JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
This will be the last entry in the weekend’s bowl blog. You can scroll to the bottom and read up from there to follow how things played out.
12/8 7am: The Big Ten will get its 2-up scenario, which moves the teams below Michigan State (Rose) and Ohio State (BCS at large, likely Orange) up a spot. Here’s my final prediction:
Rose: MSU
Orange: Ohio State
Cap One: Wisconsin
Outback: Iowa
Buffalo Wild Wings: Nebraska
Gator: Michigan
Texas: Minnesota
Here are some additional predictions from around the web:
Tampa Tribune: They might know a thing or two about what they Outback is going to do. They are picking Iowa vs South Carolina.
BTN: Tom Dienhart picks Iowa to the Outback against South Carolina
CBS: OK, this link might read different when you click on it than it did when I posted it. But at the time I posted it (7am Sunday) they had Iowa to the Outback against LSU.
Sports Illustrated: Iowa v LSU in the Outback, though Stewart Mandel learned about the process this year.
SBNation: Iowa vs Texas A&M. Johnny Football’s (likely) last college game? Plenty of eyeballs on this one.
College Football News: Iowa vs South Carolina
KC Star: Blair Kerkoff picks Iowa v LSU
Orlando Sentinel: South Carolina v Iowa
USA TODAY: They had to have had an intern fill this out. They have the Outback taking Nebraska over Iowa then the BWW taking Michigan over Iowa and Iowa playing Georgia in the Gator Bowl.
12/7 11pm: Michigan State beats Ohio State in a very, very entertaining Big Ten championship game. The two best teams in the league went toe to toe and the one who might have the best defense in the nation won the game. If MSU had played with this level of offensive efficiency all season long, they would be playing for the national title in Pasadena. As it stands, they’ll settle for just the regular old Rose Bowl against Stanford. The Buckeyes will be an at large pick, but stay away from them in your pool as it will be a huge let down for them. The same can be said of Iowa’s possible Outback opponent Missouri; that bowl is a let down for them as they were thinking BCS all the way.
12/7 10pm: Stanford beating Arizona State was good for the B1G 2-up, as the Sun Devils were ranked just behind Michigan State. With Northern Illinois losing on Friday, and they were ranked 14th, Michigan State being more than just a pasty against Ohio State, the Big Ten is going to get two teams into the BCS. Official? No. But it’s going to happen, which means Iowa is going to Tampa. The Big Ten title game is not over yet, though.
12/7 7pm: Oklahoma’s win at Oklahoma State makes tomorrow night’s bowl announcement a little more interesting, but folks like CBS’s Jerry Palm still have Michigan State projected to the Rose and Ohio State in the national title game, which means they think MSU will be in the Top 14 of the at large pool. That’s all Iowa needs to head to the Outback, which I still think happens. Some projections, including Palm’s, still have Missouri against Iowa in the Outback. Missouri is in the process of giving up one trillion rushing yards to Auburn in the SEC title game. Bring on the Tigers, I say.
12/7 Noon Update: CBS Sports updated their bowl projections. They are now going with Iowa v Missouri in the Outback, as opposed to Iowa v South Carolina as they had this morning.
12/7 7:37am Update:
TWO UP SEEMS HIGHLY LIKELY
The 2-up scenario means two Big Ten teams into the BCS. This was a strong possibility before Friday’s Northern Illinois-Bowling Green game but seems highly likely now that Bowling Green beat Northern Illinois. Why?
If Michigan State loses to Ohio State, it must remain in the Top 14 to be considered for the at-large BCS bowl pool. MSU was 10th in this week’s BCS standings while Northern Illinois was 14th. The Huskies loss means that if MSU loses, that’s one less team that can jump them. I really don’t see how MSU would fall below 14th in this scenario. I could see Clemson, LSU, Central Florida, Arizona State and Oklahoma moving ahead of Michigan State if MSU loses and ASU beats Stanford and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State in Stillwater and UCF beats SMU.
That’s a lot of things that have to happen to keep MSU outside of the Top 14. I don’t think ALL of those things are going to happen so I believe the Spartans will be going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1980′s. If Michigan State beats Ohio State, the Spartans won’t have to sweat it out on Sunday as they will be in the Rose Bowl and then Ohio State will assuredly be selected as an at-large selection, likely the Orange or Sugar.
BCS: Ohio Sate
BCS: Michigan State
Capital One: Wisconsin. There is a chance the Capital One folks could select Iowa; the Hawkeyes are within the two-game spread of the team above them, so they are eligible for Cap One selection. I don’t think that happens and I see the Badgers going to the Land of the Mouse.
