Bowl Projections
December 31, 2010 Tempe, AZ
Insight Bowl
Big Ten No. 4 or 5 vs. Big 12 No. 4
Projection: Michigan vs. Missouri
I think thats a tough matchup for Michigan unless our defense continues to show improvement. i like the matchups in the bowl games. Iowa vs LSU will be tough. Wisconsin and TCU is pretty interesting. OSU has a cupcake in theirs.
http://cfn.scout.com/a.z?s=451&p=2&c=557866
What do you guys think?
November 14th, 2010 at 4:29 PM ^
Well i doubt we finish in 4th or 5th.. in conference
And is it not stupid that NW would get a Jan 1 bowl game if they are really 6th in the conference below us?
November 14th, 2010 at 4:49 PM ^
"4 or 5" doesn't mean 4th or 5th place. It means 4th or 5th choice. Whichever bowl committee is picking can take anybody who has no more than two losses than the top team available. Michigan is a big draw and will likely move up when it's time for the picks to be made.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:55 PM ^
It's only stupid because the Dallas Football Classic, or TicketCity Bowl, is technically played on New Years Day...and aired on ESPNU. I would much rather play in the Insight Bowl personally. The whole "the later you play the more prestigious" is certainly dead these days.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:16 PM ^
that Dallas is usually really cold and often wet on January 1. I'd rather be in Tempe.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:08 PM ^
NWU probably isn't going to win again with the QB out for the rest of the year.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:12 PM ^
not that the insight bowl is prestigious, but it is more so than the dallas football classic. even though the dallas game is on the 1st.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:51 PM ^
if they still called it the Copper Bowl. At least it isn't the Insight.com bowl anymore.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:33 PM ^
Alabama in the BCS and Auburn in the championship? One of those two things can happen, but not both. If Auburn beats Bama, LSU will make the BCS and Bama will be in the Capital One Bowl. Otherwise, Bama in the Sugar and either LSU or Auburn in another BCS bowl. Also, how do they have Oklahoma and not Nebraska in the BCS? I guess they're going with the idea that the underdog always wins the Big XII championship game, but more likely they just randomly picked one of the two.
November 14th, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^
Just to confuse the SEC a bit more, South Carolina could win in Atlanta. Not probable, but more than remotely possible.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:37 PM ^
... is that CFN needs to check their calendars, because the Insight Bowl is on Dec. 28, not Dec. 31. And the Big Ten "No. 4 or 5" is a little deceiving because it's really No. 6 if a B10 team gets an at-large BCS bid, which seems semi-likely.
Still, agree that Missouri is a very tough matchup. The two weeks of practice time will benefit Michigan's frosh as much as anyone, so that's huge, but teams that actually have the personnel to run a spread make me queasy.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:42 PM ^
My avatar challenges your avatar to a duel.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:01 PM ^
you'll notice my avatar's helmet has wings.
Thus endeth this duel.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^
But if you'll notice, my avatar is filled with holes, which more closely resembles our defensive secondary.
November 14th, 2010 at 6:38 PM ^
Avatar smack? Snoopy Avatar smack! Never know what kind of interesting discussion you'll find at MGoBlog.
November 14th, 2010 at 7:09 PM ^
Wings.
Good day, Sir.
November 14th, 2010 at 8:53 PM ^
My avatar has a leather helmet on. Statistically speaking, these guys in the leather helmets:
have more national championship than these guys:
November 15th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^
Why don't you guys challenge each other to a dogfight?
You know, thats what planes fighting is called. . . and well . . . you're dogs, so . . .
.
nevermind.
November 15th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
This has been a most profitable duel for all concerned.
I think Brian should have a weekly "Avatar Smackdown" where everyone votes on a head-to-head matchup of related avatars.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^
"No. 4 or 5" doesn't mean the #4 or #5 team in the Big Ten, just that that bowl gets the #4 or #5 pick of Big Ten teams. Bowls don't have to take the best available team left on the board, though it generally has to be within one game of the best team still on the board.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:38 PM ^
Maybe its cowardly but I obviously hope we get into the best bowl we can if it means we can somehow beat Wisconsin and/or Ohio State. That said, it we finish 7-5, is it wrong for me to hope for nothing more than (1) a favorable matchup that will lead to a win as opposed to a "good matchup" (2) not ending up in Detroit playing for pizza.. At this point, I figure if you're not playing for something significant in a bowl, isn't it just best to get in the 15 extra practices and a win to build some confidence going into an important year next year.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:42 PM ^
...I think we've already done enough to guarantee something better than the Little Caesars bowl.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:54 PM ^
UM was guaranteed not to play in the Little Caesars Bowl
November 14th, 2010 at 7:16 PM ^
November 14th, 2010 at 11:54 PM ^
haHA it is both for me!
Encouragement!
November 14th, 2010 at 4:39 PM ^
...is likely the destination for this team unless they win at least one of the next two games (which would be nice and go a long way to shutting up the anti-RichRod factions). If they beat Wisconsin and/or Ohio State (and perhaps with some help from others), I have a feeling there may be a New Year's Day trip to Jacksonville (Gator Bowl) on the horizon.
