhat tanked since then, with demoralizing losses to Penn State, Iowa and Oregon, respectively.

The Badgers fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo after the latest loss, signaling the current state of affairs in year two of the Luke Fickell era. Overall, the program is far from where many expected it to be.

The Nebraska side is somehow even worse. The Cornhuskers were 5-1 to start the year, headlined by a big win over Colorado. They appeared to be at the start of a resurgence in year two under Matt Rhule.

Since that point: 56-7 loss to Indiana, 21-17 loss to Ohio State, 27-20 loss to UCLA and 28-20 loss to USC. Nebraska brings a four-game losing streak into Saturday’s matchup.

That four-game losing streak means a bit more to Nebraska than Wisconsin’s losing streak does to its program. Nebraska has not made a bowl game since 2016. It is now a whopping 0-9 in games with bowl eligibility on the line during that time, including now 0-8 under Rhule — 0-4 in 2023, 0-4 in 2024.

The FBS record for consecutive losses with bowl eligibility at stake is 10 (Mike MacIntyre and Colorado from 2017-18 and Lou Holtz at South Carolina from 2002-04). Another loss for Rhule would bring him within one defeat of the record. Losses to both Wisconsin and Iowa to close the season would bring him to that mark.

That’s what Wisconsin has to play for on Saturday, other than the famous Freedom Trophy — that Nebraska has yet to possess. With a win, the Badgers would put Nebraska in a record category of programs to lose 10 straight games with bowl eligibility at stake. With a loss, Wisconsin would forever be the team that ended that record bowl drought.

There are larger Fickell vs. Rhule implications after both were high-profile hires before the 2023 season. But that conversation can wait until postgame. Just note: coaches that lose nine or ten straight games with bowl eligibility on the line usually don’t stick around for very long.

Wisconsin and Nebraska will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Behind the scenes of Alabama footballs day at Disneyland

Alabama football soaking up the fun at Disneyland

Even amongst the New York’s Six bowls, there is just something special about the Rose Bowl, otherwise known as “The Granddaddy of them all.” From the nostalgia of the venue, to the beauty of the mountains in the backdrop, to the famous rose parade it is something special that every football fan needs to witness at least once.

The Alabama football team is soaking up all of the pageantry of the Rose Bowl experience as they are spending today at Disneyland. The game itself is important and will be taken seriously, but it is important for the guys to enjoy a lifelong memory like this with teammates and to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

After a narrow Week 3 victory against USF, I would have told you that you were out of your mind if you thought Alabama would be playing for a Rose Bowl. Yet, here we are, so I think it is important that everyone enjoys the past 13 weeks regardless of the outcome next Monday.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Where’s Alabama in USA TODAY Sports’ updated playoff and bowl projections?

Who and where is Alabama expected to play after the regular season concludes?

The College Football Playoff race is drawing closer to the finish with only two weekends left before bowl selections. As things currently stand, we are likely headed to only the second college football playoffs that won’t feature Alabama.

The Tide will have one last chance to make an impact on the committee as they take on the Auburn Tigers this Saturday. The Iron Bowl is widely recognized as the greatest rivalry game in college football, but for the first time in nearly a decade, both sides enter the game with no real chance at a title. Don’t get it twisted though, there is still plenty at stake. Aside from just bragging rights, Bryce Young looks to become only the second quarterback under Nick Saban to finish his time in Tuscaloosa perfect against the Tigers. A victory over such an intense rival is the perfect way to roll into bowl season with momentum.

USA TODAY Sports updated its playoff and bowl projections ahead of rivalry weekend. The Tide are projected to meet up with the Kansas State Wildcats in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31. This would be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Wildcats currently sit at 8-3 with a trip to the Big-12 championship game likely in the cards.

As for the playoffs, Georgia is slated to take on Clemson in the Peach Bowl while Ohio State and TCU will meet in the Fiesta Bowl. With rivalry weekend and conference championships coming up, the only thing you can guarantee is mayhem.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Where and who the Crimson Tide are projected to play this bowl season?

Coming off the bye week, how do the experts see the rest of Alabama’s season going?

The race for the college football playoff is really beginning to heat up as we have entered the final month of the regular season. While there are still plenty of teams in the mix, things will begin to work themselves out as this month features matchups like Ohio State against Michigan and Georgia against Tennessee just to name a few.

Fortunately for Alabama fans, the Crimson Tide are still very much in the race for a playoff spot and even control their own destiny. November will be a tough month for the Tide as they travel to LSU and Ole Miss before capping off the season at home with Austin Peay and Auburn. If Alabama can finish the year 4-0, they will earn a spot in the SEC Championship game against either Georgia or Tennessee.