Outback: Iowa. This is where Iowa goes and I am seeing several projections matching the Hawkeyes up against South Carolina, Iowa’s foe the last time they were in the Outback Bowl. This is a much better South Carolina team than the one Iowa faced on January 1st, 2009. Jadaveon Clowney going up against Brandon Scherff would be worth the price of admission.
Buffalo Wild Wings: Nebraska. The Huskers will be matched up against one of their old friends from the Big 12. This bowl gets the fourth pick out of the Big 12, and with Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma in the top four, with at least one of them going to the BCS, the pick here could be Kansas State. That’s what Jerry Palm of CBS thinks, too.
Gator: Michigan. No brainer here, sorry Minnesota.
Texas: Minnesota
In the unlikely even there is a 1-up, Michigan State goes to the Cap One, Wisconsin to the Outback, I still think the Buffalo Wild Wings takes Nebraska and it’s a coin flip as to whether or not the Gator takes Iowa or Michigan.
I’d like to announce that HawkeyeNation.com will be teaming up with the Official University of Iowa Alumni Association Bowl Charter trip to Iowa’s bowl destination. This marks the 4th straight bowl game where we will be teaming up together, dating back to Iowa’s last trip to Florida (for the Orange Bowl).
You can visit www.hawkeyesportstravel.com right now to sign up your email address to be alerted the minute our packages are available, including pricing and options. In the past, the Alumni Association has stayed at the Mariott-Waterside hotel in Tampa, which is just across the street from the convention center where the Hawkeye Huddle takes place, and a very short walk (or trolley ride) to the popular Channelside Nightlife district. You can also catch the trolley ride to the Florida Aquarium (next door to Channelside) or all the way down to Ybor City, another very popular entertainment district for the annual New Year’s parade.
Here is a link to the property, which is one of the best in the Tampa area and perhaps the best as it comes to folks traveling into town for trips like this, considering the proximity to the convention center and nightlife areas.
Trips can include round-trip chartered air, round-trip airport and game transfers, Hawkeye welcome gathering, official pre-game event, Hawkeye Huddle, tours to local attractions optional tours, and more. Options include a deluxe tour, game-day package, and a pre-game tailgate-only option.
So get signed up for the email alerts, and/or check back here late Sunday night after the bowls have been announced and you will be able to place your order and secure your seat on the trip. Spaces will be limited and when they are sold, they are sold.
12/8 7am: The Big Ten will get its 2-up scenario, which moves the teams below Michigan State (Rose) and Ohio State (BCS at large, likely Orange) up a spot. Here’s my final prediction:
Rose: MSU
Orange: Ohio State
Cap One: Wisconsin
Outback: Iowa
Buffalo Wild Wings: Nebraska
Gator: Michigan
Texas: Minnesota
Here are some additional predictions from around the web:
Tampa Tribune: They might know a thing or two about what they Outback is going to do. They are picking Iowa vs South Carolina.
BTN: Tom Dienhart picks Iowa to the Outback against South Carolina
CBS: OK, this link might read different when you click on it than it did when I posted it. But at the time I posted it (7am Sunday) they had Iowa to the Outback against LSU.
Sports Illustrated: Iowa v LSU in the Outback, though Stewart Mandel learned about the process this year.
SBNation: Iowa vs Texas A&M. Johnny Football’s (likely) last college game? Plenty of eyeballs on this one.
College Football News: Iowa vs South Carolina
KC Star: Blair Kerkoff picks Iowa v LSU
Orlando Sentinel: South Carolina v Iowa
USA TODAY: They had to have had an intern fill this out. They have the Outback taking Nebraska over Iowa then the BWW taking Michigan over Iowa and Iowa playing Georgia in the Gator Bowl.
12/7 11pm: Michigan State beats Ohio State in a very, very entertaining Big Ten championship game. The two best teams in the league went toe to toe and the one who might have the best defense in the nation won the game. If MSU had played with this level of offensive efficiency all season long, they would be playing for the national title in Pasadena. As it stands, they’ll settle for just the regular old Rose Bowl against Stanford. The Buckeyes will be an at large pick, but stay away from them in your pool as it will be a huge let down for them. The same can be said of Iowa’s possible Outback opponent Missouri; that bowl is a let down for them as they were thinking BCS all the way.
12/7 10pm: Stanford beating Arizona State was good for the B1G 2-up, as the Sun Devils were ranked just behind Michigan State. With Northern Illinois losing on Friday, and they were ranked 14th, Michigan State being more than just a pasty against Ohio State, the Big Ten is going to get two teams into the BCS. Official? No. But it’s going to happen, which means Iowa is going to Tampa. The Big Ten title game is not over yet, though.
