Big Ten Places Seven In Bowl Games

The 2010-11 Bowl Schedule is official, with the Big Ten Conference placing seven teams in Bowl games, including two BCS Bowl participants - Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl and Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.  

As expected, Wisconsin will face TCU in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.  Ohio State will face Arkansas on January 4th in the Sugar Bowl.

The complete schedule for Big Ten teams is below:

Insight Bowl:

Missouri Vs. Iowa; 

Tempe, Arizona; December 28; 10:00PM et; ESPN

Texas Bowl:

Baylor Vs. Illinois;

Houston, Texas; December 29; 6:00PM et; ESPN

TicketCity Bowl:

Texas Tech Vs. Northwestern;

Dallas, Texas; January 1, 2011; Noon et; ESPNU

Outback Bowl:

Florida Vs. Penn State;

Tampa, Florida; January 1, 2011; 1:00PM et; ABC

Capital One Bowl:

Alabama Vs. Michigan State

Orlando, Florida; January 1, 2011; 1:00PM et; ESPN

Gator Bowl:

Mississippi State Vs. Michigan

Jacksonville, Florida; January 1, 2011; 1:30PM et; ESPN2

Rose Bowl:

TCU Vs. Wisconsin

Pasadena, California; January 1, 2011; 5:00PM et; ESPN

Sugar Bowl:

Arkansas Vs. Ohio State

New Orleans, Louisiana; January 4, 2011; 8:30PM et; ESPN

Of course, Auburn will face Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game from Glendale, AZ on January 10, 2011.

BCS Bowl Projections: Ohio State And Arkansas Looked Set For Sugar Bowl

It appears a done deal, after yesterday's results, that the Ohio State Buckeyes will be headed to New Orleans to face Arkansas is the 2011 Sugar Bowl.  On a Saturday that saw no real upsets, the Buckeyes and Razorbacks are the best bets to get the Big Easy invite. 

While the official Bowl Selection Show isn't until later today, here is a look at where I think everyone in the Big Ten will go:

2011 Rose Bowl:  Wisconsin Vs. TCU - With nothing of consequence happening yesterday, Wisconsin is a lock to go to the Rose Bowl.  Their opponent is almost assuredly TCU, who will likely finish 3rd in the BCS Standings.  From a football standpoint, this is a great matchup, though I'm sure the Rose Bowl would love to find a way to get Stanford.

2011 Sugar Bowl - Ohio State Vs. Arkansas - Auburn is locked into the BCS Championship Game which leaves Arkansas in the driver's seat to be Ohio State's opponent in the Sugar Bowl.  Yes, there still is a chance a BCS Bowl could take Michigan State, but I find it hard to believe any big-time bowl will voluntarily turn its back on the Buckeyes fans and their dollars.

2011 Capital One Bowl - Michigan State Vs. LSU - I still think Alabama has a shot here, but LSU is still ranked higher in the BCS and the Tigers would be a solid draw.

2011 Outback Bowl - Penn State Vs. South Carolina - In reality, this could go a couple of different ways.  Iowa could be the Big Ten representative here, with Penn State possibly going to the Gator Bowl.  A Paterno V. Spurrier matchup still has its luster, and the Outback Bowl would likely feel pretty good with it.

2011 Gator Bowl - Iowa Vs. Florida - Substitute Penn State if here you'd like, it really is a toss-up.  The Gators will be there, and when I flipped a coin I came up with Iowa ending up as the opponent.  The Hawkeyes season ended with disappointment, but they still should get the nod over Michigan.

2011 TicketCity Bowl - Northwestern Vs. Texas Tech - I predicted this matchup last week and it has been confirmed earlier today.  Played on New Year's Day in the historic Cotton Bowl, the game is on ESPNU, meaning few will get to see it.

2011 Texas Bowl - Illinois Vs. Baylor - This one has been confirmed as well - the game will be played on Dec. 29 at Reliant Stadium in Houston and has an "exclusive" TV window -- meaning no other game is played at the same time -- on ESPN.