I Like Burgers

November 24th, 2013 at 1:54 PM ^

Too bad Florida isn't going to be bowl eligible.  We could play in the "Its Not Your Fault" Bowl and just hold each other for four quarters.

Although now that I think about it, Georgia is, and would probably also enjoy a good hug it out session.  Except someone would probably tear an ACL while hugging.  Poor Georgia.

gwkrlghl

November 24th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^

Right now they're going to be somewhere between #10-13. Wisconsin is going to be #17-19. Maybe a loss to OSU could knock them out of that top 13/16 or whatever it is you need to be eligible.

I wonder if a BCS bowl wouldnt take Wisconsin over MSU anyway if both were eligible. I think Wisconsin is a bit more of a 'name' with more exciting football and they may travel better too. MSU might just get passed over (assuming they lose to OSU)

ghost

November 24th, 2013 at 12:08 PM ^

Unless you just started watching college football this year you should know that always happens.  Every year basically.  BCS bowls always try avoid taking conference title game losers.  Also Wisconsin travels better and most people believe they are a better team.

LSAClassOf2000

November 24th, 2013 at 11:39 AM ^

You know, every week, I run the bowl projections through Massey's matchup simulations and end up somewhat discouraged admittedly. This week, if we played Missisippi now, we would likely have a projected 30% shot at winning per that model. The median projected score would be 31-24 as well. Humorously enough, the same simulation gives us a slight edge against Florida, so there would be that. 

Lionsfan

November 24th, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^

So maybe someone can answer this for me, but why does the Big Ten have so many January 1st bowl dates? Out of the 6 NYD bowls, we've got a team in 5 of them.

Also, should we be rooting for Iowa? Or for Nebraska? Probably Nebraska so that Iowa drops to 4-4 in conference, and then the conference standings aren't so big that we go to Tempe instead

AMazinBlue

November 24th, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^

the team might figure something out that works and have a few plays the opposition doesn't already know is coming.  Like the Cap One Bowl against Florida.  No one expected Michigan to run a spread passiing attack.  I doubt this will happen, Borges is wayy to stubborn.  Maybe he's stuck in a time warp and thinks this is 1973.

I will watch and most likely be disappointed by middle of the second quarter, but it will still be football, Michigan football.

chatster

November 24th, 2013 at 12:42 PM ^

CBS’s bowl projections assume that two Big Ten teams are headed to BCS Bowls (depending on scenarios like Michigan State beating Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship or Wisconsin moving higher in the rankings.)  So, if that happens, the Capital One Bowl and the Outback Bowl on January 1, with the Big Ten’s second and third picks after the Rose Bowl will wind up with the Big Ten’s third and fourth picks.
 
After the loss to Iowa, barring a miracle of epic proportions on November 30, there's almost no chance that the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe at 10:15 PM on December 28, with the Big Ten's fourth pick, would choose Michigan, especially if Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota all finish 8-4 and Michigan loses to Ohio State, as expected.
 
The three bowls that look like destinations for Michigan, in order of how they select from Big Ten teams, are (a) the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on January 1 at noon against the SEC’s sixth pick; (b) the Texas Bowl in Houston on December 27 at 6:00 PM against the Big XII’s sixth pick; and (c) the Heart of Dallas Bowl on January 1 at noon against a Conference USA team.  
 
I don’t know whether the Heart of Dallas Bowl would offer Michigan some compensation to decline the invitation, or if Michigan would offer some compensation to the Heart of Dallas Bowl so that the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl on December 26 at 6:00 PM in Detroit would be able to invite Michigan to play the MAC’s second pick.*
 
If two Big Ten teams go to BCS Bowls, then there’s a chance that Michigan, the fifth place team in the Legends Division and the 8th best team in the Big Ten according to the Big Ten Network rankings, could be picked for the Gator Bowl over 8-4 Minnesota, thanks to the head-to-head result.
 
If Ohio State’s the only Big Ten team in a BCS Bowl, then Michigan State and Wisconsin likely will go to the Capital One and Outback Bowls, and Nebraska probably will go to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl if it beats Iowa next week.  Michigan then would compete with 7-5 Iowa (currently at 7-4, with losses against teams with a combined record of 41-3) for the Gator Bowl bid.
 
If Iowa beats Nebraska, then 8-4 Iowa and 8-4 Nebraska probably will battle for the invite to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.  The Gator Bowl then would have the choice of either of those teams, both of whom have fanbases that travel well, instead of a Michigan team that lost to both of those teams and has a deeply depressed fanbase that might be wishing for a Jacksonville trip only to pay tribute to Denard Robinson and Chad Henne.
 
If the Gator Bowl gets Iowa or Nebraska, then 7-5 Michigan would battle 8-4 Minnesota for the Texas Bowl bid, with the loser going to the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
 
*  Had the final seconds of regulation in the Northwestern game turned out differently, and if the Wildcats manage to beat Illinois next week, a 6-6 Northwestern with a win over Michigan might have been a decent choice as the Big Ten’s seventh pick over a 6-6 Michigan on a five-game losing streak.  Also, treating a game in Detroit as something other than a road game could be justification for having Michigan decline the Heart of Dallas Bowl invitation.

chatster

November 24th, 2013 at 3:53 PM ^

Then, the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (with the fourth selection among Big Ten teams) might be interested in matching the worst defensive coordinator in Michigan football history against the worst offensive coordinator in Michigan football history in order to get Texas and Michigan to play in a game that would be televised at 10:15 PM on December 28, thinking that it would have more appeal than bringing Nebraska or Iowa to Tempe.

Or, if two Big Ten teams get BCS bowl bids and Michigan State is one of them, then maybe the Capital One Bowl (with what would be the third pick among Big Ten teams) might be interested in seeing how a Greg Mattison coached defense with a rested and more fully healed Jake Ryan and Blake Countess would fare against Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. . . . Or maybe the Outback Bowl would enjoy the return match between Taylor Lewan and Jadeveon Clowney.

I suppose that if Michigan Football Team 134 represents nothing other than the most wins in college football history, an iconic helmet and the largest collection of living alumni of any university in the world, and the team's performance this season is irrelevant to the bowl selection criteria, then seeing Michigan play in any bowl game better than the Texas Bowl, other than a BCS bowl, might not be too far-fetched.

 

Brodie

November 24th, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^

Why would it? Do you believe there are more than five B1G teams more attractive than Michigan to bowl organizers? We guarantee good ratings and a sellout. The only way we'd fall below the Gator is if they're bound by the two win variance rule to pick the higher seed

Brodie

November 24th, 2013 at 10:18 PM ^

Who are they? Keep in mind that the actual quality of the game is irrelavent to the people who decide these matchups... is Iowa going to bring more eyeballs than Michigan? Is Minnesota going to sell more tickets? 

aanii

November 24th, 2013 at 8:30 PM ^

I think we'll be in the Texas Bowl actually.  not sure why they have Minny in the lowest bowl when they'll finish ahead of us and iowa in the division.  Name recognition I guess, and they'll only have one more win than us so I guess that's it.  Sucks for them though, and frankly i'd rather play Kansas State than Mississippi.