12/7 7pm: Oklahoma’s win at Oklahoma State makes tomorrow night’s bowl announcement a little more interesting, but folks like CBS’s Jerry Palm still have Michigan State projected to the Rose and Ohio State in the national title game, which means they think MSU will be in the Top 14 of the at large pool. That’s all Iowa needs to head to the Outback, which I still think happens. Some projections, including Palm’s, still have Missouri against Iowa in the Outback. Missouri is in the process of giving up one trillion rushing yards to Auburn in the SEC title game. Bring on the Tigers, I say.
12/7 Noon Update: CBS Sports updated their bowl projections. They are now going with Iowa v Missouri in the Outback, as opposed to Iowa v South Carolina as they had this morning.
12/7 7:37am Update:
TWO UP SEEMS HIGHLY LIKELY
The 2-up scenario means two Big Ten teams into the BCS. This was a strong possibility before Friday’s Northern Illinois-Bowling Green game but seems highly likely now that Bowling Green beat Northern Illinois. Why?
If Michigan State loses to Ohio State, it must remain in the Top 14 to be considered for the at-large BCS bowl pool. MSU was 10th in this week’s BCS standings while Northern Illinois was 14th. The Huskies loss means that if MSU loses, that’s one less team that can jump them. I really don’t see how MSU would fall below 14th in this scenario. I could see Clemson, LSU, Central Florida, Arizona State and Oklahoma moving ahead of Michigan State if MSU loses and ASU beats Stanford and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State in Stillwater and UCF beats SMU.
That’s a lot of things that have to happen to keep MSU outside of the Top 14. I don’t think ALL of those things are going to happen so I believe the Spartans will be going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1980′s. If Michigan State beats Ohio State, the Spartans won’t have to sweat it out on Sunday as they will be in the Rose Bowl and then Ohio State will assuredly be selected as an at-large selection, likely the Orange or Sugar.
BCS: Ohio Sate
BCS: Michigan State
Capital One: Wisconsin. There is a chance the Capital One folks could select Iowa; the Hawkeyes are within the two-game spread of the team above them, so they are eligible for Cap One selection. I don’t think that happens and I see the Badgers going to the Land of the Mouse.
Outback: Iowa. This is where Iowa goes and I am seeing several projections matching the Hawkeyes up against South Carolina, Iowa’s foe the last time they were in the Outback Bowl. This is a much better South Carolina team than the one Iowa faced on January 1st, 2009. Jadaveon Clowney going up against Brandon Scherff would be worth the price of admission.
Buffalo Wild Wings: Nebraska. The Huskers will be matched up against one of their old friends from the Big 12. This bowl gets the fourth pick out of the Big 12, and with Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma in the top four, with at least one of them going to the BCS, the pick here could be Kansas State. That’s what Jerry Palm of CBS thinks, too.
Gator: Michigan. No brainer here, sorry Minnesota.
Texas: Minnesota
In the unlikely even there is a 1-up, Michigan State goes to the Cap One, Wisconsin to the Outback, I still think the Buffalo Wild Wings takes Nebraska and it’s a coin flip as to whether or not the Gator takes Iowa or Michigan.
I’d like to announce that HawkeyeNation.com will be teaming up with the Official University of Iowa Alumni Association Bowl Charter trip to Iowa’s bowl destination. This marks the 4th straight bowl game where we will be teaming up together, dating back to Iowa’s last trip to Florida (for the Orange Bowl).
You can visit www.hawkeyesportstravel.com right now to sign up your email address to be alerted the minute our packages are available, including pricing and options. In the past, the Alumni Association has stayed at the Mariott-Waterside hotel in Tampa, which is just across the street from the convention center where the Hawkeye Huddle takes place, and a very short walk (or trolley ride) to the popular Channelside Nightlife district. You can also catch the trolley ride to the Florida Aquarium (next door to Channelside) or all the way down to Ybor City, another very popular entertainment district for the annual New Year’s parade.
Here is a link to the property, which is one of the best in the Tampa area and perhaps the best as it comes to folks traveling into town for trips like this, considering the proximity to the convention center and nightlife areas.
Trips can include round-trip chartered air, round-trip airport and game transfers, Hawkeye welcome gathering, official pre-game event, Hawkeye Huddle, tours to local attractions optional tours, and more. Options include a deluxe tour, game-day package, and a pre-game tailgate-only option.
So get signed up for the email alerts, and/or check back here late Sunday night after the bowls have been announced and you will be able to place your order and secure your seat on the trip. Spaces will be limited and when they are sold, they are sold.
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