College Football News has now released their own bowl projections after the action in week 11 and they also have eight of the 12 teams in the Big Ten participating in the postseason. Of course, it is easy to call eight teams when eight school already have the requisite eight victories needed to play in the postseason. Indiana and Minnesota are already ineligible, leaving Purdue and Northwestern, each two wins short of a bowl, left to earn their way in. CFN does not see either school making the postseason, and that bodes well for the Golden Gophers. Northwestern must still play Minnesota, and they also host lowly Rice in a non-conference game this weekend. Victories in both would make the Wildcats bowl eligible.
Here are the bowls for the Big Ten as CFN sees them:
December 27
Little Caesar's Pizza Pizza Bowl, Detroit, MI
Toledo vs. Illinois
December 30
Insight Bowl Tempe, AZ
Ohio State vs. Texas A&M
December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, Houston, TX
Nebraska vs. Texas Tech
January 2
TicketCity Bowl, Dallas, TX
Iowa vs. SMU
Capital One Bowl, Orlando, FL
Michigan State vs. Arkansas
Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, FL
Penn State vs. Florida
Outback Bowl, Tampa, FL
Michigan vs. South Carolina
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Wisconsin vs. Oregon