Big Ten Bowl projections:

Submitted by Brandon_L on

I find these projections very interesting. They have us going to Cap one and Northwestern in the wild wings bowl. We are still getting a lot of respect coming from the struggles we have had. I think the perception of this coaching staff has the media believing they will right the ship. I definitely think the Ohio vs Northwestern game will be a huge decider of the BIg's fate. I honestly want to see a shake up that creates a tight race. I dont want Ohio having an easy run to the Big Title or a Naty title either. I dont think Ohio makes it out of Big unbeaten and I dont think they make it to the Big house unbeaten. I think Northwestern upsets Ohio saturday night.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/83935/big-ten-bowl-projections-week-5-3 

boliver46

September 30th, 2013 at 9:41 AM ^

to see NW beat Ohio and Urban Liar this week.  After the emotional, hard-fought game against Wisky - they might be ripe and ready to be taken down.

 

Here's hoping!

MGoManBall

September 30th, 2013 at 9:49 AM ^

I thought Ohio caught quite a few breaks against Wisconsin that could have spelled disaster for them. Wisconsin dropped an INT at the end of the 1st half and Ohio scored a touchdown that was the difference. They also had 2 fumbles that were nullifyed by penalties committed by Wisconsin.

Ohio isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. They are actually very good... but they are in no way, shape, or form, world-beaters. 

Look for NW to test the secondary and score a LOT of points. Christian Bryant is out for the year with an ankle injury and Abbredaris made Roby look silly all saturday night. It won't be easy for Ohio against NW.

Perkis-Size Me

September 30th, 2013 at 2:17 PM ^

Right now, I think this is OSU's best chance at getting a loss. They're coming off a hard-fought win against Wisconsin, and now they have to go on the road against an opponent who's offense is much more difficult to prepare for. And who's also fresh off a bye week.

I'm giving an edge to OSU, but I would not be shocked to see them lose this game. Either way, this game will come down to the 4th quarter. This is the biggest game of Pat Fitzgerald's career, and he knows it, too. Not to mention Venric Mark is coming back, and that guy is a nightmare with the ball in his hands. If Roby got exposed and embarressed by Abberderis last week, it'll be interesting to see what happens with him against a team with a competent passing attack.

Northwestern will need some luck in this game if they want to force the upset, and their offense will have to keep pace with OSU all night. But its certainly doable. If Northwestern wins on Saturday, you can bet USC will be knocking on Fitzgerald's door come Sunday.

Brhino

September 30th, 2013 at 9:58 AM ^

If you're going to root tactically, you should always root against our fellow Legends division teams when they're playing a Leaders team.  But naaaaah.  Let's go, nerds!

Natronic

September 30th, 2013 at 9:59 AM ^

From what I saw of Ohio on Saturday, they should have won by at least two touchdowns.  They got really conservative in play calling towards the end.  Seemed like they just wanted to escape with a win.  Wisconsin is a very good football team that should only have one loss.  They might be the second best in the BIG.  NW will have an edge in the passing game against Ohio.  I think NW will have a chance to win this game (with some takeaways), but Ohio should outscore them.  To summarize NW, I believe they are our biggest threat for the Division.

South Bend Wolverine

September 30th, 2013 at 10:02 AM ^

I'm a little surprised at how much respect we continue to get, but maybe we should treat that as a reminder that, despite our feelings of panic, this is in fact a very talented team, and still an undefeated one.  Gotta agree on the NW game as well - they could well give Ohio a run for their money, given their potent offense.

Also, a small nitpick.  Can we please stop saying "Naty Title"?  It grates horribly on the ears, and sounds like something a Sparty brah would say (probably while drinking Naty Light).  National Title sounds much more like something I want.

AZBlue

September 30th, 2013 at 10:17 AM ^

The Big 10 might actually have a decent bowl record. We just don't have/ haven't had the depth of talent to be successful when each team slides up one notch in the bowl hierarchy. /glass half full

Ali G Bomaye

September 30th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ^

These projections seem easy to explain as the combination of two things: current records and the bowl selection process.

As far as current records, Michigan is one of only three undefeated B1G teams (Ohio and Northwestern are the others) and our win against ND is probably the biggest nonconference win of any B1G team.  So, struggles against cupcakes aside, it makes sense to put us currently in one of the top three slots ahead of Wisconsin and Nebraska.  This doesn't mean that we're a stronger team, only that we've had a better season so far.

Northwestern looks to be very good this season, but the bowl selection process is designed to screw them over.  Unless they win the conference and get the automatic BCS bid, bowls know that Northwestern's fans won't travel as much as Ohio's, Michigan's, Wisconsin's, or Nebraska's.  So even if Northwestern looks like a superior team, they might drop a few slots in the bowl pecking order (likewise, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Michigan hitting above their weight).

Add those together, and it's not surprising to find Northwestern projected to end up in a depressing bowl.

