The Big Ten has a rich history in bowl games, and the expectations are it will continue in 2023 — we think.
Here at Buckeyes Wire, we keep the tradition going and look at where we think all of the teams in the conference will end up when the dust settles on the season. We reevaluate after each week’s games and predict where teams will be traveling for the holidays based on what our eyeballs tell us.
At the end of the regular season, including the conference championship games, nine conference teams are bowl eligible: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The latter thanks to it being the best of the five-win teams based on APR score and not enough Football Bowl Subdivision teams getting to six wins.
The big three in the East division are likely headed to a very lucrative bowl, with Michigan most certainly headed to the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 ranked team.
We try to figure out where all the teams in the conference will go bowling, and which three teams will join the Wolverines in the playoff on the eve of the final College Football Playoff rankings, which we took a stab at predicting.
Keep in mind the scenarios are very complicated with bowl tie-ins and contractual preferences for teams that have not been involved in certain locations, so we do our best to track it all. We also throw in the College Football Playoff picks as a cherry on top of it all.
Below is a look at the bowl predictions for Big Ten teams and complete playoff picks after the completion of all of the conference championship games.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
What We Predict
Date: Saturday, Dec. 23
TV: ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Reliant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Prediction – Maryland vs. Utah
Quick Lane Bowl
College football is back in the D!
Mark your calendars for the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl!
📆 December 26, 2023
⏰ 2:00 p.m. ET
📺 @espn
🏟 @fordfield
🏈 @B1Gfootball vs @MACSports #BowlSeason #QLB2023 pic.twitter.com/uUmcrrIShn— Quick Lane Bowl (@quicklanebowl) May 31, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 26
TV: ESPN, 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. MAC
Bowl Prediction – Minnesota vs. Miami (OH)
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
The perfect Christmas gift doesn't exi–
That's right, tickets to the 34th annual @GuaranteedRate Bowl are on sale now! See you on December 26 for @BowlSeason's only @Big12Conference vs. @bigten matchup!
ℹ️ https://t.co/dOqRhlmR93
🎟️ https://t.co/97qkjSBqLw pic.twitter.com/wTe7g2HYU6— Guaranteed Rate Bowl (@RateBowl) August 23, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 26
TV: ESPN, 10:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Big 12
Bowl Prediction – Northwestern vs. Kansas
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Football season is knocking at the gates of Yankee Stadium.
The Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl returns 12/28, tickets are on sale now: https://t.co/K5oWEpPTiJ pic.twitter.com/h0RuaRVnsN— Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl (@PinstripeBowl) August 17, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Friday, Dec. 28
TV: ESPN, 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. ACC
Bowl Prediction – Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
🚨 breaking news 🚨
we return to @NissanStadium this dec. 30 on @ABCNetwork!
📰 full release: https://t.co/NhVrajpLsU pic.twitter.com/wbUEH9S7HD
— TransPerfect Music City Bowl (@MusicCityBowl) May 31, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
TV: ESPN, 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Prediction – Wisconsin vs. Auburn
ReliaQuest Bowl
Mark your calendars… the ReliaQuest Bowl is just 150 days away!
🗓️ January 1st, 2024
⏰ Kickoff @ 12:00 PM ET
🏟️ Raymond James Stadium
📺 ESPN2#ReliaQuestBowl #NewYearsDayGame #MoreThanAGame #TampaBay #RaymondJamesStadium #CFB #GameOn #bowlseason pic.twitter.com/BbDvNfVw6A— ReliaQuest Bowl (@ReliaQuestBowl) August 4, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Monday, Jan. 1
TV: ESPN2, Noon ET
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten* vs. SEC
Bowl Prediction – Notre Dame* vs. LSU
*Not enough Big Ten teams eligible
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
New Year’s Day just got 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐙𝐈𝐄𝐑!⁰⁰Our game is set for Monday, Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.
📰: https://t.co/VP5R2Sm5hn pic.twitter.com/K9AFhhap3N
— Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (@CitrusBowl) May 31, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Monday, Jan. 1
TV: ABC, 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Prediction – Iowa vs. Ole Miss
NEXT … Big Ten teams in the New Year’s Six bowls
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
What We Predict
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
TV: ESPN, noon ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction Penn State vs. Georgia
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
What We Predict
Date: Monday, Jan. 1
TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. ET
Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction – Ohio State vs. Oregon
NEXT … College Football Playoff games
CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl Game
Heading into week 4, here is who the media have projected to play in the @CFBPlayoff Semifinal at the #RoseBowl Game. pic.twitter.com/20KSsjEAV9
— Rose Bowl Game (@rosebowlgame) September 23, 2023
What We Predict
Date: Monday, Jan. 1
TV: ESPN, 5 p.m. ET
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction – Michigan vs. Texas
CFP Semifinal Allstate Sugar Bowl
What We Predict
Date: Monday, Jan. 1
TV: ESPN, 8:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction – Washington vs. Florida State
NEXT … For all the marbles
College Football Playoff National Championship game
What We Predict
Date: Monday, Jan. 8
TV: ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP semifinal winner vs. CFP semifinal winner
Bowl Prediction – Michigan vs. Washington
NEXT … And the national champion will be …
College Football Playoff national champion (much to my chagrin)
What will happen
Texas probably has a better chance of beating Michigan than Washington does. Of any of the last three years, if this field holds true, it’s the best chance the Wolverines have to break through and win a national title. The defense will play great against anyone, and the defense is balanced enough to matchup with any team they play. Now, excuse me while I go rinse my mouth out with soap.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
