FanPost

Bowl Game Implications

I spent some time with this today, there are some interesting, and frankly, scary possibilities out there...

[1] Six wins does not get you to a bowl game this year, it is going to take seven for sure.
[2] Unless Michigan beats Ohio State, the Big Ten will only have one BCS team this year, which means there will be four teams fighting hard for the conferences sixth bowl bid to the Motor City Bowl.
[3] If Michigan State beats Michigan, all hell is going to break loose.

Consider...

Assuming Ohio State wins out, the Buckeyes will play in the BCS championship game.  There is no doubt that the BCS will not take the Wolverines at 9-3, especially after loosing to Appalachian State.  So the Capital One Bowl takes Michigan.

The Outback Bowl has the next pick.  Penn State played there last year while Wisconsin was in the Capital One Bowl.  Wisconsin brought nobody to Orlando last year because they were in Tampa the year before, and it would also be Penn State's third trip to Florida in a row.  Secretly, I think the Outback Bowl wants Illinois.  The Illini have not been to Bowl in years, and their fans are hungry and looking for a vacation.[Editor's note: if the Outback Bowl gets Alabama, all bets are off and they will do whatever is necessary to get Penn State]

The Alamo Bowl has an embarrassment of riches to choose from.  They have never had Wisconsin, and its been forever since they have had Penn State.  However, they might get stuck with Purdue if the Boilers beat Penn State, which would suck for them. I bet we have a ton of fans in San Antonio this weekend.  FYI, the Alamo Bowl is played on Saturday December 29th against a Big 12 opponent [I'm thinking Kansas, Missouri or Texas].

Next pick goes to the Champs Sports Bowl, in Orlando (Friday December 28th, against an ACC opponent);  if Penn State does not win out, but splits with Purdue and Michigan State, this is where the Nittany Lions go.  If Penn State looses to Sparty and the Boilers, they take the Badgers.  Purdue is a possibility here as well, but they were here last year. [What about Florida State or Miami here?]

The Insight Bowl is also in a great spot, they will either get 7-5 Penn State or 8-4 Wisconsin.  Not a bad deal for them, or a bad trip for a thoroughly disappointing team.  The Insight Bowl is at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix on New Years Eve (versus Big 12).  Both teams have to stand on the same sideline, imagine hearing JoePa bellyache about that for a month.  If Purdue looses out (PSU, MSU and Indiana) they would end up here. Probable opponents include Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Colorado.

The Motor City Bowl (versus MAC Champion, Ford Field, Wednesday December 26th)  literally has a hard-on dreaming about Michigan State here.  The competition for this bid is, quite simply, fierce, and it is going to take seven wins and/or a miracle to get it.  Michigan State has the toughest road (Michigan, Purdue and Penn State), and needs to win two out of three.  Iowa has to win all three of their remaining games to get to seven wins, but plays Northwestern, Minnesota, and Western Michigan.  If Michigan State can't win two out of three, and Indiana beats Ball State and either Northwestern or Purdue, don't be surprised if the Hoosiers get this bid.  They are dying for a Bowl at Indiana, and would not look at this one as being beneath them. Probable opponents include, I swear to god, Buffalo and Central Michigan.  

Sucks to be Iowa, who realistically could be 7-5 with no bowl bid, or worse, a bowl bid that a Sun Belt team didn't use.

It is absolutely imperative that Penn State beat Purdue tomorrow. A trip to East Lansing to play Michigan State with bowl bids on the line would be scary. Imagine playing the Spartans, on the road, winner goes to Phoenix, looser goes to Detroit in December. I guess the moral of the story is that it's time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and time to get up for another big game.

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