USA TODAY Sports released their updated projections for the upcoming bowl season and playoffs. The predictions reflect that Georgia and Clemson will meet in the Peach Bowl while Ohio State and Tennessee will be playing in the Fiesta Bowl.

As for the Crimson Tide, they are expected to represent the SEC in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 against the TCU Horned Frogs. While this would ultimately be a disappointing result for Alabama, there is still a lot of football left to be played, and as long as Bryce Young wears Crimson Alabama will have a chance.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

What the experts are predicting: Notre Dame vs. California

Do you think the Irish finally win one?

It’s getting to be a desperate time for Notre Dame. The question fast is becoming whether it even will earn enough wins to earn an invitation to any bowl game. It can get started on that track if it beats California.

Let’s look at what some college football experts, including fellow College Wire sites, are predicting for this game:

College Football News week 1 Big Ten bowl projections

College Football News week 1 bowl projections #GoBucks #B1G

Our friends over at College Football News have provided us with their updated bowl projections after the completion of week 1 and I will be the first one to admit that the Ohio State Buckeyes need to find their offense going forwars. The shake-up we are seeing in the rankings and in national narratives have more to do with what Georgia did, considering OSU is still undefeated and beat a top-five opponent.

This past week was wild in the land of the Big Ten and it started with a wild finish in the Penn State and Purdue contest, where the Nittany Lions got a close win. Michigan State pulled away late, flexing its muscle against a MAC opponent in Western Michigan. Let’s now dive into where each Big Ten team is slated according to Pete Fiutak of CFN.

National media’s bowl projections for Georgia football in 2022

The national media is pretty much all on the same page when it comes to Georgia’s projected 2022 bowl game

Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. Those are the three teams that pretty much every outlet predicts will make the College Football Playoff this season. The fourth spot, whether it be Clemson or Notre Dame, seems to be up for grabs.

However, there’s no denying that preseason bowl projections are as meaningless as preseason rankings. But there’s also no denying that these projections are a great way to kill the time between now and college football beginning next week.

We reviewed some of the leading national media outlets’ bowl predictions for Georgia this season, and there’s really not any out-of-the-box projections being made for the 2022 Bulldogs.

Take a look here:

Wisconsin to play in the Las Vegas Bowl

Wisconsin will play in the Las Vegas Bowl

The Wisconsin Badgers will play the Arizona State Sun Devils in this year’s Las Vegas Bowl, according to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.

The game is scheduled for December 30 at 7:30 p.m. local time, 9:30 p.m. central.

“I’m extremely proud of our team for earning the right to play another game together, and we are excited that opportunity will come in the Las Vegas Bowl,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “We look forward to the challenge of playing a very good Arizona State team.”

The Sun Devils sit at 8-4 on the season with losses to BYU, Utah, Washington State and Oregon State. It is the first matchup between the schools since a 32-30 Arizona State win in 2013.

The bowl appearance is Wisconsin’s No. 20 straight dating back to 2002.

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Notre Dame’s updated national bowl projections following Oregon loss

Where do you have Notre Dame ending up this postseason?

The path seemed impossible a few short weeks ago but thanks to Oregon getting dismantled at Utah, the Big Ten only having one team survive the season with one loss, and Alabama not exactly stacking up the style points against Arkansas, Notre Dame still has a shot at the College Football Playoff (CFP).

The new CFP rankings come out Tuesday night and we expect Notre Dame to check in sixth.  Obviously there is a lot ahead that needs to go the way of the Irish down the stretch, but the CFP remains a possibility for them.

Now are any national writers willing to project that outcome yet?

Here are the updated national Notre Dame bowl projections:

ESPN updates CFB bowl projections, Georgia sitting pretty

ESPN updates CFB bowl projections and has high hopes for the Dawgs

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have updated their college football bowl projections, including predictions for the College Football Playoff semifinals and who will play in the national championship.

With the Georgia Bulldogs sitting at 7-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, both Bonagura and Schlabach have UGA making the College Football Playoff and playing in the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami on New Years Eve.

Bonagura’s prediction: Georgia vs. Michigan in the Orange Bowl

Schlabach’s prediction: Georgia vs. Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl

Bonagura predicts a Cincinnati vs. Alabama Cotton Bowl as the other playoff game. Schlabach has Ohio State vs. Oklahoma meeting in that game.

The winners of the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl would meet in the national championship game in Indianapolis on January 10.

Both Bonagura and Schlabach have UGA making it to the national title.

Bonagura predicts UGA to play Alabama in the title game. Schlabach predicts Georgia to take on Ohio State.

No prediction for who wins the national championship was released, but if Georgia fans had their pick, I think most would prefer to play Ohio State rather than Alabama. We’ve seen that story one too many times.

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