Official bowl speculation / "How tan will I get this Christmas?" thread

Submitted by turd ferguson on

I'm not sure about a lot of this, but I thought that I'd start a thread to collect some news, speculation, and opinions.

Here's what's extremely likely: we'll play an SEC team in either the Outback Bowl or Gator Bowl.  With Nebraska losing, we're ineligible for the Capital One Bowl, since we have two fewer wins than Nebraska.  So either Nebraska or Northwestern will go to the Capital One. 

Then the Outback Bowl picks.  They'll choose between Michigan and whichever of Nebraska and Northwestern doesn't go to the Capital One Bowl.  If the Capital One picks Northwestern, the Outback has to pick Nebraska.  Then the Gator Bowl chooses, and they'll almost certainly pick whichever of the three is left.

Long story short: we're going to either the Outback (Tampa, Jan 1, vs. SEC #3/4) or Gator (Jacksonville, Jan 1, vs. SEC #6).

That means that we're playing an SEC team.  If you believe some reporting out there by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Shreveport Times (links below), the SEC bowl picture seems to be clarifying.  It sounds like the Capital One will probably take Texas A&M (maybe for an old Big 12 battle vs. Nebraska).  They probably also like that they'll get the likely Heisman winner.

The Shreveport Times then says this:

The Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., is next, and it is strongly in favor of taking No. 10 South Carolina (10-2). A logical place for the Gamecocks could be the Chick-fil-A Bowl, but that bowl is locked into No. 14 Clemson (10-2) as an opponent. And the SEC does not want a South Carolina-Clemson rematch after those two just played on Nov. 24.

Most projections I've seen have Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.

So if you believe what's above and that the Big Ten is more unsettled than the SEC, we're most likely looking at South Carolina in the Outback Bowl or Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.

 

Worth noting ----- It's very possible that all of this is wrong or premature.

 

http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2012/12/01/notebook-nick-saban-bel…

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20121201/SPORTS0202/121201015/Gl…

One Inch Woody…

December 2nd, 2012 at 11:02 AM ^

I don't know - I would have said the same thing 5 weeks ago, but this Wisconsin team really really got destroyed by injury and by QB ineptidude and by coaching ineptitude. Stanford is a little overrated, and in my opinion; they don't have the kryptonite to this Wisconsin team. They don't have any gamechangers on defense and they don't have as much speed as, for example Taylor Martinez, or Mariota, or De Anthony Thomas. 

I really believe that they're going to bring their A+ game for this 3rd rose bowl of theirs. They can't afford to let another one slip away. I think they win in a great game.

coastal blue

December 2nd, 2012 at 2:33 AM ^

Going from your bowl line-up:

Wisconsin (L)

Nebraska (L)

Michigan (L)

Northwestern (L) (but this one to me is a toss-up. I lean towards NW losing just because they always seem to lose bowl games close). 

Michigan State (W)

Minnesota (L)

Purdue (L)

Mr. Yost

December 2nd, 2012 at 9:56 AM ^

But I think Michigan beats S. Carolina...

I like Borges with a month to prepare in a NON-RIVALRY game. It's also Denard's last game so I think he'll play 3-4 different positions.

I see it being a game that happily pisses off ALL Michigan fans like the Cap. One Bowl vs. Florida in Lloyd Carr's last game when we're all yelling "WHERE WAS THIS ALL SEASON!!!!???? AHHH!!!!"

One Inch Woody…

December 2nd, 2012 at 11:10 AM ^

Or... it could end up like VT last year - Denard run left; Denard run middle; 3rd and 10 - arm punt. More like the narrative for every Denard game against good defenses. 

A fully healthy O-line might help to quell the force that is S. Carolina's pass rush, but I really think our best shot to win lies on our defense stopping Connor Shaw

FuManBlue

December 2nd, 2012 at 12:43 AM ^

After living in Shreveport for 13 yrs I have to say I never thought it would be referenced here (cool story bro).

When is the bowl selection going to happen?

mattyd22

December 2nd, 2012 at 12:55 AM ^

How in the f could Hoke not let Denard play in the 4th qtr of the osu game. There should have been much more controversy over this. A sr qb's final game really?

Phoenix

December 2nd, 2012 at 8:44 AM ^

But it seems as though you are. Yeah, who wants to see Michigan football anymore? Especially, oh what's his name Denard or something? play his last game EVER for the good guys? Along with the rest of the seniors... Yes please.

umstud78

December 2nd, 2012 at 1:22 AM ^

this is rediculous. Northwestern will more than likley be picked by outback bowl officials over michigan. Earlier in the day we were almost assured a capital one bowl game, now we get to go to the ghetto pitt in jax!!

Brodie

December 2nd, 2012 at 1:37 AM ^

let's be real here guys, Florida is hell on earth in general. Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa are basically just different degrees of stankness

And one could mount an argument that, regardless of what their tie ins are, the Gator is a better bowl than the Outback. For one, the Gator's been around for a lot longer. And it doesn't have a shitastic corporate name.

 

MichiganManOf1961

December 2nd, 2012 at 10:17 AM ^

Yes, and I'm sure Floridians couldn't easily retort with the fact that the University of Michigan is in.... well, Michigan.  Home of Detroit, Flint, Dearborn, and Lansing.  I mean, anyone in their right mind would rather live in any of those cities over Tampa, right?  But hell, you can always come back with the usual, "But Northern Michigan is really nice for 3 months in the summer!"

~Herm

Clarence Beeks

December 2nd, 2012 at 8:19 AM ^

"let's be real here guys, Florida is hell on earth in general. Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa are basically just different degrees of stankness"



Says someone who I can almost guarantee has only ever been to those listed cities plus Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Palm Beach. I thought the same thing, too, though, until I moved to Florida, so I'll cut you some slack.

Clarence Beeks

December 2nd, 2012 at 10:17 AM ^

The populated part, yes. Geography, no. It's kind of interesting to move here and realize that all of the vacation places (all of the places you listed) suck and there are great places that the vacationers just don't go to and know nothing at all about. To answer your question is tough. It just depends on what you're looking for, I guess. There are great remote and rural parts of this state that are absolutely beautiful that vacationers never go to, which, frankly, is great for the people who live here. There are also some neat non-vacationer cities. One perfect example, though, is St. Petersburg (categorically not the same place as Tampa, even though virtually everyone not from the area thinks it is). So many people go to the Tampa Bay Area, either flying into Tampa or going to Clearwater (or St.Pete Beach), and never know that St. Petersburg, itself, has great nightlife and one of the best waterfronts anywhere. Instead, they see Tampa (which sucks) or the beach areas (which can be tourist hell, although beautiful) and conclude that the whole area is the same, when it's not. My personal opinion is that everyone who says that Florida is hell, basing the on the tourist areas, is absolutely correct. I absolutely thought the same thing until I moved to the state the first time.

San Diego Mick

December 2nd, 2012 at 1:49 AM ^

say you're scared of playing an SEC team? We had a tough sched this year and only got whooped in one game, the others were very winnable had we kept mistakes and crucial injuries to a minimum

michgoblue

December 2nd, 2012 at 8:22 AM ^

First, the team that whipped us was an sec team. That game wasn't close.



Second, we didn't keep mistakes to a minimum all year. Why do you think we will do so now?



I am not so much afraid of an sec team, but I suspect that we will lose to most teams with superior talent (duh) and most sec teams curretly have more talent.