Meanwhile, ESPN's projections both have Michigan going to the Insight Bowl (Michigan-Oklahoma from Schlabach , Michigan-Missouri from Adelson).
http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections
If they do get to the Insight Bowl, I'm definitely going to try and make it out there for the game.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:59 PM ^
They have MSU in a BCS bowl and not OSU? Are they predicting OSU loses another game (to us plz kthx) or something? I can't imagine a bowl picking MSU over OSU if they both end up with one loss. OSU fans travel extremely well and MSU has trouble filling their own stadium. Kind of confused by this one.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:33 PM ^
Couple ways to guess the ESPN thinking here...
1: Sparty, Bucknuts and Badgers win out, and the assumption is MSU gets the tiebreaker (doesn't look likely based on BCS standings I'd think).
2: Bucknuts lose at Iowa, therefore they'll be out of the hunt and Wisconsin and Sparty win out. Thus, MSU wins the tiebreaker and heads to Pasadena.
I'm not sold about Ohio State losing at Iowa...somehow I feel Kirk Ferentz has another late-game coaching brain fart in him this season that'll cost the Hawkeyes. I'm also not sold on Sparty winning out, specifically the last game at Happy Valley. McGloin is not your typical "OMG, DEATH!!!" walk-on QB as we have seen (he fared OK in Columbus at the start until the pick-sixes).
November 14th, 2010 at 6:01 PM ^
Iowa's going to be really pissed off after the Northwestern game. I would not be at all shocked if they beat OSU.
But I think you're right about MSU's chances of going to a BCS bowl ahead of OSU if they're both 11-1.
November 14th, 2010 at 7:03 PM ^
I believe the new ones haven't come out for ESPN yet.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:40 PM ^
Personally, I'd love to go against Florida again. It would be an interesting matchup, it would deifnitely get nation-wide attention, and I think we would have a good shot at winning.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:50 PM ^
Two great names in college football... I want it!
win or lose...
November 14th, 2010 at 7:07 PM ^
They match up much better on defense versus Florida. Most years it might be better to duck an SEC team to get B12 matchup but not this year. Plus I think Gator is a little more prestigious versus Insight.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^
We have waited a long time to see this team play in a bowl.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^
For those confused by "Big Ten No. 4", it does not mean the fourth-place Big Ten team. It means that bowl gets the fourth choice of available Big Ten teams. Michigan is a huge national draw, and will thus likely be selected earlier than its conference finish would otherwise dictate.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:51 PM ^
Did I miss something?......Stanford is not listed as getting a bowl bid- they are #6 in the country
November 14th, 2010 at 4:53 PM ^
December 29, 2010 San Antonio, TX
Valero Alamo Bowl 8:00 pm ESPN
Big 12 No. 2 or 3 vs. Pac 10 No. 2
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford
November 14th, 2010 at 4:57 PM ^
...If they get stuck going to San Antonio. Heck, that matchup is worthy of a New Year's Day showdown, not a bowl game with the potential of having incompetent Sun Belt officials ruining what could be an offensive funfest.
November 14th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ^
November 14th, 2010 at 4:56 PM ^
I think you need to be smarter than the website and click on week 10 and see that they have us playing baylor.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:06 PM ^
Or maybe they have us playing Mizzou in their week 11 projections. I don't know, could be.
November 14th, 2010 at 4:58 PM ^
1. Really am rooting for Gator, Outback, or Capital One bowl
2. Catholics vs Convicts game is always fun
3. MAC should have more games (atleast Toledo should be in)
November 14th, 2010 at 5:02 PM ^
Of course, the real travesty here is that Pittsburgh, currently 5-4 (3-1) gets into the BCS while either Stanford or a second SEC team gets shut out (assuming both BSU and TCU are in, which seems likely). Too bad they can't have a one-time rule: BCS excludes Big East this year due to suck. I'm sorry, but teams with more than 3 losses ought not be playing in a BCS bowl. But alas, them's the rules.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:03 PM ^
That would eliminate the Big East / ACC nonsense.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:09 PM ^
I mean heck, with one more win, MIchigan ends up with as good a record as PItt.... and we beat 2 teams they lost to (UConn, ND).
November 14th, 2010 at 5:11 PM ^
I don't see VT losing to anyone else the rest of the regular season (including the ACC Championship). That would put them at 11-2 and worthy of a BCS bowl game. Sure, the ACC is down, but VT is very likely going to go undefeated in conference play. That is impressive.
November 14th, 2010 at 10:51 PM ^
I can think of one thing that is not very impressive on VaTech's resume....
November 15th, 2010 at 9:24 PM ^
Losing to an FCS school? Yeah, who does that!?
November 14th, 2010 at 6:03 PM ^
But not for conference champs, sadly.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:37 PM ^
No BCS with a loss to a FCS. Book it.