ESPN: Big Ten bowl projections: Week 2 (TaxSlayer: Minnesota)

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:


Our Week 2 projections ...

Chick-fil-A Peach/Cotton/Fiesta/Orange: Michigan State
Chick-fil-A Peach/Cotton/Fiesta/Orange: Ohio State
Capital One: Nebraska
Outback: Wisconsin
National University Holiday: Iowa
TaxSlayer/Franklin American Mortgage Music City: Minnesota
San Francisco: Michigan
New Era Pinstripe: Maryland
Quick Lane: Indiana
Heart of Dallas: Rutgers

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/106852/big-ten-bowl-projections-week-2-3

Go Gophers!!

 

[mplsbadger]

I tend to agree with the national consensus that the pack has tightened in the west and the Gophers are in the mix. The schedule still sucks, but who thought OSU and Michigan would be .500, who thought Iowa would look shaky against a MAC team, who thought UW would have their worst quarterback QBR from a first time starter since 1977?

 

[Gopher07]

I'll believe us getting picked over Michigan for a bowl when I see it. Even if we end with a better record, they fire Hoke at the end of the season, and Dave Brandon goes back to hocking cardboard pizza, the bowl committees will see them as a more attractive draw.

 

[maroonedinCA]

I'll believe us getting picked over Michigan for a bowl when I see it. Even if we end with a better record, they fire Hoke at the end of the season, and Dave Brandon goes back to hocking cardboard pizza, the bowl committees will see them as a more attractive draw.

If you're going to wallow in self pity at least first read up on the rule/process changes for bowl selections.

 

[Gopher07]

If you're going to wallow in self pity at least first read up on the rule/process changes for bowl selections.

The tiered system? Bowls still get to select in an order, but the B1G will try to avoid sending their teams to the same region two years in a row (or even two out of three years) is my understanding. That said, Michigan played in Arizona last year and we played in Texas, neither of which would preclude either team from playing in Tennessee or California. Plus, Delaney said it will be pretty much status quo for the first year:

"We're working with the bowls to create what I would describe as a process for selection and approval by each bowl, subject to a series of parameters," Delany said Monday. "We're going to really want to have different teams in different bowls. I think early on in the cycle, you'll see something that resembles a selection process, but as the bowls unfold, you'll see a real focus on getting diversity and freshness."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/78767/b1g-to-adopt-tiered-bowl-selection-process

Again, I'll believe it when I see it. It's not a "woe unto us" attitude for me at least, it's just based on what I've experienced over the past decade and a half. I wouldn't mind a bowl in SF versus a Pac-12 team. We'd still get a bunch of money either way, and a matchup versus a major conference opponent.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

After what we've seen first two weeks, I think OSU in a BCS Bowl is pretty optimistic. That prediction seems entirely based on pre-season hype and not at all on on-the-field results.

 

[Jike Spingleton]

The part about bowls wanting to avoid repeat visits will mostly only apply to the Florida bowls this year, since they are the games that have been tied to the Big Ten in previous seasons. Those bowls will try to avoid teams that made appearances in the last few years:

Capital One - Wisconsin, Nebraska, Nebraska
Outback - Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa
Gator - Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State

Orlando sticks out as the game that will be looking for variety. If Michigan State or Ohio State is on the table with 9 or 10 wins, you can bet they'll snap up that team. Otherwise, they'll be hoping someone other than Wisconsin or Nebraska becomes a viable choice.

One byproduct of the Big Ten's non-conference struggles will manifest itself in the shared tie-in with the ACC for the Gator and Music City Bowls. Three times in six years the Big Ten will send its 5th or 6th choice to Jacksonville or Nashville. Meanwhile, those games could get the 3rd choice of ACC teams, after the Orange and Russell Athletic Bowls, which could mean someone from Notre Dame/Clemson/Virginia Tech/Louisville/North Carolina - stronger offerings than the Big Ten this year. I'd expect the Big Ten to be in the Music City Bowl this season.