Well, it's not quite what I had hoped for when I first wrote about the 2010 bowl schedule. However, I do like what the Big Ten has done with their new bowl schedule. The new schedule feels like the conclusion to the steps taken in the 2006-2009 alignment. In those changes, the Big Ten worked to put their fans in nice destinations (with money and TV obviously playing a major factor as well). As a result, we ended our stints with the Music City (Nashville) and Sun Bowl (El Paso) and added bowls in Phoenix and Orlando. Now, we have ended our time with the Alamo (San Antonio), Champs (Orlando), and Motor City/Pizza (Detroit) and moved into the Dallas, Houston, and Jacksonville markets. Solid choices. In a nice scheduling move, all of the Big Ten games will be played on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. We are the traditional conference. We will play at the traditional bowl time.
Will anyone miss the bowl game in Detroit?
After the jump, we'll take a look at how these matchups will pan out, and ask about one that got away
The current lineup (with current projected pairing):
Rose Bowl: Ohio State v. USC (Pac-10 Champ)
Second BCS Bowl: Orange Bowl, Iowa v. Virginia Tech
Capital One Bowl: Penn State v. LSU (SEC #1 Post BCS Pick)
Outback Bowl: Michigan v. Auburn (SEC #2 Post BCS Pick)
Champs Bowl: Wisconsin v. Clemson (ACC #3 Post BCS Pick)
Alamo Bowl: Minnesota v. Kansas (Big 12 #3 Post BCS Pick)
Insight Bowl: Michigan State v. Texas Tech (Big 12 #5 Post BCS Pick)
Pizza Bowl: Northwestern v. Central Michigan (#1 or #2 MAC Selection)
The 2010 lineup (with projected pairing):
Rose Bowl: Ohio State v. USC (Pac-10 Champ)
Second BCS Bowl: Orange Bowl, Iowa v. Virginia Tech
Capital One Bowl: Penn State v. LSU (SEC #1 Post BCS Pick)
Outback Bowl: Michigan v. Auburn (SEC #2 Post BCS Pick)
Gator Bowl*: Wisconsin v. Arkansas (SEC #5 Post BCS Pick)
Insight Bowl*: Minnesota v. Oklahoma State (Big 12 #4 Post BCS Pick)
Texas Bowl: Michigan State v. Missouri (Big 12 #6 Post BCS Pick)
Dallas Bowl Classic: Northwestern v. Southern Miss (#2 or #3 C-USA Selection)
*In two years, the Gator Bowl will have the #3 post-BCS pick. It decides in which years it will choose that option.
The One That Got Away:
Why did we not get in on the Yankee Bowl? You're telling me that the game wouldn't rather have the #5 Big Ten team over the #5 Big XII team? It would seem that replacing one of the Texas games with the game in our corner of the college football world should be a goal for the 2014 bowl pairings.
You'd go. You know you would.