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Big Ten Bowl Projections, Week 5: USC’s Loss is Penn State’s Gain

Recapping the pointless activity of projecting bowl games after the fifth week of the college football season. But...do we worry about Nebraska not making a bowl game now?

Penn State v Alabama
What could go wrong?
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Let’s get it out of the way: It’s way too early for people to be projecting bowls like it’s any more accurate than phrenology or a wisconsin student life magazine. But people are saying (probably mean) things about your favorite team, and we’re here to aggregate them for you.

Now we’ll see what the “experts” have to say. We’re sampling from ESPN, CBS Sports, SI.com, and the always-right and extremely good-looking Jason Kirk of glittering Mothership SBNation (Hi! Have we mentioned how much we love you?) leading each team off.

(Sorry about this coming later in the week—blame the shitty wifi at the Brookings Days Inn.)

Bowl Projections, 10/5/17

bowl projection roundup 10-5-17.csv

Team Jason Kirk, SBNation Jerry Palm, CBS Sports Kyle Bonagura, ESPN David Hale, ESPN Eric Single, SI.com
Team Jason Kirk, SBNation Jerry Palm, CBS Sports Kyle Bonagura, ESPN David Hale, ESPN Eric Single, SI.com
Penn State Nittany Lions Orange Bowl vs. Miami Peach Bowl vs. Georgia Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama (CFP #4) Rose Bowl vs. Alabama (CFP #3) Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama (CFP #4)
Ohio State Buckeyes Peach Bowl vs. Georgia Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama (CFP #4) Citrus Bowl vs. Auburn Orange Bowl vs. Miami Cotton Bowl vs. TCU
wisconsin badgers Sugar Bowl vs. Clemson (CFP #4) Orange Bowl vs. Louisville Peach Bowl vs. South Florida Outback Bowl vs. Florida Orange Bowl vs. Miami
Michigan Wolverines Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington Holiday Bowl vs. Utah Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington Fiesta Bowl vs. USC Peach Bowl vs. Georgia
Iowa Hawkeyes Holiday Bowl vs. Washington State Quick Lane Bowl vs. BYU Holiday Bowl vs. Utah Music City Bowl vs. LSU Holiday Bowl vs. USC
Minnesota Golden Gophers Foster Farms Bowl vs. Oregon Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. UTSA TaxSlayer Bowl vs. LSU Foster Farms Bowl vs. Stanford Pinstripe Bowl vs. Virginia
Michigan State Spartans Pinstripe Bowl vs. Virginia Tech Foster Farms Bowl vs. Oregon Outback Bowl vs. Florida Holiday Bowl vs. Utah Outback Bowl vs. Tennessee
Maryland Terrapins Outback Bowl vs. Auburn Pinstripe Bowl vs. Notre Dame Quick Lane Bowl vs. Georgia Tech Pinstripe Bowl vs. Notre Dame Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt
Purdue Boilermakers Music City Bowl vs. Texas A&M Outback Bowl vs. Auburn --- Quick Lane Bowl vs. Duke Foster Farms Bowl vs. Oregon
Northwestern Wildcats Quick Lane Bowl vs. Wake Forest Music City Bowl vs. Arkansas Foster Farms Bowl vs. Stanford Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Cal ---
Indiana Hoosiers Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Colorado --- Pinstripe Bowl vs. Florida State --- Quick Lane Bowl vs. Duke
Nebraska Cornhuskers --- --- Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. North Texas --- ---

B1G Thoughts

  • It’s been said elsewhere, but USC’s loss and the Pac-12’s general “late night” issue means that the fourth playoff spot is now the Big Ten’s to lose. Whether that’ll be Penn State or Ohio State remains to be seen, but it appears Jason Kirk has lost a bet to Speth or something.
  • Not speaking of Harbaugh, it sure looks like Michigan has fallen from the public imagination and has settled nicely into its comfortable role as “fringe NY6 team.”
  • Michigan State won a rock fight with Iowa (at home!) and is now going to the Outback or Holiday Bowl, by a majority of accounts. I’m sure that’ll last.
  • I’ll let our Iowa fans attest to how excited they would be to return to southern California, except to visit the Q instead of the Rose Bowl.
  • Part of me hopes wisconsin draws South Florida in a NY6 bowl so badger fans can tell us how Paul Chryst is the greatest thing since Barry Alvarez himself on the backs of wins over the latest directional G5.
  • Minnesota and Maryland are quickly turning into the /shrugemoji of bowl projections.
  • Meanwhile, Purdue could go anywhere from the Outback Bowl (God bless you, Jerry Palm) to the Ro*tel Bowl. I love Week 5 bowl projections.
  • I’m just happy people still think Northwestern is going to a bowl game. (Yes please to Nashville!) But...Wake in Detroit? In 2007 Northwestern and Eastern Michigan played a game at Ford Field, where the attendance was listed as exactly 10,000. An NU-WF Quick Lane Bowl would give that one a run for its money.
  • We live in a world where the “experts” think Nebraska’s ceiling is the Heart of Dallas Bowl against North Texas. Maybe America’s already been made great again.