CompleteLunacy

September 30th, 2013 at 11:46 AM ^

Because Im thinking of calling the upset there. NW is good this year. OSU's defense is beatable, and their offense is not unstoppable. Wisconsin would have had a much better chance of winning if they hadn't kept shooting themselves in the foot. As it stands they still made it a one score game with a chance to tie near the end.

alum96

September 30th, 2013 at 10:41 AM ^

NW has a brutal schedule - by far the worst in our division.  They could be the 2nd best team (or the best) in the end but have more losses than the other 3 teams seen as leaders.  Heck maybe they might finish with the same record as Iowa in the Big 10 due to their schedule.  p.s. let's hold off on calling NW anything but a cool offense with an average defense until we see them play someone valid.  I think their defense will get exploited big time by OSU.  But I think they will also put up some points on OSU.   I could see that one 38-28 OSU.    As for Michigan standing in the bowls if all things are equal UM will usually get a nod due to TV and national draw.   No one in this division is going to run away with it so you will see a lot of teams who are very even record wise and the bowl will take teams like UM and Nebraska over NW and MSU due to how fans travel.

Brandon_L

September 30th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^

Rose bowl or bust for me. Im tired of waiting two years. Every year the expectations are moved two years ahead. I am no longer willing to constantly follow these recruits through their High School career waiting for what they may or may not bring to the table. The time is now. That is all.

Brandon_L

September 30th, 2013 at 11:58 AM ^

Well its a bust for everyone right? A total let down based on expectations that were built during the off season and the pre season. This team is talented and will find its stride. I just hope its sooner than later so that we can move past waiting on players like hand, or Peppers to come through. I want to be blinded by the current talent. I also hate Ohio and how stupid they are. Everything about them makes me cringe. I honestly threw a party and rooted for wisconsin saturday night and plan to cheer on Northwestern this saturday. We have to quit playing second fiddle.

BlueHills

September 30th, 2013 at 11:30 AM ^

Our team has shown inconsistent flashes of brilliance on offense. It is evident that we have a high level of talent in the roster. 

But there is a tendency to make offensive mistakes that will cause losses against well-coached teams. I have to question whether the offensive coaching is comparable to what we're seeing at NW, a team that plays beyond the level of its recruited talent, Wiscy, a team that consistently develops its players very well, and OSU. 

It's easy to put the blame on Devin Gardner, or the O-line, and some of that is justified, but at the same time a consistent offense has something to do with good coaching, and we can all cite examples of how this translates to victories around college football.

Defensively, the coaching is obviously quite good, and the result is a consistent level of play.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see our offensive coaching staff taking the team to championships any time soon. I see 3-4 losses in B1G play if the ship isn't righted quickly.

So the ESPN bowl projections are hard to justify.

WingsNWolverines

September 30th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^

I see everyone else in the B10 going winless in bowls this year. 3 fucking teams in the top 25 this year is a joke.

LSAClassOf2000

September 30th, 2013 at 12:18 PM ^

Here are Jerry Palm's predictions for every bowl as of right now - HERE

His Big Ten picks:

Title Game - Ohio State vs. Alabama

Rose - Nebraska vs. Stanford

Outback - Wisconsin vs. Florida

Capital One - Michigan vs. Georgia

Gator - Michigan State vs. Ole Miss

Buffalo Wild Wings - Northwestern vs. Baylor

 

justingoblue

September 30th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^

Bad pick, but it might make some kind of sense if he had either Northwestern or Michigan going higher. Picking the Legends winner (title game loser) to get passed over for the BCS bid makes sense, but if Northwestern and Michigan are 7-5, 8-4 type teams Nebraska basically has to win the division. They're not getting a Rose Bowl bid with a loss to OSU in the title game, not to mention they're just not a good team in the first place.

Perkis-Size Me

September 30th, 2013 at 1:38 PM ^

I'm somewhat surprised by the level of respect we're still getting. Maybe its because its Michigan, fergodsakes, maybe its because we're still undefeated. Who knows? This is still a very talented team that, if it can turn itself around and clean up some of the mistakes, can beat anyone on its schedule.

I think we should be alright against Minnesota next week. We're coming fresh off a bye and they're coming off of a demoralizing Homecoming loss, but we're going to learn a lot about this team when they go to Happy Valley next week. If we haven't cleaned up by then, we will not come out of there with a W. Hackenburg's looking pretty darn good, and he's only a freshman.

With regards to OSU, right now, I think this weekend is their best chance to lose. Northwestern is a tough team to prepare for with Venric Mark and that option. And they're getting it done with forcing turnovers right now. OSU is coming off a hard-fought win against Wisconsin and could be emotionally drained by the time they hit Evanston. If they win, though, I fully expect them to be 11-0 coming into Ann Arbor.

Don

September 30th, 2013 at 1:43 PM ^

"Most of the bowl names are now so asinine that I can't discern one from another. If they weren't listed in an apparent hierarchy here, I wouldn't know which games were notable and which were destined to be battles of 6-6 squads."

I think we're Gator Bowl bound, assuming we can get there with 9-3 or 8-4.

Wolverine Devotee

October 1st, 2013 at 8:00 AM ^

I may cry myself to sleep if Michigan ends up in the damn Buffalo Wild Wings bowl.

Rose Bowl please.