B1G Bowlapalooza: I don’t know...the New Year’s Six do anything for you?

Our rundown of the 2021 bowl game lineup continues with a look at the Big Ten’s New Year Six representatives, Michigan State and Ohio State, who qualified for the Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh and the Rose Bowl against Utah, respectively.

While we voted Michigan State-Pitt, broadly, as the Best B1G Bowl and had very little positive to say about Ohio State-Utah, are there storylines here we’re missing?

III. Selection Process, cont.

B. New Year’s Six

Michigan State got a matchup with Pat Narduzzi and Pittsburgh rather than a date with Notre Dame. Do you think the higher rankings for ND and Okie State set this up? Are you disappointed by the decision?

BRT: It is probably throwing a bone to the Big XII since they’re otherwise absent from any game of note. And throwing a bone to Notre Dame, since the Powers That Be have decided they are permanently special and worthy of accommodations.

With Michigan in the playoff and OSU in the Rose, this might be the concession to show that they only favor the SEC, not the Big Ten. I’m not personally mad—MSU-Pitt might be fun.

Kind of...: Not disappointed as MSU/Pitt should be awesome, and it will now be easier for me to ignore Notre Dame. Win/win as far as I’m concerned.

Stew: Nah, I’m cool with this. Fuck ND.

misdreavus79: Michigan State got a New Year’s Six bid, against a team they are quite capable of beating. I don’t see the problem here.

WSR: Should be fun as long as I don’t have to care about anyone playing in the game. And besides, Notre Dame somehow found a way to become cool last week when Brian Kelly abandoned them. They shouldn’t be punished by having to play Sparty.

Ohio State. Utah. Please, someone have some thoughts because I cannot muster the energy to care.

BRT: Well, OSU’s recent history against the Pac-12 is stellar, so I don’t see any reason for them to worry. Will we get a special mention of how instrumental Urban Meyer was to each team’s history, or is He of the Wandering Fingers now an unmentionable?

Kind of...: Honestly, I’m truly really into this Rose Bowl matchup. Utah shredded Oregon twice and will have OSU’s attention. Whittingham is 11-3 in bowl games (though he’s lost his last two, right NW fans?), and has a couple of BCS wins in there, including one over a Saban-coached Alabama team that was not happy to be there.

Consider yourself on notice, Buckeyes.

Stew: Sorry, I got nothin’.

misdreavus79: Utah beat Oregon by 59. Oregon beat Ohio State by 7. Thus, Utah will beat Ohio State by 66?

WSR: As I’ve previously said, the only reason this could be fun is if tOSU decides this is below them and Utah decides that this is their Super Bowl. Violence and blood and poisonous nut shells everywhere.

BoilerUp89: Go Utes.