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Football
Big Ten Bowl Lineup Snapshot
By Tony Gerdeman

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
# 5 Wisconsin (11-1, 7-1) vs #3 TCU (12-0, 8-0)
Jan. 1 4:30 pm

Wisconsin bowl record 11-10
TCU bowl record 11-14-1
Series: Tied at 0-0-1
Big Ten is 30-33 in the Rose Bowl
Miles traveled – Wisconsin: 1,661; TCU 1,202

Initial Thoughts – TCU hasn't really been tested by a team that likes to punch folks in the mouth, and Wisconsin is about the mouth-punchingest team you're gonna find. The Horned Frogs will have some success on offense, but the Badgers are going to be healthy and mean, and they never lose the Rose Bowl. (At least not since 1963.)

Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA)
#6 Ohio State (11-1, 7-1) vs #8 Arkansas (10-2, 6-2)
Jan. 4 8:00 pm

Ohio State bowl record 19-22
Arkansas bowl record 12-22-3
Series: Have never met
Miles traveled – Ohio State 801; Arkansas 483
Big Ten is 1-4 in the Sugar Bowl

Initial Thoughts – Arkansas' deep-passing game against Ohio State's defense. The Buckeyes have stepped up against other unstoppable offenses the last two bowl games, and now they'll get yet another shot. The one thing people will end up ignoring, however, is the offense coming down from Columbus, which has scored more points per game than Arkansas.

Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL)
#9 Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) vs #16 Alabama (9-3, 5-3)
Jan. 1 1:00 pm

Michigan State bowl record 7-13
Alabama bowl record 31-22-3
Series: Have never met
Miles traveled – Michigan State 1000; Alabama 505
Big Ten is 11-9 in the Capital One Bowl

Initial Thoughts – Bad news for Sparty. This is a fight that they don't want to find themselves in. Their regular season wrote checks that their post-season can't cash. Kirk Cousins will fight valiantly, but he'll just be harassed too much, and the Crimson Tide running game will outshine the Spartans.

Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL)
Penn State (7-5, 4-4) vs Florida (7-5, 4-4)
Jan. 1 1:00 pm

Penn State bowl record 27-13-2
Florida bowl record 18-19
Series: Florida leads 2-0
Miles Traveled – Penn State 924; Florida 117
Big Ten is 9-12 in the Outback Bowl

Initial Thoughts – Penn State knows what they're doing in bowl games—or at least they used to. Still, they've had plenty of recent success, so something's working correctly. Florida's offense is struggling, but they'll have four weeks to get better. It may only take 21 points to win this game.

Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL)
Michigan (7-5, 3-5) vs #21 Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4)
Jan. 1 1:30 pm

Michigan bowl record 19-20
Mississippi State bowl record 7-6
Series: Have never met
Miles Traveled – Michigan 843; Mississippi State 178
Big Ten is 1-4 in the Gator Bowl

Initial Thoughts – The Wolverines got the shaft when their reported matchup against Tennessee fell through. Mississippi State is too good for them up front on both sides of the ball, but at least the Michigan quarterbacks won't be too cold.

Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ)
Iowa (7-5,4-4) vs #12 Missouri (10-2, 8-2)
Dec. 28 10:00 pm

Iowa bowl record 13-10
Missouri bowl record 12-15
Series: Missouri leads 5-7
Miles Traveled – Iowa 1,251; Missouri 1,157
Big Ten is 2-4 in the Insight Bowl

Initial Thoughts – Iowa has a way of getting themselves into these games against teams with much better records and making a game out of it. This shouldn't be any different. In fact, Iowa should be expected to win this game, which is why they probably shouldn't be expected to win it. (You see what I did there?)

Texas Bowl (Houston, TX)
Illinois (6-6, 4-4) vs Baylor (7-5, 4-4)
Dec. 29 6:00 pm

Illinois bowl record 6-9
Baylor bowl record 8-8
Series: Baylor leads 1-0
Miles Traveled – Illinois 821; Baylor 161
Big Ten has never been in the Texas Bowl before

Initial Thoughts – None, really. Illinois made it to a bowl game, so their season is a success. They may just be happy to be in Houston. Baylor, on the other hand, will have another opportunity to prove they should be taken seriously. Whichever team's quarterback performs most poorly will lose this one. Illinois will need to run this ball and limit Nathan Scheelhaase's mistakes.

TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX)
Northwestern (7-5, 3-5) vs Texas Tech (7-5, 3-5)
Jan. 1 12:00 pm

Northwestern bowl record 1-7
Texas Tech bowl record 11-21
Series: Have never met
Miles Traveled – Northwestern 810; Texas Tech 298
This is the first year for the TicketCity Bowl

Initial Thoughts – Northwestern is never going to catch a break in a bowl game. They generally make their own throughout them, but not enough, and this could be one that is no different.

Total Miles traveled for the Big Ten – 8,111
Total Miles traveled for their opponents – 4,101

Best case record this bowl season 6-2

Worst case 1-7

Expect 3-5

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