Michigan football team's bowl destination will be revealed tonight
Three teams with identical 7-5 overall records. Three bowls in the middle of the Big Ten’s alliance lineup.
It’s anyone’s guess how it shakes out Sunday night.
The Michigan football team should learn its postseason destination tonight (8 p.m., Big Ten Network), with the Outback Bowl in Tampa, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Insight Bowl in Phoenix all possibilities.
Several college football analysts have said in the past week they believe the Wolverines won’t slip past the Florida bowls, but Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said Saturday he’s got no inside information.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll find out likely tomorrow evening sometime when they call me.”
The Big Ten will almost certainly send two teams to the BCS, and the Capital One Bowl will get the third one-loss team from the conference. Outback representatives have the next pick, followed by the Gator and Insight. How those bowls will pick is no foregone conclusion.
“It’s kind of an unprecedented year, with three identical teams at the top and more in the middle with identical records,” said Insight Bowl representative Andy Bagnato.
“To me, this is the definition of balance for a conference. It makes for a lot of interesting choices.”
Penn State, Iowa and Michigan all finished the season 7-5. The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes finished 4-4 in conference play, while the Wolverines finished 3-5. Michigan lost to both in their face-to-face meetings. That does not necessarily mean the Wolverines will be picked last - bowl officials do not need to select schools based on their order in the standings.
Michigan’s hunger for a postseason - the Wolverines have not reached a bowl since the 2007 season - combined with a vast alumni base make the school a popular choice to move up the Big Ten’s bowl ladder.
The Outback has not hosted Michigan since 2003. The possibility of the Tampa-based game pitting Denard Robinson, a Florida native, against an SEC team is an attractive option.
Of course, Michigan hasn’t visited the Phoenix area since 1986, when it played Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. Could there be a repeat of that game in 2010 that serves as a preview of the Cornhuskers’ entry into the Big Ten?
“We can’t even speculate,” Bagnato said. “We’re waiting to see what they do ahead of us. … We do have some great options, and Michigan is one of them.”
Pete Bigelow covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2556, via email at petebigelow@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @PeterCBigelow.
Comments
thomas f
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 7:27 p.m.
Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan will play in the Gator Bowl, and the Gator Bowl posted that on twitter.
Joe
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 6:18 p.m.
Mort - CBS does show UM and Miss St in the Gator, Fox just updated thier predicitions a few minutes ago and it still shows UM/Neb, and ESPN is still showing UM/Neb. Oh well, time will tell.
jameslucas
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 6:09 p.m.
Most of the comments made by posters are accurate or possible less two statements The better bowl will bring in more money for the school and A huge crowd equated to lots $$$ for the NCAA
golfer
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 5:57 p.m.
Mississippi State is U-M's foe in Gator Bowl
Hebner
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 5:47 p.m.
I live here in Jax, FL and I can tell you the Gator Bowl wants a Michigan vs. Florida match-up to ensure a packed stadium and secure a win for Florida. The impression I get from the fans and local media is an Iowa/Florida game is looked at as a loss for the gators. Penn State is viewed as a threat to beat the gators; the gator club knows Penn State fans will pack the stadium just like Michigan fans will. The Michigan/Florida match-up is most intriguing because Florida is 0-2 against us in recent years and it would be a great game because Florida has the same problem on offense that we have on defense, also this game could be full of irony in that Florida was LC's last opponent and it could very well be RR's last one.
golfer
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 5:30 p.m.
Michigan vs. Mississippi State in Gator Bowl
Joe
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 5 p.m.
Sorry to say but, the plus side of the UM/Neb is the money factor. UM and Neb always "travel well" so that game would bring a HUGE crowd. A huge crowd equated to lots of $$$ for the NCAA and Phoenix, and we know $$$ speak louder than the competitive nature of the game. Again, I am not wanting Neb. It just might end up going back to the UM/Mizz game everyone was predicting initially. Let's hope!! :)
GettingBluer
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:47 p.m.
Nebraska is kind of a waste of a bowl game as they'll be in-conference next year anyway. I'd be more interested in seeing how they do against a team more like themselves (like Florida).
ronaldduck
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:41 p.m.
Nebraska will dismantle UM. Baylor, Florida and Missouri all most likely will beat us. The only team mentioned so far that we have a chance of beating in my opinion is Tennessee. Part of the problem with the Big Ten losing so many bowl games is, the teams usually bring lots of fans to far away places so they usually end up in bowls with better teams than they deserve.
Joe
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.
Maize...I am not wishing for Neb...just saying what ESPN and Fox are saying.
Joe
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:29 p.m.
AZ...The TN thing has everything to do with the mystic of the SEC. Not in any way saying that is right. That's just how it is right now. ESPN and Fox are still saying Insigth against Nebraska, but we'll see soon. Blue....Amen!!
Hanz Landa
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.
which bowl in josh groban singing the national anthem at?
maizenbluedoc
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.
Maybe some posters should use caution when hoping for Nebraska in the bowl game. After losing to the Sooners, they will be loaded for bear (Wolverine in this case). I vividly recall the results the last time they played the Huskers. I had to endure all sorts of ridicule from a fan from Omaha whom I had invited to my home to watch the game.
tulsatom
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:07 p.m.
It's a mixed blessing to have such a large alumni base and following because it will almost guarantee U-M a bowl game of higher status than this year's team deserves if the bowl were solely based on their play on the field. he better bowl will bring in more money for the school and give the team more national exposure, which are all good things. However, it will also pit them against a better team that may beat the living daylights out of them instead of matching them up with a team of equal status, such as teams like Baylor, Florida, Tennessee, and maybe Missouri.
BlueGator
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:06 p.m.
I hope we draw someone more interesting than Tennessee or Georgia. Wish we could slip through to the Insight Bowl and play someone from the Big XII. Oh well, whoever we draw, it'll be good to get our minds back on to prepping for a game.
BlueGator
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 4:03 p.m.
I hope we draw someone more interesting than Tennessee or Georgia. Wish we could slip through to the Insight Bowl and play someone from the Big XII. Oh well, whoever we draw, it'll be good to get our minds back on to prepping for a game.
azwolverine
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 3:21 p.m.
If the Gator Bowl features Tennessee, it will be a win for the B10 regardless of who goes. BTW, how does a 6-6 Tennessee even get mentioned for a New Year's Day bowl game?
Joe
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 2:27 p.m.
ESPN and Fox have UM going to Phoenix to play Nebraska.
a2zyzzyva
Sun, Dec 5, 2010 : 2:17 p.m.
The headline in the print edition was "Where U-M goes bowling is anyone's guess". I was surprised to learn that apparently U-M does not have a bowling team. I wonder why.