Hoosier Huddle's 2020 Big Ten Bowl Projections (11/16)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The following Big Ten Bowl Projections are for the week of November 16, 2020. I am projecting out how I think the rest of the season will go and where each Big Ten team, including Indiana, will be placed. Please note, the Quick Lane Bowl (ties with Big Ten and ACC) will not be played this season.

Rose Bowl - #2 Ohio State vs. #3 Clemson (CFP Semifinal)

Last Week – Rose Bowl – OSU vs. Clemson

Admittedly, it looks strange to place Clemson into the semifinal after they lost to Notre Dame. The Tigers were without three defensive stalwarts and quarterback Trevor Lawrence. I think a full-strength Clemson team will knock-off the Fighting Irish in the ACC Championship Game and do so convincingly while Ohio State will head to the playoff as an unbeaten Big Ten champion.

Things get interesting from here: if the Big Ten champion is not selected for the College Football playoff, they automatically get a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl spot. After that, nothing is guaranteed but I do consider it possible the Big Ten puts Ohio State in the playoff and a second team in the New Year’s Six as an at-large. Notre Dame will either be in the playoff or in a New Year’s Six bowl. Cincinnati and BYU both have claims if they go unbeaten. The Big 12 champion will get a spot. The SEC is going to get a playoff spot plus at least one New Year’s Six spot (SEC East champion and then likely Texas A&M). The PAC-12 will have a champion that gets a spot. Will there be room for a Big Ten team? If they have someone with good wins and at most two losses (with one of them being to Ohio State)…I think so. The West champion is the most likely candidate but Wisconsin might not end up eligible as the Badgers cannot miss any more games. Northwestern? Ultimately, I’m leaving the Big Ten out of the New Year’s Six. Which brings us to the remaining bowl affiliation.

Citrus Bowl – Indiana vs. Georgia – January 1 in Orlando, Florida

Last Week – Citrus Bowl – IU vs. Georgia

The Hoosiers rolled Michigan State to move to 4-0. A win in Columbus changes everything but for now, I’m projecting a 6-2 record for IU in the regular season plus a victory in the crossover game on championship Saturday. I have Alabama in the College Football Playoff and Texas A&M and Florida in a New Year’s Six bowl. That leaves me selecting between Auburn and Georgia for the Citrus Bowl and I’ll give the nod to the Bulldogs.

Outback Bowl – Northwestern vs. Auburn

Last Week – Outback Bowl – Northwestern vs. Auburn

Northwestern won at Purdue and they are now 4-0. Peyton Ramsey is doing quite well for himself in Evanston, something that likely does not surprise very many Hoosier fans.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl – Wisconsin vs. North Carolina

Last Week – Maryland vs. North Carolina

Formerly the Belk Bowl, this game is in Charlotte. The Badgers hammered Michigan after sitting out for two weeks. They are 2-0 and if they miss any more games they will not be eligible for the Big Ten West championship. How would a bowl selection committee viewa 5-0 Wisconsin team that went 4-0 in the regular season and then beat someone like Maryland in the crossover game? I have no idea. They’ll be one of the more interesting teams to watch over the next few weeks.

Music City Bowl – Purdue vs. Arkansas

Last Week – Purdue vs. Arkansas

The Boilermakers lost a close game to Northwestern on Saturday, something they are doing quite a lot of under Jeff Brohm. Rondale Moore continues to be unavailable and the offense lacked creativity in their loss to the Wildcats. The Boilers don’t play Wisconsin after that game was cancelled but I another two losses out there for them.

Pinstripe Bowl – Maryland vs. Boston College

Last Week – Wisconsin vs. Boston College

The Terrapins are 2-1 still but I flipped them with Wisconsin after seeing the Badgers on Saturday. An old ACC opponent would be a fun matchup for the Terps.

Guaranteed Rate/Cactus Bowl – Iowa vs. Kansas State

Last Week – Michigan vs. Kansas State

I am dropping Michigan from my bowl projections…that’s the least of the Wolverines problems though. Iowa moves in after a convincing throttling of Minnesota moves them to 2-2. On a side note, I am glad the Big Ten now has a tie-in with the Big 12