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Besides one or two showcase games (Army/Navy), the regular season for college football is pretty much over. With closing of conference play, that means it is time for one of my favorite parts of college football... Bowl Season.
I will admit, over the past couple of years, things have gotten pretty crazy with pretty much anyone being able to get into a bowl game and where there were just a handful of them, now there are probably upwards of twenty different bowl games played between now and the National Championship game in January.
For me, there is just something about seeing a team or two that you have never seen before match up on a national level. I typically prefer to cheer for the underdog unless there is a team that I hold some affinity for playing.
This year, nine of the teams in the Big Ten conference have made it to a bowl game. I am going to give you the rundown:
- The Fiesta Bowl is on December 28th and is part of the college football playoff bracket. It will see #2 Ohio State facing off against #3 Clemson. This should be a very good game. Keep your eye out for it.
- The Rose Bowl is on January 1st as is always the case and it will see #8 Wisconsin going against #6 Oregon. This is the 71st time that a Big Ten team will be playing in the Rose Bowl. It is a pretty prestigious honor. It only makes sense the #2 team in the Big Ten would get this opportunity.
-The Goodyear Cotton Bowl is on December 28th and as you can see corporate sponsorship is a pretty big deal for bowl games. #10 Penn State will be taking on #17 Memphis and this is only the 5th time a Big 10 team has been in the Cotton Bowl. There is a good chance I will be tuning in to this game. I like Penn State and I would like to see them end their year on a high note.
- The VRBO Citrus Bowl is on January 1st and #14 Michigan will be playing against #13 Alabama. I think the most surprising thing about this game is just the fact that Alabama finished the season at 13. That is pretty low for such a powerhouse. Michigan State faced off against Alabama a couple of years ago and got beat pretty badly if I remember right. Maybe Michigan will have better luck this year, but I will probably secretly being rooting for Bama since I am a State fan.
- The Outback Bowl is on January 1st as well and sees #18 Minnesota facing off against #12 Auburn. This should be a pretty interesting game and since it is on at the same time as the Citrus Bowl there is a good chance I will be switching back and forth between the two. Auburn is a tough team but despite a few setbacks Minnesota is good too. I will be cheering for Minnesota.
- The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl is on December 27th and it will have #16 Iowa playing against #22 USC. USC has always been a tough opponent for Big Ten teams and I don't really expect this to be any different. Hopefully the powerhouse defense of Iowa can keep them at bay. Iowa also has one of the longest tenured coaches in the NCAA so that experience has to count for something.
- The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl is on January 2nd and has Tennessee vs. Indiana. Ever since visiting Nashville a couple of times in the past five years, Tennessee has my heart. Even though I pretty much always cheer for the Big Ten team, I will be on the Volunteers side of this one.
- The New Era Pinstripe Bowl has Michigan State facing Wake Forest in Yankee Stadium. It is on December 27th and I will definitely be watching this one. I am hoping that my Spartans can end the year on a high and take that momentum into next season. I am looking forward to seeing some of the young talent get a shot in this game and maybe show up some of the veterans (it shouldn't be hard).
- The Redbox Bowl is on December 30th and sees a match-up of Illinois against California. I have my money on the Illini for this one. They have been a pretty solid team all season and they have shown they can win the big games when it matters. I am actually a little surprised they weren't given a more renowned bowl game to play in.
Finally, if you need something else to watch, you should tune in to the New Mexico Bowl on Dec 21st. The Central Michigan Chippewas will be taking on San Diego. They had a tough loss in the MAC championship, so I am hoping the team down the road from where I live can pull out a win. I actually have a conference in Mt. Pleasant tomorrow, so we will see what the energy is like on campus!